Passengers continued trudging off the Grand Princess cruise ship on Tuesday, marching down walkways to be greeted by officials in gowns, masks and gloves. These officials checked their temperatures before passengers were eventually shepherded onto buses, said Stuart Freedman, a retired teacher.

Hundreds of people had been taken off the ship in what officials said was a days-long process. Officials said last week that 21 people on board — 19 of them crew — tested positive for covid-19. Princess Cruises said Tuesday that the 19 crew members were deemed asymptomatic, so they were left in their cabins on board. The two passengers who tested positive last week were taken off Monday and transported to local hospitals. Princess Cruises said that the ship would leave Oakland once all the passengers were off so crew members could serve out their quarantines, but it was unclear where it would go.

The wait for those passengers still on board remained frustrating.

“When a misadventure is shared, it's not that bad,” James Lemaire, who lives in Nevada and has a residence in California, said in an interview Tuesday. Speaking from his windowless room, the 59-year-old could hear announcements about groups being lined up to leave.

Lemaire described being bewildered at why he and his wife, Helga, were still on the ship. But over the weekend, when passengers were able to walk on the deck to get some fresh air, Lemaire said he was told a blue sticker affixed to their door kept them from being among those who could go outside. But they have been unable to learn more about why the sticker was placed there and what it means, he said. (Asked about what the sticker means and whether it impacts passengers’ ability to get off, Princess Cruises said Tuesday the sticker had nothing to do with the disembarkation process.)

Lemaire noted that their room was near the door to the ship’s bridge, saying, “Sometimes we’re tempted to go pound on that door and ask for attention.”

People on the ship have described leaving it as a harried process. Freedman said he crowded into lines Monday night with other mask-wearing passengers for an hour and a half before being sent back to his room.

After another wait Tuesday, Freedman said, he was marched off the ship and filed onto a bus to sit for another stretch. Up above, people on the ship could be seen watching from their balconies. By Tuesday afternoon, Freedman arrived at Travis Air Force Base, where workers in gowns and masks waited behind tables to hand out paperwork with information about quarantines, including details about meal service, daily temperature checks and reminders to wear masks outside. The paperwork also said quarantines were expected to last for 14 days, starting from the time they arrived on base.