COVID Safety
What should passengers expect when cruising returns?
© OCEANIA CRUISES
By Donna Heiderstadt
For anyone who has enjoyed the ease and exhilaration of a cruise vacation, the unprecedented hiatus necessitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t exactly meant smooth sailing. But the rough seas of uncertainty are beginning to calm and cruise lines are planning for a safe resumption of sailing in the first half of 2021. As preparation moves forward—a limited rollout of ships on shorter voyages is expected initially—the “new normal” of the onboard experience is still being worked out. Will everyone need to be tested pre-cruise? Most likely. Beyond that, other questions loom: When and where will masks need to be worn? What will shore excursions be like? Will you be able to get a massage or sip a mojito in the hot tub? And perhaps tantamount for many cruisers, are ship buffets a thing of the past? Cruise lines haven’t revealed all of the answers yet. There are still a lot of details to nail down, but some things are certain. The protocols developed to ensure onboard health and safety as the industry navigates the pandemic share a basic plan, much of it tied to guidelines issued by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) and the Healthy Sail Panel, a group of public health and infectious disease experts 36 • Vacations ® • Winter 2020-2021
convened by the Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line. It outlines 74 recommended practices for cruise lines to adopt. These changes will add pre-embarkation requirements and alter many of the social aspects of cruising. Asked about the cruise experience in the immediate future, Carmen Roig, senior vice president of marketing and sales for Crystal Cruises, notes: “Certain elements of the Crystal Experience will look different for guests and crew when we return to cruising – enhanced pre-boarding procedures with staggered boarding times and health screenings, masks and face coverings in certain instances, exploring ashore only with organized Crystal excursions, and even more rigorous cleaning and disinfection throughout the ship. What will not change is the attention to detail and the personalized service and connections guests will experience on board.” Here is more of what passengers can expect.
