Cruise ship worker happy to be in Alberta after 8 weeks of lockdown and Food Network shows

Evan Herbert spent two months in the Bahamas yet was very glad to get back to Lethbridge, Alta., earlier this week.

The crew member and retail supervisor for Holland America Line had been waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic aboard a cruise ship since early March.

Passengers were sent back early on but crew members were held back in case operations could resume.

But a two weeks' delay turned into eight under lockdown. That meant watching a lot of Food Network shows, Herbert said.

"It was very, very exciting to fly into Lethbridge Airport on Sunday," he told the Calgary Eyeopener. "We weren't sure if it was going to happen or not."

Some cruise ships suffered outbreaks of the novel coronavirus. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control then issued a "no sail" order for cruise ships to prevent the virus from spreading further. That prompted ports to refuse to let ships dock.

The Emerald Princess, a ship run by Princess Cruises, ended up housing employees from various companies and had no cases, Herbert said. Several dozen staffers disembarked in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday before the Canadians boarded a chartered flight in Miami to Toronto.

'Quite scared' of long lockdown

Much of their time onboard without passengers was spent in quarantine and without knowing when ports might allow them to set foot on dry land.

"We were quite scared that we were gonna be stuck there until July," Herbert said Tuesday.

Herbert said crew members were moved from their cabins, which were windowless, to the 170-square-foot guest cabins, which had small balconies.

They only went out for a half hour for each breakfast, lunch and dinner, and for a short fresh air break, he said.

"Other than that, we were confined to our room," he said.

A lot of Food Network

There was no socializing or entertainment, he said, except for intermittent internet connection that allowed messaging and television on repeat.

The television feed played the same Food Network shows every day on a five-hour loop, Herbert said.

"They don't actually get live TV because they're not hooked up to anything on land," Herbert said. "Every few hours, it was the same loop again. I know Guy's Grocery Games like the back of my business."

Security monitored the hallways so people couldn't sneak out, he said. The highlight of the day, he said, was an allowance of two drinks during dinner they were allowed to purchase from the bar.

"It was a very safe and clean ship to be on," Herbert said.

Herbert said he intends to go back to cruise ship work in the fall. He said he feels safe on board and was happy to hear people are buying tickets again. 

"That means that we possibly still have our jobs," he said.

Listen to the full interview with the cruise ship worker:

With files from the Calgary Eyeopener.