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Cabin Fever
Cabin Fever: The Harrowing Journey of a Cruise Ship at the Dawn of a Pandemic | Michael Smith, Jonathan Franklin
11 posts | 14 read | 17 to read
The true story of the Holland America cruise ship Zaandam, which set sail with a deadly and little-understood stowawayCOVID-19days 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, owned by Holland America, was preparing to sail from Buenos Aires, Argentina, loaded with 1,200 passengersAmericans, Europeans and South Americans, plus 600 crew. Most passengers were over the age of 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 worlds 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 shes 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 worlds 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.
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aperfectmjk
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Pickpick

This! A TRUE NIGHTMARE to me. I've never been on a cruise because there's this feeling of claustrophobia. I know it probably seems ridiculous to some. Aside from the the tight rooms, the thought of being stuck at sea, not being able to leave the ship has always overwhelmed me. People say, "Oh, it's not like that, you stop at all kinds of places." Well, folks, here's a wake up call... stuck at sea for over a month without proper healthcare. Nope!

Bklover I‘ll be the one staying onshore with you. No way. 12mo
wanderinglynn Same here. A cruise has never appealed to me for many reasons. 12mo
jlhammar Yes! This was horrific. No cruises for me. 12mo
LiseWorks Because I get motion sickness on an elevator , cruises are not ever-gowing to happen to me. 🤢 12mo
30 likes1 stack add4 comments
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EmilieGR
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Mehso-so

This book brought me back to the anxiety of early pandemic life, and I couldn‘t feel more sympathetic towards the passengers and workers on cruise ships at the time, but I think this book missed some opportunities to delve deeper into human psyche, political reactions to the virus, etc.

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CaitZ
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Pickpick

The authors clearly convey the fear and confusion at all levels, from passengers to corporations to governments that occurred at the start of the pandemic. It's a well-written piece of history but hard to read in places. #FabulousFebruary @Andrew65 #Booked2023 #AboutAPandemic @alisiakae @Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage

Cinfhen This was a really comprehensive look at those EARLY days of the pandemic 😷 definitely not easy to read/remember in parts - also freaked me out about going on a cruise 🚢 2y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 I can well imagine this wasn‘t an easy read. 2y
34 likes2 comments
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CBee
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Pickpick

Great on audio - George Newbern is a fabulous narrator. I‘ve never been on a cruise 🫣 but this makes me think twice! Just a giant Petri dish that floats 😳😂

MicheleinPhilly That is how I‘ve always thought of cruises even before Covid! 2y
CBee @MicheleinPhilly I kind of agree! I‘ve never been a big crowd person anyway 🤷‍♀️ 2y
ShelleyBooksie I really enjoyed this one 2y
CBee @ShelleyBooksie it was good! I felt for the poor folks having to wait it out, and their families 🙁 2y
59 likes4 comments
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jlhammar
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Pickpick

No cruises for me, thank you!

The Zaandam set sail March 8, 2020. Though Holland America executives were monitoring the Covid-19 situation prior to departure, there were no temperature checks, no policies regarding masks or distancing, no test kits, and only two doctors to care for crew and 1200 passengers, most of whom were elderly.

A riveting journalistic account of a terrible true story. Really good audiobook.

53 likes2 stack adds
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Kappadeemom
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The story of a cruise ship at the beginning of the pandemic #truestory

28 likes2 stack adds
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Karkar
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Pickpick

This is a blame it on Litsy read. It was super interesting and pulled me in right away. It is a nonfiction book that reads like fiction. Highly recommend.

BarbaraBB A fascinating book about a horrifying event! 2y
ElizaMarie This does sound very interesting!! 2y
37 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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BarbaraBB
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Pickpick

A cruiseschip sets sail in March 2020 and inevitably COVID travels with one of the thousands of passengers. While people are getting sick the world closes down and leaves the ship drifting. The book reads like a horrifying thriller.

Trigger warning: The parts describing how the seriously I‘ll people fight for their lives were very painful to read.

#pop22 #SetOnCruiseShip #52books #NonFictionBestseller

(Pic: Cayo Guillermo, Cuba)

RaeLovesToRead I've read several books on boats this year already, but I haven't counted them for the challenge because it specifies "cruise ship" ?? 2y
Megabooks Glad you liked this, and I did find the parts where people were sick, especially the crew, who definitely seemed to have it worse, difficult to read. 💔 2y
BarbaraBB @RaeLovesToRead Be prepared if you decide to read this one. It‘s a page turner but it feels ambivalent because it really happened. 2y
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BarbaraBB @Megabooks Very difficult those fighting for their lives and yes, that crew 💔 2y
RaeLovesToRead I struggle to read about real life tragedies, so I'll probably choose something lighter. 2y
Megabooks @RaeLovesToRead before I read CF, I used this for cruise ship. Even though I just liked it, it‘s gotten favorable reviews on litsy and is indeed MUCH lighter! 2y
Cortg This sounds both horrifying and intriguing 🤨 2y
RaeLovesToRead @Megabooks I'll check it out! 😊 I just started reading a book today and realised after a couple of pages that it was set in the 80s... yay! Another prompt to be fulfilled 😎 2y
squirrelbrain Gosh, Barbara, I bet that was a tough one to read. I‘ve read a few extracts in the press and it seems horrific. 2y
Cathythoughts Sounds good ! I think I‘ll try a sample 👍🏻 2y
82 likes4 stack adds10 comments
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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

This cruise of a lifetime quickly went from bad, to worse, to horrific. Meant to sail for 21 days throughout South America, after only 4 days at sea Covid 19 had turned the world upside down. And unbeknownst to the 1200 passengers and 600 crew members aboard the Zaandam, the ship had a stowaway….coronavirus! This true story has officially turned me off from cruising. I will NEVER set sail ⛴⚓️☠️ Truly a living nightmare situation.

Cinfhen Thanks for the rec @Megabooks 2y
Cinfhen For those who want a condensed version read:
https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2020-zaandam-pariah-ship/
via Bloomberg.
2y
squirrelbrain Sounds horrendous… 😬 2y
Megabooks So glad you enjoyed this! And I‘ve never wanted to go on a cruise because you are just stuck no matter what. My grandmother broke her foot going on a Black Sea cruise in the 80s and had to just get treated at the infirmary because there wasn‘t a safe country for them to dock in quickly. 😬😬 2y
BarbaraBB I think I stack 😨 2y
68 likes2 stack adds5 comments
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Cinfhen
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Just started this on the recommendation from my #AudioGuru @Megabooks 🛳🏴‍☠️⚓️♥️

Megabooks 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 I didn‘t steer you wrong!! 2y
Cinfhen You‘re punny @Megabooks xxxx and so far I‘m captivated and terrified- I‘m NEVER going on a cruise, after reading this!!! 2y
Megabooks Lol! They already scared me!! Now even more. 😬😬😬 2y
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BarbaraTheBibliophage @Megabooks Just bought this. We were actually on a short cruise in early Feb 2020. I swear I got COVID then but I‘ll never know for sure. I‘m anxious to read this. 😷🤢😷 2y
Cinfhen I‘ll NEVER go on a cruise after this @BarbaraTheBibliophage 2y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Cinfhen Honestly, I didn‘t enjoy it much. Not at the top of my list for future travel. So the book will only cement that. 2y
Cinfhen It‘s one of those things that seem good on paper but in reality it‘s probably not that great @BarbaraTheBibliophage 2y
LeahBergen Happy Birthday, darlin‘! 😘😘 2y
Cinfhen Thank you my dear @LeahBergen I‘m definitely NOT getting younger 🙄 2y
LeahBergen @Cinfhen Hahaha! I was just thinking I should be updating my profile pics more frequently to accurately portray the rapid aging at this stage of my life!! 🤣 2y
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