We had just completed the first half of our voyage comfortable that the world was not going to crumble into a disaster. Well, this was about to change.
Cape Horn – the “End of the World” (March 12)
After we left Ushuaia, it became apparent that the coronavirus was spreading. The news had shifted from assurances that all was under control to concerns about how to stop the spread of the virus.
The morning of March 12 we had a wonderful scenic cruise around Cape Horn. The weather cooperated immensely with us – we at calm seas and some sunshine. Sailing on seas that were like glass watching the beautiful vistas, it was impossible to think anything was wrong with the world. Even though we had some clouds, they just enhanced the dramatic aspects of the scenery. It was easy to see how this area could have been treacherous for sailors in their small wooden ships.
As we rounded the Cape, the news became bad. Ushuaia and Cape Horn are known as “the end of the world”. This truly prophesies what was happening in the outside world.
Princess Suspends All Cruises (March 12)
As we relaxed following the scenic cruise around Cape Horn, an announcement came over the PA system stating we about to receive statement from the CEO of Princess Cruises. It took a while, but we finally learned that Princess was suspending all cruises for 60 days. Further, any cruises in progress would be disembarked at the nearest “port of convenience”. We had no idea what this meant, but were assured there would be an internal announcement explaining the impact to us.
While we were planning to depart at Buenos Aires on March 19, many of our fellow passengers were continuing to Fort Lauderdale or even further to Los Angeles. Several announcements made during the day assured us that Princess would take care of us and make sure we all got home safely.
Beautiful Day in the Falkland Islands (the last port) (March 13)
Our port stop at the Falkland Islands went as planned. The weather was overcast with drizzle and light rain, and it was windy, but we were assured this was a nice day in the Falkland Islands – I would hate to see what a bad day is like. We took a tour to Bluff Cove where we saw Gentoo and King Penguins. The highlight was to watch the King Penguins feeding their young. All in all, it was a wonderful day with no stress and lots of very interesting scenery.
News Coming Slowly, but not Bad for Us… yet
Later that night, we were informed that we would continue to Buenos Aires but that all future legs of this voyage were cancelled. Of course, this meant that any passengers who are not planning on leaving in Buenos Aires would have to find arrangements to get home. Fortunately, the passengers and staff were all remaining calm and everybody seemed to take this news in stride. All of us realized that we would have to do something, but we still had six days of our cruise left, so there was no real sense of urgency. Those who had to find new flights went about their business. Princess was cooperative is assisting these passengers when they had booked through other means.
Then Our Flight Was Cancelled
Later the night of March 13, I received an e-mail from Delta telling me that my flight was cancelled. Apparently, all flights from Argentina to the US were cancelled. Fortunately, I had booked my air through Princess, so they were responsible for rebooking our flights. Delta’s website stated that they were prioritizing flights that were scheduled for the next 72 hours. Since our flight was over five days away, it had not yet reached the priority queue. We still did not worry too much as I knew there were many alternative routes that could be used.
Puerto Madryn Turns us Away (March 14)
On the evening of March 13, we received a detailed questionnaire that we were required to complete for Puerto Madryn, Argentina. The forms were due by noon the next day so they could be processed. It was apparent that the ship was sailing more northward than normal, which lead many to presume we were going to bypass Puerto Madryn. We were assured this was not the case – the Captain was just sailing around some bad weather. To our disappointment, we were later informed by the Captain that we would not be docking in Puerto Madryn and would continue on to Montevideo.
Then … Montevideo Not Allowing any Cruises
Later the evening of March 14, it was announced that Montevideo was not allowing any cruise ships to stop there, although Princess was negotiating a docking for resupply. In any event, we would only see Montevideo from the comfort of our balcony, since no passengers or crew would be allowed to disembark. Plans at that time were to continue to Buenos Aires where we would be docked overnight before disembarking. All indications were that this would be a normal disembarkation.
Lessons Learned
World Events can Change on a Whim
I don’t think any of us has seen the world situation change so rapidly. Maybe, in times of war this could happen, but who could have foreseen such a rapid deterioration of the situation? If you leave during the evolution of any crisis, expect some blow-back. A lot will depend on where you are going and how the crisis developed. We did not expect the virus to have such a large impact when we left, but the reaction exploded and we got caught up in a way that we could not control.
Don’t Panic
Straight from the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, panic will not solve anything. Patience is the best approach. The few people we saw that lost their cool did not really resolve their issues. The crew does not know everything and they are under instructions not to divulge what they might know or suspect. Patience and understanding will get you more than panic and shouting.
Booking air through cruise line has its advantages
I am big believer that, if the cruise line air fare is the same or better than what I can get myself, I will book through them. One of the advantages of booking through the cruise line is that they take on the responsibility for making your arrangements should anything happen, like our current situation. Many of our fellow passengers booked independently and had to rebook on their own. The problem is: What happens if Buenos Aires rejects us? Where will we go? Most likely Rio, but who can tell? If you are booking independently, the hassle and cost of trying to keep up is your headache. In our case, we let Princess take on this burden.
Cruise insurance is also a benefit
While we did not need it, our cruise insurance provides an additional layer of comfort. If we had not booked our air via Princess, the insurance provided concierge desk accessible via a phone app that would help us make alternative arrangements.
Understand that you cannot control the situation
This is hard for many people, including me. We all want to be in charge of everything. However, there are times when all we can do is go with the flow. This was one of them.
What Next
By the end of the day on March 14, we knew we had problems. We just had no idea how serious they might be or how to best react to the situation. Over the next few day, we would see a continuous rapidly changing world. We were not prepared for this. See how we handled the final day in the next episode.
