Last August, Stu McFarlane, a 1985 Roseau High School graduate, booked a week-long Caribbean cruise for March 7, 2020.

He and his wife, Beth, planned a nice relaxing week soaking up the sun down in the Caribbean.

Everything looked so perfect then, but not so by early March 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic stalking America like a horrendous party-pooper.

Still, they boarded the Norwegian Escape in Miami that first Saturday in March.

"Beth and I will be married 30 years on June 30," he said, explaining that it was their anniversary present to each other.

And the price tag?

"Around $5,000," he...