Adding to the extremely long list of woes that have plagued the public's perception of the cruise industry, Princess Cruise was recently forced to cut short a Caribbean-based excursion. Though the cause this time may have been biological rather than mechanical, the effect this could have on necessary operations planning, as well as compensating for crew, still warrants insurance that is up to scale. 

USA Today describes the scene, in which a particularly nasty-sounding flu virus traveled among the passengers and forced the line to put a halt to its voyage. Although the official statement is that heavy fog forced the schedule change (as well as shutting ports in Houston), the effects of this strain weren't limited to those travelers: crew members onboard were also said to have been affected. 

But as CNN reports, the amount of people affected by this is trivial compared to those who suffered a similar discomfort on another Caribbean cruise: the Explorer of the Sea from Royal Caribbean. This bout of shipboard sickness claimed more than 20 percent of the passengers and infected hundreds.

Princess Cruise released a statement trying to explain its decision, which was quoted by USA Today.

"We are mindful of our passengers' safety and comfort, as well as the disruption the port's closing will have on their onward travel plans," the response said.

Because these ships can be Petri dishes for germs to grow and fester, your company needs to have compensation figured out beforehand, with a key focus on what operations you can perform and where.

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