Cruising in Isolation

I love cruise vacations.  What's not to love? There's lots of good food and drinks, beautiful scenery, and you go from one destination to another without packing and unpacking.  When my husband and I took our first cruise, we were on our honeymoon.  We didn't have a lot of money to spend, so we got a cabin in the bowels of the ship.  It was very small and dark with a porthole that didn't offer much light.  We were very happy, though.  We didn't know any better, and we didn't care.  Forty plus years later, I need my balcony, thank you.  Yes, I am a spoiled brat now.  I admit it.

We wanted to celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary with a cruise.  Due to the pandemic, our trip had been canceled and rescheduled multiple times.  Finally we got our cruise a few weeks ago!!!  Hooray!!! The ship was less than 50 percent occupancy, which was actually nice. On the first night, I had some intestinal issues (use your imagination; I'm not going into any more detail.  You're welcome).  

The next morning I wasn't much better, so I sent my husband off on an excursion without me, and I called the infirmary.  They told me to stay in my room and wait for the nurse.  Uh-oh...yeah, uh-oh is right!  The nurse came with a thermometer and a COVID test.  The test was negative, and I had no fever, but she told me that, due to my symptoms, I had to stay in my cabin for 24 hours.  She would notify my cabin steward, guest relations, room service, and apparently the entire ship that I was in isolation.  No one could come in my cabin except to deliver the food that I was to order from the very limited room service menu.  The cabin steward would come to sanitize my room twice a day, at which time I was to stay out on the balcony with the door shut.  The nurse gave me some pills for my intestinal issues (you don't want to know), and told me that she would notify me and apparently the entire ship when it was safe for me to leave my cell, um, I mean, my cabin. The phone call would be around 8 a.m. the next day. So she said.   

OK, I thought, I did the right thing by notifying medical, and she did the right thing by isolating me.  There are worse things than being stuck in one's cabin on a cruise ship with one's spouse out and about on an island excursion.  I had a television in my cabin, I had my books, and I had my balcony.  It could be so much worse.  

When I got hungry, I called room service.  They knew exactly who I was (the word was OUT!!!) and exactly what my food choices were.  I could have chicken breast, chicken soup, chicken broth, coffee, tea, a banana...and not much else.  I wasn't feeling great, so I got some chicken and some coffee and went back to sleep.  

The next morning, my husband went off somewhere AGAIN without me.  It's all good, I thought.  I'm doing the right thing, and the nurse will call soon.  10 a.m. - no call.  Noon - no call.  I got hungry and called room service.  "I'm hungry," I said, "can I get something like a cake or a gooey dessert?"  She replied, "I can send you a banana."  A BANANA!!!!  What?!?  Where am I?  I'm on a cruise, and all I can get is a BANANA?!?!?!  (I thought this; I didn't scream it to the poor room service person)  I said, "Can I get two bananas?"  Yes, I got two bananas.  Yay.

Finally, around 1 p.m. I called medical.  I explained my situation: "The nurse told me she would call at 8 a.m. and I am still waiting.  And, here I am, on a cruise ship, eating various forms of chicken, my dessert is bananas, and my husband is having fun in the sun."  I didn't cry, but I think I was beginning to sound just slightly insane.  The medical person promised that the nurse would call soon.  

Two hours later, the nurse called and released me.  She explained why my notification was delayed; a few of the crew tested positive for COVID the day before, so the medical staff had been contact tracing and COVID testing since then.  I don't know how many crew and guests tested positive, but I'm glad I wasn't one of them.  

When I got out of that cabin, you know I went straight for the cake and the booze.  It's all good...and I have a story to tell.  I live for this stuff!