It's been three months since Australia's cruise ban lifted, allowing the re-entry of cruise ships into Australian waters.
Health officials are now tackling a COVID outbreak that has seen more than 100 people infected on the Coral Princess, which docked on the NSW South Coast on Tuesday.
Here's what we know.
How many people have been infected?
There are 118 confirmed cases, including 114 crew and four passengers who have tested positive to the virus, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer (CHO) confirmed on Tuesday afternoon.
There were more than 2,300 guests and crew on the cruise ship that had sailed from Port Douglas in Far North Queensland to Brisbane.
Queensland CHO Dr John Gerrard said 24 people with COVID-19 disembarked in Brisbane and all were isolating and relatively well.
Dr Gerrard said it was “inevitable” that there would be outbreaks on cruise ships.
“To keep this virus off these ships where there are thousands of people in the middle of a pandemic is extraordinarily difficult," he said.
Where is the Coral Princess now?
The ship docked in Eden off the NSW South Coast at 8:30am on Tuesday and was due to depart at 5pm.
It was the first cruise liner to return to Eden since COVID-19 shut the industry down when a cruise ban was introduced two years ago.
A spokesperson for Carnival Australia said it asked passengers disembarking in Eden to wear a mask where appropriate, and be mindful of the local community.
What was the COVID-19 cruise ban?
In March 2020, the Australian government placed a ban on the entry of large international cruise ships into its waters in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.
Hundreds of COVID-19 infections were linked to cruise ships early in the pandemic, including on the Diamond Princess in February 2020 and the Ruby Princess a month later.
After docking in Sydney, the Ruby Princess became the centre of one of Australia's largest coronavirus outbreaks.
In the weeks that followed, more than 600 of the passengers tested positive for COVID-19, and 28 people died.
So, what's going to happen now?
The outbreak has led to Princess Cruises offering refunds to those booked on its next 12-day cruise.
A spokesperson for Carnival Australia, which represents Princess Cruises, said the number of cases identified by Queensland Health were "overwhelmingly among crew".
It said crew were isolating on board "in line with the protocols that have effectively supported the resumption of cruising in Australia".
What safeguards are in place on board?
A Princess Cruises spokesperson said: "Protocols include regular testing of crew, who must all be fully vaccinated, and isolate if they test positive.
"The health and well-being of our guests and crew remain our main priority and the protocols being followed on board are working."
Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath said COVID-19 protocols were in place on the ship before the outbreak.
"The virus is everywhere and there's no escaping that, but I do want to acknowledge that the public health units, along with the cruise line, are doing all the right things and following the protocols in place," she said.
