I want to give you an update on things going on this ship.
I wrote before that we were having problems with sick passengers and crew and
some of the usual precautions that were being taken. Well, the problem
has grown. Yesterday they closed the Jacuzzis, thermal suite,
Library, and all self-service laundries. The poor jigsaw puzzle people
were close to completing a 2000 piece puzzle and they wiped it off and put it
back in the box. The four Dance Escorts (men who are hired to come on and
dance with single women) are restricted, no dancing with multiple partners
until further notice. They have taken up doing line dancing to waltzes. So
far we are well and staying that way. We only hope we don’t become a ship
of lost souls not allowed to dock anywhere.
Now for the unusual. Mrs. Julia Furston was the most
traveled passenger on Holland America and a charter member of the President’s
Club (requiring 1,400 days at sea to join). She had a total of over 4000
days on HAL. This was her 32 World Cruise. She boarded the Amsterdam
in Fort Lauderdale in reasonable health at the age of 95. She was with
her husband. She became ill during the cruise and was taken to a hospital in
Sydney. She was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and short term
terminal. Now this isn’t unusual as they lose four to six passengers each
cruise. However, the time of these deaths are unknown if not
unexpected. But Julia was going to die and soon. Now the unusual
part. People in the terminal phase of an illness are not allowed to board
and Julia should have been taken off the ship in Sydney. With a lot
of coordination and based on her special status within the cruise line the CEO
of Holland America Group granted special permission for her to re-board the
ship and basically die during the cruise. Her daughter also joined he
Sydney. She lived for two weeks after Sydney. They held a memorial for
her yesterday. These voyages are not the “business as usual” type of
trips.
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