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

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 &ldquo;Albert&rdquo; 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:
<a href="https://www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines">Open Counseling</a>
<a href="https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/">International Association for Suicide Prevention</a>
<a href="https://faq.whatsapp.com/en/android/28030010/">Global Suicide Hotline Resources &ndash; WhatsApp</a>
In this episode:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Sterling Howell, Cruise Ship Crewmember&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Krista Thomas, Former Guest Services Director for Norwegian Cruises</li>
<li aria-level="1">Dr. Sami, Physician&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="1">Gan, Cruise Ship Crewmember&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
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&rsquo;s executive producer.
Connect with us:
@AJEPodcasts on&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/AJEPodcasts">X</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/ajepodcasts/">Instagram</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AJEPodcasts">Facebook</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzGHKb8i9vTwjZkiFu6LhzsLUKFkYO60I">YouTube</a>

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.

With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.

The Take is a daily interview-driven international news podcast hosted by award-winning journalist Malika Bilal. Each episode focuses on conversations with journalists and people directly impacted by the news of the day, offering our listeners the context necessary to understand what's in the headlines.
With millions of global listens, it's clear the conversations we're having on The Take are worth hearing. And critics think so too. The show has won the Online Journalism Awards, the Signal Awards, Lovie Awards, and Anthem Awards, among others.