Cruise Influencers Won't Let Hantavirus Kill Their Vacation Dreams

While a hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius has left three people dead and raised alarm bells across the travel industry, cruise influencers Rich and Jasmine Ramnarine aren’t pumping the brakes on their maritime adventures—and they think you shouldn’t either.

The couple behind A Rich and Jazzy Life, who log roughly 11 cruises annually with their two daughters Reign and Royce, sat down to address the elephant in the ocean. Yes, the Dutch ship’s outbreak has infected or exposed at least 11 people, including an American oncologist Dr. Stephen Kornfeld now quarantined in the University of Nebraska’s biocontainment unit. Yes, a French passenger is currently in critical condition. But Rich and Jasmine argue that panic isn’t the answer—preparation is. They’re already booked for their next voyage starting June 5, and they’re confident that modern cruise safety protocols—constant cleaning, health screenings if needed—make ships reasonably secure environments.

What’s interesting here isn’t their bravado. It’s their pragmatism. Jazzy acknowledges the cruise industry’s PR black eye from this outbreak, but she’s also making a distinction between tragedy and apocalypse. She and Rich both say that if hantavirus requires pre-boarding testing like COVID did, they’re ready. There’s a difference between being cautious and being paralyzed by fear. And for people whose entire brand is built around the freedom and joy of ocean travel, backing away now would undermine the message they’ve cultivated for their Melanin at Sea community.

That said, they offered one practical nugget of advice for genuinely worried travelers: let the cruise line cancel your booking rather than canceling it yourself. The distinction matters—it could affect your refund eligibility. It’s a small detail, but it shows they’re not just dismissing legitimate concerns; they’re navigating them strategically.

The hantavirus situation is real. Twenty-three passengers disembarked before authorities could track them, and 17 Americans are voluntarily quarantining for 42 days as a precaution. The World Health Organization hasn’t declared a broader societal threat yet, but the situation bears watching. Still, the Ramnarines’argument holds water: one outbreak, however serious, doesn’t automatically make an entire industry unsafe. Risk assessment, not reflexive avoidance, is the move. The question for the rest of us is whether we agree with their calculation—and whether we’d make the same bet on our next vacation.