Another Take: The cruise is over, but coronavirus has crews stranded at sea episode artwork

EPISODE · May 16, 2026 · 24 MIN

Another Take: The cruise is over, but coronavirus has crews stranded at sea

from The Take · host Al Jazeera

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

NOW PLAYING

Another Take: The cruise is over, but coronavirus has crews stranded at sea

0:00 24:37

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Take?

This episode is 24 minutes long.

When was this The Take episode published?

This episode was published on May 16, 2026.

What is this episode about?

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...

Can I download this The Take episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!