The Passenger

The Passenger by Chaney Kwak

The author was a freelance travel writer sent on a Norwegian cruise on the Viking Sky in 2019. While cruising around the Arctic Circle, the ship hit some rough seas. The engines failed. The ship started flailing in all directions and was getting close to hazards that could sink. Everyone came out to their muster stations to await orders. May passengers were evacuated via helicopter. After a day tossing and turning, the ship was able to get attached to a tugboat. With engines restarted, it was able to take the rest of the passengers back to a port to disembark. 

One of the more memorable parts of the story is the exposure of the facade of the cruise ship. The passengers are mustered with the "forward" facing staff that they see. However, the author convinces the peronelle to let him go to his cabin to get something. There, he sees many of the "back of the ship" people at their muster stations. He also sees his room is a huge wreck with things tossed all over the place. Later when things return to normal and he is allowed to go back to his room. When he gets there, he finds everything is immaculate and the TV is even set to resume the show he was watching.

The drama of the story had a positive ending with everyone surviving. However, in the process, the author describes the end of his relationship, which alas didn't survive.