Utterly heartbreaking and vivid account of life and death aboard the cruise ship Zaandam during the initial COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020.

When passengers, most of them over age 65, streamed onto the Holland America ship in Argentina, they had only minimal concern about the novel coronavirus that was just starting to hit the news. Over 1200 cruisers and 600 crew members were convinced that they were escaping on this planned 3-week voyage into areas that would be safe. Unfortunately, a stowaway was also on board and within days of the Zaandam embarkation, people began coughing and developing symptoms indicating that the virus had come along. Because so little was known about how the virus was transmitted, how to confirm a diagnosis, or how to take care of people exhibiting the signs of disease, mistakes were made. In another colossal failure, the ship had only a small medical unit with two doctors and minimal supplies and medications to even begin to care for the incoming deluge of patients. Even worse, there were no reliable COVID tests on the ship so tracking the spread proved nearly impossible.

Meanwhile, as the communications between ship and shore intensified, passengers were quarantined in their cabins so the crew members, many of them sick themselves, were expected to continue laundry and food service to the passenger rooms at unprecedented levels. Left adrift in the ocean for weeks on end, the Zaandam was denied port entry as the world was shutting down. All the basic necessities were running low, the medical unit was filled to capacity, the crew members were sick and dying, and the passengers were locked in their rooms, many sick and untended. What a nightmare. The ship was deemed a pariah and left to wander the oceans, doomed to wait until someone let them come into safe harbor.

This was a grueling read and I had to stop often as the emotional stories got to me. I was angry even as I understood that ignorance of the condition, so profound in the early days of the global pandemic, resulted in so many egregious errors in how this situation was handled. The Zaandam was not the only cruise ship out on the waters with sick and dying people on board. An overwhelming situation was occurring on land at the same time, and things were dire everywhere as a worldwide shutdown began. The personal accounts by passengers and crew that were related in this book really demonstrated the reality of the crisis and the hopelessness all experienced. Difficult to read, especially in retrospect now that we are two years out from the beginning of this disease, I am glad so many survived despite the seemingly insurmountable odds. It is important to remember that there are always heroes in any disaster; it just may be that they are not the ones you imagine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. It is definitely not for the faint of heart.

CABIN FEVER is an amazing, scary, well-written book about the pariah cruise ship Zaandam, one of the last ships to depart before the Covid-19 pandemic forced a worldwide lockdown. The book follows a few passengers’ stories as well as some of the crew’s; these are told with humanity and a lot of detail. Reading about the passengers’ confinement to their cabins made me feel as claustrophobic as they must have been.
I have never been on a cruise ship, so I found the descriptions of the inner workings of one fascinating. There was a portion of the book noting how much food and beverages are needed on a cruise; over 40,000 eggs, pallets of bottled water, etc. The sheer size of the ship amazed me; I marveled at all the activities that were a regular part of a cruise. Some of you might find the detail gratuitous, but I was enthralled. (I will say that after reading CABIN FEVER I will never go on a cruise; one of my nightmares is being stuck out at sea like the Zaandam was.)

The authors did a wonderful job of moving between passengers and crew as their stories were told. It was easy to feel sorry for them as they were shuttled back and forth from port to port, looking for a friendly place to dock. The tension ratchets up as the book goes on, people are getting sick(er) and the Zaandam turns into an exiled Covid vessel.
Even if you had followed the story on the news and know how everything turned out, the authors create a layer of human interest that makes you hang on every word – will your favorite characters get sick, or die? The behind-the-scenes inclusion of the diplomatic struggles are epic, strings are pulled, favors are called in, yet everything continues to be a struggle for the beleaguered ship.
Also emphasized is the abject fear of Covid – these events take place as the virus rapidly spreads around the world; humanity closes ranks and eyes others (especially foreigners) as personae non gratae – virus vectors. The fear is palpable as more people get sick, both on and off the ship. As I kept reading, my own fears came flooding back as I remembered the onset of this emerging disease. We have come so far from those days; a lot of people have taken their masks off due to “Covid fatigue” while others are super cautious and may still be wearing double masks and stocking up on supplies in case of another lockdown.

CABIN FEVER is one of the best books I’ve reviewed this year. It reads like a fictional suspense novel, made more riveting because it’s all true. The authors’ style makes the reading easy as the story flows seamlessly by. The story held my interest as the plot moved between the crew, the passengers, and the massive ship itself. I urge you to grab this book right away. I loved it!

This was a hard read, especially with COVID being so prevalent in the world, but it was definitely worth the read. It delved deep into the lives of passengers and crew aboard the ship, sparing none of the horrifying details of being trapped at sea for long periods of time. Echoed the uncertainty and panic of those first days of COVID in a way that was both chilling and beautiful.

I have so many thoughts on this I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll start by saying this is one of the best pieces of nonfiction I’ve ever read. It was honest, emotional and also fair to everyone. My fear was that it would get too political, and the truth is that everyone botched COVID so it’s a waste of time to focus too much on one person or party, in my opinion. Luckily, that wasn’t an issue here.

When I heard a book about a Covid cruise was coming out, I was really excited to read it. It’s something we all heard about and remember from the start of the pandemic but it sort of fell out of the news quickly. Meanwhile, hundreds of ships were stuck at sea with thousands of crew members on a floating prison. After most of the passengers left, people seemed to forget about the crew. I had no idea what miserable conditions they suffered. Small rooms with no windows or wifi or anything to connect them to the outside world. I remember being afraid for the ships to dock and I’m ashamed of that now and of many other countries as well. I had no idea passengers were denied refunds and that’s why they were on that ship. Some had spent upwards of $20,000 for trips they’d waited a lifetime for.

This reads like a thriller or dystopian sci-fi but it’s a real story. This particular ship was full of mostly elderly passengers and we know that coronavirus affects them worse than any other demographic. It’s hard to even imagine now, being stuck in a Petri dish like that. I was always afraid of norovirus on cruises so this was definitely extra scary.

This book takes you inside the stories of real people on the ship. From nonessential crew, crew, to passengers alike. I never knew all of the logistics of running a cruise ship. The red tape and bureaucracy. It had to be an absolute nightmare for all involved. And at a time when we knew so little about this virus. “Desperate guesses” it says in the book and I thought that was a great way to put it. We know now it’s mostly caught through the air but everything was suspect then. This was back when we sprayed Lysol on some of our groceries.

It was particularly amazing to see the staff really step up. They are like a family and some of the bravest people I’ve heard of. The sacrifices they made for the passengers were amazing. Some of the sacrifices were forced or shouldn’t have needed to have been made. The people aboard were innocent and got stuck in the middle of corporate and government cowardice and greed. Treating people like so many did will undoubtedly be taught in ethics classes in the future.

This is a generation-defining event and it isn’t quite over yet but I’m happy to see that some people are taking the time to document it like this so the bravery and sacrifice won’t be forgotten and so that hopefully history won’t repeat itself.

Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy and thanks to the authors for putting this out into the world.

(Would love to see pictures. Not sure if they’re in the final book to be released but I searched online and could only find a pic of Wiwat.)

Cabin Fever tells the story of the cruise ship Zaandam, setting sail just as Covid was making its appearance, and when a few cruise ships had already experienced outbreaks of the virus. The book recounts the Zaandam’s outbreak both from the perspective of the crew and passengers, and really brings home the horror of the situation on the ship, to the point where I was feeling claustrophobic along with the passengers stuck in their tiny windowless cabins. The book is not at all kind to Carnival, the cruise ship company that owned the Zaandam.

My thanks to Doubleday Books and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.

What a devastating and heart-wrenching look into the lives of the passengers and crew on the cruise ship Zaandam during the beginning of the pandemic. It was difficult and surreal reading about their experiences while Covid-19 is still running rampant through our communities. But this story was too important not to be told.

I forgot at times that I was reading a true story and that the characters depicted weren’t fiction. So much detail and thought went into capturing this terrifying ordeal while acknowledging the heroic acts of bravery by many. I still have chills.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As you read this amazing book you feel that you are part of this heart wrenching drama unfold before you. It starts off introducing you to the singles and couples who the book centers around, some passengers and other crew members. The voyage started off in South America for a 25 day cruise on March 8, 2020, just about the time that covid was starting to get out of control. By mid March cases start to pile up and people are dying, so eventually everyone is not allowed out of their cabins and the ship goes into lockdown, and no country will allow it to dock.
Supplies and food are running out and it becomes a worst case scenario.
The authors do a fantastic job describing the story and after reading this you will never forget this awful time that so many people have had to experience.
5+++ stars