A cruise of a lifetime became a nightmare for 355 American travelers when Coronavirus broke out onboard early February. Japanese authorities forced passengers to be confined in their cabins. Today the U.S. government came to their rescue and passengers were able to get on charter flights back to the United States. The ghost ship at 355 sick people with a deadly virus, a nightmare scenario for anyone.

Diamond Princess is a British cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. It began operation in March 2004 and primarily cruises in Asia during the northern hemisphere summer and Australia during the southern hemisphere summer. It is a subclassed Grand-class ship, which is also known as a Gem-class ship.

The evacuations from the Diamond Princess started on Sunday, or early Monday local time.

There are 46 Americans on the ship who have tested positive for the virus. The infected Americans have not been allowed to board the chartered flights.

U.S. authorities announced on Saturday they would offer the 380 Americans onboard the option to leave the ship and fly home where they will face another 14-day isolation period.

The Japanese defense ministry said about 300 of them left on buses to take them to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Passengers wearing masks could later be seen waving through the windows of buses parked near the ship.

Americans who opted to leave were brought off the ship in groups, passing through a makeshift passport control station but undergoing no additional health checks.

The ship has been in the port city of Yokohama for well over a week now.