After so many postponements, not many are hoping the cruise will return in June. After another round of cancellations where Carnival Corporation, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean canceled their trips until early June 2021, is it realistic that the cruise will return?
If we look at today’s signs, it seems optimistic. Every day we see more and more positive movements in the industry. Cruising in Israel and the opening of cruises in the UK, the signs for the US are looking better and better.
We look to see if we can count on a cruise in June or if it turns out to be an idle hope again.
Pros: The pandemic is finally on the retreat!
After more than a year of lockdown, curfew, bars, restaurants and of course the shutdown of the entire cruise industry, there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The number of infections around the world is falling and vaccination programs have picked up speed.
As Richard D. Fain, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean, said in a recent video message last week::
“These are the most hopeful days in a long time. But as we get closer to our goal, we inevitably become more impatient to achieve it. We have to be careful not to screw it up. “
Pros: CDC publishes guidelines for people who have been vaccinated
The CDC is committed to additional freedoms for fully vaccinated people. The Agency issued a statement on March 8 to say that people who are fully vaccinated will be able to do many things that unvaccinated people cannot.
CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky, MD, MPH said:
“There are some activities where fully vaccinated people can now be readmitted back into their own homes.
Everyone – including those who are vaccinated – should continue with all mitigation strategies in public facilities. As science advances and more people get vaccinated, we will continue to provide more guidance to help fully vaccinated people return to more activity safely. “
Fully vaccinated people can:
- Visit other fully vaccinated individuals indoors without wearing masks or physically distancing yourself
- Visiting unvaccinated individuals from a household who are at low risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distance
- Refrain from quarantine and testing after known exposure if asymptomatic
For now, fully vaccinated people should continue to:
- Take precautions such as wearing a well-fitting mask and physical distancing in public
- Wear masks, practice physical distancing, and adhere to other preventive measures when visiting unvaccinated people who are at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness or who have an unvaccinated household member at increased risk of developing severe one Has COVID-19 disease
- Wear masks, maintain physical distance, and practice other preventive measures when visiting unvaccinated individuals from multiple households
- Avoid medium and large face-to-face meetings
- Get tested if you experience symptoms of COVID-19
- Follow the instructions given by each employer
- Follow CDC and Department of Health travel requirements and recommendations
This is an important point for cruise lines. Since the US is currently one of the countries in which the vaccination program is progressing better than, for example, in Europe, this opens up the way for cruise companies to at least operate cruises with vaccinated guests.
Also read: How important a cruise vaccine could be in 2021
People who are not vaccinated could then follow up at a later date. These guidelines are one of the most important points for resuming cruising in the US if the CDC applies the same rules to cruise lines.
Positive: cruise ships mobilize the crew
Several cruise companies have started mobilizing their crew members. Well that in itself doesn’t say much As we saw with the mobilization of NCL in December. What is saying is that we have a combination of factors that tell us that this could be the real thing. Keep in mind that the cruise lines will take a long time to prepare the crew for sailing again.
Photo Credit: Robert V Schwemmer / Shutterstock.com
Not only does it take time to take a ship out of service, the crew must also be trained, quarantined and tested. and in some cases vaccinated before they can sail with guests. Norwegian Cruise Line CEO and President Frank Del Rio said a few weeks ago that it would take a cruise line about 90 days to go from shutdown to full completion.
With the crew members now being called up to go through their papers, medication, and possibly training in their home country, June suddenly looks fine.
Pros: The CDC’s guidelines could be just a few days away
In a business update to investors, Michael Bayley, president of Royal Caribbean Cruise Line said the long-awaited CDC technical guidelines were only days away.
These guidelines are vital for cruise lines to determine the exact technical procedures that the CDC has in mind. Without it, the cruise lines cannot set sail on test cruises and cannot qualify for certification to sail.
In business updateBayley said, “We’re just literally waiting.” Bayley believes it could only be a few more days as communication between cruise lines has been productive and open. Once the technical guidelines have been published and implemented, the cruise lines prepare to sail on test trips. One of the final steps before cruises resume.
Pros: The health measures have been shown to be effective
Much has been said over the past year about how dangerous cruise ships could be during a pandemic. A fact that has been thoroughly debunked by companies like Costa Cruises. MSC cruises, TUI, Dream Cruises and Royal Caribbean.
Photo credit: MSC Cruises
The health measures introduced by the cruise companies have not only successfully prevented COVID-19 from coming on board. German cruise line TUI has proven that positive infections can and will be picked up early with the measures that have been implemented.
Pros: European and Asian cruises a complete success
Costa, MSC, Mein Schiff, Hapag Lloyd, Dream Cruises and Royal Caribbean. Only a handful of cruise lines operated successfully during the pandemic.
With an occupancy rate of 60-70%, pre-boarding tests and firmly implemented measures on board, the European and Asian cruises that these cruise lines have operated are nothing more than a resounding success.
Photo Credit: Justin Tiang / Shutterstock.com
The feedback from the guests was mostly positive. Positive cases were minimal and quickly picked up, and especially the cruise lines
Royal Caribbean already has extended its season in Singapore, announced cruises in Israel based on the same principles and with guests 100% vaccinated, and looking into the possibility of doing the same in the UK once cruises start here in May.
Why is this important to the US? It shows the CDC that the cruise lines know very well how to work safely. If nothing else, it will be an argument for the cruise lines to convince the CDC.
Great Britain opens in May
As mentioned briefly above, the The UK cruise industry will start sailing in May continue. It differs from the US in that the UK has no problem allowing domestic cruises. This is not possible in the USA due to a law that has been in force in the USA since 1886.
However, it will show the CDC that sailing can be done safely while it can give US lawmakers some ideas on how to handle sailing Alaska situation.
Maybe no cruises in June?
While there is positivity on most of the above, there are some pointers to get started that could be many months away.
The CDC’s technical guidelines have not yet been published. Michael Bayley believes they might be imminent; However, the CDC has been on course throughout the cruise ban. In fact, the conditional sail order was nothing more than an extension of a gift-wrapped cruise ban.
Photo Credit: Francisco Blanco / Shutterstock.com
Test sailing can only begin after a period of 30 days vis-à-vis the CDC. 60 days prior to a regular voyage, cruise lines must apply for a conditional sailing certificate.
Worth reading: When will cruises resume in 2021?
Added paperwork and time frames only postpone the process. There are currently 82 days left until June 1, 2021. We need to hear from the CDC very soon if we want to see cruises sailing in June.
Several cruise lines have stated that all crew must be vaccinated, which is welcomed by the many thousands of crew members. The only problem is that many countries are still in the early stages of vaccination.
The Philippines, a country that many crew members come from, just started this week. Vaccines must be brought by the cruise line. And that depends on how many vaccines are available for purchase and when it might be.
Even if the CDC’s situation is resolved and they understand the cruise lines can sail safely, June is still more than 2.5 months away. During this time we could see many more surprises. Disney boss Bob Chapek senses it Maybe autumn 2021 before we even see a partial return of Disney cruise lines:
“We expected that with luck and with the increase in the number of vaccinations and the encouraging trends we are seeing, we might be able to do some limited operations on our cruise lines by the fall of this year, but that will all depend the incidence of the virus and vaccination of the public. “
Are we going to sail in June?
While we want cruises to return as soon as possible, it should be done safely. Meanwhile, the cruise lines have shown that this is possible. As long as the CDC finally publishes technical guidelines, it should have been published months ago, speeding up the requirements for sailing ships. It could be June.
As it stands, it looks positive in many ways, and yes, we are at the end of the tunnel. But let’s be honest, we’re not there yet. Maybe RCL CEO Richard D. Fain put it correctly“As eager as I am to come over for dessert, especially when it comes to chocolate cake. I know I should have my main course before I eat the cake. “
Main Photo: Darryl Brooks / Shutterstock.com
