'This has been a nightmare': Canadian passengers on virus-stricken cruise finally headed for home

An ill-fated cruisethat has had a COVID-19 outbreak and four deaths hasfinally cometo an end after politicians in Florida agreed to allow its passengersincluding 247 Canadiansto disembark in Ft.Lauderdale.

"I couldn't begin to tell you how happy we are," said passenger Chris Joiner, 59,of Orleans, Ont.

He and his wife, Anna are on board the MS Zaandam, a Holland America Linecruise ship thathad been sailing off the coast of South America and in the Caribbean formore than two weeks, looking for a place to dock.

"It's been a long, long journeythe worst experience of our lives," said Joiner. "Thank God, it's finally over."

The Zaandam and its sister ship, the Rotterdam, are carrying 1,243 passengers,including the 247 Canadian passengers and one Canadian crew member. They dockedat Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale onThursday afternoon.

Local officials previously resisted allowing the two ships to dock as the Zaandam has confirmed COVID-19 cases on board and several passengers in need of hospital care.

Four passengers on the Zaandam havediedafter the ship was hit with a flu-like illnessin mid-March. Two of the deceased later tested positive for COVID-19, andHolland America has not yet said how the other two died. Several others on board have tested positive for the disease that is caused by thecoronavirus.

The Rotterdam and its crew joined the Zaandamlast week, taking on more than half of its passengers to provide some relief.

"Local Americans lined the canal waving and cheering us as we entered an emotional moment to be sure,"said passengerCatherine McLeod, 69, from Nepean, Ont., who is on the Rotterdam. "I'm relieved. I can't wait to get back to my own bed."

Holland America said in a statement that passengers will undergohealth screenings andclear customs and immigration in Port Everglades,then willdisembarkon Friday.

Tenpassengers will be taken to a local hospital for immediate care, while thosedeemed healthy will be bused directly to the airport for mainly charter flights home, said Holland America. The company said 45 passengerswho are still showing symptomswill remain on board until they are cleared for travel.

'This has been a nightmare'

The Zaandam began its South American cruise on March 7, but the trip was cut short a week later, on March 14, amidthe growing COVID-19 pandemic.The plan was to allow passengers to quickly disembark and fly home.

But Holland America struggled to secure a place to dock asnearby countries, such as Chile and Peru, closed their borders to foreigners in response to the pandemic.

Following the illness outbreak, the ship's passengers were forced to spend the past 12 days confined to their cabins as a safety precaution. They've spent more than two weeksnot knowingif and whenthey were going to get off the ship and be permittedto return home.

"This has been a nightmare from March 14,when the first port in Chile closed. [Then] all the ports in Chile closedand all of South America closed," said Joiner.

After a series of rejections, the Zaandam and Rotterdam planned to dock in Fort Lauderdale. But as the COVID-19 outbreak in Florida worsened, concerns grew that the sick passengers would drain resources needed for local citizens.

"We have enough to deal with, with our folks in Florida," Gov. Ron DeSantissaid at a news conference on Monday. "We don't want [the ships] to come in."

U.S. President Donald Trump, however, advocated for the passengers and their swift return home.

"We have to help the people they're in big trouble no matter where they're from," he said during a news conference on Wednesday. "We have to do something;they're dying and the governor knows that, too."

Joiner said hewas surprised but pleased whenTrump weighed in on the matter.

"We never thought Mr. Trump would come to our rescue," he said. "But, you know, you start to think, this is a humanitarian mission. Now, we have people that are sick, including Americans."

Joiner and hiswife, Anna, both passed their health screening after their shipped had docked.

But he said he won't feel full relief until they'rebuckled in their seats on that flight home.

"Until we're on that plane that's when we can relax."