Cruising YouTube superstars, Ben and David have 30 voyages under their belt.
Known for their video channel, Cruise with Ben & David, the pair had dozens of upcoming cruises postponed or cancelled. But it’s not stopping them from planning their next voyage.
They’ve taken us onboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, showed us around P&O UK’s Britannia and have discussed important issues like what will cruise look like after COVID-19.
Cruise Passenger sat down with Ben and David and asked them what they are looking forward to.
What you miss most about cruising? Have you found anything that has helped with cruising cravings?
The thing we miss the most is being on the ocean. You can’t beat the feeling of sailing on the open seas and knowing you are visiting a new destination the next day.
We have recently started watching sailing-boat travel vlogs on YouTube. It’s interesting to see the day to day life of owning a sailboat and the destinations look stunning. Who knows, maybe one day we will own our sailboat and be cruising the world!
You guys are meant to be in the Caribbean right now. Is the Caribbean a favourite destination?
The Caribbean is one of our favourite destinations, particularly when we want a warm cruise with plenty of sun, beaches and relaxation. Our all-time favourite destination is the Norwegian Fjords. We had the opportunity to sail during the summer months and see the midnight sun. While the weather can be temperamental, the scenic cruising through the fjords is truly unique and spectacular.
How do you guys feel about being back on a ship with the virus still present?
We are confident cruise lines will do their best to make sure cruising is safe. Their reputation is on the line and another outbreak on a ship could be catastrophic for the industry. Once plans are in place and governments and people like CDC say it’s safe to cruise we will be quite happy being back on board. We are sure that cruise lines will have taken exceptional measures in response to the pandemic and will have robust outbreak containment plans in place.
Are there any measures you’d like to see implemented before you get back on board? Which ship will you be sailing on? Big or small?
We would like to see proactive enforcement of handwashing because unfortunately, we often see people on cruises (and in everyday life) not washing their hands. The ships themselves are extremely clean, not “Petri-dishes” as many media outlets paint them– the viruses are brought onboard, and spread, by passengers. Another idea we like is the removal of self-service from buffets. This reduces touch points with other passengers and helps reduce food waste too.
We will be sailing on the second sailing of Royal Caribbean’s new ship Odyssey of the Seas. Our main concern at the moment is the availability of flights to the Caribbean and if the ship will be ready due to reported delays in the construction. If necessary, we would postpone or change a sailing in line with government and CDC guidelines.
What was your last cruise of 2020?
Our last cruise was sailing on Ovation of the Seas from Singapore visiting Malaysia. We booked a package with our travel agent, Vision Cruise, which included a stay in Singapore with excursions and a guided tour around the city. Combining a land stay with a cruise was the best of both worlds for us. Singapore is an amazing city and the cruise allowed us to visit places we wouldn’t ordinarily have easy access to, with all of the comforts of the ship at the end of the day. We will definitely be cruising in Asia again!
Which are you most looking forward to next year and why?
We have no cruises booked but we do have future credits to use from our cancelled sailings so can’t wait to start planning our 2021 cruises. We would love to experience Virgin Voyages in the Caribbean, when we visited the ship in Dover, UK the weather was awful! She’s such a beautiful ship. We’ve also had a Princess cruise cancelled so we would love to reschedule that for 2021, we love Princess, the food and service is some of the best!
We tend to book last minute anyway! There’s some great deals out there.
