You can’t be surprised that the “New Normal” keeps changing. If nothing else, the greatest public health threat in a century has taught us all to remain malleable in our expectations!
We were recently asked by an industry panel what we’re seeing with our cruise clients throughout all of this, and here’s what we said about you:
- Most are willing to travel, but in the short term that will be domestic trips.
- Most who had their cruise plans cancelled for 2020 pushed those same plans ahead to 2021.
- Most want to dream and plan to have something on the books to look forward to. This explains why we are seeing tighter availability for some travel products in 2021.
- People do not have an irrational fear of catching Covid-19, but they do want some assurance that it is being managed well – both by governments and by travel providers.
If you don’t see your opinions represented above, you are NOT wrong – we have simply aggregated what most people have been telling us. Everyone has to make their own decisions about their personal health, and willingness to travel.
The cruise industry (through CLIA – Cruise Lines International Association) also released this week how they intend to resume operations in the Americas. You have probably heard that cruise ships are sailing again in Europe, and with the occasional hiccup here and there, it has generally been successful.
Our ability to learn from our European counterparts’ experience, as well as the amount of consultation that the cruise lines have conducted in putting their plan together, gives me some reason for optimism. It would be easy to cynically view this as self-serving by the cruise lines. However, they all know if they return to business and have a few Covid mishaps then they may not ever recover. So, they are acting with an abundance of caution.
Much like the safest time to get on an airplane was in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the health and safety precautions on your next cruise will greatly exceed the already high standards previously in place.
There are, of course, hundreds of pages of documentation, but here are the highlights for cruise safety protocols going forward:
- Testing. 100% testing of passengers and crew for Covid-19 prior to embarkation.
- Mask-Wearing. Mandatory wearing of masks by all passengers and crew onboard and during excursions whenever physical distancing cannot be maintained.
- Distancing. Physical distancing in terminals, onboard ships, on private islands and during shore excursions.
- Ventilation. Air management and ventilation strategies to increase fresh air onboard and, where feasible, using enhanced filters and other technologies to mitigate risk.
- Medical Capability: Risk based response plans tailored for each ship to manage medical needs, dedicated cabin capacity allocated for isolation and other operational measures, and advance arrangements with private providers for shoreside quarantine, medical facilities, and transportation.
- Shore Excursions: Only permit shore excursions according to the cruise operators’ prescribed protocols, with strict adherence required of all passengers and denial of re-boarding for any passengers that do not comply.
CLIA was also quick to address some of the misinformation perpetuated by the media about cruising, noting that only a small fraction of 1% of those who contracted Covid-19 did so aboard cruise ships – context the media failed to provide.
The cruise industry is directly responsible for about 2 million jobs worldwide, about 420,000 of those in the United States alone. If you look at the larger impact of cruising – the flights to get to the ship, the pre & post hotel nights, and the tours, it is easy to see how getting cruising back on track is essential to the economic recovery from Covid-19.
So here we are 7 months after the first cruise was cancelled due to the pandemic, and although life hasn’t returned to normal, we are seeing indications of hope.
Last week we wrote about the promotion we are currently running with Oceania that will get your gratuities included if you book between now and September 30. Here’s the link if you missed it: https://pamperedcruiser.com/exclusive-perk-free-gratuities-on-your-oceania-cruise/
Based on the response we received, people are indeed ready to book their next cruise.
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If you’re planning a trip, I’d love to help! Click here to get in touch today.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sue Bradley
Sue Bradley
