Coronavirus Cruise Ship From Hell! American Passengers Say They Are Stuck In Rooms
Feb. 5 2020, Published 5:09 p.m. ET
Four U.S. passengers on a cruise near Tokyo have revealed they aren't allowed to leave their rooms because of the coronavirus.
As KUTV reported, they are among the 3,700 passengers on the Diamond Princess who are stranded in the sea off Japan, unable to step from the ship or even their cabins.
The cruise is under a 14-day quarantine after 10 people tested positive for coronavirus.
Those victims were reportedly taken ashore by the Japanese coast guard and sent to nearby hospitals.
Utah residents Mark and Jerri Jorgensen and Karey Maniscalco and her husband have exposed their vacation nightmare in interviews and via social media.
"When we got into Japan, they were not letting us off the ship," Jerri told KUTV.
And British cruise goer David Abel explained, "All the passengers on board this ship, we remain confined to our cabins. We can't even walk down the corridor. For many passengers it's going to be absolute boredom. We are quite fortunate that we've got a cabin with a balcony. The people I feel really sorry for are those with inside cabins who've got no natural light, no fresh air."
He added, "We are definitely no longer on a luxury cruise, where we had the superb benefit of eating from a dining room and a choice from the menu – those days are over."
Abel said luxury dinners have been replaced with rationed food delivered by staff in face masks!
Other passengers have shown the pared-down menu on social media: bread rolls with cheese and meat, plates of chicken with rice, and a chocolate dessert.
"They knock on the door, they hand over the tray of food and when they are ready to collect the trays they come and knock on the door. It's very brief," Abel said.
"It has changed beyond recognition but this is not the fault of Princess cruise line, they are complying with the Japanese health authority."
Indeed, a spokesperson said, "Princess Cruises will continue to fully cooperate with and follow the instructions of global medical authorities and the Japanese government."
Social media photos showed surreal scenes of masked health workers in blue plastic gowns and deserted lounges and a barren deck on the ship.
The cruise's normally bustling reception area, cinema room and casino are now empty.
"Guests will continue to be provided complimentary internet and telephone to use in order to stay in contact with their family and loved ones, and the ship's crew is working to keep all guests comfortable," the Diamond Princess rep said.
First reported in China in December 2019, this strain of coronavirus reportedly came from animals. Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped in the Huanan seafood wholesale market in the center of the Chinese city, which also sold live and newly slaughtered animals.
The fast-spreading outbreak has killed 491 people in China and more than 24,000 people have been infected across 25 countries.
The Diamond Princess being caught in the health crisis is just the latest incident in a rash of cruise ship horror stories lately.
There have been alleged rapes, murder, and freak accidents on board various liners, as RadarOnline.com has reported.
In 2018, a woman on board a Carnival Cruise Line ship reportedly died after she fell from her cabin's balcony.
Also in 2018, a Carnival cruise ship got flooded after a break in the liner’s fire suppression system. Passengers compared scenes on board to the Titanic!
Last year, cruise goers had to be rescued from their ship off the coast of Norway when it suffered engine failure in stormy weather.