Relaxing by the pool, queueing for the buffet, sharing the big table in the main restaurant – will all of these convivial cruise routines be available in the future?
Meeting new people and forming friendships has always been part or the magic mix that makes cruising a special experience. How much can safety survive the age of COVID-19?
It’s the dilemma cruise line executives and Cruise Lines International Association managers are wrestling with as they try and produce a set of new protocols that will placate global health authorities but still make cruising the laid back luxury experience we all love.
It has been reported that Carnival Corporation will be considering restricting the number of passengers on its ships, according to Business Insider.
Two sources have told the news site that the company would also continue to check passengers’ temperatures before they board the ship.
And certain cabins would be off limits and passengers would only be allowed to book staterooms and suites that had access to fresh air. Every cabin second would also be left unoccupied.
The good news is that many of the ideas we’ve heard about sound like a genuine improvement. And the primary weapon to get you back on board will be price – so anticipate a lot of good prices.
But, because they will be carrying fewer passengers, those deals won’t last. Ultimately, cruising safely has to be more expensive. But it will still be excellent value.
Here’s what your future cruise might look like:
Rather than sailing with 3,000+ other passengers, your ship might be cruising at half to three quarters capacity to ensure that there is plenty of space in public areas for self distancing.
Disembarkation and embarkation processes will be staggered so that there are not as many people jammed together to get on and off the ship. Some age groups or passengers with infirmities will need to declare them and have letters from their doctors.
After the Ruby Princess debacle, we can expect some major changes from Australia’s ports on embarkation and disembarkation procedures. Responsibility for biosecurity will change, and screening will be more proactive.
Lining up at the ship’s buffet will be a thing of the past – and we might even see the reintroduction of dining times, like the good old days.
There will be restrictions on the number of people in facilities like kids’ clubs, recreation areas, the spa as well as the theatres.
Ultimately, we will be seeing more restrictions, especially in travel, until a vaccination is developed against COVID-19.
Genting Cruises, the Asian-based cruise company which owns Star Cruises, Dream Cruises and luxury line Crystal Cruises, have already taken pre-emptive steps to mitigate the risk of coronavirus outbreaks, as soon as they are ready to sail.
The company revealed a comprehensive onboard health plan which will include medical certificates for passengers aged 70 and above.
For embarkation and disembarkation all guests will be required to go through a mandatory temperature screening. They will also need to fill out a pre-boarding health declaration. And passengers will be asked to check-in online, ensuring that they are allocated a specific boarding time to avoid the terminals from overcrowding.
Genting has also said that they will be increasing cleaning protocols in staterooms and especially in public areas.
Elevators will be cleaned every two hours, public areas will be cleaned two to 10 times daily, and the spa at least twice a day. Frequent touch points like handrails, lift buttons, table-tops and door handles will be cleaned at least every hour. And around various public areas, a staff member will be stationed to provide hand sanitisation.
And, there will be restricted numbers of guests allowed in entertainment and recreational areas.
While Genting might be the first off the blocks, the Cruise Lines International Association told Cruise Passenger they are working on creating new health and safety protocols.
Cruise Critic, the online website, claims Carnival is already restricting bookings and managing inventory to balance crew capacity with passenger numbers.
“As we look to our return to service in May and June, we are carefully managing inventory,” a Carnival spokesperson tells Cruise Critic. “We anticipate that certain international travel restrictions will remain. We are taking a conservative approach with regard to getting our crews back to the ships, so we have closed inventory on certain sailings so that we don’t overextend our ability to provide service on board.”
“The industry has been hard at work developing plans for the future. Internationally, CLIA and its cruise line members are working strategically on three fronts,” said Joel Katz, Managing Director of CLIA Australasia.
He said that they will be working with medical experts as well as the cruise industry to create a new framework for health and safety, working with government affairs involving a worldwide political leaders and regulators, and communicating with the public to show how much the industry has done.
“There’s much we can learn from this situation and the unprecedented impact it is having across a whole range of industries, not just tourism. The enhanced protocols and practices that CLIA member cruise lines put in place as the global crisis emerged are just some of the advances we have already made,” he said.
“There will be more to come as we work with our members and global health authorities towards recovery, and our focus will be on communicating this to government, industry stakeholders and the wider public, highlighting the robust screening measures, the sanitisation protocols, the standard of medical expertise we have on board, and the many levels of regulation and government oversight that we operate with.”
Mr Katz also pointed out that Australians love for cruise, adds $5 billion to the economy, not just through passenger spend, and helps sustain 18,000 jobs like tour operators, guides, travel agencies, maritime workers and more.
“Australians in particular have a passion for cruising which is reflected in this region having the highest market penetration for cruise out of any established market. Notwithstanding the current COVID-19 public health emergency, Australian state and federal governments appreciate the important role that cruising has within the overall tourism mix, and we are looking forward to working with them towards reinstatement of this important tourism sector,” he said.
“The cruise industry is deeply connected to the Australian community and to the Australian economy, and we plan to do our part to contribute to the global recovery as we emerge from this pandemic.”
He added: “There will be more to come as we work with our members, medical experts and global health authorities towards recovery. The ambition of the industry will be to go above and beyond what people would expect so that we can safely welcome people back onto our ships in the future.”
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As Trevor Garrett posted air-conditionering is one of the main culprits. In aircraft air is changed every 20 minutes, on ships however the air is recirculated continuously, until cleasened by the cooling towers.
I agree with Trevor Carrett. Increased air conditioning servicing is paramount in reducing the spread of infection. I will sail again if hygiene measures are upgraded
Testing for illness should also be done on dissemination as well as embarkarkation.
How can we cruise safly as soon as May or June as these companies say they are going to,it only takes one person to be infected no matter how slightly then we are back to square one, it is ludicrous to even think about it so soon when there so many countries still infected with covid 19.
We were in Carribbean princess in February when Nora virus broke out hand washing was not taken seriously when entering buffet only young staff who guests ignored senior staff should be overlooking also sanitising of chairs and tables were not done right too little undertrained young stall officers were very few and far between
I see the Cruise lines are making efforts to keep us safe while sailing on the ship but what happens when we pull in port for excursions? How can they ensure people are practicing clean and safe practices ashore? We buy tons of souvenirs and pack them in our bags to bring back onboard the ships and to ultimately take home when we return. Some of the places we pull into have tons of street vendors, I don’t think they’re sanitizing their products, how do you prevent Cruisers from bringing them onboard? We’ll have to do a part, before we unpack our bags, we wipe down our rooms. The room stewards have too many rooms to clean in the short times between cruises. RCL is does an outstanding job enforcing people to wash their hands in and around the dining areas but it’s going to be hard for the rest of the ship. One area of concern I have is the mustering stations. These places are always packed, how will they enforce social distancing with so many people onboard?
I totally concur about the ” Airconditioning” as being the hidden agenda that probably perpetuates the spread of virus…norovirus, Coronaviris or whatever virus. One wonders how frequently these Airconditioning Units are maintained in being quick Turnaround times between cruises.
If this question could be answered, I would certainly consider Cruising again as know it is a brilliant economical option for ‘travel, fun, friendships, festivities & food fiestas’ if these protocols could be observed in the immediate future!
I look to your advice so I can make an informed decision on being a ‘ Safe Cruising Contender of the Future!’
take a leaf out of CMV’s book..The Vasco da Gama bistro food was all behind glass, served by staff, no handling of serving implements by pax. the lifts were constantly sanitised, as were the rails, balconies, library, every public entry had a sanitising station, plus the bars..staff were instructed to sanitise every 15 minutes..amazing. The Vasco da Gama and the Columbus were clean ships..
We were going on a 14 day cruise in September with Celebrity Cruise lines, unfortunately it looks like we will have to postpone this trip to a later date. However we are looking forward to when we can cruise again as we have been on about 10 cruises, the last 7 or 8 have been with Celebrity and have always found the ships are spotless. The very friendly crew responsible are always cleaning, wiping tables, hand rails, etc. We have (touch wood) never been sick, the food is always first class and there is plenty of hand sanitizer available when entering all the food areas so we feel very confident cruising with Celebrity again and again.
The 6000 passenger mega ships that the cruise lines are now operating are a nightmare for queueing and crowding. The extra sizes have been used for more cabins and fee paying venues, shops and casinos whilst public open spaces like promenade decks and open forward decks have been eliminated. Too few lifts, inadequate bistros, theatres, swimming pools, whirlpools and long tender queues mean passengers are continuously crowded together. No wonder they are now known as floating Petri dishes.
Having been on 20 plus Cruise s from 7 to 20 days duration over 10 years my wife and I have only had a mild flu once coming home.and i never been a nurotic hand sanitizer.
As a big eater.i am in hog heaven in a the buffet.
Super size me@#$__&+
The jury is still out for my ambition to Cruise again. At this point I’d say probably not likely. I’ve always chosen a balcony cabin for the very reason of fresh air. The aircon system is not to be trusted. But for me, onboard hygiene has been my own responsibility always, but my main concerns has been the rapid turnaround of the ship. With thousands of passengers disembarking and thousands more boarding and sailing within a few hours ?? The cruise ships are getting bigger, and as such ruining the experience, Greed is at the centre of all that has happened. Greed of money, and the greed of some of the passengers in the buffet areas is enough to make you sick. Have to be radical changes for me to consider again.
As Princess elite cruisers, and cruisers on other cruise lines, and both being over 70, health on cruises is of major importance to us. We usually book a balcony cabin to access fresh air as the ship air conditioning is a concern to us. We believe that the air conditioning must have HEPA filtration (as used on aircraft) to minimize the spread of viruses through out the ship.
We went on our first cruise 2018 Singapore to Asia 2 weeks Celebrity Ship, staff were over worked, time poor rostering issues obvious, alot of people not using hand sanitizing stations entering and exciting food areas, at times empty l was shocked. Staff serving food on buffets sneezing, coughing and passengers on other side, sneeze bars weren’t adequet drink stations not always monitored, dodgy you just sense it’s not good enough. Turn around times for cleaning, re setting cabins etc of 2 hours between disembarked then embarking passengers questionable? SO my sister got sick end of week 1 then l got sick week 2, isolated to our room with in room dining which was a life saver thank God for the Balcony we had. Doctors were over run with other passengers sick. Got given a Tammy Flu Tablet sent back to cabin to tough it out, food trays not collected for 24hours a disaster. It was the holiday from Hell, never again, they tried their best, but you could see the cracks of cross contamination everywhere as soon as you board. They must pick up there game and the airlines that’s another story, travelling in Australia for future trips, we are very lucky to live in this Country. Cruises germ incubators.
Perhaps cruise ships should be registered in their country of ownership, not some obscure tax / rule dodging haven. When done this might make them more accountable for their actions.
This was very helpful and reassuring we look forward to sailing with you again
Bring back dining times? They never left. With a very few exceptions, all cruise lines offer set times as well as anytime dining. We always book a time as you know where your table is, you know your waiters and you never get handed a buzzer and told to go away. Cruise ships already limit the number of kids. If the only sell cabins with fresh air then all.inside and ocean view cabins will go. Anything that gets rid of the latest megaliners is an improvement. 100,000grt should be the biggest ship size permitted.
Good move it it happens, not just from a health point of view but also environmentally. If it’s not already happening, pay the staff a good wage so they are motivated to do a good job keeping things clean. If the idea reduces cabin occupancy how about assigning half a deck of cabins as a hospital area, properly equipped and staffed with doctors and nurses (plural), particularly given the average age and health of many of the passengers.
Al well and good that they clean the buffet eating areas however I have seen them wipe a chair rinse out the cloth and wipe down the table with the same cloth snd repeatedly use thesame cloth over and over again this to me is not hygienic
What about crew checks..present conclusions from reports by NSW Police suggest that the virus originated with a crew member who had access to food prep.If you pay your crew properly and provide health checks then I might cruise with another line that is not flagged with a first world country ie Norway,England
Zaandam the smaller vessel,still many of them got the virus.
I believe aircon and ventilation system on these cruise ships should be looked at.
As a regret mar eng and cruised on various vessels,hygiene is a constant issue.
Heres a thought!!! While we are eager to return to the sea, maybe cruise lines can incorperate a disifecting solution threw the air vents that isnt harmful to humans during the night time while everything is shut down. The ships hallways,hand rails,elevators,dining rooms ect ect gets cleaned while we sleep. Close the casinos a little earlier so everyone heads back to their cabins.( They will get over it ). They have these units in place for medical decontamination areas in labs, why not on ships?? Might be costley but hey more people will come back to cruising knowing they can sleep better knowing the ship is getting cleaned while they sleep.
Apply to all cruise lines or adapt & use unused space for other uses IE expand Internet Cafe.
Redesign buffett areas?
install plastic over metal fittings?
Robots do wiping in some locales
Stagger Theatre times & audience, remove surplus seating
Update boarding times & locales & for disembarkation times.
Redo menu?
Isolate those with virus?
Expand Medical Dept staffing.
X train with Hotel & Food Services.
Signage visible
Wear color code wristbands for deck, exit ship on disimbarkation etc & house chip to acess cabin??
( Ive sailed Caribbean West, Mexico 2X, Alaska 1X)
So the cruise lines are doing basically nothing but making the crew working extra to clean the public spaces and after decades trying to sort out the embarkation process. Sailing with limited capacity is just another excuse because they know they won’t be able to fill the cruise ships at least in the beginning so they are artificially limiting the available cabins to pressure people to buy sooner than later and probably pay more for it. The industry needs new and real transformations what has been described here is just ridiculous.
My husband and I have travelled extensively with Princess and have found the standard of hygiene superior. We have tended to use the smaller ships, under 2000 passengers, but have been totally satisfied with cleanliness and menu. Service is always excellent.
We are sorry that they have had such bad press with covid 19 but, if you look at the photos, you will note the passengers on balconies clearly not heeding distancing advice and no effort to mask. People need to take self responsibility not have to be hounded into common sense reaction to facts.
We look forward to the day we can get aboard again in safety.
When you highlight to the dining room duty manager on a large cruise ship that the hand sanitiser dispenser at the main entry is EMPTY and she just dismisses you with a flipant wave of her hand…. you know you’ve got onboard hygiene concerns!!
Thank you covid-19. I know it’s sad to say but cruising has become horrible since the smaller ships have almost gone. The ships are to busy and the island stops no longer relaxing. (especially when it takes 2hrs to tender) To many people on both ship and island
I think the cruiselines do an amazing job already with their cleaning protocols. This virus was asymptomatic for many travellers arriving into our country where it was introduced via the airports and it was never the intention of any of the authorities or the cruiselines for this heartbreaking situation to have happened. As for the sanitisers mentioned previously, I have never used them on any of our cruises as I suffer from bullous dermatosis as do many other passengers as I am allergic to it. Installing wash stations is the answer. I have never been sick on a cruise as washing your hands thoroughly for 45 seconds under running water has been proven to be more effective than sanitisers. It’s all about not touching any surface that may be infected by the people who don’t wash their hands at all is where the problem lies.
This virus won’t be around forever, so it’s just a waiting game.
Who do we have to thank for this Corona Virus and the disruptions in our lives. It’s not the cruise lines fault for the corona virus. As for filing out health check forms the lines are already doing that and have been doing it for a number of years, so nothing new there. How can cruise lines dodge the virus, well stay away from China for one.
It is welcome news what is being planned to protect crews and guests. However it should not be done to placate health authorities, but because the motivation comes from within the cruise industry. Placating health authorities’ is unnecessary where the cruise companies want to raise the standards themselves and not because ‘big brother is watching’. It won’t matter when big brother is watching where there is credibility and transparency in health measures that exceed the expectations of health authorities. I’m sure you meant that.
I cant wait to resume cruising the cruise line needs to enforce hand sanitizer use RCL have always been proactive however P&O are pretty relaxed this needs to change
We have loved Princess cruises we have been on & recommended them to friends & rellies. We hope to go again.
However the last 2 we were on we noticed a real drop in standards. Especially sanitation around food etc. No longer was there strict hand sanitizing prior to every entry to a food area, people wandered in and out of the middle, nor were tables etc cleaned as regularly. We commented on it in our feedback forms and predicted problems. Complaints To staff got a shrug only.
Further, food was not as heAlthy nor as fresh, fewer choices were offered and there were open areas at the back of cafeteria for coffee, cake, wine etc that were not policed at all.
Bathrooms were often a bit smelly too even after cleaning.
Chairs often needed a renewal too.
5 years ago on a Med cruise I developed the dreaded tummy bug as was confined to my cabin for 48 hours. The ship, belonging to a major cruise line had poor hygiene standards such as sticky seats and tables in the buffet dining room etc. When I disembarked I had to remind the staff to totally disinfect my cabin before new passengers arrived. I am not confident that this would have happened. The rapid spread of Covid19 on cruise ships was bound to happen as lessons from more isolated cases of similar infections were not learned.
I would have thought that cruise passengers would be predominantly in the older age group so cruiselines will take big chances if they discriminate against them in any way. Ultimately, the passenger makes a decision on how to spend their tourist dollar so the companies better come up with a safe solution for all or they will fall on their knees. There are other travel alternatives, you know.
What about the air conditioning throughout the ship – will it be able to provide clean air to each individual cabin & other entertainment areas. How good is there present systems. For me to continue crusing this is a major item of concern. It would appear to me that the cruise companies are more interested in shuffling things around obviously at little cost.