BRADENTON, Fla. — A Bradenton couple is back home after their long-awaited trip on the Coral Princess cruise ship turned into an adventure that they didn’t sign up for.
- During cruise a dozen people tested positive for COVID-19
- All ship's passengers spent final week of cruise confined to rooms
- The Paxtons praised captain, crew for handling of situation
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William and Peggy Paxton left for their South American cruise on March 5. The trip was scheduled to finish on March 19 but dragged on for weeks after a number of countries declined the ship access to their ports due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Paxtons were finally able to disembark when the ship arrived at the Port of Miami on Saturday, April 4.
They were screened and had their bags sanitized before they were driven back to their Bradenton home in a private vehicle.
William Paxton said the first two weeks of the cruise were great and there were no signs of COVID-19 on board. During the final week as the ship waited at sea for clearance to come to a Florida port, a dozen people tested positive for the virus and two died.
"When they said that two people had died, we immediately went into shock,” William said.
All of the ship’s passengers spent the final week aboard confined to their rooms. William says they received three meals a day delivered to their door.
“You have a whole lot of anxiety, you can't help it, because you don't know,” he explained.
While the couple was frustrated by the unknowns, William praised the captain and crew of the Coral Princess for how they handled the situation.
“They really did a great job,” he said.
Both William and Peggy say they are feeling well and resting at home.