Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Andrew Anthony

Never-ending odyssey: the rise of perpetual cruises that offer the very wealthy a new home at sea

Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, with lots of people, pools and fairground ride-like structures on it, heads away from Miami, Florida, with skyscrapers and buildings on either side of the waterway
Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, set off from Miami, Florida, on its maiden voyage on 27 January. Photograph: Maria Alejandra Cardona/Reuters

On 13 March 2020 a cruise ship called the Braemar was denied entry to the Bahamas after a number of its passengers tested positive for Covid. Forced to travel around the Caribbean, it was finally accepted by Cuba, from where those on board were evacuated to the UK.

The Braemar was just one of a number of cruise ships in which passengers found themselves quarantined at sea in those uncertain days. The Diamond Princess was stuck for a month anchored in Japan as the virus ripped through it, leaving more than 700 infected and nine dead. Another ship, the Ruby Princess, had 28 deaths. It was a nautical horror show.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.