Inside Covid cruise: Nurse says guests to blame for Covid outbreak

A nurse and mother of two says passengers on board the Pacific Explorer cruise ship are to blame for the second outbreak of Covid at sea in the last week.

The P&O Pacific Explorer was about to end a nine-day round trip to Queensland when it recorded at least 100 Covid-19 cases on board.

It is the second cruise ship in Australian waters to face an outbreak in less than a week after the Coral Princess reported 130 cases.

Sasha Pauline and her family were among 2800 passengers and staff on board the Pacific Explorer when the captain announced there was an outbreak three days ago.

Covid-positive passengers isolating from their cabins. Photo / NCA NewsWire, Gaye Gerard

"It was fairly well controlled at first," Pauline, a nurse at Cowra Hospital, told NCA NewsWire.

She said staff started to move infected passengers onto a different deck to isolate them from other passengers.

All passengers who tested positive were confined to these cabins, which were marked with red tags on the door to stop staff from entering.

"From the start, P&O were amazing, it was individual passengers that were playing up," Pauline said.

She said hand sanitiser was kept near every lift and high-touch area, while staff handed out fresh masks at the entrance to every indoor area.

However, Pauline witnessed passengers wilfully ignoring measures designed to protect them from an outbreak.

Signs outside lifts advised passengers to ride with members of their travelling group or a maximum of six people at one time.

"Even this morning, we hopped in the lift and a lady jumps in – on the phone, no mask, yelling at the top of her voice," Pauline said.

"And then more and more people are piling in."

The family had a great time on-board the Pacific Explorer, but Pauline said other passengers not following the rules had forced them to rethink future plans.

Passengers load their luggage onto buses before getting dropped home on Monday. Photo / NCA NewsWire, Gaye Gerard

"The kids hadn't been on a cruise before and they loved it," she said.

"But we've made the decision, we won't be going on another one until Covid either ends or settles.

"I don't want to take it home to my parents or my workplace, it's really not worth it."

It will be a logistic exercise to get all passengers – including those who tested positive – off the cruise ship ahead of its next four-night cruise to Moreton Island departing on Monday.

Passengers who want to avoid isolation will have to provide a negative rapid antigen test.

Those who have tested positive and live nearby will be transported home to isolate once they leave the ship.

Interstate passengers will spend their isolation period in a hotel paid for by P & O cruises.

Refunds will be offered to passengers who were forced to spend their cruise stuck inside their cabin.