TORONTO -- What was meant to be a dream cruise has turned into a nightmare for a Midland couple stranded on a cruise ship in the middle of the Pacific.
Pam and Andy McBride boarded the Norwegian Cruise Line, The Jewel, in Australia on February 23 and were expecting to island-hop for the next 35 days.
The ship was expected to dock in French Polynesia on March 19, but as COVID-19 takes over worldwide, infecting millions; travel bans have taken place, affecting those overseas.
The couple hasn't seen land for more than a week, and now they and their kids at home are struggling to get the couple back to Canada.
Nikki Murphy, the couple's daughter, is patiently waiting for good news.
"Everything is up in the air," said Murphy. "It's definitely frustrating because they're just floating around the Pacific right now, just trying to get home."
The cruise had just left Fiji when they were on their way to Bora Bora, one of the next stops on this dream vacation. Halfway to their destination, the ship was informed that they would not be allowed to dock due to countries freezing up their borders, in fear of the virus.
Even though no one on the boat has shown signs of COVID-19, countries are still denying entry to all 2,500 passengers; roughly 300 are Canadian.
Murphy says the boat headed back to New Zealand, but halfway there, passengers were told they would not be welcomed to dock, forcing the ship to turn back to Fiji.
Passengers were then told to book plane tickets out of Fiji.
"Fiji wasn't actually going to let them port until everyone had a flight booked," said the daughter. "No one was allowed to stay in Fiji; they were just allowed to port, get on a flight, and leave."
Sunday morning, Murphy had received the news that her parent's ship was again denied entry back into Fiji. Now the cruise line says they will be docking on March 23, but there is no word on where.
Meantime on the cruise, passengers haven't seen land in a week, and the McBride's say tensions are starting to rise.
"We have an apprehension and a bit of panic starting on board, even though people are in pretty good spirits," said Andy McBride. "But people are wondering where we are going to go from here."
The McBride's says the cruise is giving them little information, and people are starting to hoard food and panic. There is also chatter on the cruise about running out of fuel, and food as they remain stranded on the Pacific.
There is also limited access to the outside world, with only 14 computers.
President and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, Harry Sommer, released a statement on March 13, stating, "The health, safety and well-being of our guests and crew is our highest priority. While we have not had any confirmed cases across our 17-ship fleet, and are taking this measure in abundance of caution, we feel it necessary to do our part."
