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Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic
The true story of the Holland America cruise ship Zaandam, which set sail with a deadly and little-understood stowaway--COVID-19--days before the world shut down in March 2020. This riveting narrative thriller takes readers behind the scenes with passengers and crew who were caught unprepared for the deadly ordeal that lay ahead.
In early 2020, the world was on edge. An ominous virus was spreading on different continents, and no one knew what the coming weeks would bring. Far from the hot spots, the cruise ship Zaandam was preparing to sail from Buenos Aires, Argentina, loaded with 1,200 passengers--Americans, Europeans and South Americans, plus 600 crew members.
Most passengers were older than sixty-five. There was concern about the virus on the news, and it had already killed and sickened passengers on other Holland America ships. But that was oceans away, and escaping to sea at the ends of the earth for a few weeks seemed like it might be a good option. The cruise line had said the voyage (three weeks around the South American coastline to see some of the world's most stunning natural wonders and ancient ruins) would carry on as scheduled, with no refunds. And it would be safe.
Among the travelers there is a retired American school superintendent on a dream vacation with his wife of fifty-six years, on a personal quest to see Machu Picchu. There is an Argentine psychologist taking this trip to celebrate her sixty-fourth birthday with her husband, though she finds herself fretting in her cabin on day one, trying to dismiss her fears of what she's hearing on the news. There is an Indonesian laundry manager who's been toiling on Holland America cruise ships for thirty years, sending his monthly paycheck to his family back home.
Within days, people aboard Zaandam begin to fall sick. The world's ports shut down. Zaandam becomes a top story on the news and is denied safe harbor everywhere. With only two doctors aboard and few medical supplies to test for or treat COVID-19, and with dwindling food and water, the ship wanders the oceans on an unthinkable journey.
In early 2020, the world was on edge. An ominous virus was spreading on different continents, and no one knew what the coming weeks would bring. Far from the hot spots, the cruise ship Zaandam was preparing to sail from Buenos Aires, Argentina, loaded with 1,200 passengers--Americans, Europeans and South Americans, plus 600 crew members.
Most passengers were older than sixty-five. There was concern about the virus on the news, and it had already killed and sickened passengers on other Holland America ships. But that was oceans away, and escaping to sea at the ends of the earth for a few weeks seemed like it might be a good option. The cruise line had said the voyage (three weeks around the South American coastline to see some of the world's most stunning natural wonders and ancient ruins) would carry on as scheduled, with no refunds. And it would be safe.
Among the travelers there is a retired American school superintendent on a dream vacation with his wife of fifty-six years, on a personal quest to see Machu Picchu. There is an Argentine psychologist taking this trip to celebrate her sixty-fourth birthday with her husband, though she finds herself fretting in her cabin on day one, trying to dismiss her fears of what she's hearing on the news. There is an Indonesian laundry manager who's been toiling on Holland America cruise ships for thirty years, sending his monthly paycheck to his family back home.
Within days, people aboard Zaandam begin to fall sick. The world's ports shut down. Zaandam becomes a top story on the news and is denied safe harbor everywhere. With only two doctors aboard and few medical supplies to test for or treat COVID-19, and with dwindling food and water, the ship wanders the oceans on an unthinkable journey.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2022
187 people are currently reading
7486 people want to read
About the author
Michael Smith
1,657 books35 followersLibrarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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December 22, 2022
Review Do you know how all the crew and passengers eventually got home after the Zaandam had gone from port to port, discharging passengers and crew in places that would have them, where there were planes willing to take them and there were still a lot of people left?
What they did was get together with other cruise lines and those going to South America, took the South American ones, those going to the Phillipines, took those people and so on. So many ports and planes refused to have these people who were sick or had been sick and had definitely been in contact with many people with Covid, it was an expensive way of getting them home, but it had to be done.
The Zaandam was boarding passengers a week before the US gvt said citizens should not go on cruises and subsequently grounded all cruise ships. So the Zaandam announced it was checking passengers, health and travel etc. But first, back story.
Read this amd then think how much would you trust the Zaandam to have good sanitation and stick to what they say about precautions and checking passengers?
Since the book is written in a way that concentrates on a few people from passengers, officers and crew, and since it was a terrible time we all lived through, but not as badly as the people on the Zaandam did, it would translate very easily into a docudrama or a full-blown film. The book was a a 5 star and I would definitely go and see the film too.
What they did was get together with other cruise lines and those going to South America, took the South American ones, those going to the Phillipines, took those people and so on. So many ports and planes refused to have these people who were sick or had been sick and had definitely been in contact with many people with Covid, it was an expensive way of getting them home, but it had to be done.
The Zaandam was boarding passengers a week before the US gvt said citizens should not go on cruises and subsequently grounded all cruise ships. So the Zaandam announced it was checking passengers, health and travel etc. But first, back story.
Read this amd then think how much would you trust the Zaandam to have good sanitation and stick to what they say about precautions and checking passengers?
[A] 2016 criminal case that federal prosecutors had successfully brought against Holland America’s Princess Cruises (as well as its parent company, Carnival Corporation), for years of dumping oily wastewater from its ships into U.S. waters and the pristine seas around the Bahamas. Carnival sought to conceal the pollution from federal regulators, resulting in a forty-million-dollar criminal penalty and a five-year term of probation.During the probation years, "Carnival CEO Micky Arison was repeatedly brought before federal judge Patricia Seitz, who after multiple probation violations vented her frustration in open court. “But, Mr. Arison, this company—this is not the first criminal proceeding that this company has gone through. It’s not the second. It’s not the third. And you have been at the helm of the company throughout." Eventually,
That massive fine was followed in 2019 by an additional twenty-million-dollar criminal penalty after the company was found guilty of violating the terms of the probation by falsifying ships’ logs and “illegally discharging plastic mixed with food waste in Bahamian waters.” Court-ordered oversight determined that Carnival held “a culture that seeks to minimize or avoid information that is negative, uncomfortable, or threatening to the Company, including to top leadership (i.e., the Board of Directors, C-Suite executives, and Brand Presidents/CEOs).”
Seventy-two ships from the Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, and Holland America Line were placed under federal court monitoring to literally clean up their act, and they needed employees to police what was being dumped into the sea, especially from the kitchens.. Would you trust them to look after you at the beginning of the pandemic when two other cruise ships had already suffered illness and death? Well,lots of people did, until they got on the boat and found no health checking. Not even on the passenger boasting in the bar that he had just returned from a cruise in China and had a bad cough let alone the crew.
Since the book is written in a way that concentrates on a few people from passengers, officers and crew, and since it was a terrible time we all lived through, but not as badly as the people on the Zaandam did, it would translate very easily into a docudrama or a full-blown film. The book was a a 5 star and I would definitely go and see the film too.
June 27, 2025
Remember the early days of the COVID pandemic during spring 2020 where hourly and daily updates brought new fears and new protocols? Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic details what it was like for the passengers and crew aboard the Holland America cruise ship, Zaandam, as the pandemic swept the globe.
Denied the ability to dock at many different ports, the Zaandam and many other cruise ships tried to deal with ill passengers and crew while offshore and running out of medical and food supplies.
Reads like a thriller, but it is true life.
Highly recommend!
Denied the ability to dock at many different ports, the Zaandam and many other cruise ships tried to deal with ill passengers and crew while offshore and running out of medical and food supplies.
Reads like a thriller, but it is true life.
Highly recommend!
Read
October 17, 2022Compelling in a picking-at-a-scab sort of way. This is the story of one of the plague ships--sorry, cruise liners--that set sail in March 2020, and found itself harbouring a lot of passengers and a lot of Covid, with all the ports closing.
There's a lot of fascinating stuff here, including a deep dive into the motivations of the people who got on those ships with a pandemic closing in (as you might expect, the irresponsibility of some people is off the nautical charts), and the horror of the building realisation that they're trapped, and the normal rules of the sea are suspended--nobody's coming to help. What's also incredibly clear is that the grotesque inequality of cruise ships (luxury for the wealthy, incredibly bad working conditions for the people who serve them) was a huge vector for Covid: turns out if you jam the crew together into tiny rooms in a pandemic, it spreads, and then the rich people get it too. Apparently the cruise ship companies haven't read The Masque of the Red Death.
A particularly rancid detail is that, while the ship was stuck at sea, the locked down passengers were at least able to communicate with their loved ones via the internet, but the crew were still charged an expensive rate for wifi. Wow. Just...amazing. Alongside the active denial of having Covid on board, and the refusal to refund or postpone tickets in early March that was a big motivator for many of the guests to go on the cruise, it's hard not to feel that the cruise companies deserve to be sued into oblivion.
The logistical detail is amazing (how you serve individual meals to all the locked down people in their cabins when the system is set up for communal dining, for example). Also, the things that people in lockdown in their cabins phoned up to complain about: "we're all in this together" was not a universally held view, to say the least. I will look back a lot more fondly on my time in lockdown for the realisation that I didn't spend it on a cruise ship surrounded by cruise ship passengers.
Good reportage (which does of course mean the writing is very journalistic).
There's a lot of fascinating stuff here, including a deep dive into the motivations of the people who got on those ships with a pandemic closing in (as you might expect, the irresponsibility of some people is off the nautical charts), and the horror of the building realisation that they're trapped, and the normal rules of the sea are suspended--nobody's coming to help. What's also incredibly clear is that the grotesque inequality of cruise ships (luxury for the wealthy, incredibly bad working conditions for the people who serve them) was a huge vector for Covid: turns out if you jam the crew together into tiny rooms in a pandemic, it spreads, and then the rich people get it too. Apparently the cruise ship companies haven't read The Masque of the Red Death.
A particularly rancid detail is that, while the ship was stuck at sea, the locked down passengers were at least able to communicate with their loved ones via the internet, but the crew were still charged an expensive rate for wifi. Wow. Just...amazing. Alongside the active denial of having Covid on board, and the refusal to refund or postpone tickets in early March that was a big motivator for many of the guests to go on the cruise, it's hard not to feel that the cruise companies deserve to be sued into oblivion.
The logistical detail is amazing (how you serve individual meals to all the locked down people in their cabins when the system is set up for communal dining, for example). Also, the things that people in lockdown in their cabins phoned up to complain about: "we're all in this together" was not a universally held view, to say the least. I will look back a lot more fondly on my time in lockdown for the realisation that I didn't spend it on a cruise ship surrounded by cruise ship passengers.
Good reportage (which does of course mean the writing is very journalistic).
September 15, 2022
First, I will never ever get on a cruise ship. It's now one of my serious fears. The beginning of Covid. Trapped on a ship. I mean there is not one horror film that can scare me like that. The stories of all these people going through this unbelievable experience...ugh. It's claustrophobic and also interesting. But no. Never ever getting on a ship. Super interesting read!
May 28, 2022
What a great book. This shines an unfortunate spotlight on the Holland America cruise ship Zaandam on its voyage of March 6, 2020, a voyage that was so terrible it was dubbed the "Pariah Ship." The authors are able to interview crew, staff, passengers and others, and also got access to certain documentation to give us an almost day by day look at what happened on the Zaandam as it was overwhelmed with Coronavirus infections. I am a cruiser but after reading this book I may never cruise again. The ship was a breeding ground for Covid, and this voyage should have never left port in Buenos Aires (Final destination Port Everglades, FL). By the time this boat left the world had begun to be overrun with Covid, and numerous ships had well publicized Covid outbreaks. Nonetheless, the boat took off and shortly thereafter Covid struck, but the ship was ill prepared for this outbreak and it ravaged so many people on the cruise. So what we have in this book is a classic example of what not to do in crisis situation. Holland America corporate refused to participate in this book and I can understand why! Terrible. This book grabs you and will not let you go. I read it in under two days. The stories are shocking, heartbreaking, and heroic. Bureaucracy runs amok, all countries close their ports to this ship with dead and dying passengers until the are finally allowed through the Panama Canal. Then they are denied entrance to other ports in the Caribbean and even the US. This is a non-fiction book that all of us should read, and read about our fears, our inhumanity to suffering people, heroism by staff and crew members and the suffering that was imposed upon every passenger on the boat as it drifts aimlessly trying to get fuel, food, medical supplies and a friendly port. Covid was a pandemic nobody was ready for but decisions made from the very start doomed this ship, and that should never have happened.
You can see my full review on www.viewsonbooks.com
You can see my full review on www.viewsonbooks.com
June 22, 2022
**Available now!**
I have so many thoughts on this I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll start by saying this is one of the best pieces of nonfiction I’ve ever read. It was honest, emotional and also fair to everyone. My fear was that it would get too political, and the truth is that everyone botched COVID so it’s a waste of time to focus too much on one person or party, in my opinion. Luckily, that wasn’t the case here.
When I heard a book about a Covid cruise was coming out, I was really excited to read it. It’s something we all heard about and remember from the start of the pandemic but it sort of fell out of the news quickly. Meanwhile, hundreds of ships were stuck at sea with thousands of crew members on a floating prison. After most of the passengers left, people seemed to forget about the crew. I had no idea what miserable conditions they suffered. Small rooms with no windows or wifi or anything to connect them to the outside world. I remember being afraid for the ships to dock and I’m ashamed of that now and of many other countries as well. I had no idea passengers were denied refunds and that’s why they were on that ship. Some had spent upwards of $20,000 for trips they’d waited a lifetime for.
This reads like a thriller or dystopian sci-fi but it’s a real story. This particular ship was full of mostly elderly passengers and we know that coronavirus affects them worse than any other demographic. It’s hard to even imagine now, being stuck in a Petri dish like that. I was always afraid of norovirus on cruises so this was definitely extra scary.
This book takes you inside the stories of real people on the ship. From nonessential crew, crew, to passengers alike. I never knew all of the logistics of running a cruise ship. The red tape and bureaucracy. It had to be an absolute nightmare for all involved. And at a time when we knew so little about this virus. “Desperate guesses” it says in the book and I thought that was a great way to put it. We know now it’s mostly caught through the air but everything was suspect then. This was back when we sprayed Lysol on some of our groceries.
It was particularly amazing to see the staff really step up. They are like a family and some of the bravest people I’ve heard of. The sacrifices they made for the passengers were amazing. Some of the sacrifices were forced or shouldn’t have needed to have been made. The people aboard were innocent and got stuck in the middle of corporate and government cowardice and greed. Treating people like so many did will undoubtedly be taught in ethics classes in the future.
This is a generation-defining event and it isn’t quite over yet but I’m happy to see that some people are taking the time to document it like this so the bravery and sacrifice won’t be forgotten and so that hopefully history won’t repeat itself.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy and thanks to the authors for putting this out into the world.
I have so many thoughts on this I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll start by saying this is one of the best pieces of nonfiction I’ve ever read. It was honest, emotional and also fair to everyone. My fear was that it would get too political, and the truth is that everyone botched COVID so it’s a waste of time to focus too much on one person or party, in my opinion. Luckily, that wasn’t the case here.
When I heard a book about a Covid cruise was coming out, I was really excited to read it. It’s something we all heard about and remember from the start of the pandemic but it sort of fell out of the news quickly. Meanwhile, hundreds of ships were stuck at sea with thousands of crew members on a floating prison. After most of the passengers left, people seemed to forget about the crew. I had no idea what miserable conditions they suffered. Small rooms with no windows or wifi or anything to connect them to the outside world. I remember being afraid for the ships to dock and I’m ashamed of that now and of many other countries as well. I had no idea passengers were denied refunds and that’s why they were on that ship. Some had spent upwards of $20,000 for trips they’d waited a lifetime for.
This reads like a thriller or dystopian sci-fi but it’s a real story. This particular ship was full of mostly elderly passengers and we know that coronavirus affects them worse than any other demographic. It’s hard to even imagine now, being stuck in a Petri dish like that. I was always afraid of norovirus on cruises so this was definitely extra scary.
This book takes you inside the stories of real people on the ship. From nonessential crew, crew, to passengers alike. I never knew all of the logistics of running a cruise ship. The red tape and bureaucracy. It had to be an absolute nightmare for all involved. And at a time when we knew so little about this virus. “Desperate guesses” it says in the book and I thought that was a great way to put it. We know now it’s mostly caught through the air but everything was suspect then. This was back when we sprayed Lysol on some of our groceries.
It was particularly amazing to see the staff really step up. They are like a family and some of the bravest people I’ve heard of. The sacrifices they made for the passengers were amazing. Some of the sacrifices were forced or shouldn’t have needed to have been made. The people aboard were innocent and got stuck in the middle of corporate and government cowardice and greed. Treating people like so many did will undoubtedly be taught in ethics classes in the future.
This is a generation-defining event and it isn’t quite over yet but I’m happy to see that some people are taking the time to document it like this so the bravery and sacrifice won’t be forgotten and so that hopefully history won’t repeat itself.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy and thanks to the authors for putting this out into the world.
October 4, 2022
“The world's ports shut down. Zaandam becomes a top story on the news and is denied safe harbor everywhere. With only two doctors aboard and few medical supplies to test for or treat COVID-19, and with dwindling food and water, the ship wanders the oceans on an unthinkable journey.”
Cabin Fever is one of my favorite non-fiction books of all time. It discusses life aboard a cruise ship, the Zaandam, during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The medical bay was running out of oxygen. Countless people were falling sick. Several died. And with the Zaandam being denied access to harbors across South America, the crew faced lots of difficult decisions…
I love the writing style. The authors interviewed lots of people and certainly did their research. All the events are presented chronologically - with harrowing stories from some of the passengers. It’s also presented like a thriller book. The authors do an excellent job of describing details in an interesting way - while staying true to the facts.
Overall, Cabin Fever is a great book and definitely worth reading.
Five stars.
Cabin Fever is one of my favorite non-fiction books of all time. It discusses life aboard a cruise ship, the Zaandam, during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. The medical bay was running out of oxygen. Countless people were falling sick. Several died. And with the Zaandam being denied access to harbors across South America, the crew faced lots of difficult decisions…
I love the writing style. The authors interviewed lots of people and certainly did their research. All the events are presented chronologically - with harrowing stories from some of the passengers. It’s also presented like a thriller book. The authors do an excellent job of describing details in an interesting way - while staying true to the facts.
Overall, Cabin Fever is a great book and definitely worth reading.
Five stars.
June 10, 2022
We knew back in Feb 2020 that abnormal numbers of people were leaving ships with coughs and flu-like symptoms. I was one of those people and it made me mad to read about the questionable decisions made only one month later on Holland America’s Zaandam.
The path to Zaandam's ultimate lockdown in the Pacific was a rocky one and well documented in this revelational book. A fascinating and in-depth insider look into the early pandemic days.
I applaud rock star Captain Smit who expertly navigated an unprecedented and ever-changing ‘make it up as you go’ manner as ports opened and closed willy nilly. I commend his remarkable and overwhelmed staff who worked tirelessly for the passengers and co-workers.
The decision to throw in lots of social activities to get people to forget there was a pandemic building was a particularly bad one and our so called CDC experts mixed messages didn’t help. People knew a pandemic was lurking but so many chose to ignore it.
Captain Smit and his crew's dedication to passengers was inspirational. On the other hand, Holland America’s corporate office clearly chose profit over people, denying refunds to nervous passengers prior to boarding, knowing and hiding that covid was on their doorstep. The ship was woefully unprepared for its’ arrival. An eye-opening and well-written story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The path to Zaandam's ultimate lockdown in the Pacific was a rocky one and well documented in this revelational book. A fascinating and in-depth insider look into the early pandemic days.
I applaud rock star Captain Smit who expertly navigated an unprecedented and ever-changing ‘make it up as you go’ manner as ports opened and closed willy nilly. I commend his remarkable and overwhelmed staff who worked tirelessly for the passengers and co-workers.
The decision to throw in lots of social activities to get people to forget there was a pandemic building was a particularly bad one and our so called CDC experts mixed messages didn’t help. People knew a pandemic was lurking but so many chose to ignore it.
Captain Smit and his crew's dedication to passengers was inspirational. On the other hand, Holland America’s corporate office clearly chose profit over people, denying refunds to nervous passengers prior to boarding, knowing and hiding that covid was on their doorstep. The ship was woefully unprepared for its’ arrival. An eye-opening and well-written story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
May 24, 2025
What a great piece of investigative journalism! I had a wide range of emotions 😢 while reading this book, but what I appreciated was the way the account of events was told in a chronological and factual way, not necessarily swaying the reader to choose sides or place blame. The whole situation (and the rest of COVID times) is so saddening. I have to keep reminding myself that this is actually something we all lived through because it seems so outrageous. Just so heartbreaking. 💔
July 8, 2022
A fascinating, often emotive, account of life on board a cruise liner as the Covid 19 pandemic hit,with accounts from various rank of staff to passengers you really felt the horror and despair on board the ship and the stark truth that a silent stowaway had boarded and was going to affect their lives.
Starkly contrasted from the boarding of the cruise with all its merriment and fun and promises of adventures ahead to lockdown in cabins that lasted weeks,months in some cases it really showed just how something that started as a dream ended in nightmare for all aboard
I enjoyed how the crew and guests stories were followed in chapters by date and also how the negotiations for safe passage of the boat were handled ( sometimes shockingly ) and ultimately how everyone was ‘rescued’ albeit too late for some
As someone who has been on and loves cruises this was at times horrific and at others a real eye opener and wether you have been on a 100 or no cruises this book is a must read
Detailed,moving and real
10/10
5 Stars
Starkly contrasted from the boarding of the cruise with all its merriment and fun and promises of adventures ahead to lockdown in cabins that lasted weeks,months in some cases it really showed just how something that started as a dream ended in nightmare for all aboard
I enjoyed how the crew and guests stories were followed in chapters by date and also how the negotiations for safe passage of the boat were handled ( sometimes shockingly ) and ultimately how everyone was ‘rescued’ albeit too late for some
As someone who has been on and loves cruises this was at times horrific and at others a real eye opener and wether you have been on a 100 or no cruises this book is a must read
Detailed,moving and real
10/10
5 Stars
December 30, 2022
A very good piece of investigative journalism, Cabin Fever follows the highs and lows of Holland America's Zaandam cruise ship during the early days of the pandemic. What a nightmare! We get accounts of passengers (domestic and foreign) and crew members. The cruise slowly becomes a floating prison as port after port refuses to allow the boat to dock or let passengers disembark. The story is well told and well researched. It's not quite as gripping as one might hope as we all have a lot of hindsight on the pandemic at this point, but it's an important historical record. Hopefully we do better next time.
July 21, 2022
Utterly heartbreaking and vivid account of life and death aboard the cruise ship Zaandam during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.
When passengers, most of them over age 65, streamed onto the Holland America ship in Argentina, they had only minimal concern about the novel coronavirus that was just starting to hit the news. Over 1200 cruisers and 600 crew members were convinced that they were escaping on this planned 3-week voyage into areas that would be safe. Unfortunately, a stowaway was also on board and within days of the Zaandam embarkation, people began coughing and developing symptoms indicating that the virus had come along. Because so little was known about how the virus was transmitted, how to confirm a diagnosis, or how to take care of people exhibiting the signs of disease, mistakes were made. In another colossal failure, the ship had only a small medical unit with two doctors and minimal supplies and medications to even begin to care for the incoming deluge of patients. Even worse, there were no reliable COVID tests on the ship so tracking the spread proved nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, as the communications between ship and shore intensified, passengers were quarantined in their cabins so the crew members, many of them sick themselves, were expected to continue laundry and food service to the passenger rooms at unprecedented levels. Left adrift in the ocean for weeks on end, the Zaandam was denied port entry as the world was shutting down. All the basic necessities were running low, the medical unit was filled to capacity, the crew members were sick and dying, and the passengers were locked in their rooms, many sick and untended. What a nightmare. The ship was deemed a pariah and left to wander the oceans, doomed to wait until someone let them come into safe harbor.
This was a grueling read and I had to stop often as the emotional stories got to me. I was angry even as I understood that ignorance of the condition, so profound in the early days of the global pandemic, resulted in so many egregious errors in how this situation was handled. The Zaandam was not the only cruise ship out on the waters with sick and dying people on board. An overwhelming situation was occurring on land at the same time, and things were dire everywhere as a worldwide shutdown began. The personal accounts by passengers and crew that were related in this book really demonstrated the reality of the crisis and the hopelessness all experienced. Difficult to read, especially in retrospect now that we are two years out from the beginning of this disease, I am glad so many survived despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. It is important to remember that there are always heroes in any disaster; it just may be that they are not the ones you imagine.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.
When passengers, most of them over age 65, streamed onto the Holland America ship in Argentina, they had only minimal concern about the novel coronavirus that was just starting to hit the news. Over 1200 cruisers and 600 crew members were convinced that they were escaping on this planned 3-week voyage into areas that would be safe. Unfortunately, a stowaway was also on board and within days of the Zaandam embarkation, people began coughing and developing symptoms indicating that the virus had come along. Because so little was known about how the virus was transmitted, how to confirm a diagnosis, or how to take care of people exhibiting the signs of disease, mistakes were made. In another colossal failure, the ship had only a small medical unit with two doctors and minimal supplies and medications to even begin to care for the incoming deluge of patients. Even worse, there were no reliable COVID tests on the ship so tracking the spread proved nearly impossible.
Meanwhile, as the communications between ship and shore intensified, passengers were quarantined in their cabins so the crew members, many of them sick themselves, were expected to continue laundry and food service to the passenger rooms at unprecedented levels. Left adrift in the ocean for weeks on end, the Zaandam was denied port entry as the world was shutting down. All the basic necessities were running low, the medical unit was filled to capacity, the crew members were sick and dying, and the passengers were locked in their rooms, many sick and untended. What a nightmare. The ship was deemed a pariah and left to wander the oceans, doomed to wait until someone let them come into safe harbor.
This was a grueling read and I had to stop often as the emotional stories got to me. I was angry even as I understood that ignorance of the condition, so profound in the early days of the global pandemic, resulted in so many egregious errors in how this situation was handled. The Zaandam was not the only cruise ship out on the waters with sick and dying people on board. An overwhelming situation was occurring on land at the same time, and things were dire everywhere as a worldwide shutdown began. The personal accounts by passengers and crew that were related in this book really demonstrated the reality of the crisis and the hopelessness all experienced. Difficult to read, especially in retrospect now that we are two years out from the beginning of this disease, I am glad so many survived despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. It is important to remember that there are always heroes in any disaster; it just may be that they are not the ones you imagine.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.
July 11, 2022
I was on this cruise. This is the 3rd book I’ve read about it but the other 2 were by women who were on the cruise.
I’ve wondered during and after the cruise about things that were happening with other passengers, the crew, Holland America Corporate, with negotiations and with politicians.
It seems well researched. I learned a lot. I have to say that during the cruise the ship’s Captain was a lifeline of calm and direction. I always felt like he was giving us the truth, although I’m not naive enough to think he wasn’t giving us vetted information that corporate approved.
I didn’t really blame Holland for not cancelling the cruise until I heard that after my flight to Buenos Aires had left, that they were allowing no penalty cancellations. From a hindsight perspective, I feel strongly that Holland was very much at fault for going through with the cruise. At the very least it should have had adequate testing kits, masks, etc to monitor the situation.
I learned a lot about cruising - I knew that crew worked hard and had minimal comforts. But this emphasizes the vast difference between “workers” and officers and associated staff. I would like to know more about the after story of all the crew. When they got home, what happened to them with no cruising for such a long time.
I was always wondering why there wasn’t a system put in place to track how many passengers and crew who came down with Covid. US citizens were on a list at the CDC and our names were provided for local health departments to track. In Texas, once we arrived home, we were forbidden to leave our houses except for medical reasons for 14 days. My health department called me the day after I got home and documented a bunch of info. When I got my first symptoms 2 days after I made it home, they arranged for testing (positive) and called me daily. A Texas State Trooper actually did a home check on me to make sure I was at home and not violating the restrictions. A friend who was also on the cruise but in an adjacent county was never contacted.
I learned from the Facebook page that was started for passengers and crew that lots of passengers contracted Covid. I’d love to see the numbers.
All in all a good book. But I’m biased.
I’ve wondered during and after the cruise about things that were happening with other passengers, the crew, Holland America Corporate, with negotiations and with politicians.
It seems well researched. I learned a lot. I have to say that during the cruise the ship’s Captain was a lifeline of calm and direction. I always felt like he was giving us the truth, although I’m not naive enough to think he wasn’t giving us vetted information that corporate approved.
I didn’t really blame Holland for not cancelling the cruise until I heard that after my flight to Buenos Aires had left, that they were allowing no penalty cancellations. From a hindsight perspective, I feel strongly that Holland was very much at fault for going through with the cruise. At the very least it should have had adequate testing kits, masks, etc to monitor the situation.
I learned a lot about cruising - I knew that crew worked hard and had minimal comforts. But this emphasizes the vast difference between “workers” and officers and associated staff. I would like to know more about the after story of all the crew. When they got home, what happened to them with no cruising for such a long time.
I was always wondering why there wasn’t a system put in place to track how many passengers and crew who came down with Covid. US citizens were on a list at the CDC and our names were provided for local health departments to track. In Texas, once we arrived home, we were forbidden to leave our houses except for medical reasons for 14 days. My health department called me the day after I got home and documented a bunch of info. When I got my first symptoms 2 days after I made it home, they arranged for testing (positive) and called me daily. A Texas State Trooper actually did a home check on me to make sure I was at home and not violating the restrictions. A friend who was also on the cruise but in an adjacent county was never contacted.
I learned from the Facebook page that was started for passengers and crew that lots of passengers contracted Covid. I’d love to see the numbers.
All in all a good book. But I’m biased.
July 9, 2025
This was a claustrophobic horror documentary from a time none of us want to remember. We follow a few characters as the pandemic breaks out on a cruise vessel. Some of them will not leave alive. Almost everyone will eventually be quarantined in their cabins, some for weeks in windowless cabins. Well written and captivating!
July 22, 2022
I was so preoccupied in March 2020 that I don’t even remember this story. With very poor judgment, a cruise ship set out to sea, then the world abruptly shut down. No one would let them dock. This is the absolutely horrifying story of the Zaandam, it’s crew, passengers, and helpers. A truly compulsive read!
July 24, 2022
Meh.
I don't know if it is compassion fatigue or just general exhaustion with people who don't think COVID is a big deal but I found it hard to empathize with the passengers. The workers' stories managed to touch on my emotions a bit, but only a bit. I also felt that the author was trying to minimize the responsibility that the cruise-line carried. Yes, lots of things were outside of their control, but lots of things weren't and brushing them off with 'well it was hard' felt scummy.
The other issue I had was more with the stuff in the book not with the book itself. I don't know if it is because I am naive, or something cardinal is broken in my worldview, but I was continuously shocked to hear that no passengers offered to help. I get that they couldn't have been washing sheets and unclogging toilets but something like stripping and making their own beds would go a long way to lighten the work load on the crew. Or they could have kept and washed their silverware and/or some of the dishes, to assist in how much needed to be cleaned and provided at each meal. I was just shocked how there was no team effort, it was still clients and worker bees.
I don't know if it is compassion fatigue or just general exhaustion with people who don't think COVID is a big deal but I found it hard to empathize with the passengers. The workers' stories managed to touch on my emotions a bit, but only a bit. I also felt that the author was trying to minimize the responsibility that the cruise-line carried. Yes, lots of things were outside of their control, but lots of things weren't and brushing them off with 'well it was hard' felt scummy.
The other issue I had was more with the stuff in the book not with the book itself. I don't know if it is because I am naive, or something cardinal is broken in my worldview, but I was continuously shocked to hear that no passengers offered to help. I get that they couldn't have been washing sheets and unclogging toilets but something like stripping and making their own beds would go a long way to lighten the work load on the crew. Or they could have kept and washed their silverware and/or some of the dishes, to assist in how much needed to be cleaned and provided at each meal. I was just shocked how there was no team effort, it was still clients and worker bees.
October 30, 2024
I realize I've mostly avoided books about the COVID pandemic, since I lived through the madness, continue to live through the relentless waves, didn't want to wallow in it more.
This tale of the cruise ship Zaandam, which left port in Argentina 48 minutes after the U.S. State Dept advised people with pre-existing health conditions to avoid cruises, follows the mostly elderly passengers and international crew on their ill-fated voyage, which lasted for many weeks longer than anyone anticipated as they were turned away from port after port.
This story made me remember how fast the world changed in March and April of 2020, how the regular order of things rapidly was upended, and how unpredictable travel can be even at the best of times.
A doctor comments that if you were designing the ideal conditions for transmitting disease, you couldn't do better than a cruise ship. I'm surprised, though, how few people died considering how many people were sick.
With all the stories from the start of the 2020 pandemic, the story of this particular cruise ship, out of the hundreds that were affected, and the dozens that became notorious, did not reach this reader.
This tale of the cruise ship Zaandam, which left port in Argentina 48 minutes after the U.S. State Dept advised people with pre-existing health conditions to avoid cruises, follows the mostly elderly passengers and international crew on their ill-fated voyage, which lasted for many weeks longer than anyone anticipated as they were turned away from port after port.
This story made me remember how fast the world changed in March and April of 2020, how the regular order of things rapidly was upended, and how unpredictable travel can be even at the best of times.
A doctor comments that if you were designing the ideal conditions for transmitting disease, you couldn't do better than a cruise ship. I'm surprised, though, how few people died considering how many people were sick.
With all the stories from the start of the 2020 pandemic, the story of this particular cruise ship, out of the hundreds that were affected, and the dozens that became notorious, did not reach this reader.
July 11, 2022
4.5 stars. Reads like The Stand meets The Poseidon Adventure. Harrowing indeed.
Even now, it's really hard to believe this happened. This book goes into far more detail than we ever got via the news. But what the authors do best is anchor the story in the tales of a handful of crew and passengers. Very well done!
Even now, it's really hard to believe this happened. This book goes into far more detail than we ever got via the news. But what the authors do best is anchor the story in the tales of a handful of crew and passengers. Very well done!
October 25, 2022
Departing Buenos Aires on March 8, 2020, this book follows the MS Zaandan with its 1243 passengers and 586 crew as it travels south to the Falkland Islands, around Cape Horn and north to Panama and Miami. But it is the unknown passenger that was brought aboard either by a guest or crew that not only changed everything on the ship but affected those within it.
Cruise ships stop at various ports in order to provide their guests with tours and to resupply the ship with literally tons of food, water, alcohol and other needs as well as fuel. By the 15th, the cruise was cancelled - crew and Carnival officials attempted to get their guests home but the ports along the Chilean coast are closing, military ships making sure that cruise ships with their possible load of infected passengers do not disembark and contaminate the residents. As there are no reliable COVID tests available at this time, people are stricken with an ILI or "influenza-like illness".
Recreated from interviews with surviving crew and passengers (those who were willing). Family reporting their desperate attempts to get in contact with their on-board families as well as trying to get them off the ship and home. The diplomatic staff from various countries who were doing their utmost to get their citizens home. Volunteers from the pilots for the Panama Canal and Floridian ports as well as crew and medical people from other ships under the Holland America and Carnival banner.
By April 23rd, the liners have collected off the Bahamas and transferred crew between them so that each liner could travel to specific areas, hoping that crew could disembark closer to their home. And it was on April 27th (6 weeks after they departed), that the last seven passengers headed home to Buenos Aires.
It's a captivating, page-turner that just just draws the reader into the fear, panic and utter dedication of some of the crew of the Zaandan. As crew fell ill, the burden would fall onto those still able to work - even if they began to feel the effects of the spreading illness. Passengers were confined to their rooms - often no bigger than a parking space - with little to do but let their fears consume their thoughts. Medical personnel were overwhelmed and quickly ran out of the minor medicines they did have available - Tylenol and cough syrup. Normally, severe medical cases were to be evacuated to the nearest hospital but local fear and panic killed any form of human benevolence or hospitality.
It's enlightening about the days just before and after the world shut down from COVID. It's sad about the fear which turned the ship and others like it away. There is the chaos of those early pandemic days. And it is amazing how the human spirit can overcome the most devastating difficulties.
2022-230
Cruise ships stop at various ports in order to provide their guests with tours and to resupply the ship with literally tons of food, water, alcohol and other needs as well as fuel. By the 15th, the cruise was cancelled - crew and Carnival officials attempted to get their guests home but the ports along the Chilean coast are closing, military ships making sure that cruise ships with their possible load of infected passengers do not disembark and contaminate the residents. As there are no reliable COVID tests available at this time, people are stricken with an ILI or "influenza-like illness".
Recreated from interviews with surviving crew and passengers (those who were willing). Family reporting their desperate attempts to get in contact with their on-board families as well as trying to get them off the ship and home. The diplomatic staff from various countries who were doing their utmost to get their citizens home. Volunteers from the pilots for the Panama Canal and Floridian ports as well as crew and medical people from other ships under the Holland America and Carnival banner.
By April 23rd, the liners have collected off the Bahamas and transferred crew between them so that each liner could travel to specific areas, hoping that crew could disembark closer to their home. And it was on April 27th (6 weeks after they departed), that the last seven passengers headed home to Buenos Aires.
It's a captivating, page-turner that just just draws the reader into the fear, panic and utter dedication of some of the crew of the Zaandan. As crew fell ill, the burden would fall onto those still able to work - even if they began to feel the effects of the spreading illness. Passengers were confined to their rooms - often no bigger than a parking space - with little to do but let their fears consume their thoughts. Medical personnel were overwhelmed and quickly ran out of the minor medicines they did have available - Tylenol and cough syrup. Normally, severe medical cases were to be evacuated to the nearest hospital but local fear and panic killed any form of human benevolence or hospitality.
It's enlightening about the days just before and after the world shut down from COVID. It's sad about the fear which turned the ship and others like it away. There is the chaos of those early pandemic days. And it is amazing how the human spirit can overcome the most devastating difficulties.
2022-230
June 23, 2022
This book is a five star for me! As I read, I felt totally immersed in the story, as if I too were a passenger on the ship. It was eye-opening and I loved how the story is told through the eyes and experiences of different passengers and crew members. It's obvious that this book was well-researched and the writing is solid. As the story progresses, I kept thinking about what an excellent film this would make as well.
It is also a little heartening to be reading this two years later and realize that we now have so many tools to deal with COVID and to know that while the danger is still here, it has been lessened by vaccines and new medicines. I think this book is being published at the perfect time for readers; not too soon and not too late.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I couldn't put it down!
It is also a little heartening to be reading this two years later and realize that we now have so many tools to deal with COVID and to know that while the danger is still here, it has been lessened by vaccines and new medicines. I think this book is being published at the perfect time for readers; not too soon and not too late.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I couldn't put it down!
November 2, 2022
This is not something I would normally pick up, but one of my favorite outreach patrons said it was riveting and I love talking to her about books. It was an interesting story about a lot of people who found themselves in a very bad and (2020's starring word!) UNPRECEDENTED situation locked down on a cruise ship filled with covid. I felt the worst for the crew, who had to work longer and longer shifts doing more and more work as their coworkers dropped like flies. And it was interesting to hear about the complicated finagling required to get more supplies and help to the ship, or anyone off the ship after all. What a clusterf*ck. It was an easy read, written at perhaps a middle school level, that sometimes veered into syrupy territory, but moved quickly and kept my interest.
November 15, 2022
This was fascinating. I remember reading a few news stories about cruise ships stuck at sea, but reading about the details & all the drama involved made me really empathize with the crew and passengers on board. I wish I had known more details about everything the captain went through & a deeper perspective from more individuals - that is what really resonated with me. I did appreciate the length, though. It never got bogged down or boring. A compelling read!
December 11, 2023
If you have plans for going on a cruise anytime soon, you might want to skip this book. Or maybe it's an even better reason to read it. Either way: Getting on a cruise ship—that dream, fantasy vacation for so many—will never be the same after reading this book of a traumatic nightmare vacation that ended in death for some and tormenting, agonizing memories for all.
Reading more like a novel than a nonfiction book, this is a gripping and compelling account of a vicious little stowaway aboard the Zaandam ship of Holland America in March 2020: Covid-19. As one of the CDC's top scientists said, "If you had to design the most efficient system for spreading Covid, it wouldn't look much different than a cruise ship."
And while hundreds of cruise ships were stranded at sea in the early months of the pandemic, the Zaandam 's story is truly troubling. It was even dubbed "the pariah ship."
Prodigiously researched and expertly written by Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin, this is the horrifying story of what happened when many, many of the 1,200 passengers (most of whom were in their 70s and 80s) and 600 crew members became infected with what was then a novel and mysterious illness—so many that port after port after port refused to allow the ship to dock. Even getting much-needed replenishment of food, water, and medical supplies became top-secret, clandestine operations because no country wanted any contact with the Zaandam.
Some of it may have been preventable. While the rest of the world was hunkering down, closing schools, offices, and restaurants, it took several weeks for officials onboard the ship or executives at Holland America to take Covid-19 seriously. That meant all the usual cruise activities continued, including crowded dining rooms with buffet meals, packed entertainment and shows, gym workouts with others coughing nearby, and beauty salon appointments. Instead of admitting the illness on board the ship was Covid, the ship's staff were instructed to call it ILI—influenza-like illness, which is common on cruise ships.
This is not just the story of what went wrong. There were many brave heroes on board and on land, and reading how they courageously assisted this troubled ship and its very sick passengers and crew is heartwarming.
The book is such a compelling read because the authors have told this harrowing narrative through the stories of individual people—some of whom stayed well, some of whom got very sick, and some of whom died. I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to find out what happened to each of them.
Reading more like a novel than a nonfiction book, this is a gripping and compelling account of a vicious little stowaway aboard the Zaandam ship of Holland America in March 2020: Covid-19. As one of the CDC's top scientists said, "If you had to design the most efficient system for spreading Covid, it wouldn't look much different than a cruise ship."
And while hundreds of cruise ships were stranded at sea in the early months of the pandemic, the Zaandam 's story is truly troubling. It was even dubbed "the pariah ship."
Prodigiously researched and expertly written by Michael Smith and Jonathan Franklin, this is the horrifying story of what happened when many, many of the 1,200 passengers (most of whom were in their 70s and 80s) and 600 crew members became infected with what was then a novel and mysterious illness—so many that port after port after port refused to allow the ship to dock. Even getting much-needed replenishment of food, water, and medical supplies became top-secret, clandestine operations because no country wanted any contact with the Zaandam.
Some of it may have been preventable. While the rest of the world was hunkering down, closing schools, offices, and restaurants, it took several weeks for officials onboard the ship or executives at Holland America to take Covid-19 seriously. That meant all the usual cruise activities continued, including crowded dining rooms with buffet meals, packed entertainment and shows, gym workouts with others coughing nearby, and beauty salon appointments. Instead of admitting the illness on board the ship was Covid, the ship's staff were instructed to call it ILI—influenza-like illness, which is common on cruise ships.
This is not just the story of what went wrong. There were many brave heroes on board and on land, and reading how they courageously assisted this troubled ship and its very sick passengers and crew is heartwarming.
The book is such a compelling read because the authors have told this harrowing narrative through the stories of individual people—some of whom stayed well, some of whom got very sick, and some of whom died. I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to find out what happened to each of them.
September 7, 2022
I have never been on a cruise, although I am fascinated by the thought of it. I did book a cruise in late 2018, to take place in 2020. I cancelled the cruise for various reasons, and of course, it didn't happen anyway due to the COVID pandemic. One day I will book another. There is so much to research; which line, which itinerary, what's included etc etc.
I read this book with a growing sense of horror. It is incredibly well written, and if one didn't know that it was a true story, you'd really think you were reading a work of fiction. The narrative structure works so well. The authors have taken various passengers and crew, and followed their journey, and what a bumpy, choppy, sometimes heartbreaking journey that was.
Holland America Cruise ship MV Zaandam was due to sail from Buenos Aires in early March 2020 with around 1800 people on board. 1200 passengers from all over the world, most of them aged over 65, and 600 crew. Despite the news of a worrying virus that had started in China, Holland America decided that the ship would sail. Any passenger who didn't want to go would lose their money. Some of these passengers had saved for years for this cruise of a lifetime and they boarded, with no health checks at all. The ship's medical centre had no extra capacity, there were no contingency plans made. The cruise line decided that they were well away from China and all would be well.
Of course it wasn't. We all know that now and the authors have detailed exactly what happened on board. The fact that the crew were told not to wear masks because that may frighten the passengers, the crew who worked every hour available as their colleagues lay dying around them. Those crew who gave all to a cruise line that treated them so badly. Day in, day out, these amazing people carried on washing bed linen and preparing meals as the horror unfolded.
It's a desperately sad read, it's also horrific and anger inducing, as the ship tries and fails to dock in so many ports. As people get sicker and sicker, as they die and as they do eventually get home. Some of them arrive home in coffins, some are now widowed. It is an incredible story, and I only wish that it were fiction.
I read this book with a growing sense of horror. It is incredibly well written, and if one didn't know that it was a true story, you'd really think you were reading a work of fiction. The narrative structure works so well. The authors have taken various passengers and crew, and followed their journey, and what a bumpy, choppy, sometimes heartbreaking journey that was.
Holland America Cruise ship MV Zaandam was due to sail from Buenos Aires in early March 2020 with around 1800 people on board. 1200 passengers from all over the world, most of them aged over 65, and 600 crew. Despite the news of a worrying virus that had started in China, Holland America decided that the ship would sail. Any passenger who didn't want to go would lose their money. Some of these passengers had saved for years for this cruise of a lifetime and they boarded, with no health checks at all. The ship's medical centre had no extra capacity, there were no contingency plans made. The cruise line decided that they were well away from China and all would be well.
Of course it wasn't. We all know that now and the authors have detailed exactly what happened on board. The fact that the crew were told not to wear masks because that may frighten the passengers, the crew who worked every hour available as their colleagues lay dying around them. Those crew who gave all to a cruise line that treated them so badly. Day in, day out, these amazing people carried on washing bed linen and preparing meals as the horror unfolded.
It's a desperately sad read, it's also horrific and anger inducing, as the ship tries and fails to dock in so many ports. As people get sicker and sicker, as they die and as they do eventually get home. Some of them arrive home in coffins, some are now widowed. It is an incredible story, and I only wish that it were fiction.
January 14, 2023
This is how an investigative book and investigative journalism should be written. No stone is left unturned, no one person or entity is to blame and there is factual evidence to being about every opinion Smith made in the narration of the Zaandam, a Holland America (owned by Carnival Cruise Lines) ship that departed from Buenos Aires in early March 2020, about the time the coronavirus was spreading across the globe.
Not only are the journalistic aspects of this book outstanding, but so is the humanity. One can’t help but feels for the passengers and crew members portrayed in this book. That is the case whether they were infected with the virus or not. A few of the people will have a god conclusion to this nightmarish voyage, but many will not. Reading this now, nearly 3 years after the event, it’s easy to think ‘if only they knew what we know now” one will see the mistakes made. But given the lack of knowledge, especially out at sea, it is understandable even though some of the actions had disastrous results. But a reader will also be very angry with the various governments and bureaucracies- it felt like they forgot there were sick and dying people on those ships, not just carriers of some scary virus. Highly recommended reading.
Not only are the journalistic aspects of this book outstanding, but so is the humanity. One can’t help but feels for the passengers and crew members portrayed in this book. That is the case whether they were infected with the virus or not. A few of the people will have a god conclusion to this nightmarish voyage, but many will not. Reading this now, nearly 3 years after the event, it’s easy to think ‘if only they knew what we know now” one will see the mistakes made. But given the lack of knowledge, especially out at sea, it is understandable even though some of the actions had disastrous results. But a reader will also be very angry with the various governments and bureaucracies- it felt like they forgot there were sick and dying people on those ships, not just carriers of some scary virus. Highly recommended reading.
November 20, 2022
I’m torn between the tragedy of the pandemic (especially in the early days) and maybe a little eye rolling at one too many light comparisons to the titanic. Also horror at the thought of being a service employee on this ship. In the pool of “people I’d want to be stuck with during world changing, catastrophic events” a cruise ship full of wealthy older adults is pretty close to the bottom of my list.
(Full disclosure: I’ve cruised on the Zaandam twice.)
(Full disclosure: I’ve cruised on the Zaandam twice.)
October 7, 2022
All politics aside, I really wanted to read this book because I'm interested in other's experiences through the first months of the pandemic. However, I found this poorly written. It felt like the author was just in a hurry to get it published. Grammatical errors and other editing flaws. His grasp of the medical aspect was poor and there was no perspective from the medical staff.
June 27, 2025
Absolutely riveting and tragic — so powerfully told with varying perspectives of passengers, crew, and officials. Narrative nonfiction at its best! I could not put it down.
May 11, 2025
So sad what these people had to go through
July 12, 2022
I cannot sing the praises of this book enough! Though the topic is heavy, the writing flows nicely and the authors very effectively built narrative tension that made this nonfiction book read like fiction.
The story is told from the perspective and memories of several folks aboard the Zaandam, including passengers from various countries and crews working in different areas (and levels) of the ship. The coverage of the slow onset of COVID cases aboard the ship was as expected -- horrifying in how naive everyone was in March 2020 about how dangerous things would get. Of course, hindsight is 2020 and I probably would have boarded the ship myself, but those early weeks in March we a time when most people could not begin to comprehend the truly unprecedented times that were about to affect the whole world.
However, the coverage of the international relations aspect here was the most fascinating angle of the story. The efforts it took to get these people home and to proper medical care were astounding. It was hard to read at points, and to think about how people can be dying and others would actively deny help.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is in a place where reading about the early pandemic is not still too raw -- I know it is a trauma to many. This was an un-put-downable read that I will be thinking about for a long time (especially anytime I plan to travel anywhere internationally or -- god forbid -- go on a cruise).
The story is told from the perspective and memories of several folks aboard the Zaandam, including passengers from various countries and crews working in different areas (and levels) of the ship. The coverage of the slow onset of COVID cases aboard the ship was as expected -- horrifying in how naive everyone was in March 2020 about how dangerous things would get. Of course, hindsight is 2020 and I probably would have boarded the ship myself, but those early weeks in March we a time when most people could not begin to comprehend the truly unprecedented times that were about to affect the whole world.
However, the coverage of the international relations aspect here was the most fascinating angle of the story. The efforts it took to get these people home and to proper medical care were astounding. It was hard to read at points, and to think about how people can be dying and others would actively deny help.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who is in a place where reading about the early pandemic is not still too raw -- I know it is a trauma to many. This was an un-put-downable read that I will be thinking about for a long time (especially anytime I plan to travel anywhere internationally or -- god forbid -- go on a cruise).
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