More than two weeks after they were left drifting in open sea, the 1,200 passengers of two Holland America cruise ships stricken by outbreaks of COVID-19 have finally been allowed to disembark at Port Everglades, Fla.

After state officials agreed to let the Zaandam and Rotterdam vessels dock at its harbour Thursday, the passengers — including 247 Canadians — underwent health screening and border clearance before making their way home.

It was the first time Toronto’s Greg Weston, 45, and his father, Fenton, 75, stepped ashore since March 14, when they were last let off at Punta Arenas, Chile, which is known as the base for excursions to the surrounding wilderness and Antarctica.

Everything had changed since then: The next stop in Argentina was cancelled. The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 16. By March 22, 107 guests and 143 crew on the ships reported flu-like symptoms.

It wasn’t supposed to be a nightmare voyage when the Westons booked the trip last July for some “father-son bonding time.”

When the two left Canada on March 4, only a handful of cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed in all of South America. The cruise departing from Argentina was supposed to last 14 days. Countries hadn’t begun closing borders and airlines weren’t cancelling flights.

“It is a very different world from when we left,” recalls the younger Weston, who works in the financial sector.

Here is his account of the journey that began at Buenos Aires and ended Friday at Port Everglades:

March 7-14: Glaciers, fjords and penguins

I was interested in the itinerary, as it gave a chance to sail around Cape Horn, see glaciers and fjords in Chile and Argentina. Seeing king penguins on the Falklands was probably the one biggest highlight of the cruise.

The first week went great, vibe was good, food aboard the ship was excellent, we had our ports of call in Montevideo, Uruguay and the Falklands.

From there, things started to unravel.

Our last port of call was Punta Arenas, Chile, on March 14. It was the last time we were off the ship. When it was announced that our stop in Ushuaia, Argentina was cancelled, it was decided to head back to Punta Arenas to terminate the cruise and give passengers a chance to arrange flights home as by that time, countries were closing borders.

March 16-21: Trip cancelled, party goes on

At first it looked like we would be allowed to disembark, but Chile decided against it in the end. This, after we had already purchased flights to Santiago, and home to Toronto from there.

It didn’t matter, as we weren’t allowed ashore. We then decided to head north as the ship was due to sail on to Fort Lauderdale anyway. It was decided we’d have a better chance of finding somewhere to disembark.

After a two-day refuelling and provisions stop in Valparaiso, Chile, we then headed north toward Panama. On March 21, everyone seemed to be in high spirits. We seemed to be headed home.

Indeed, at that point, I still would have considered myself luckier than many people back home dealing with the various challenges of the lockdown and being self-isolated.

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After all, we were in the middle of an ocean feeling safe. Everyone had passed a health screening in Punta Arenas. We had plenty of food and drink and still had free run of the ship.

March 22: Sick passengers and crew

At around 2 p.m., the captain announced several passengers and crew had complained of “flu-like” symptoms and that for our safety and to prevent further spread of illness, we would need to self-isolate in our staterooms. So we were confined to our rooms, with the exception of one 30-minute “fresh air break” on the deck of the Zaandam.

(The reporting of influenzalike symptoms prompted the cruise company to transfer some healthy passengers to the Zaandam’s sister ship, the Rotterdam. Eventually 107 guests and 143 crew members between both ships would report flu-like symptoms.)

March 27: Transfer from Zaandam to Rotterdam

Our next stop ended up being Panama, where my dad and I transferred to the Rotterdam, around 10 a.m. We were among the first 64 passengers aboard the Zaandam to be transferred. We were anchored just off the coast of Panama, and could see the skyline of Panama City in the distance.

As opposed to our windowless cabin on the Zaandam, at least we had a window on the Rotterdam. But the lack of opportunity for fresh air was the toughest aspect of this. Meals were delivered to the rooms with a knock on the door. Not much to do other than read, surf the net, and watch the news channels on television.

We received word that two passengers had tested positive for COVID-19, and that four people had, in fact, died.

There has been a sense of relief among the passengers to be on the Rotterdam, mixed with sadness for the people that passed away, and sympathy for the sick people still aboard the Zaandam.

April 2: Docking in Fort Lauderdale

Aboard the Rotterdam, we were given another health check (temperature). Once we passed that, we were given a disembarkation card. Our final night on board (hopefully).

April 3: The trip home

The Canadians were among the first to leave at 8 a.m. this morning. We disembarked the Rotterdam, and were put on buses straight to the airport tarmac in Ft. Lauderdale. We were given a police motorcycle escort.

All the Canadians were on board the plane to Toronto, with the exception of those that had been held back for health reasons. We flew an old Eastern Airlines 767.

Upon arrival, it was a bit chaotic. It took about two hours to get everyone off the plane, and through a health screening.

We were provided rides home on shuttle buses. My dad took a shuttle bus to Kingston where he lives. We said our goodbyes at the airport.

Just arrived home (around 7 p.m.), safe and sound. It feels very good to be home! Now the 14 day quarantine begins.