Four elderly passengers on board Holland America's MS Zaandam have died on the cruise ship that is stuck in limbo during the coronavirus pandemic. The ship is currently carrying 138 people who.

• Ms Zaandam Casino Buffet
• Ms Zaandam Casino &

Four elderly passengers on board Holland America's MS Zaandam have died on the cruise ship that is stuck in limbo during the coronavirus pandemic.

• Ms Zaandam deck plans & staterooms The deck plans are color-coded by category of stateroom, and the category letter precedes the stateroom number in each room. All staterooms are equipped with DVD player, flat-panel television, telephone and multi-channel music. Important Note:Not all staterooms within each category have the same furniture.
• Nov 18, 2019 Holland America’s Zaandam has 716 cabins, including 136 interior cabins, 383 oceanview staterooms, and 197 suites. Standard rooms feature 175 to 250 square feet of living space as well as luxury linens, Mariner's Dream Euro-top mattresses, and complimentary fruit. One option you won't find is balcony cabins.
• The casino onboard the Holland America Zaandam was really small and for once, I skipped that whole experience. Zaandam Cruise Ship Food I could go on for days about how delicious the food was while cruising to Canada and New England, but instead, I will share some photos of my favorite meals.

The ship is currently carrying 138 people who have complained of flu-like symptoms, which are similar to coronavirus symptoms. Two people have tested positive for coronavirus.

Ms Zaandam Casino Buffet

'Our thoughts and prayers are with their families and we are doing everything we can to support them during this difficult time,' Holland America Line said of the four who had died of undisclosed causes in a statement shared by spokesperson Erik Elvejord.

Pictures: Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak around the world

Elvejord added that Holland America Line is not at liberty to share whether those passengers had reported coronavirus symptoms due to privacy regulations.

Those sick include 53 passengers and 85 crew members. There are 1,243 passengers and 586 crew members on the ship, including 305 Americans.

The ship did not have coronavirus tests available on board until Thursday evening when it rendezvoused with Holland America's MS Rotterdam for additional supplies and medical personnel.

On board the Zaandam there are four doctors and four nurses, and the Rotterdam is carrying two doctors and four nurses, the cruise line said.

Thursday, an unspecified number of patients with 'respiratory symptoms' were tested for COVID-19, two of which came back positive. Flu and respiratory symptoms and coronavirus symptoms are similar, so the cruise line 'out of an abundance of caution' told passengers to stay in their staterooms on Sunday.

Passengers will be separated based on their condition between the two ships.

Ms Zaandam Casino &

'Today we announced a plan to transfer groups of healthy Zaandam guests to Rotterdam, with strict protocols for this process developed in conjunction with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),' Holland America's statement said. 'Only those who have not been ill will be moved, and health screenings will be conducted before transferring.'

Passengers over 70 will be transferred first, and quarantine will continue on board both the Zaandam and the Rotterdam until disembarkation. Anyone who has come in contact with an ill person will also remain on the Zaandam. All on board were provided with face masks when the ships met.

The two ships received permission to anchor off the coast of Panama to meet and transfer supplies and passengers. However, the plan for disembarkation is not yet finalized.

'While the onward plan for both ships is still being finalized, we continue to work with the Panamanian authorities on approval to transit the Panama Canal for sailing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida,' the line said in the statement.

No one has been off the ship since March 14 when it was in Punta Arenas, Chile.

The Zaandam began its South American voyage from Buenos Aires, Argentina, on March 7 and was originally scheduled to end the sailing in San Antonio, Chile, March 21.

However, Holland America Line, along with major cruise lines worldwide, announced March 13 it would suspend cruise operations for at least 30 days and end its cruises in progress.

The Zaandam stopped in Valparaiso, Chile, at the end of last week and has food and fuel for the remainder of the ship's intended journey to the U.S., the line said.

Holland America Line is offering complimentary counseling services over the phone with their partner, Empathia, for passengers and crew members.

On March 7th, despite the escalation of the COVID-19 crisis, Holland America Line’s MS Zaandam proceeded with its voyage allowing 1,241 passengers and 586 crew members to board the cruise ship in Buenos Aires, taking a risk it would prove not to be able to handle. Only one day later, on March 8^th, the United States government put out a statement warning against cruise ship travel. It would not be until March 13^th, when those aboard the MS Zaandam were already trapped at sea, that Holland America announced it would be suspending cruise ship operations.

Undeterred by the evolving pandemic, during the cruise’s first weeks at sea, Holland America’s focus was on the guests’ vacation experience, rather than the safety of those on board. Passengers continued to gather for meals, take dance lessons, and relax in the casino. However, by March 22^nd, passengers on the MS Zaandam began to show coronavirus symptoms, and the virus spread rapidly because of the ship’s semi-enclosed environment. Cruise line executives vastly underestimated COVID-19, assuming that they could protect those aboard by relying on past protocols to protect their guests and staff from disease outbreaks. However, it soon became clear that the outbreak was out of control, and all guests were quarantined, confined to their cabins.

Denied entry to port after port, the MS Zaandam became the cruise to nowhere. In need of support, the MS Rotterdam, Holland America’s fastest cruise ship, was dispatched with additional supplies, staff, and test kits. On March 27^th, it met the MS Zaandam on the coast of Panama. In addition to delivering staff and supplies, passengers deemed healthy were transferred to the MS Rotterdam. Crew members reported that they were initially unaware that passengers would be transferred during the rescue mission, putting the crew in danger of exposure. Although initially denied, both ships were eventually granted passage through the Panama Canal and able to continue their journey to Florida.

The MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam were finally able to dock in Port Everglades, Florida on April 2^nd after negotiations between the cruise line and local, state, and federal officials. Thirteen passengers were treated at local hospitals, and some passengers deemed fit to travel by Holland America’s medical staff were taken directly to the Fort Lauderdale airport, where they were flown on five chartered flights across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Other passengers would be stuck on the Holland America cruise ships for another three-and-a-half weeks before receiving approval to return to their countries.

In total, four passengers and one crew member aboard the MS Zaandam died (according to the CDC, one death was not caused by the coronavirus). Additionally, the CDC reported that more than 250 guests and crew members were sick with COVID-like symptoms. However, the actual numbers of those infected on the MS Zaandam and MS Rotterdam are still unknown.