Henderson couple’s cruise takes odd twists over virus concerns
A Henderson couple’s cruise vacation in Asia turned into a surreal twoweek voyage without any shore time after their ship, the MS Westerdam, was turned away by country after country out of fears of spreading the new coronavirus from China.
The vessel was turned away from at least 11 ports of call despite no evidence that a single person on board the cruise ship was ill with the COVID-19, the official name that’s been given to the respiratory disease caused by the new virus.
Fears that some of the passengers might have been exposed to the virus, which triggered an outbreak in China, began after a stop in
Hong Kong, where the virus had spread from central China. That led to the ship being rejected at ports in the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan,
South Korea and Guam.
The Holland America Line luxury liner finally received permission to dock in Cambodia, according to Henderson residents Paulette and Joseph Schaeffer.
The Cambodian Health Ministry announced that
20 samples taken onboard the ship were all negative for the coronavirus, and it granted clearance to begin disembarkation Friday morning, according to a statement from Holland America Line on Thursday.
“Flight details are being communicated to guests as they are finalized, and it is expected that a full disembarkation will take a few days given the charter flight schedule,” the cruise line stated.
“During this time, guests will remain comfortably on board with full service in operation.”
The ship has 802 crew members and 1,455 passengers. Paulette Schaeffer, a former nurse, and her husband, a former Las Vegas police officer, are global travelers in their late 70s who favor sea and river