We recently posted about two cruises ships, the Diamond Princess and the World Dream, which were both under quarantine to attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Now, the passengers and crew of the World Dream, which had been quarantined at the dock in Hong Kong, were allowed to disembark on Sunday after crew members tested negative for the virus.

The passengers and crew of the Diamond Princess have not been so lucky. The number of passengers and crew who have tested positive for the virus has risen to 70. Those afflicted have been taken to Japanese hospitals for treatment, while the remaining 2,600 passengers and 1,000 or so crew are stuck aboard the ship for about another week until the quarantine period ends. The Diamond Princess which had been held offshore has returned to the dock at Yokohoma. An additional seven passengers were taken off the vessel with medical conditions unrelated to the virus.

Stuck aboard the ship, passengers have been communicating with the outside world over social media. One understandably unhappy honeymoon couple saved for two years to fund the cruise only to find themselves trapped by the quarantines. The newlyweds, Milena Basso and Gaetano Cerullo, told CNN, “”We just don’t feel like we’re safe. We should be quarantined in a sanitary environment that’s safe, not on a cruise ship that’s already infected.”

A British passenger, David Abel, describes the conditions on board the ship to the NY Post: 

“Passengers in the small inside cabins have no window, there is no daylight, and no fresh air… but the captain has announced those passengers will be allowed access to open deck for exercise and fresh air,” he wrote.

“If we are permitted out on open deck, we have to wear a mask when we’re outside. We have to keep one meter apart from everyone else and are not allowed to congregate in groups.

“All of the luxury of having a steward come to make the bed and put a chocolate on the pillow – those days are gone. We have to take care of the cleanliness and hygiene of our own room.

In regular Facebook posts, Abel had complained about not being able to have a  whiskey. His most recent post was positively upbeat after the ship’s officers gifted him a bottle of Talisker.

An American passenger, Matthew Smith, on board the Diamond Princess, has been tweeting food reviews with quippy messages.

“Princess stepping up its game with food service on #DiamondPrincess,” Smith wrote. “Don’t believe the honeymooners who would rather be in an American hospital. You might have to drag me off the ship when the quarantine ends.”