The coronavirus pandemic has left thousands of crew members trapped on cruise ships around the world.
Peter knew a few people who would sit inside their cabins and pour out their feelings on social media. Their Facebook posts took on a dark and depressive nature. Some seemed nearly suicidal in tone. Business Insider spoke with Peter about his experience being adrift throughout the entire coronavirus pandemic. He discussed his experience dealing with insomnia, boredom, and being terminated and left without income while still trapped onboard a former employer's vessel.
When it comes to nutrition onboard, Peter said the food is "pretty fine." The crew members now take their meals in the mess hall. When there were more people onboard, they ate in the Garden Café, a buffet restaurant with a sweeping blue view. Upon transferring to the Epic, Peter started out sharing a balcony stateroom with another crew member. But that all changed after ship leadership found that some crew "because people had been smoking and misbehaving" in the rooms. Peter said that crew staying in the rooms with balconies were shuttled off to the inside cabins.
With hundreds crew members leaving the Epic to go home toward the middle of May, more balcony rooms began opening up. According to Peter, his "great" new room's main features include a balcony and two single beds shoved together. Despite its small size, it also boasts far more storage space than his inside cabin.'It's like something you can almost feel in the air'
Beyond their cabins, crew members can also move around and socialize on the ship. Norwegian even granted crew members a daily nonrefundable $10 shipboard account credit. Once a crew member departs the ship, they are not longer entitled to that money. Onboard, however, the credit can be used to purchase almost anything.
"We seem to be happier than most we were six weeks ago," Peter said. "It's like something you can almost feel in the air. It just seems to be a weight lifted."The mood on the Epic may be more buoyant than in past weeks, but the financial straits that many crew find themselves in is enough to dampen any good feelings. Peter said he is "definitely" concerned about his own finances as a result of his experience with Norwegian.
"Before everything went south, before CDC started locking things down, there was a window period," he said. "They should not have been sailing folks on the eighth of March."Remaining confined on a ship without pay or a confirmed disembarkation date during a global pandemic has proved draining for many crew members working on major cruise lines. Peter said he stops to just breathe whenever possible.
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