Portsmouth entertainer stranded on cruise liner off US coast set to return home - more than two months after being marooned

Portsmouth-based Harriet Taylor is among 800 crew stuck on board the Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of The Seas who have been left in limbo anchored in Florida waters.

The 800 crew have been left with virtually no human contact after being forced to self-isolate after going into quarantine on March 14 following a suspected coronavirus outbreak.

The predicament led to the 24-year-old issuing a desperate ‘get me home’ plea. She told The News last month: ‘If anybody is able to contact me with an action plan, I would be sincerely grateful. I just want to be on land, safe with the people I love.’

Now the saga has an end in sight with Harriet being transferred to sister cruise liner Majesty of the Seas in Miami on Friday before heading back to Southampton.

The entertainer’s homecoming date will now be May 28 - having started her voyage on the liner in November.

Harriet’s mum Samantha Taylor said: ‘There is finally an end in sight. It will have been 78 days at sea by the time she gets home. She is more positive now and has been irritable but is someone who is headstrong and sensible.

‘The cruise liner could not agree with the US laws and so has now just decided to sail back. They should have just done that before.

‘They have divided up all the nationalities on board to go on certain boats. There are people from New Zealand and Canada who are getting on the same boat as Harriet who will then have to get a plane from Heathrow.

‘Others from Australia will also have to go to Heathrow before going into quarantine for two weeks before catching a flight home.’

Samantha admitted it had been a ‘stressful’ time. She said: ‘I don’t worry as she is sensible but it’s not the same when you are not with them.

‘Harriet’s looking forward to getting back to Southampton and has said she is lucky compared to some of the others.’

The 50-year-old added: ‘I don’t know what we’ll do when she returns - we’ll have to see how things are then. But she’s looking forward to getting into her own bed and eating what she wants.

‘She’s only seen snippets on TV of how things are so doesn’t really get how things have been.’

A spokeswoman for the Royal Caribbean said: ‘The goal of getting all of our crew home safely remains our top priority. The majority of our crew will be repatriated by the end of May.

‘So far we have successfully repatriated nearly 15,000 crew members and we are working with governments and health authorities around the world on our plans, and we very much appreciate our crews’ patience, understanding and good spirit.

‘We have an Employee Assistance Program in place to provide assistance to our crew members which is confidential and available 24 hours a day.’

But Portsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan, who had taken up the fight to repatriate Harriet and other Brits stranded across the world, was unimpressed by the length of time it has taken to resolve matters.

He said: ‘Seventy-eight days at sea away from family, friends and loved ones amid a pandemic must have caused unimaginable stress.

‘I welcome that government has now taken notice of the multiple letters I have sent on behalf of this constituent, and the steps taken earlier this week including providing some funding for flights, but this should have been dealt with much more rapidly.

‘There is a huge disparity between the proactive approach taken by some embassies and the approach taken by the UK government. The Foreign Office phone lines are overwhelmed, the information that is provided is often generic or unhelpful and the email address given out was closed this week with no notice, all the while airlines are charging vast sums for flights home leaving constituents alone and scared.’

He added: ‘I am heartened to see that the end is in sight for this constituent, and I will continue to provide assistance and support.

‘There are however still Portsmouth residents stuck overseas and I will continue fighting their corner and constructively engaging with government to point out where improvements in their repatriation work is needed.’

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