People are finally feeling comfortable enough to start looking at planning travel again. I know we are very anxious to get going, but there are still a few hurdles we will all need to maneuver. I thought it would be a good time to share the current requirements of some of our key cruise suppliers, to help understand how travel is changing, almost every day. Please note this information was correct the day I wrote this and will continue to change as governments and official organizations update the regulations. This is just meant to be a broad overview of the new cruise landscape.
Cruising has arguably acquired the worst COVID reputation. We all saw the people stranded on ships for long periods of time as the world figured out what to do. Cruise ships have always had strict health and safety protocols, but based on the new regulations, they will be even safer in the future. Just this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is buckling under pressure from Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), the cruise lines and local homeport governments to allow cruising to restart. At least two CDC officials have now publicly stated passengers could be boarding cruise ships in U.S. ports as soon as July 2021. CDC Spokesperson Jason McDonald had similar comments in an interview, where he stated the CDC hopes U.S. cruises can resume by midsummer, with restrictions. And this week Prime Minister Trudeau alluded to the fact that there may be an easing of some of the Canadian travel restrictions.
Although cruise brands operate differently and appeal to different consumers, there are really only a few companies who own this travel segment. There are families of cruise lines, with segments much like cars with economy, premium and luxury brand options. Each family of brands has implemented strict protocols on all their ships including updated air filtration, additional disinfecting routines, additional cleaning and testing for both staff and guests. Many companies will now be using an RFID technology in the form of a watch you are assigned when you board the ship. This advanced technology is a secure form of contact tracing. If someone on board receives a positive covid test, the data from these devices will allow the ship to identify anyone who has come within 6m of that person and immediately help stop the spread. There are folks who will think this is a “big brother” tactic, but it seems like a great way to reduce the chance of covid spreading onboard. The CEO of Royal Caribbean Michael Bayley, recently stated cruise ships will now be the safest place to avoid contracting Covid.
- An interesting fact is that nearly 400,000 passengers have already sailed from Europe and parts of Asia since last summer, following stringent, science-based protocols that resulted in a far lower incident rate than on land (fewer than 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19 onboard).
The largest cruise organization is Carnival Corporation. They own Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Cunard, Seabourn to name just a few. Carnival has officially announced that its U.S. operations are now suspended through all of June 2021. Cruises won’t return until July at the very earliest and passengers will be required to have documented proof of their COVID vaccination for the early voyages at least. Holland America Line and Princess Cruises continue to try to save what remains of the Alaska 2021 cruise season. However, the Seattle port remains closed until at least June 27, 2021 and due to marine regulations (often referred to as the Jones Act), Canada would have to allow ships to dock at a Canadian port before the Alaska season could start. Holland America’s global update looks like this:
- Cruises Resume: June 30, 2021
- Seattle Cruises Resume: June 30, 2021
- Caribbean, California Coast, Mexico, and Med Cruises Resume: July 2021
- Regular UK Cruises Resume: Late September 2021
- New Short UK Cruises Resume: Late Summer 2021
- Select Alaska, Canada & New England and Pacific Coast Cruises Resume: 2022
- Australia and New Zealand Cruises Resume: July 2021
And then there is Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., that owns Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silver Seas. It came as no surprise that Royal Caribbean also extended its suspension through June 30, 2021. This does exclude some sailings including the Quantum of the Seas which is already sailing out of Singapore, Odyssey of the Seas out of Israel, and two ships out of China. Royal Caribbean has been busy working on Plan B as cruises from a U.S. port remain on hold. Multiple new homeports have been announced including cruises out of Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Cyprus set to start this summer.
The Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) family includes Norwegian, Oceania, and Regent. Norwegian Cruise Line was the first of the major lines to extend its suspension through June 30, 2021. Their cruise ships won’t start to return to service until July at the earliest.
MSC Cruises is one of the very few cruise lines that has managed to keep some ships sailing. Even though the cruise line did need to suspend cruises temporarily in Europe due to the growing pandemic, there are now plans to restart once again out of Greece at the end of April 2021 and cruises from Italy have already commenced with MSC Grandiosa out of Genoa. However, most sailings remain on hold until July 2021.
If you ever wondered why you would use a travel agent, navigating the new world of rules in each country is undeniably the new number one reason. For us Canadians, getting into other countries to embark on a cruise ship will require some additional considerations. Throughout COVID, we have been helping clients get back to Canada, and also travel to other countries for those with essential travel requirements. With access to the most updated training from all our vendors and hours of research ourselves, we’ve managed to handle every situation that presented itself. It can be complicated, including last minute additional COVID testing requirements mid trip, which recently happened to one of our clients. We were able to organize a COVID test in between flights in the middle of the night in Madrid, Spain so that he had the documentation that had just been announced that he needed to pass through Amsterdam on his way back to Canada. Crazy times.
As you think about whether it’s the right time to start planning a trip, you might want to consider the number of people who had to cancel their 2020 and 2021 cruises and have rebooked for 2022. Between that group of travellers and the rest of the world that is ready to get going again, bookings for 2022 sailings are already very strong. It is also important to know that even if there is a specific date of when cruises can resume it’s likely to be a phased-in return with only a few ships and less than full capacity. At least, that is what’s happening in Europe right now. With the vaccination programs well underway around the world, there is finally some justifiable “light at the end of the COVID tunnel” and we are getting busy again. During the pause there have been some “never heard of before” offers, but as we get closer to sailing again and the ships book up, these offers will not be extended and with the risk-free cancellation and refundable deposit options offered by most cruise lines, it’s a great time to secure your spot and confirm your cabin!
To help keep the dream of travel alive, Travel Professionals International has developed a series of presentations by industry experts and our esteemed travel partners for you to enjoy from the comfort of your own home. Join us to virtually explore the world, learn about some amazing destinations and trips so you can start planning now for future travel. Simply click here to register. You can then choose the presentation you’d like to hear, join the call on the outlined date and leave the rest to us! And if you missed one of the previous topics the recordings are available to review anytime.
So, if you are ready to look at a cruise in the future or you would just like to know more about current promotions or travel requirements, please give us a call at 403 474-6985 or email at pdumouchel@tpi.ca. We’d love to chat about options for your next memory filled trip!
