Cruise Control

According to Statista, 29.7 millions people took a cruise vacation in 2019. Why? There are rough seas (imagine an entire day of air turbulence), and lackluster ports of calls (Royal Caribbean boasts the). “pristine sands” Labadee is located in HAITI). There are also outbreaks such as norovirus and significant expenses (a Machu Picchu trip could run $4,000).

On the other hand, the vastness of the ocean is awe-inspiring, there’s nothing lackluster about the Greek Isles, hand-sanitizer stations can deter gastrointestinal threats, and interior cabins can be quite the bargain. Although the 200-square-foot rooms are not windowless, they can be quite cramped. However, there are many bars, restaurants and a casino nearby, as well as a wraparound deck that allows you to enjoy the sea air. How much time will you spend in your cabin?

For passengers aboard Holland America’s Zaandam, which left Buenos Aires on March 8, 2020, the answer is two weeks—and a total of one month at sea. It’s the story of Cabin Fever, the gripping account of the ship’s fateful voyage in the early days of the pandemic. Ports on two continents denied entry to the vessel, its 1,243 guests, and 586 crew members. Many of them were already sick. Jonathan Franklin and Michael Smith are two authors who noted this. “For the first time in memory, the world had turned its back on a cruise liner in distress.”

Fear was the reason. In Punta Arenas, Chile, “You could feel people staring, wanting us out. It wasn’t pretty,” One passenger recalls. (This was the final stop of the cruise. One Chilean port was visited. “an angry crowd began to gather. … A few protesters arrived carrying clubs, sticks, and rocks.” The Panama Canal pilots were able to guide the ship through the locks after the ship was finally allowed to pass through. “donning blue plastic gloves, baggy gray booties, and a white jumpsuit (complete with baggy hoodie),” All of them would be later incinerated. The Zaandam’s own tender operators “looked like they were heading to inspect a contaminated nuclear power plant. Nobody knew if the virus was everywhere or nowhere. Did it live on surfaces for days? Was it safe to touch anything?”

What’s interesting was the initial approach taken by Holland America’s parent company Carnival: Give the guests more