DENVER — Spring break in Peru was not supposed to be confined to the inside of an apartment, but Jonathan Du and his buddies were only in Cusco for two days before the country shut down its borders and enacted a 15-day quarantine.
"At this point I'd pretty much do anything to get out of Peru," said Du.
His original flight home was canceled and he said the one he re-booked for the first week of April was canceled too. When Du checked prices to get to Dallas, they were more than $3,000.
The U.S. Embassy in Peru's website says, "American citizens who remain in Peru should arrange lodging for the duration of the quarantine period and plan to limit their movements."
Du said he worries even after the quarantine there will not be a way home, and would like the U.S. government to intervene and bring the hundreds of Americans stranded home.
When the borders closed, the Peruvian government suspended the docking of cruise chips for 30 days, and that left more Coloradans stranded in the ocean.
"So we don’t know what’s going on," said Ted Cooper over FaceTime as he sat in Panama Bay on a cruise ship.
Cooper and his wife Michele were supposed to end their cruise in Lima, Peru on Sunday. When the ship couldn't dock there, the ship changed course and headed toward the Panama Canal.
Ships make reservations months in advance to get through the canal, so the Coopers said they are just waiting for someone to give them their spot.
"We're awaiting word from the captain," said Ted Cooper. "But you know, it's not as if we're suffering, we're not."
And as they wait, they are keeping a sense of humor.
"I must say surrounding us are enormous container ships so toilet paper is on the way," said Michele.
While the Coopers are well, they said they are worried about others who have a greater sense of urgency to get home.
“But when I go around the ship I see those who are more frail and need their medications look worried," said Michele Cooper. "So I’m hoping that this can end soon."
Once they get through the canal, the Coopers said the ship has permission to dock in Miami.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS | Local stories from 9NEWS