On January 20, 2020, When Covid-19 was in its infancy stage, a Diamond Princess cruise ship carrying 3,711 people (2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members) departed from Yokohama, Japan. The cruise, which was supposed to be a 16-day tour through Asia, turned into a disaster when the novel coronavirus began to spread throughout the ship. The virus infected 712 people and eventually killed 14 passengers (remarkably, no crew members died). People were quarantined on the ship for weeks, and it wasn't until March 1st that the last passengers and crew members were permitted to leave the ship.
HBO's The Last Cruise recounts this nightmare through first-person video footage taken by passengers and crew members. The film also "takes aim at the United States' early response to Covid-19," according to Forbes. The documentary premieres on HBOMax on March 30.
