After Weeks At Sea Cruise Ships Dock at Fort Lauderdale

After weeks of uncertainty, cruise passengers who have spent the last couple of weeks at sea have finally arrived at port.

We have been blogging about the plight of the passengers aboard the Holland America MS Zaandam since Chilean authorities denied the ship’s passengers the ability to disembark the ship on March 14. The passengers were supposed to leave the ship and board airplanes to fly home after it became clear that the voyage would be complicated by passenger illnesses. But that never came to pass after Chile closed its port to the travelers. 

After weeks of uncertainty, the Holland America officials sent another ship, the Rotterdam, to meet up with the Zaandam and transfer the healthy passengers onto the Rotterdam.  It became clear that the ships’ only option was to head for the U.S. and hope that U.S. authorities would have mercy on them and the Zaandam and Rotterdam set sail for South Florida. 

The  Zaandam and Rotterdam are disembarking their passengers at the moment. Most of the ships’ passengers will leave the ships, but 26 passengers will stay onboard and undergo 14 days’ quarantine.

Reports indicate that passengers from all over the globe were aboard the ship. Authorities are transporting those who leave the ships to a local airport, where they will board charter flights destined for various parts of the world.