PLANTATION, FLA. (WSVN) - Passengers continue to express their frustration after they were forced to wait hours to be put up at local hotels following dozens of COVID cases reported on a cruise ship that docked in South Florida.
“I’m done. I really am done. I just wanna go home,” said Tina McKeown. “There has been no response from Silversea. There has been absolutely no response.”
McKeown, who is from Canada, is still stranded and is trying to get ahold of the cruise line she was traveling on for two weeks.
She said she and many others contracted COVID-19 while being on the ship.
The ship docked in Port Everglades, Monday.
Those who were infected were told they would be bussed to a Miami-Dade hotel, tested for COVID and have flight arrangements made for them to get home.
That is not, however, how it played out for some passengers.
“Many of us have called the one and only number that we were given, goes directly to voicemail, we leave messages, and no one returns them,” McKeown.
McKeown and others from the United Kingdom ended up at a hotel in Plantation after they were turned away from one in Doral on Monday.
“They don’t see any hotel reservations,” said Edwin, a passenger.
In a statement to 7News, Silversea explained that the lack of rooms was due to an unprecedented influx of COVID-positive passengers.
“I’ve been negative all along, but obviously I didn’t wanna leave my wife,” Edwin said.
Edwin said he and his wife are trying to be as patient as they could.
“Hoping that we’ll both get negatives again and we can sort out flights to England,” he said.
Another passenger from a different Silversea ship said she dealt with similar confusion but finally heard from a representative on Tuesday.
“Apologized profusely and assured me that someone would be here today, and she’s not sure what happened with the lack of communication,” she said.
A representative of Silversea’s parent company Royal Caribbean explained in a statement to 7News.
“Upon our return to Port Evergaldes, some guests who tested positive for COVID experienced a delay with checking into certified hotels. The delay at the hotels was caused by unprecedented influx of COVID positive passengers arriving from multiple cruise lines at the same time,” said Jonathon Fishman, Royal Caribbean Group.
Silversea representatives said they are investigating the situation because this is not how they typically do business.
They also said they will be in contact with passengers on Tuesday.
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