How We Handled Catching COVID on a Cruise Ship

As a travel writer, it was painful to spend over a year in a COVID bubble with no travel plans on the horizon. As a result of vaccines and boosters, when the light finally appeared at the end of the yearlong tunnel, I cautiously ventured out.

Once the opportunity arose to fly cross country and board a limited capacity Norwegian Bliss itinerary, no one had to twist my arm. My husband and I were vaxxed, tested at the port the day of launch and masked up. The strict protocols worked and we returned healthily. Over the next nine months, we boarded more cruises and participated in several destination press junkets with nary a sniffle.

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Unfortunately, our luck ran out on an Alaskan itinerary out of Seattle, several weeks ago, once again on the Bliss. Unlike our previous experience, this time the ship was almost full. The protocols were still in place in terms of being vaccinated and tested, but the overall feeling of unease persisted as we were uncomfortable with the crowds.

On the fifth day of our weeklong itinerary, the symptoms started…sore throat, runny nose, a feeling of lethargy, and the realization that our lucky streak had ended.

I had packed COVID testing kits, just in case this scenario came up, and my husband tested positive. My results, however, were negative. Our conscience told us we needed to report this, which we did, and a medical assistant, in full personal protective gear, was dispatched immediately to perform another test. A ship doctor confirmed what we feared and spelled out the rules and regulations for the last two days of the itinerary.

Per CDC regulations, at the time, we were placed in five-day isolation, consisting of the last two days on the ship and three more in a Seattle hotel. Offered a choice of three lodging options, all located near the airport, we chose the Hilton Garden Inn SeaTac and were told our expenses would be reimbursed fully by Norwegian Cruise Line.

On the ship, we could not leave our cabin, but it was suggested we should try to keep our balcony door open as much as possible to air out the space. We were treated in a professional, dignified manner and given whatever we requested. Room service knew of our predicament and sent up three meals a day plus any extras we needed.

As my symptoms worsened, I requested to be tested again, which resulted in yet another negative outcome.

On the final day, we were escorted off the ship, after all the other passengers had disembarked, around 10:30 am. Leaving our cabin, we were led by an assistant clad in what looked like a hazmat suit and followed by two more, similarly-clad staff, operating a disinfectant fogger. The hallway behind us was filled with an eerie mist. Four more infected cruisers joined our caravan on the way to the elevators.

Once off the ship, we were led to an industrial elevator taking us to what felt like an undisclosed location where three black vans would transport us to our hotel of choice. Our luggage, protectively wrapped in cellophane, was loaded up, as our group of six grew to a couple of dozen. We were whisked out of the port, looking like we were in a presidential motorcade.

Chatting with others in the van, I found out I was not the only one with symptoms testing negative. An older man was given the antiviral Paxlovid, at a cost of $800. In our case, my husband was given two antibiotics, a decongestant and cough syrup, at no cost to us.

Staff at the Hilton were expecting us and, after swiping our credit card, sent us on our way to a floor with other isolation guests. Our door was tagged, announcing no one was to enter the room. I have heard horror stories from some who have gone through the same experience with much poorer results.

But, in our case, NCL’s process was fine-tuned and we never felt like we were left out in the cold.

Unlike our time in the ship’s cabin, we were unable to open a window and could only look out at the beautiful, cool Seattle weather, wishing we could just go out for a walk. The hotel had an adjacent restaurant that offered room service for supper but we were on our own for breakfast and lunch.

We used a third-party delivery service for lunch that day but ordered groceries from a local market to get us through the rest of our stay. Having a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker made it easy to eat somewhat healthy.

Each day a local nurse would call to check up on us. My main concern was that I would test positive and another 5 days would be added to our isolation period. She calmed my fears by saying there would be no more testing. As long as we didn’t have a fever and obvious symptoms, we would be allowed to fly home on the fifth day. By the end of our isolation timeline, we felt well enough to travel, masked up and were shuttled to the airport where we flew home with no issues.

At the beginning of this ordeal, we felt we were about to enter a nightmare but soon realized Norwegian had their act together, were concerned with our welfare and treated us as valued guests. Currently, we have had our hotel and food receipts approved for 100 percent reimbursement. The additional airfare involved in canceling and rescheduling will be reimbursed up to $300 per person, pending detailed receipts from Delta.

Had we purchased travel insurance, NCL would have reimbursed the difference. Without it, they will reimburse 100 percent of lost travel funds. Vouchers or refunds are offered for the port days lost in isolation on the ship.

We were disappointed we missed Ketchikan and Victoria, but the Alaskan experiences we enjoyed earlier in the week will be the memories that stick.

As this latest COVID variant runs rampant throughout the world, we might wait a bit to venture out any time soon. But the "good" travel bug will bite again and we'll be back.