It began as an expensive, luxury cruise around east Asia, but for the 2,666 passengers onboard the Diamond Princess, the holiday of a lifetime has turned into a waiting game marked by fear and uncertainty, and a touch of gallows humour.

On Monday, as they prepared to dock in Yokohama, near Tokyo, to savour the final few days of their adventure, the passengers and 1,045 crew found themselves trapped by the coronavirus outbreak.

After it emerged that a recently disembarked passenger, an 80-year-old man from Hong Kong, had tested positive for the virus, Japanese health authorities prevented the ship’s multinational inhabitants from disembarking and began the arduous task of checking their health, with those believed to be at risk later undergoing tests.

Cruise ships quarantined over coronavirus – in pictures Read more

Two days later, 20 people among 102 whose results had been confirmed were found to be infected, with 171 others nervously awaiting their results.

The thousands who were never tested, or tested negative, now face at least 12 more days confined to their cabins, unable to directly communicate with each other, their meals brought to them by staff in masks and protective clothing.

A few have shared their thoughts on social media about life in floating quarantine off Yokohama, with Tokyo Bay and the Chiba peninsula on one side, and Japan’s second city on the other.

Paul and Jackie Fidrmuc, who are among 233 Australians onboard, were trying to ward off cabin fever by staying positive. “We are just kind of sitting tight really,” Jackie said. “It’s a little bit daunting. But look, we can’t do anything, we are good strong healthy people and we’ve got good immune systems and fingers crossed that ... we can fight it off.

“It’s a frightening situation but it is not a disease where if you get it, it’s certain death. You just have to be lighthearted about the whole situation.”

Q&A How can I protect myself and others from the coronavirus outbreak? Show Hide The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine. The UN agency advises people to: Frequently wash their hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or warm water and soap

Cover their mouth and nose with a flexed elbow or tissue when sneezing or coughing

Avoid close contact with anyone who has a fever or cough

Seek early medical help if they have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, and share their travel history with healthcare providers

Advice about face masks varies. Wearing them while out and about may offer some protection against both spreading and catching the virus via coughs and sneezes, but it is not a cast-iron guarantee of protection Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns. Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area. In the UK, NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days. If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days, to avoid spreading the infection outside the home.

David Abel, a British man who has provided regular video updates via Facebook, said he and his wife Sally – who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary – had accepted they were no longer on holiday.

“We’re no longer on a cruise,” he said on Thursday. “All of the luxury of having a steward come into the cabin to make the bed and put chocolates on the pillow, change the towels and facecloths and clean the bathroom – those days are gone. It just ain’t happening.”

The endless supply of buffet food and drink, along with activities, entertainment and shore visits, has abruptly dried up, replaced by what to the passengers must seem like relative austerity: one hot drink a day, no-frills meals and, according to Abel, a suspension of laundry and linen services.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A photo taken by a passenger shows medical workers in protective suits onboard the cruise ship. Photograph: @daxa_tw/AP

The cancelled itinerary for Wednesday included a dizzying array of activities, including tai chi and origami classes, Bible study, line dancing, bingo, karaoke, and “Music and Martinis with the Evergreen Duo” in the Crooners bar. Instead, passengers pinned their hopes on finding enough on-demand movies to sustain them during the long days ahead.

But there was humour amid the resignation and uncertainty. One male passenger, who opened a Twitter account at the start of the quarantine, said he and his wife’s ninth wedding anniversary had been marked by news of another 10 infections among their fellow passengers. “Happy anniversary!” he wrote.

Some celebrated minor victories: expanded lunch and dinner menus, breakfasts delivered at the appropriate time, an internet connection upgrade, a bigger movie selection, and, in Abel’s case, words of thanks from a masked female crew member whose concerned mother had been reassured by his video posts.

Others tweeted photos of recently delivered playing cards, as well as sudoku and other puzzles that had been delivered to their rooms.

だぁ(On board the Diamond Princess / 乗船中) (@daxa_tw) 部屋にトランプと数独が届きました。食事の選択制、アナウンスの原稿配布、Wi-Fi高速化、映画も増えています。本当に対応が早い。さすが外国船。The card and sudoku arrived in the room. #ダイヤモンドプリンセス #diamondprincess #クルーズ船 pic.twitter.com/6JxqmDUxtj

On Thursday, the irrepressibly good-humoured Abel used his newfound online fame to issue a couple of requests. Life would be more tolerable, he said, with a daily banana and a glass of whisky, preferably a Talisker 10-year-old single malt served straight.

On a more serious note, he added: “It’s a horrible situation for most passengers onboard, being stuck here, confined to the cabin,” he said, referring to those staying in cabins without a sea-view balcony. “It must be almost unbearable for them.”

On Thursday evening, just two days into at least a fortnight of quarantine, they were told they would be allowed on the open deck for 90 minutes under the supervision of quarantine officers. They must stay one metre apart from each other and not make physical contact or form groups.

Despite the restrictions, a blast of fresh air blowing in from the Pacific could not come soon enough for Clyde and Renee Smith, an American couple who are on the ship with their two adult grandsons.

The couple’s room “is tiny, we don’t have a window, there are four of us – and only one chair”, Renee, 80, said earlier in the day, adding that they had passed the time by watching films.

Their 25-year-old grandson, Sawyer Smith, was trying to stay in shape by doing sit-ups now that he was unable to visit the ship’s gym. “It’s not really to the point where we’re getting stir-crazy,” he said. “If they keep us in the rooms for four to five days it might be a little different.”

Agencies contributed to this report.