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But what began as an exotic expedition across the Atlantic quickly spiraled into chaos after a Dutch passenger fell ill on April 6.
Five days later, he was dead.
The situation only became more alarming after his wife also became sick after leaving the vessel. She later died in South Africa after disembarking during the voyage.
A third passenger, a German woman, reportedly died aboard the ship on May 2.
Investigators now believe the outbreak may have originated during a birdwatching excursion near a landfill site in Argentina where infected rodents were believed to be present.
Health officials suspect exposure to rodent contamination may have introduced the deadly Andes strain of hantavirus onto the ship.
Unlike traditional hantavirus strains, the Andes variant has raised concerns among global health officials because it carries the rare possibility of person-to-person transmission.
That revelation immediately changed the seriousness of the response.
American Passengers Now Under Federal Monitoring
By the time the ship reached Spain, dozens of passengers had already scattered across the globe.
Twenty-nine individuals reportedly left the ship before public confirmation of the outbreak, including seven Americans who already returned home to states including Arizona, California, Georgia, Texas, Virginia and New Jersey.
Officials are now attempting to monitor those travelers while simultaneously managing the Americans who arrived in Nebraska.
One passenger was moved directly into Nebraska’s Biocontainment Unit after testing positive despite showing no symptoms.
“The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms,” said Kayla Thomas, a spokesperson for the Nebraska Medicine network helping care for the group.
Another traveler reportedly began experiencing mild symptoms after arrival.
Video and photographs from Omaha showed buses waiting beside the aircraft as passengers were quietly transported away from Eppley Airfield under tight supervision.
Travel blogger Jake Rosmarin attempted to reassure followers after landing.
“The repatriation flight was smooth, and I safely made it to the National Quarantine Unit in Omaha. It’s been a very long few days, but hopefully I can start giving more updates again soon,” he wrote. “A special thank you as well to University of Nebraska Medical Center and the city of Omaha for welcoming us and helping ensure we are safe and cared for.”
Officials Quietly Brace for Long Monitoring Period
The CDC confirmed passengers may face monitoring for up to 42 days because hantavirus symptoms can take weeks to appear.
A CDC official told The Washington Post officials “hope” the time in Nebraska will be limited.
“The overall monitoring period will be 42 days, but this is not necessarily all [happening] in Nebraska,” the official said, adding that authorities are “working with the passengers about what they feel most comfortable doing.”
Meanwhile, international tracking efforts continue expanding.
Canadian officials confirmed multiple passengers returned home before the outbreak became widely known. Several individuals in British Columbia were reportedly ordered into quarantine, while authorities in Quebec, Alberta and Ontario began tracing possible secondary contacts tied to infected travelers.
Global health officials are now trying to calm fears before panic spreads.
“This is not another COVID. And the risk to the public is low. So they shouldn´t be scared, and they shouldn’t panic,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Sunday.
WHO epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the situation, calling it the first recorded hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship.
Officials continue urging anyone connected to the voyage to immediately report symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue and muscle aches.
For now, the Americans flown into Nebraska remain under close watch as health authorities scramble to determine whether the virus stopped aboard the ship — or already spread far beyond it.
