Final Cruise Ship of 2025 Arrives in Santa Barbara With Special Health Clearance
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - There are two things unusual about the cruise ship AIDAdiva off of Santa Barbara's Stearns Wharf for the day.
Cruise ships do not regularly stop in Santa Barbara in December and this one comes with a special health clearance.
Recently there were 90 cases of the Norovirus. That causes diarrea and vomiting. The report from the Centers for Disease Control came out earlier this month. The outbreak was first reported on November 30 on the ship.
Since then officials say the ship implemented enhanced cleaning, disinfection procedures, and isolation measures.
The vessel has been cleaned and cleared by health officials as safe. The last case was December 4.
It has 2007 passengers and a crew of 645.
Local waterfront officials and the Santa Barbara County Health Department have reviewed the health concerns and the passengers were allowed on shore.
The AIDAdiva dropped anchor at 7 a.m. and will depart at 5 p.m.
It previously stopped in Los Angeles and San Diego. Prior to that it was in ports in Mexico and Costa Rica and came through the Panama Canal.
Angelica Baur-Schermbach is a passenger who said it is an adventure of a lifetime. "The night, the ship is traveling and the next day you will be in another country and in another town and it is nice to travel for me."
After Santa Barbara, it's onward to San Francisco.
The overall trip is 133 days. It began last month in Hamburg, Germany. It will visit 54 destinations and 27 countries and conclude in March of 2026.
Baur-Schermbach said as far as the illness reports, she said it was not an issue for her. "About 100 people had it but over four weeks. At the peak only 22 were ill at the same time. We were always washing our hands."
The city of Santa Barbara has a total of 11 cruise ship visits on the 2025 schedule.
For the staff on a long journey, they describe it this way.
"We don't have off for a week like any day off so you are on shore for a little bit. We have like three or four hours off and then we go back to work," said Jana Diden who puts out ship communication reports.
Her co worker on board is Annika Doepfner who works with health care. "You work, then you want to go out and see all the things everybody wants to see then you go back to work then you do some Instragram and then you go to bed."
Walking was a preferred way to see Santa Barbara for the day for many people
Baur-Schermbach said, "yea I walked all day. Since 9 o'clock I have been walking up there and through the  little streets.  It was really nice."
They will spend Christmas on the ocean and New Year's Day in Hawaii.
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