Cruise ship Diamond Princess (IMO 9228198), which left Japan in February 2020 for what its passengers assumed would provide a relatively uneventful and short winter break, generated worldwide media attention within just a few days after an outbreak of what was, at the time, the recently named Covid-19, left hundreds of mainly elderly passengers sick and was recorded as a factor in more than a dozen deaths. At the time it was the biggest concentration of confirmed Covid-19 cases outside China (IMN February 5th 2020).
Using intimate footage recorded by passengers and crew, The Last Cruise is a first-person account of the nightmare that subsequently transpired aboard the vessel. The HBO original documentary will open on March 30th on HBOMax.
Japan quarantined the vessel, which was bound for Yokohama, after a Hong Kong man who had sailed on it in January 2020 tested positive for coronavirus. The 80-year-old flew to Japan and boarded the ship in Yokohama on January 20th, before disembarking on January 25th. He developed a cough a day before embarking but did not develop a fever until January 30th. He was confirmed to have Covid-19 on February 1st.
There were 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew on board on February 3rd when the quarantine of the vessel was announced. It was February 24th before all passengers were disembarked. Approaching 700 guests and crew were infected.
2004-built, UK-flagged, 115,906 gt Diamond Princess is owned by Fairline Shipping International Corp care of manager Princess Cruise Lines of Valencia, California. It is entered with UK Club and Steamship Mutual.
HBO trailer at: