Day 11 Forty-eight hours to Miami, but quarantined

Wednesday, November 09, 2016
Open sea, International
So meals were delivered to our cabin; Jacques could choose what he wanted, wine, beer, and cocktails included, but I had the CDC diet of dry toast, tea and jello. The episode was over the same evening, but had to stay in the cabin 24-hours. A letter from the Captain said we could be put off the ship if we didn't obey. We were two days out, so where could they put us off.

At least this isn’t a windowless inside cabin for a family of four . It’s a balcony cabin facing the sun for only the two of us. In fact, aside from the dry toast, it was lovely spending the day on the balcony reading while Jacques worked at his desk. I even got to hear the neighbor’s blasted BBC news. Yes, we have BBC, MSNBC, Fox, movies in four languages, ship news, and webcam from the aft deck.

It’s 11 am and the Captain is making an announcement now: he has moved the speed up to 22 knots from 15 so we can reach Miami by 3 pm tomorrow. Yeah, land! Dinner at Versailles Cuban Restaurant. But he’s not doing it for me and it’s not for a wonderful reason; it’s due to a medical emergency on board. Given the average age of the passengers and the physical condition of some, it’s a wonder we haven’t had more emergencies. This poor passenger has had a dangerous fracture for 24-hours and must be put in a hospital as soon as possible. By tomorrow it will have been 48 hours, so he’s pumping all five engines nearly at full speed..

Trip evacuation insurance is helpful but not when you are in the middle of the ocean or have a condition so fragile that you can’t be plucked off by helicopter. It’s something to think about when venturing out.

Now, it’s six p.m. and the Captain is announcing that we’re heading to Nassau, Bahamas instead to evacuate the passenger by 9 in the morning. The six-hour difference is important. Our ship has been given a berth for one hour, thanks to a Carnival ship that will wait outside the harbor while we take care of our passenger. I marvel at the work this Captain and his crew are doing to find a solution. It’s serious and no one complains. Then just as the Captain finishes and we are all emotionally moved by the drama of the situation, on comes David, with his lilting voice, the energy and humor rolling out of his mouth "Good Evening. This is David your Cruise Director with a list of wonderful activities for this evening".

Since seeing us quarantined is boring, I've loaded photos from around the ship.
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