The last cruise ship scheduled to dock in San Diego began off-loading passengers Monday.
Roughly 2,300 passengers aboard the Celebrity Cruise ship Eclipse began disembarking after 6 a.m. Their 15-day cruise around South American was scheduled to make port in Santiago, but Chilean officials would not allow the ship to dock.
Al Cuevas and his wife waited at the dock Monday to catch a glimpse of their friends on the ship.
“My wife and I were supposed to be on that ship. We had flown down to Santiago Chile,” he said.
The San Marcos couple originally flew to Santiago to meet the ship but flew back to San Diego when the ship did not come ashore. They were talking with friends on the ship, who told them they feel safe on board.
“They seem pretty fine with things,” he said. “There’s no virus. Nobody is ill. They were a little disappointed and confused because at first there were mixed messages and they couldn't get off the ship.”
The ship remained outside Valparaiso, Chile for days before heading to the U.S.
In a statement, the Port of San Diego says all of the passengers are asked to fill out a Center for Disease Control survey. Ship staff will perform temperature testing before passengers disembark. The cruise ship terminal has been cleaned and disinfected.
This is the last cruise ship presently scheduled to arrive in San Diego. On Monday, the county issued two new public health orders that all but bars cruise ships from docking in San Diego except to refuel and restock supplies.
The Eclipse will leave Tuesday evening. The last passengers will disembark in Acapulco before the ship anchors off the coast of San Diego with other empty cruise ships.
