A 7.30 report by Dan Conifer
(ABC News: Andrew Altree-Williams)
Marilyn Halladay’s love of cruising is infectious.
The Queenslander has been on 29 voyages and cannot wait for number 30.
That is despite the last journey aboard the Diamond Princess landing her in a Japanese hospital after catching COVID-19 from one of her fellow passengers.
“[I’m] ready to cruise again!” she told 7.30 this week.
“I just love the ship life.”
The Diamond Princess was the earliest major cruise outbreak, and Marilyn was one of the first Australians infected with COVID-19.
With husband Ian, they were on a bus tour through the Japanese city of Kagoshima earlier in the trip with an infected passenger.
She spent 22 days in a Tokyo hospital, and now lives with some bizarre side-effects.
“I have strange feelings in my feet, I lost my sense of taste and smell … I have a nose drip now,” she said.
“I have had high blood pressure for many years, and my blood pressure is now lower than it’s ever been.”
The pair has nothing but praise for operator, Princess Cruises, and 77-year-old Marilyn is itching to set sail once more.
“With my failing mobility, it’s the ideal thing for me, because I’m a bit past walking through cobblestone streets and uneven ground,” she said.
“I can still enjoy the company of other people, seeing great places, and with modified mobility, I can tackle most things.
“Age is certainly against us. But that’s why I’m keen.”
