Zhao Shang Yi Dun-Viking Sun accidents and incidents

01 January 2020Coast Guard Medevacs

On January 1, 2020, a 68-year-old female passenger (suffering stroke symptoms) was medevaced from the liner en-route from Mexico back to California USA, navigating approx 360 km (225 mi) south of Port San Diego. The ship contacted the USCG Air Station San Diego at ~8:20 am, requesting medical evacuation.

For the operation, the USCG dispatched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter (San Diego) and an Alenia C-27J Spartan (military transport aircraft, from Sacramento). The helicopter also brought a pararescueman from SDFD (San Diego Fire-Rescue Department) who was lowered onto the ship to assess the patient and load her into a rescue basket. The elderly woman was airlifted (hoisted) on the helicopter and flown to San Diego's Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla.

The incident occurred at the end of 26-days South America cruise (itinerary December 9 - January 3) from Valparaiso (Santiago, Chile) to Los Angeles (USA) with call ports in Chile (Coquimbo, Iquique), Peru (Pisco, Callao, Ecuador (Manta), Panama City, Costa Rica (Puntarenas), Guatemala (Puerto Quetzal), Mexico (Cabo San Lucas) and California (San Diego, Los Angeles).

March 2019Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

(CruiseMapper email from Gwenyth Todd) I felt increasingly ill on the Viking Sun and developed significant abdominal pain and cramping. Hand washing was not enforced at the cafe and I was concerned I might become critically ill at sea.

The ship’s doctor diagnosed a possible small bowel obstruction but ordered no specific tests or blood/urine/stool samples and ordered me in writing to disembark in Wellington the next morning (March 10, 2019) at Wellington NZ and seek medical attention. Despite being medically ordered to disembark, I was ordered to stand at the elevators as every passenger disembarking for other reasons walked within 24 inches of me. After over 20 minutes, I announced loudly that I was concerned I might be infecting the other passengers with a gastric virus as they filed past me. When the other passengers heard me, they shrank back and cleared a path and I was allowed to disembark but had to ask and wait for assistance carrying my luggage down the gangway.

The Wellington Urgent Care Clinic determined that I had a fever and was suffering from viral gastroenteritis. Viking never followed up so I suspect wanted to hide the virus I contracted while cruising on Viking Sun. After two days of recovery at the orders of the Wellington doctors, I was deemed “Fit to Fly”. and paid my own way home to Australia. I hope Viking is not covering up gastric viral outbreaks by simply not investigating symptoms or failing to follow up when sick passengers are sent to doctors ashore. I have copies of every letter from the ship and shore doctors to back up my account. No info about others fallen ill.

Note: The virus outbreak allegedly occurred during Viking Ocean Cruises 127-day "World Cruise 2019" on Viking Sun (itinerary Jan 3 through May 10) from Miami to London-Greenwich, with call ports in Caribbean (Puerto Rico, Grenada), South America (French Guiana, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Falkland Islands, Chile), South Pacific (French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Tasmania), Indian Ocean and Africa (Mauritius, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal), Canary Islands, Morocco and Spain.

10 February 2019Coast Guard Medevacs

On February 10, 2019, a 66-year-old female passenger was medevaced from the liner by a Chilean Navy vessel near Santa Maria Island (Chile). The woman (Sheila Eaton, US citizen) sustained a "head injury and deep cut" on the cruise ship. She was treated by the ship's paramedics and remained conscious. According to the navy, "the emergency transport operation being hampered by high winds". In the rescue operation participated 11 sailors. It lasted for ~1,5 hours (with several failed attempts) due to strong winds. Finally, the woman, together with her husband and a crew nurse were offloaded from the liner and transported to a hospital in Coronel (Chile).

The incident occurred during World Cruise 2019 (127-day itinerary from Miami to Tilbury-London / January 3 through May 10) while the ship was en-route from Puerto Montt to Valparaiso (Santiago).

January 2019Cruise Illness / Virus Outbreaks

(CruiseMapper emailed illness outbreak report by Deirdre Girard) I was on Viking Sun (Jan 25, 2019) for 18 days, Buenos Aires to Santiago. Ten days in my husband and I both became suddenly and terribly ill with a strange virus that caused extreme weakness, headache, body ache, nausea, disorientation, dizziness and a hacking mostly dry cough. It was so bad we were in bed for three full days and could barely stand or eat. When we were able to actually go out in public again we heard the same cough everywhere, and heard from literally dozens of people who had it and that it was going around the ship like crazy.

We tried to go to the doctor to see what it was because it was so severe and we were recovering so slowly, thinking we might need medication, but were warned by other cruisers not to try that day because the lines at the doctor's office were crazy. The next time we tried we were told the doctor didn't have any hours that day because he had just worked 24 hours straight and he was quoted as saying he hadn't worked that hard or long since his residency, all dealing with this outbreak. Literally many activities seemed almost empty because so many people were sick. Shockingly, restaurant workers were coughing and the crew was still shaking hands with people getting on and off the ship!

I recovered far more slowly and had several setbacks - I would start to get better then that cough would just come back, and I was dizzy with ringing ears for weeks after. When I got home and still wasn't feeling well I contract Viking to ask what the virus was so I could see my local doctor and not have to go through unnecessary tests. I was told they don't have to tell me because they only have to publicly report it if more than 2% of people get it-- which in this case would be 20 or fewer people. I was stunned having personally connected with far more people who got it. They basically accused me of making up that I was sick because I didn't see the doctor and when I explained there were lines the first day we were well, the doctor cancelled his hours the second and on the third there was an emergency medical evacuation I was told in a very "got you" tone that there was no medical evacuation during my cruise-- this despite the fact that hundreds of people watched it and the captains wife told me what was going on-- and that it is reported here in this blog.

Without question this outbreak was being covered up-- I never so much as got an apology but just disbelief and stonewalling. I still don't know what it was but it is something more than a virus that infected that ship-- I was so sick my doctor had to give me a powerful antibiotic instead of continuing to run tests and she said the best she can tell me is that it was some kind of severe respiratory illness.

Note that my husband and I were easily among the youngest and healthiest onboard. Please beware of how underreported this was and take precautions like absolutely not shaking hands with the crew and disinfecting your own room with anti-bacterial wipes.

In retrospect I realize the reason these things are so underreported is that you must see the very expensive doctor for it to be counted which is very hard with limited hours, and no one wants to be quarantined when they are starting to feel better-- also someone on this blog suggested they only have to report illness in US ports. I tried to report it to Viking when we got home and they said that didn't count. The hostility from customer service was shocking when I missed half my very expensive vacation because they didn't take the necessary precautions to stop the spread.

Note: When the itinerary doesn’t include US cruise ports, the ship is not required to report to CDC, thus no official illness report would be issued.