'I just want to go home': Passenger on Grand Princess cruise ship passes time singing songs during coronavirus quarantine

ByLiz Kreutz KGO logo

Monday, March 9, 2020

Passenger on cruise ship sings songs from balcony

Michelle Heckert, a passenger on the Grand Princess cruise ship, plays her ukulele and sings on the balcony.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Thousands of passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship off the coast of San Francisco have spent days quarantined in their rooms. 21 passengers -- 19 of them crew members -- have been confirmed to have novel coronavirus. Officials announced late Saturday night that the ship will dock in Oakland on Monday.

So, how do you pass the time stuck inside a stateroom?

For passenger Michelle Heckert, the answer? Make the best of it, and sing.

Heckert has been posting videos on Twitter of herself playing her ukulele and singing self-written tunes about life quarantined on the ship.

"Trying to find ways to pass the time," she sings, "Everybody on the ship doesn't know how much longer they will be cruisin'."

During the chorus, she puts it more bluntly: "I just want to go home. Gooo ho-ooh-me."

Heckert has also been tweeting about other aspects of life in quarantine on a cruise ship, including her breakfast this morning and an adorable photo of her grandparents doing tai chi.

"Today we made a sailboat, although I think I messed up," she tweeted on Saturday, along with a photo of what appears to be a paper sailboat. "Looking forward to in-cabin #zumba next."

Heckert did, however, give a shout out to the crew for their hard work keeping passengers fed and entertained. "I know it's not easy," she tweeted, "THANK YOU!"

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