I Went to See the World. But When I Got There, It Was Closed

Greetings Gentle Readers,

I have promised to keep you updated on Corona virus and terrorists. I am happy to say:

There has been no active terrorism for this trip…so far. 

Now about Corona:

First of all, there has been no evidence of Corona on board.  Although there does seem to be a “cold” some people have been willing to share.  No one has been seriously ill.  All recover quickly.  Generally, we all seem healthy and happy.

We are currently sailing the Indian Ocean on our way from the Seychelles.  I started this post last night before I went to bed intending to complete and post it today.  I have had to start over because of continuing updates to our itinerary.

First, we had to cancel Mombasa, Kenya due to terrorism…no problem we added days to Zanzibar and to Seychelles. 

Next the captain announced the decision to add extra days in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, because we would not be going to Asia…at all.  We passengers were gearing up to skip Hong Kong and we were hearing rumors about skipping Singapore, but eliminating all the Asian ports was quite a surprise and a disappointment.  We all agreed that we did not want to become one of the cruise ships wandering the oceans because no country would let us dock after having been to some Asian port or other.  The cruise line offered a changed itinerary:  We would visit the Seychelles, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.  Then we would make a hard right and “high tail it” straight to Australia where they were sure we would be welcome.  We would do a detailed tour of western Australia, Tasmanian Australia, New Zealand and then on to Pacific islands and Hawaii.  Not what we signed up for, but not bad.  Plus, they offered significant incentives in the form of deep discounts on another cruise.  (I immediately signed up for the Amazon in 2021.) 

The wine, gourmet food, and lavish entertainment have continued undiminished…so far.

On the way from Seychelles to Maldives, the captain has informed us that the Maldives have closed their port to ALL cruise ships.  Not to worry.  We still have Sri Lanka.

At brunch today the captain confirmed that we will be docking in Sri Lanka, but Sri Lankan authorities will allow no one off the ship.  The ship will take on fuel and provisions (gourmet, we hope) and be on our merry way.

We are still fine and having fun.  One woman became a bit panicky, tearful about ever seeing her family again. Most of us are fine as long as the food and drinks keep coming.  I just left a 6-course brunch, with 4 different cocktails and champagne. The captain is hosting a cocktail party and there is a fashion show this evening before formal night at dinner.

There are logistics nightmares which fortunately are not my problem to solve.  However, the crew is carrying on mightily to be sure we pampered passengers are not impacted.  For example, we were supposed to get fresh provisions in Mombasa.  When that was cancelled the provisioners had to catch up with us in Zanzibar.  There is abundant fish and produce at local markets in Zanzibar, but health, sanitation, and “gourmet” standards are not always met.  So, the ship got provisions shipped from the Netherlands to Zanzibar.  Apparently, we will provision in Colombo, Sri Lanka.  We are now anticipating a leisurely 10 days at sea to Perth, Australia.  I hope Australia will still be welcoming when we get there.

At Seychelles about 90 people got off the ship, either as pre-planned or deciding not to continue with the changed itinerary.  Only about 60 got on, including crew change and entertainers.  The ship is now at about 75% capacity.  I don’t know if passengers or crew will get on at Colombo.  There was to be a major crew change in Singapore which was also to be a major embarkation/disembarkation point.  People were already scrambling to change plane reservations and hotels for people who now would not be getting on or off in Singapore.  I was supposed to leave the ship in Colombo to fly to India and then rejoin the ship just before sailing to Viet Nam.  The next embarkation/disembarkation point will be Perth, then Auckland, New Zealand, then Sydney.  If at each embarkation/disembarkation point more people get off than get on, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.  I think I will continue the journey to the end or until they pay me to get off.  

I started this journey with a seeking an adventure.  I have surely seen and felt new things, but I could have never anticipated this almost surreal situation.  I plan to carry on.  I will continue to post entries.  I am still having a great time.

Linda

P.S.  The photos are from the national botanical garden in the Victoria, Seychelles.