Sailing in the Time of Coronavirus

This was shaping up to be my winter of Asian adventures.  Scott and I were invited to the wedding of a Vietnamese friend just a few days before Christmas, so we planned a vacation to include time in the ancient imperial city of Hue where the wedding would take place.  Nearly a year before, a friend had talked me into joining her on a cruise from San Diego to Hong Kong that would include ports in Hawaii, the Philippines, and Vietnam; thirty-two days from mid-January to mid-February.  And then another friend suggested a China tour that sounded great, so I booked a third trip to Asia for mid-March.

And then things started to go wrong.  In the words of Robert Burns, “the best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft agley.”  First, Ruth notified me that she was cancelling the cruise.  Oh well.  I had paid my money and would lose a large portion of it if I also cancelled, so fine, I’d go alone.  Then, on a beautiful early November Saturday, I suggested a hike.  Scott and I met my brother David and his wife Robin and walked through a neighborhood to the start of the trail we had decided on.  Talking to Robin as I crossed the street to the trailhead, my ankle twisted sideways and I went sprawling on the pavement.  It hurt like hell, so I sent the others on and hobbled painfully back to the car.

A later visit to an urgent care center confirmed a double fracture in the right fibula.  No weight bearing and no driving for six weeks.  And, it would be ill-advised to try a twenty-plus hour transit to Vietnam.  So, Scott went on our Vietnamese vacation alone.  I was sad to have to miss the time with him and the wedding, but I had planned an excursion to Hue on my cruise in a month so would be able to see the sights I would miss there in December.  

Minh and Huong exchange rings

After several weeks of intensive physical therapy, my ankle was strong enough to walk with the aid of a cane.  But there was a new problem on the horizon.  As I set sail from San Diego on January 13, news of the new 2019 Novel Coronavirus in Wuhan, China was breaking.  Several thousand cases and a few deaths had been reported.  The virus seemed to be related to animal markets, and I had no intention of visiting any of those.  Since a visit to China wasn’t on the cruise itinerary, we only gave it passing attention.  And then news came of the virus’s arrival in Hong Kong.

The first indication we had of things to come for us was an announcement on January 28 that we would not be ending our cruise in Hong Kong, but would go to Taipei, Taiwan instead.  I was disappointed.  I had not been to Hong Kong before and had planned to stay there for three days at the end of the cruise.  I cancelled my return flight from Hong Kong and my hotel reservations there and booked a new flight from Taipei and a new hotel.  I asked friends for recommendations of what to do in Taipei.  This would be fine.  I haven’t been to Taiwan either, and Taipei might be just as interesting as Hong Kong.

The Crystal Symphony at port in Honolulu

Internet access, which our ship provides for free to all passengers, was very slow as many of us were making changes.  The casual conversations all tended to be about what alternate arrangements people were making.  A few decided to leave the ship in Guam, others made flight arrangements out of Manila and some from Hanoi, ports we were scheduled to visit in the next few days.

Our ship docked in Guam, as scheduled, on February 1.  Some passengers disembarked and others embarked at this planned transition point.  We took on fuel, food, and supplies and set sail for Saipan and then on to the Philippines.  Due to weather conditions, we were unable to dock in Saipan.  Guam would turn out to be our last port for two weeks.

The US government had mandated that all flights into and out of China be cancelled through March.  I received an email from American Airlines telling me that my March flight into Beijing at the start of my China trip had been cancelled.  Several days later, Viking River Cruises notified me that the entire China trip had been cancelled.  They would refund the full cost of the trip or apply it as a credit toward another trip.  In addition, they offered $500 off of that next trip.  I am still contemplating whether to schedule something else or just get my money back.  Thankfully, I had arranged my air travel through them so would not have to worry about change penalties from the airlines.

On February 3, there were news reports that two cruise ships had been denied entry into Japan because of active coronavirus cases on board.  We have watched the news coverage of this horror and been thankful that there has been no sign of illness on our ship.  These ships have two or three thousand passengers and all of them are confined to their staterooms for at least two weeks.  The last report was that there were sixty cases of active coronavirus on one of those ships. 

One woman on a Princess ship was interviewed by NPR.  She reported that she, her husband, and two children were sharing an inside cabin with no window.  They were allowed out for ninety minutes each day, but otherwise had to stay in the window-less cabin all day.  Food was delivered via room service, and the ship had increased the movie offerings on stateroom televisions and was providing free internet service.

Fortunately, I am on a smaller and more luxurious ship.  Because we have no one on board who has shown signs of illness, we have not been confined to our staterooms.  Even though my cabin has a window, I would not want to have to spend all of my time here.

Each day seems to bring worse news about the continuing spread of the coronavirus.  On February 6, as we sailed toward Manila, our captain announced that we would not be allowed to dock.  It seems that one or more passengers who had joined the cruise in Guam had flown through Hong Kong, which was now on the list of countries to avoid.  There was a moment of panic for those who had planned to disembark there. 

I felt most for those of the crew who hailed from the Philippines and who had planned family visits during our time there. This was also to be a major fuel and re-supply port for the ship.  Ultimately, those crew members who held Philippine passports and were scheduled to end their contracts were allowed to leave.  We watched as they and their luggage were loaded into a small boat and waved as they motored across the bay to Manila.  We stayed anchored in the bay, within view of the city, for a day as fuel and supply ships came to us.

Filipino crew leaving the ship for Manila

As we languished outside Manila, the captain received word that we would not be allowed to dock in Taiwan after all.  After a day of uncertainly, he announced that Singapore would allow us entry.  Once again, the internet slowed as people changed plane and hotel reservations one more time.  

The good news was that we would still visit Vietnam on our way to Singapore.  However, rather than dock at Da Nang and Hanoi, we would visit Ho Chi Minh City.  I was most disappointed that I would not be able to visit Hue as planned.  I have been to Da Nang, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City, but not to Hue.  But the people I know who had planned to fly out of Hanoi were most upset.  One couple wondered how they might get from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi to catch those flights or whether they would need to cancel them. 

The next day we learned that Vietnam would not allow us to dock after all, because of those Hong Kong-transit passengers aboard.  And so, we sailed on, hopefully to Singapore.  The authorities in Singapore required that all passengers and crew have twice-a-day temperature checks.  If these revealed no sign of illness, we would be allowed in.

We remained comfortable and well-cared for.  Our ship has fewer than eight hundred passengers and plenty of room for us to spread out in the common spaces and on decks.  We have only been confined by persistent rains as we sail the South China Sea on our way to Singapore.  Most days, the rains stopped long enough for me to take a walk on the promenade deck, but the sun deck and pool saw very limited use. 

Inside the air conditioned ship we continued to have exquisite meals and great entertainment.  The performers and lecturers, stuck on board along with the rest of us, graciously agreed to extra concerts and presentations.  People remained pleasant.  The only lines were at the future cruise desk, as Crystal has graciously granted each of us a one hundred percent credit for the Guam to Singapore portion of this cruise toward another cruise within the next year.  I don’t think I will plan another trip to Asia any time soon.

The lobby is readied for a "grand buffet" lunch

We were to dock in Singapore on Monday afternoon, February 11.  But as that morning dawned, my stateroom TV tracking screen said that we were still 300 miles away.  For twenty-four hours we poked along at about ten miles per hour.  At last we began to see other ships, and then the Singapore skyline came into view.  I went out on the deck to watch as we neared the harbor and slowly, miraculously pulled into the port and docked.  I saw someone I knew and said, “I am so excited.  I just feel like I need to hug somebody.”  “Me too,” she laughed, and we embraced.

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But the saga is not yet ended for a great many, nor will it end anytime soon.  The numbers of those infected with the virus grow daily.  By February 12, over 60,000 had been infected and more than 1,000 had died; five days later the number had climbed to 70,000 infected and 1,670 deaths.  While people in twenty-eight countries have contracted the coronavirus, the vast majority of cases (68,000 by the latest count) have been in China.  

The night before we docked in Singapore, I read that three new cases had just been reported there.  Singapore is just behind Japan and Hong Kong in total number of reported cases.  Several of the Singapore cases, including that of one American, were traced back to a convention held at the Grand Hyatt there.  One person who contracted the virus was a Singapore taxi driver and another a private limousine driver. 

I spent two days in Singapore before flying back to the U.S.  The bustling city was subdued with many fewer people than anticipated at the popular tourist spots.  Exiting the ship and entering the port terminal required going through a body temperature-sensing device, as did entering office buildings, hotels, and some restaurants.   The day our ship docked, a Singapore office building was evacuated, and three hundred people were sent home when someone working there failed the mandatory temperature screen.

I heard a public service announcement over a ride-share radio about recommended practices for keeping healthy.  The advice given was identical to what I had read on the CDC website: 

• ·        wear a mask if you are ill (a mask won’t protect you if you are not ill yet),
• ·        wash your hands with soap frequently for at least twenty seconds,
• ·        use hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available,
• ·        do not touch your face with your hands,
• ·        do not shake hands with others,
• ·        if you have a cough, use a tissue to cover your mouth and then throw it away,
• ·        take your temperature twice a day, and
• ·        if you have a fever, stay home.

Thankfully, I am now safely back home.  I was able to book a direct flight from Singapore to San Francisco so I didn’t have to fly through another Asian country which gave me some peace of mind.  In time, I hope to look back on the first half of my cruise fondly.  I am thankful that I spent the second half of that cruise on a comfortable ship among healthy shipmates.  I continue to follow news of the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship, more than one hundred of whose passengers contracted the coronavirus.  The four hundred Americans aboard are now being evacuated to the U.S. where they will be quarantined for another two weeks.  I wish them well and am very grateful not to be in their place.