Every Saturday, we revisit a story from the archives. This originally aired on June 1, 2020. None of the dates, titles, or other references from that time have been changed.

When coronavirus hit the cruise industry, many passengers were allowed to disembark and were repatriated to their home countries. But as of mid-May, about 100,000 crew members were still at sea, trying to get home.

We speak with Sterling Howell, musician and cruise line entertainer crew member who was able to go home, Krista Thomas, former guest services director for Norwegian Cruises, and with many who are still stuck on board, including Ghoseawon “Albert” Luxmeeparsad, and other Mauritian crew members.

For more:

If you are struggling with mental health issues, there are suicide crisis lines available in many countries around the world. Here are some of those resources:

Open Counseling

International Association for Suicide Prevention

Global Suicide Hotline Resources – WhatsApp

In this episode: 

• Sterling Howell, Cruise Ship Crewmember 
• Krista Thomas, Former Guest Services Director for Norwegian Cruises
• Dr. Sami, Physician 
• Gan, Cruise Ship Crewmember 

Episode credits:

This episode was updated by Chloe K. Li. The original production team was Amy Walters with Dina Kesbeh, Priyanka Tilve, Ney Alvarez, Alexandra Locke and our host, Malika Bilal.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our engagement producers are Adam Abou-Gad and Vienna Maglio. Andrew Greiner is lead of audience engagement. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer.

Connect with us:

@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube