How coronavirus stranded a Utah couple in the Indian Ocean for 17 days

Shirlee and Guy Sanderson, of St. George, saw the sights in Petra in Jordan before being stranded in the Indian Ocean while on their dream cruise. | Guy Sanderson

ST. GEORGE — In early February, way back when the world was a much different place, Guy and Shirlee Sanderson were at their home, ready to pack their bags, when they got the alert.

Their travel agent wanted them to know that they could cancel their upcoming 80-day cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines because of uncertainties concerning a strange new flu-like virus that had been discovered in China.

They looked at each other, looked at their bags, looked at the itinerary for their “trip of a lifetime.”

“Nah,” they decided. “It’s not that big of a thing. We’ll be fine.”

A month later they were doing circles in the Indian Ocean, searching for a port that would let them in.

You have your coronavirus stories, the Sandersons have theirs.

It began on an Italian seashore, it ended with a 26-hour flight from Cape Town, South Africa, via Dubai to Los Angeles, followed by a seven-hour drive to their home in St. George — where they are currently under a 14-day self-imposed quarantine.

Granted, getting caught in the middle of the ocean due to a pandemic isn’t Captain Bligh on the open sea, but it sure isn’t what they paid for, either.

Courtesy Guy Sanderson

Guy and Shirlee Sanderson, of St. George, got to know their cabin well while their cruise ship treaded water in the Indian Ocean for 17 days.

Guy and Shirlee are in their 60s. He retired from two careers, first with the rank of major in the U.S. Army and second from the public school system after 20 years teaching history. They moved to St. George six years ago, built a few spec homes to keep busy but not too busy, and started looking at cruise brochures.

A year and a half ago, while stepping off the gangplank of a shorter cruise, they signed on for their dream trip when an up-selling cruise line rep offered them a deal they couldn’t pass up.

It was actually four cruises in one. Beginning Feb. 10, the first leg went from Rome to Dubai by way of the Suez Canal. The next on to South Africa, the next to southeast Asia, before arriving at their final destination in Japan on May 1.

They would traverse the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, and stop at ports of call stretching from Rome to Athens to Cairo to Abu Dhabi to Cape Town to Hong Kong to Tokyo.

The first indication that things weren’t exactly normal was when they ended the first leg in Dubai and everyone had to line up to get their temperature taken.

Shirlee: “After that things started to fall apart.”

On their way from the Persian Gulf to South Africa they were scheduled to make stops at the Seychelles, Mauritius, Reunion and Madagascar. But no news spreads as fast as bad news, and by this point none of these island nations wanted any part of outsiders coming ashore.

For 17 days the Norwegian Spirit proceeded to tread water in the Indian Ocean as the captain tried to find a port that would let them in.

The 2,000 passengers on board had come on the cruise to relax and get away from it all — but this was taking that a bit too far.

What did they do?

They read books, socialized, took naps, walked the ship, walked the ship some more, played board games, got to know their 230-square-foot cabin. Shirlee kept a journal for a while, until she got tired writing “Another day at sea.”

They watched movies. Guy saw “Midway” five times. They tuned in to Fox News and MSNBC, where they learned the unsettling news that A) The world was now in a pandemic and B) Some cruise ships were being quarantined as a result.

They spent a lot of time watching their fellow passengers/captives. Some were “very, very generous who would do anything for you; others would go crazy if they thought you looked at them wrong.” The housekeepers and cabin guys were outstanding in crisis; “they really rose to the occasion.”

Fruits and vegetables became scarce, and lettuce almost nonexistent, but for the most part there was plenty of food. The all-you-can-eat buffet line remained open.

“I really chowed,” said Guy. “It’s interesting when things go bad how people react. I just ate more dessert.”

The good news: No one on board exhibited any signs of the virus. The bad news: They couldn’t go on like this for much longer. Word came that either they were going to get permission to dock in Cape Town, or they would have to make a run for Miami, 7,600 miles away.

For two days the ship stayed moored outside Cape Town, within viewing distance of Table Mountain.

Finally, on March 22, they were allowed to dock.

The original itinerary called for a South African safari. But everyone made a beeline for the airport.

Guy and Shirlee caught an Air Emirates flight that first took them to Dubai and then on to Los Angeles. They were in the air for 26 hours. In L.A. — the only place, by the way, where no one took their temperature or asked how they were feeling — they went to an Enterprise Rental Car lot, discovered they were the only customers there, got a car for $80 and drove through the night to their home in St. George.

When they passed Las Vegas it was dark. All the lights were out.

They couldn’t believe how tired they were as they collapsed into their own bed, or how fortunate. “We were blessed to begin with that we have a great relationship,” said Guy. “That made it so much easier to cope.”

Now, still together, they’re learning new phrases like “social distancing” and “shelter in place” while Guy embarks on “a serious weight reduction program.”

And plots their next trip.

“I’ve been looking at future cruises all morning long,” said Guy. Norwegian has offered them a 75% discount on their next cruise, in addition to the partial refund they’re expecting.

“We’re going to take advantage of it,” he said. “This will not stop us. Our attitude is, if you wake up in the morning it’s a great day.”

“A lot of people have asked us, ‘Don’t you wish you’d canceled?’” said Shirlee. “But no. We don’t wish that at all. We met some good people and we had a good time in spite of everything. You don’t want to look at the negatives.”

Looking back, “the anxiety of not knowing was the hard part,” she said. “We didn’t know if we were going to be able to get off the ship or not. To me, that’s where faith and prayer comes in. Little things just kept happening I know the Lord had a hand in.”

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2UvvLER