What can occur when COVID-19 turns cruise vacations into nightmarish voyages?
‘Like the twilight zone’
Becky Brunette, 58, a Boynton Beach retiree went on the Norwegian Joy cruise that left PortMiami on Dec. 23 for an 11-night trip around the Caribbean. She was with her 28-year-old son, Cassady, who lives in Virginia. Brunette chose Norwegian Cruise Line for their vacation because it’s the only major cruise operator that required 100% of crew and passengers to be fully vaccinated. She bought a balcony room in case the worst-case-scenario occurred on board — if she or her son tested positive for the coronavirus and because she’s claustrophobic.
On Dec. 30, Cassady developed cold-like symptoms and they decided it would be prudent to get a COVID-19 test. Brunette called the ship’s medical department and was told it would cost $200 for an appointment and $200 for the test. She hesitated to pay $400, but decided it was the responsible thing to do. Her son’s test came back positive, while her test was negative. Brunette said Norwegian eventually took the $400 charge off her bill after she complained about it.
The next day, Brunette and her son were forced to leave their balcony room and were escorted by crew members wearing biohazard suits to a small interior room on the ship and remained there for four days. Their room service food often took hours to arrive cold in to-go containers.
With no information from Norwegian about how many cases were on board, Brunette began messaging with other infected passengers via Facebook.
“It was like the twilight zone. I was locked in this tiny room with my son on the fifth floor, messaging with someone quarantined on the 13th floor, trying to put the pieces together,” she said, explaining that crew members told her they had been instructed not to answer questions about the number of cases on board. “You keep asking but no one will tell you. I still have no idea how many people had tested positive to this day.”
When Norwegian Joy arrived back in Miami and docked on Jan. 3, Brunette and her son were escorted off a back entrance to the ship and taken to her car.
“I love cruising but I will not do it again as long as there is COVID,” she said. “I’m claustrophobic and being in that small cabin with no fresh air for days was really hard for me.”
Norwegian Cruise Line did not respond to a Herald reporter’s requests for comment about Brunette and her son’s frustrating experience.
