Courtesy
Paul and Zelda Gilbert
Sunday, April 5, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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Zelda Gilbert boarded the cruise ship with her husband, Paul, on March 1 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was supposed to be a 15-day excursion around South America that would end in Santiago, Chile.
There were hardly any reported cases of COVID-19 in South America at the beginning of March, giving the Southern Nevada resident confidence that their travels wouldn’t be interrupted and that they would be healthy. But this two-week trip would soon turn into a 30-day limbo.
On March 11, the World Health Organization labeled the novel coronavirus a pandemic, prompting countries one-by-one to close their ports. Gilbert, 74, remembers the captain in the middle of the night announcing on the ship’s speakers that Chilean authorities wouldn’t let the ship dock.
After reloading provisions, the ship started its 4,700-mile journey to San Diego, adding an additional two weeks to the trip. While relieved that the crew was able to find a port, two more weeks is a long time to be at sea, particularly with a diabetic husband who needs insulin.
A supply boat arrives to Paul and Zelda Gilbert's cruise ship.
Much to her relief, they ended up getting the provisions and medicine in Ecuador. The cruise also offered passengers complimentary beer and wine, which certainly helped make the reality easier to swallow, Gilbert joked.
“Morale was high and we just made do,” she said.
Now back in her home in Henderson, Gilbert is finding herself in limbo once again: Was she exposed to the virus while aboard the ship? On March 31, the cruise company sent a letter to passengers informing them that one of the people on the ship tested positive for coronavirus. It was later reported that several crew members tested positive for the virus as well.
“I was really angry,” she said. “But then I thought about it and talked about it with some of my friends and kind of wanted to replace that anger.”
Gilbert is much more grateful to be back home, which beats the alternative of being stuck on a ship indefinitely with other sick passengers. That’s what happened with the ill-fated Zaandam cruise ship, where the disease took over the entire vessel, killing four people on board. The ship finally disembarked in Florida on Friday.
“The more I think about it, the more I think I’m glad I’m home,” Zelda said, adding she’s relieved to not be in a “floating leper colony.”
Gilbert said she and her husband are now in self-quarantine for the next two weeks, still getting used to social-distancing habits. Gilbert’s friends also pulled together to get them all the groceries and supplies they need, even the much-coveted toilet paper.
“We’re still grappling with sanitation issues,” she said. “We’re being really careful about contact with other people ... it’s hard because we’re not exactly sure what we’re supposed to do, but we’re learning every minute.”
