Barely a month ago, they were embarking on a voyage of adventure to some of the world’s most remote islands. Encounters with whales, dolphins and penguins awaited; landscapes of icy expanses, towering cliffs and rolling green hills beckoned.

Now they are isolating in their cabins, trapped aboard a ship anchored in the Atlantic, taking what measures they can to shield themselves from an outbreak of a deadly virus.

For the nearly 150 passengers aboard the MV Hondius, the coming days are full of uncertainty.

Following an outbreak of the hantavirus – which causes fatigue, fever, and can even lead to organ failure and death – three passengers have died. Another three who are thought to have been infected are to be evacuated in the coming hours.

Cruise ship MV Hondius docks off Cape Verde port, as passengers were not allowed off the ship, while health authorities investigated suspected cases of hantavirus aboard the vessel, in Praia Port, Cape Verde, May 4, 2026.
Stringer/Reuters

Everyone else must wait, at least for now. Spain has agreed to receive the ship in the Canary Islands in three to four days. Until then, the boat will remain anchored off the coast of Praia, Cape Verde, while those aboard do their best not to fall ill.

In the meantime, many of them have been trying to make the best of the uncertainty, some of them offering a glimpse into their lives through social media posts.

Kasem Hato, a travel vlogger, has posted videos from the ship’s deck that look out toward a distant land mass.

“What you can see in front of us over there is the country of Cape Verde, but we are not allowed to disembark there,” he says in Arabic as he points to the coastline of the west African country – which was supposed to be the ship’s final stop.

Passengers have been told to isolate and strict hygiene measures are in place. Yet, despite the circumstances, the tour operator Oceanwide Expeditions says passengers remain composed.

A night view of the MV Hondius cruise ship anchored off Cape Verde, on Tuesday.
Misper Apawu/AP

“Most of the people on the ship are taking the matter very calmly,” says Hato, in one of the videos he has posted from the deck overlooking the water and from inside his cabin.

He also brushes off any fears of the outbreak escalating.

“This virus is not new to the world. If it were going to become an epidemic, it would have happened a long time ago,” he says.

While human-to-human transmission is suspected to have taken place on the ship, Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) acting director of epidemic and pandemic management, believes this is likely to have occurred only between very close contacts, such as married couples and people providing medical care. The risk to the general public is very low, she says.

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak. Qasem Elhato/AP

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius, a cruise ship carrying nearly 150 people remains off Cape Verde on Monday, May 4, 2026 after three passengers died and several others fell seriously ill in a suspected hantavirus outbreak. Qasem Elhato/AP

Two of passengers who died were a married couple. Among those who are ill and expected to be evacuated soon is a person “associated” with the third dead person, according to authorities, and another is a doctor.

While passengers are taking the situation seriously, they are not panicking, Hato told CNN.