'They Were Overwhelmed': Carnival Cruise Passengers On COVID Infections

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — Passengers on a Carnival cruise from Miami to Seattle said more than 100 people onboard tested positive for COVID-19.

The ship docked Tuesday in Seattle. Multiple people are quarantined at Seattle-area hotels after testing positive, they said the ship was overwhelmed.

Carnival Cruise Line would not confirm how many people tested positive but said there were a number of positive cases.

Passenger Darren Sieferston, who is in quarantine, said the crew's response was chaotic.

"They didn't have enough staff to handle the emergency that was happening, period," said Sieferston. "They were overwhelmed and they didn't have a backup course in how to handle about 200 people affected with COVID. We all suffered."

Some passengers said they waited hours for meals, weren't properly isolated, and couldn't get ahold of medical staff.

"We couldn't call anybody...Basically, we sat in the room, you call and it would ring, and ring, and ring and ring all day long" said Sieferston.

Carnival said there were no serious health issues. The company's website says guests are required to be fully vaccinated and tested before a trip. Some exemptions are accommodated with proper testing.