Hawke's Bay entertainer Lauren Marshall is finally in New Zealand after being stuck on cruise ships since March. Photo / Supplied
Hawke's Bay entertainer Lauren Marshall is finally in New Zealand after being stuck on cruise ships since March. Photo / Supplied
A Hastings-born performer who has been stuck on cruise ships since March is finally back on New Zealand soil.
Lauren Marshall, who was originally stuck on a Covid-positive cruise ship off the coast of San Diego, California, is now in her fourth round of 14-day isolation, at the Crowne Plazain Auckland.
The 28-year-old, who had been performing musical theatre on the Celebrity Eclipse since July, was one of just 300 people left on the 2852-passenger vessel before boarding the Celebrity Reflection in Barbados.
After almost a month in the United Kingdom aboard the Empress of the Seas, following a chartered flight to London on June 3, Marshall is happy to be back in her home land.
"So far I'm enjoying it - great hotel and am being looked after well," she said. "It's just nice not to be quarantined on a ship.
"I'm so used to this process now, so temperature checks and being by myself in a room for another couple of weeks is nothing."
Marshall added: "It was great to have more and more Kiwis join the flights. But we were lucky in the end to have made it into Melbourne a couple of hours before they closed their airports."
Marshall was aboard the Empress of the Seas in the UK before a recent flight to Auckland. Photo / Supplied
The performer travelled from London to Auckland, with stops in Doha and Melbourne, after booking her own flights home.
"I was originally told I had flights booked for me on June 30, but when I got to my most recent ship it was apparent that those flights never existed," she said.
After being told they would not be able to fly her home before August, Marshall took charge.
"Thinking this was unacceptable, I took the initiative to research my own flights and booked a flight and got the approval from the company to reimburse me for the cost," she said.
"Before I knew it, I was off the ship and on the way home."
Marshall added: "It's just a shame the company weren't able to come through for me and find me flights themselves, considering I had been moving around the world from ship to ship with no real news of what was happening."
The 28-year-old had been performing musical theatre on the Celebrity Eclipse since July. Photo / Supplied
The performer said her friends and family have been patiently waiting for her to make her way back to Hawke's Bay.
"I think my whole family felt a sense of relief as soon as I touched down in Auckland," she said. "The are very excited to only have to wait a little longer to see me.
"It's so surreal knowing I am back in New Zealand after so long of trying to get here."
Marshall added: "I've had a lot of love and support from so many people in New Zealand and overseas who have been following my journey, and I want to thank them sincerely for helping me get through to the end of this crazy journey."
