Covid-struck Coral Princess has been allowed to dock in Miami and passengers will be allowed to disembark over the next few days.
The ship has 12 confirmed Covid-19 cases among the 1,898 onboard, two of whom have died.
Princess Cruises said the process of disembarkation is expected to take several days due to limited flight availability.
Guests requiring shoreside medical care will be prioritised to disembark first, it said. Guests who are fit to fly wil be transfered directly from the ship to Miami International Airport for flights home.
Those with any respiratory symptoms, or who are still recovering from being ill previously, will remain on board until medically cleared by the ship’s doctors.
Of the 1,020 passengers onboard, 374 are British, but the nationalities of the deceased has not been revealed.
In a statement, Princess Cruises said: "We appreciate that the operations underway for Coral Princess would not be possible without the coordination and resources of many federal, state and local government agencies. We thank all those involved for their assistance in managing this very complex and fluid situation."
