Third time lucky: Hawke's Bay cruise ship performer Lauren Marshall takes step closer to home

Hawke's Bay entertainer Lauren Marshall is finally on her way home after being marooned on cruise ships during the Covid 19 lockdown.

A Hastings-born performer who has been stuck on cruise ships since March has finally taken a step towards getting back to New Zealand.

Lauren Marshall, who was originally stuck on a Covid-positive cruise ship off the coast of San Diego, California, is now aboard her third cruise ship – this time in the United Kingdom.

The 28-year-old, who had been performing musical theatre on the Celebrity Eclipse since July, was one of just 300 people left on the 2852-passenger vessel before boarding the Celebrity Reflection in Barbados.

After a chartered flight to London on June 3, Marshall is now eyeing a return to New Zealand.

"I guess you could say I have made another small amount of progress in getting home," she said.

"Most remaining people were able to be repatriated from London, but I got transferred to yet another ship in Southampton.

"While there has been no official confirmation of how long I will be on board for, there is word of flying back to New Zealand on June 30."

Marshall was aboard Celebrity Reflection in Barbados before a recent flight to London. Photo / Supplied

Now aboard the Empress of the Seas, a 692ft cruise ship with a capacity of 1840 people, Marshall is half way through her third round of isolation.

"This round should end on June 19. I now get to take daily walks as I don't have access to fresh air inside this cabin," she said.

"I have got my hopes up so many times over and over about coming home, that I have just let it go at this point.

Marshall added: "I did consider booking my own flights home when I arrived in Heathrow, and just making a run for it."

The 28-year-old had been performing musical theatre on the Celebrity Eclipse since July. Photo / Supplied

The performer said that while she is geographically the furthest away from Hawke's Bay as you can get, it felt comforting to be somewhere that offers more options to fly home commercially.

"I'm not entirely sure why I am having to wait so long here, as I am aware there are quite a few flights to Auckland from Heathrow," she said.

"I think it's something to do with being a crew member and the company not being allowed to book me flights on certain routes and having to quarantine on the way."

Marshall said while her nightmare journey may not yet be over, she is proud of how New Zealand has handled the global pandemic.

"I am so incredibly happy and proud of New Zealand," she said. "It really does make me look forward to going home more, knowing life can basically go back to normal when I return.

"But it is such a bittersweet feeling having to wait and watch, but if I can be back and out of quarantine by mid-July, I can handle waiting a bit longer."