Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas was barred from docking in St. Lucia and Antigua during the second week of June after three people onboard displayed flu-like symptoms. The cruise line later said the ill passengers and crew members did not have the H1N1 virus.
Last Friday, Aruban health officials swarmed aboard the Pullmantur Ocean Dream cruise ship after three crew members tested positive for swine flu, and Grenada and Barbados barred the ship from calling on their cruise ports. Passengers disembarking the ship in Oranjestad were screened for flu symptoms by local health workers, and the ship was quarantined in port until yesterday.
The takeway lesson here is that the swine-flu outbreak is far from over, even though May's media frenzy over the disease has subsided and cruise lines and tourists are returning to Mexico, the perceived epicenter of the outbreak.
Before you travel, keep an eye on the travel health information published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and travel warnings published by the U.S. State Department. Oh, and pack a few more books if you're cruising, just in case you have an unscheduled extra day or two at sea (though the odds of that happening are slim)!