Greetings Gentle Readers,
I am about 600 miles from Broome, Western Australia. We are scheduled to reach Broome on March 16th. It will indeed be welcome since I have not set foot on land since March 1st. On March 18th we will land in Exmouth, Western Australia and on March 21st we will dock in Fremantle (Perth), Western Australia. With the exception of Perth, even many of the Australians on board have not been to some of the towns on our current itinerary. I joked that it was like a mail run, stopping at every little town with a harbor. The gourmet meals, the excellent entertainment and extraordinary service on board have continued, unabated and undiminished.
We are all pretty much seasoned travelers. As a group we are pretty adventurous. So, we have continued to enjoy our floating luxury bubble with calm good spirits. When we communicate with family and friends back home, we feel fortunate to be safe from COVID-19. We have already had a 14-day isolation from any other human contact. There is no Corona virus here. Perth remains a major disembarkation point and there has been continuous speculation among the passengers about how many new passengers would care to get on a ship these days. Who would be allowed to board?
Then this morning, as I was doing my daily 5K run around deck 5, the captain made an announcement: Our “World Cruise” will end on March 21st in Perth. All passengers must disembark. They will, of course, assist each of us in booking passage back to our homes.
No surprise here. Country after country had closed its ports. Samoa had dropped off our itinerary. New Zealand had announced stricter entry requirements. We knew we were running out of options and in some ways, it was a relief. It brought some closure, but not really. Now we have a whole new set of questions and speculations. How will they find airline reservations for everyone? Will we now be exposed to COVID-19 in airports? Will we be tested? Will we have to be “self-isolated” or quarantined when we get back to the USA. I am not worried…yet. We had a “black and white” ball this evening, followed by a formal dinner. There was a Las Vegas style floor show. I am scheduled to visit a pearl farm in Broome and I will swim with whale sharks in Exmouth. So far, these ports are still open to us and these excursions are still on the schedule. But this could change…
Linda
I was afraid that was going to happen… Bummer.
I think the problem is not your particular ship’s sea days – since you all seem healthy so far – but the chance you’ll pick up the virus when you’re in port, because it’s pretty much everywhere and pretty much everything is being cancelled, postponed, or shut down for the next several weeks. And overall “social distancing” is today’s keyword. Gatherings of any size are strongly discouraged and of over certain sizes are banned. (Fiesta is postponed until November.) Extended spring breaks followed by online classes are becoming the temporary norm. Folks are hoarding supplies and hunkering down. It’s gonna be a surreal (and isolating) few weeks.
I’m keeping you in my thoughts and intrigued to see how the logistics of your USA return play out.
And now I’m working up the courage to brave my H-E-B… It will be interesting.
All the best to you and your shipmates as you navigate this mess!
Robbye