Passengers cover their faces on the Diamond Princess at Yokohama Port. Photo / AP
As stiff upper lips go, it might not quite rank alongside the captain of the Titanic, but for Brits David and Sally Abel there was only one thing to do when their cruise ship was quarantined for coronavirus: keep calm and carry on.
Mr Abel, who is stranded on board the Diamond Princess in Japan, joked in a video posted online that "we paid for a cruise, and by golly, that's what we're getting".
The Diamond Princess is anchored at Yokohama after 10 passengers tested positive for coronavirus, with the 3700 people aboard told to return to their cabins and remain there for 14 days.
One of those is a New Zealander. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade this afternoon confirmed it was giving consular assistance to a Kiwi who has tested positive for coronavirus. There are 13 Kiwis on board the ship.
Mr Abel, from Oxfordshire, described how the passengers were blindsided by an emergency announcement by the ship's captain at 6.30am yesterday, when they were told to return to their cabins.
The holidaymakers had been aware that some people were being tested for coronavirus, which has so far killed almost 500 people in China and infected more than 24,000, but they did not expect the worst-case scenario on their own cruise.
The captain's urgent lockdown order was relayed on loudspeakers in every cabin, although some passengers had already gone to the dining room for breakfast.
"He came on at 6.30am and said we have had all the results back and passengers are going to be removed. Everybody else, wherever on the ship you are now, you must return to your cabins immediately, don't finish your meals," said Mr Abel, who describes himself on Facebook as a luxury wedding officiant, nature photographer and priest.
The ruling came from the Japanese health authorities after 10 passengers tested positive for the novel coronavirus and were removed from the ship yesterday morning.
Two Australians, three Japanese, three people from Hong Kong, one American and one Filipino, aged between their 50s and 80s, were reported by Carnival, the cruise company, to be among those infected.
Though initially worried by the outbreak, Mr Abel, 74, now appears to be having the time of his life. "This experience would not put me off as a passenger," he said in his cheerful video message, which was posted on Facebook yesterday.
"I am not kidding, the ocean is the toughest we have experienced the whole time we've been away. It is really rocking and rolling. Just think — you'd pay money for this if you went to Disney for the rides, but we are getting this ride for free."
The news marked an eventful end to the Abels' trip, the first of several cruises this year to mark their 50th wedding anniversary in August, although they said they would keep a positive attitude and try to make the best of the situation.
"I was a bit shaken up," said Mrs Abel about the announcement. Her husband added: "I remember swearing quite profoundly because I was ready for breakfast and that was not the news I wanted.
"So I reckon it must have shocked everybody on board because nobody anticipated this. Last night, we were eating with other passengers in the dining room and a conversation such as this just was not on the radar at all."
The Abels and their fellow passengers are now trapped in their cabins.
They said they were grateful to have a small suite with an outdoor view and balcony, but felt concerned for others who had inside cabins with no natural light or fresh air. "I'm trying to remain as positive as possible. It's very difficult circumstances really because every passenger is now confined to their cabin. We can't even open the door or walk down the corridor, so 13 days more of that is going to drive many passengers up the wall," said Mr Abel.
The fear of contracting the virus, which causes breathing difficulties and fever, would no doubt prey on people's minds, he predicted. Everyone had been told to report any coughs, fever or aches to the ship's medical staff, but they had not been informed about any further health checks and did not know the identity of the infected passengers.
"There's going to be anxiety, most certainly there's going to be anxiety.
"Are other passengers on board infectious right now? There could well be and that's why they're going to have to give further tests, otherwise this quarantine is just going to be extended and extended and extended," he said.
"I'm not anxious in the same way as other people, probably because I take life as it comes, deal with it in the best way that I can. I won't allow it to depress me. I'm very much a positive-minded person."
Mr Abel's only concern initially had been about his special dietary requirements as a diabetic, but he said that he and his wife were being well-cared for and praised the ship's staff and Princess Cruises for doing all that they could to ease the ordeal.
Passengers are receiving basic meals of bread rolls, toasted sandwiches and orange juice delivered directly to their cabins by waiters, but they have now been forbidden from smoking, even on their balconies.
The prolonged lockdown would likely be mentally challenging for the majority on board, he said, adding that he was posting frequently to Facebook to keep occupied.
"All of these video posts that I'm putting up, I'm looking at as therapy for me. It keeps me busy during the day," Mr Abel said.
"Being able to talk about what we are experiencing and going through, my day has gone very quickly indeed and if I can keep it up for the rest of the cruise then I'll be delighted, but goodness knows how other people are going to fare."
The experience had not put the couple off cruises, added Mr Abel, and they were determined to go ahead with three more this year to mark their milestone anniversary.
"We have got a whole year of celebration ahead," he said.
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