Three small bright spots a day as travelers cope with two weeks confined to ship.
Since February 4, cruise ship Diamond Princess (pictured above docked in Australia), operated by U.S.-based Princess Cruises, has been quarantined at the port of Yokohama, roughly 30 minutes south of Tokyo, as part of a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. On Monday, the Japanese government announced that at least 60 new cases of coronavirus infection have been confirmed, adding to the approximately 70 cases already discovered among the roughly 3,700 passengers and crew members aboard.
The quarantine will continue until at least February 19, and this obviously isn’t the sort of experience that anyone who’d booked a cruise had been hoping for. However, some positive-minded passengers have taken to social media to share a periodic bright spot in their days aboard the ship: the food.
While passengers and crew aren’t allowed to leave the ship for grocery runs, being docked in the second-largest city in Japan means there’s infrastructure enough for food supplies to come in, and since cruise ships themselves are equipped with the facilities to make large batches of tasty cuisine, Diamond Princess seems to be doing all it can to maintain its standards of culinary excellence, with passengers even sometimes being given the choice between multiple entrees, including vegetarian options.
In some cases, the extended stay in a Japanese port city is even broadening palates.
Of course, there’s more to keeping up morale than just keeping stomachs full. Passengers have begun being granted time on deck to get some fresh air, and while they’re required to stay in their cabins for most of the day, Princess Cruises has expanded their in-room video entertainment options. The company is also providing access to trained counselors in multiple languages for those who want professional help coping with the stress of being stuck on ship. It will also be providing full refunds and future cruise credits for quarantined passengers.
Yokohama’s harbor being one of the more picturesque spots in Japan is also providing a bit of consolation.
But while tasty food and nice views may be nice for a day or two, the vast majority of those stuck aboard Diamond Princess are no doubt hoping to get home as soon as possible.
Sources: Donguriko via Itai News, Japan Times, Princess Cruises
Top image: Wikipedia/Barrylb
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