For hundreds of unneeded crew members stuck aboard the Norwegian Epic in Miami, every day is a waiting game.
They are among more than 70,000 crew remaining aboard idle cruise ships in U.S. waters alone, according to the U.S. Coast Guard – many more are marooned on ships around the world – as their companies try to negotiate rigid requirements imposed by governments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention amid the coronavirus pandemic to get them to their home countries.
Laura Poveda is one of them. A Colombian, she said she knows by looking out the window of her stateroom that Miami is starting to spring back to life – but nothing has changed aboard the Epic.
"I see that things are going back to normal and the CDC and cruise company keep us like prisoners here," said Poveda, who works as an onboard accountant and has been restricted to the ship for almost two months. "We don't have any (coronavirus) cases. So why are we still not able to go home?"
By mid-March passengers left most of the ships, which won't be sailing again with passengers aboard anytime soon. The CDC issued a 100-day "no-sail" order lasting well into summer. While some crew are needed to man the ships, cruise operators are left to deal with those who, like Poveda, aren't needed aboard anymore.
At this point, fears that crews might have contracted the coronavirus have largely receded. Those in the U.S. have quarantined for the required 14 days and many weeks longer. But the rules about getting them home are strict.
CDC rules require company executives to guarantee that crew members be sent home entirely on charter flights and private transportation. Repatriated crew members must avoid public transportation and public airport terminals, then must stay in quarantine when they arrive home for 14 days. Executives have to sign a form attesting that if any of the rules are broken, they are subject to criminal penalties, including jail time.
Since cruise ships operate with large numbers of foreign nationals, cruise operators must deal with rules issued from their home countries. As a result, a shocking number of them are still aboard.
Some 22 cruise ships are moored and another 39 are anchored in U.S. ports, the U.S. Coast Guard reports. They have a combined 39,900 crew aboard. Another 40 cruise ships are underway in U.S. waters with about 30,400 crew members on board.
At least the total number is down by about 23,000 in little more than a month.
Other crew members are stuck around the world. Princess Cruises' Ruby Princess, for instance, which was earlier linked to 21 deaths, was among at least 16 cruise ships anchored off Manila Bay in the Philippines hoping to disembark crew, the Associated Press reported. Its crew was being tested for the coronavirus.
Cruise ship operators say they are just as anxious to get crews home.
The Cruise Line Industry Association indicated its members are doing their best to abide by CDC rules and to repatriate crews. Executives at individual companies, however, are far more direct.
More: Carnival to resume some cruises in August. Will travelers cruise amid coronavirus uncertainties?
"We are doing everything we possibly can for our crew, and we are frustrated as they are about the difficulty in getting them home," Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, told USA TODAY. "Money is literally no object. We are willing to charter flights home, wherever home may be."
The problem, he said, is "we are dealing with a regulatory landscape that seems to change daily and forces us to adjust our plans just as frequently."
But Del Rio added that the line is making progress. It had 10,492 crew members it is trying to repatriate as of Thursday with hopes of whittling it down to 7,000 by the end of this week.
Executives are flabbergasted that a matter as basic as returning crews home should become so complicated.
More: Nearly 150 crew members on Costa Atlantica cruise ship test positive for coronavirus
"What we’ve learned over the past month is that one simple question – how do we get you home? – turns out to be incredibly complex to answer," Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley wrote to stranded crew members.
A big part of the problem is the sheer number of crew member nationalities involved. In a recent letter to those still aboard its ships, Celebrity Cruises, which is owned by Royal Caribbean, talked of having been able to arrange transportation specifically for 1,160 Indonesians, 400 Filipinos, 196 Mexicans, 173 Ukrainians, 124 Brits, 115 Romanians and 122 Americans. "And we will not stop until we get everyone home," it pledged.
Even Americans, in ports in their own country, have had trouble finding their way to their hometowns.
But the CDC is standing firm. Asked if there was any likelihood the rules might be relaxed, CDC spokesman Scott Pauley said "absolutely not." Pauley said the safety of the public demands it.
More: Cleaning a floating petri dish: How is a cruise ship sanitized after a coronavirus outbreak?
"Our concern is we’re protecting the public health, and we’re doing best for the crew members and their safety. You’re seeing now the cruise lines are understanding the process," he said.
That's not much consolation to Poveda aboard the Norwegian Epic.
It's "frustrating because you see Filipinos sent home, Indonesians sent home" and on Thursday, South Africans appeared poised to travel next, but Colombians like her – she says there are about 120 – are still aboard.
A good day, she said, is one when there is some news, a glimmer of hope, that she might be going home.
"It's been difficult. Some days are better than others," she said.
Contributing: David Oliver
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