Can a Caribbean cruise cure cabin fever? I've got my eyes set on the future, but there are a lot of unknowns. Regardless, I'm hopeful that I can make another Caribbean cruise happen in spring 2021. Fingers crossed.
I took my first cruise in March 2019 to the Southern Caribbean. I took my second cruise months later over New Years in December/January 2020. Exactly one year after my first cruise, the world was flipped on it's head with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Certainly a future I never would have predicted on that sunny Caribbean day pictured above.
Cruises have been blasted due to close proximity and cleaning standards following the pandemic. Passengers and staff were quarantined after the virus claimed several lives this past spring. The cruise lines made headlines. Videos of stranded passengers made the evening news. The cruise industry seemed to be the worst hit by the virus, followed quickly by airlines, hotels, and cities dependent on tourism.
While the future of travel is uncertain, what we can count on is this will all pass. As travelers, I expect this pandemic will make us smarter and safer. I expect the same adaptations from the travel industry. There's no doubt that the airlines and cruises have never been cleaner, or more flexibly operated as they are now. Cleaning services will of course change, but so will cancellation policies, travel insurance policies, and offerings.
That said, I'm confident that travel will be safe again in time. Confident enough that I've booked a refundable cruise for the spring. After cancelling two trips in 2020 due to COVID-19, it's nice to have something to look forward to in the future.
10 Changes Cruisers Can Expect as Cruises Return:
I'm not an expert, but I've done my research. Here are a few changes every cruiser should expect:
Reduced capacity: to help with social distancing on-board, cruise lines will relaunch at a reduced capacity. Most ships can generate a profit with anywhere from 30-50% capacity despite significant decreases in cabin fares. How? Most cruise lines make their money on drink packages, amenities, excursions, and other on-board spending.
More expensive add-ons: cruisers can expect to see an increase in cost across the board. Daily fees, on-board amenities, drink packages, etc. will likely increase in cost to help offset the reduced cabin fares and capacities. But don't think the cruise lines are the only ones hurting. Excursion operators at your destination have also been impacted by the lack of cruising this year. You can expect self-booked excursions to be priced at a premium as well.
More controlled excursions: Excursions may be capped at a certain headcount, and will likely be limited to passengers from one ship (vs. a mix of different ships at port) to help with social distancing and the spread of germs. Expect this to impact costs as well.
Itinerary changes: cruise lines will have to adapt to travel bans like the rest of us. Cruises based from the United States may be limited to certain ports of call. At the time of writing this, the HHS and CDC posted an update to their No Sail Order, outlining that (as of July 10, 2020), "...numerous countries have restricted passenger cruise ship travel to some degree. These include Aruba, Barbados, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, Greece, Grenada, Honduras, Norway, Panama, Seychelles, and Spain."
Masks: cruise lines will likely mandate masks be worn at all times by staff interacting with guests or handling food. It's also likely that guests will be advised to wear masks for certain gatherings.
Social/Physical distancing onboard: entertainment venues, kids clubs, pool areas, embarkation lines, or anywhere large crowds form will likely be revised to allow for better social distancing.
Stronger pre-screening: it's rumored that guests with preexisting conditions will require a doctor's note to embark. I've also read that cruisers over the age of 65 will require proof of a negative COVID-19 test to embark. At the time of writing this there is a lot of speculation, but I expect the cruise lines to come up with a solution that doesn't cut into their biggest profit center - baby boomers.
Pre-book dining: if you're planning to eat in the dining room, cruise lines may require you to pre-book your dining time to help ensure social distancing and capacities in the dining room. Likewise, we can expect that the cruise lines will require guests to dine with their travel party (vs. pot-luck) to help contain the spread of germs.
No-self service dining: if you're a buffet lover, fear not. Buffets aren't going anywhere. However, gone are the days of serving yourself. We can expect that the staff will be solely responsible for scooping and plating all meals on-board. I'll be interested to see how the cruise lines address soda fountains and ice machines.
More rigorous cleaning: this goes without saying. We can expect the cruise lines to take sanitation very seriously. I personally have always found that Holland America has been very sanitary, but despite hand washing and sanitizer stations throughout the ship, I've always been surprised when I don't see more people using them. I expect that the cruise lines will take a much more direct approach to personal hygiene in the future. Mandating guests sanitize before entering the dining hall, entertainment venues, when disembarking/embarking at ports of call, etc.
All of these changes are why I'm confident in sailing again in 2021. The rates are at an all-time low, but the sanitation is at an all-time high. We'll see how the next few months pan-out.
Happy sailing.
AB
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