Quarantine!: How I Survived the Diamond Princess Coronavirus Crisis

by Gay Courter

A passenger’s story of fighting for her—and everyone else’s—rescue from the cruise ship with the first major outbreak of COVID-19 outside China. What happens when you find yourself at the epicenter of a global crisis over a contagious new virus? Bestselling writer Gay Courter and her filmmaker husband learned the answer to that question in early February 2020, just as they were about to disembark from the Diamond Princess in Tokyo after a dazzling two-week southeast Asian cruise. Weeks before lockdowns and social distancing became the new normal, the Courters and their shipmates suddenly found themselves trapped in a posh penitentiary—courtesy of the Japanese Ministry of Health. Confined to their cabin and its balcony, they watched in terror as more and more sick and contagious passengers were loaded into ambulances and the world’s press swarmed the port. Rather than passively endure their nightmare-come-true, they launched a campaign to get themselves and everyone else off the ship. With the help of the global media and some well-placed connections, they managed to influence high-ranking U.S.government officials—right up to and including the White House—to bring everyone home to safety. Quarantine! is the insider’s book on the Diamond Princess episode, a suspenseful real-life drama recounting Gay and Phil’s twelve-day ordeal aboard ship, their tenacious efforts to get the U.S.government to repatriate them and other Americans, and their additional fifteen-day quarantine under federal order behind chain-link fencing at the pointedly less-than-posh Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. The COVID-19 crisis has affected the entire world. In her inimitable, long-admired voice, Gay Courter tells how it feels to wonder if you will be the next victim. Visit Phil Courter's websites for on updates about the book and Phil Courter’s forthcoming documentary, Quarantine! How We Survived the Diamond Princess Coronavirus Crisis.

Genres: Nonfiction

273 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2020

Reviews

[L.C. Tang · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read about a passenger's perspective of the global pandemic and being stuck on the cruise ship in Asia.

[Ellen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author wants to convey two very important points in this book.
1. That she and her husband are very rich.
2. That she has written many books.

Oh, and pandemics are very inconvenient.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, honest story about the writer's experiences on the Diamond Princess. As a frequent Princess cruiser and one who closely followed the story as it unfolded on the ship back in February, I found it very interesting to learn more about what happened both on the ship and after. She explained the motivation behind her frequent media appearances and was quite open about some of her less than flattering actions and reactions at the time. I loved her writing style, so much so that I plan on reading more of her books.

[Dorothy Timm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book on a couple's experience being quarantined on the Diamond Princess as the first spread of COVID was happening. And make no mistake, this book was not written by random passengers with no experience with writing. This book was a well-written, well-documented account of the experience. My son used to be a crew member on Princess-there were many times during my reading when I was so grateful he ended that job well before COVID.

[Claudette Wielechowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Gay Courter and her husband, Philip, a documentary movie maker, were “ Johnny on the spot” when they were quarantined on the cruise ship in Yokohama, Japan when the COVID-19 pandemic started. She tells of their experiences and appreciates all those who took care of the passengers and helped to repatriate them back home.

[Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story. Makes sheltering at home seem easy peasy.

[Melissa Durst · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book focuses more on her travel itinerary prior to and not much on the quarantine itself it seemed. I feel like it could have been written better.