David Hakimian, 58, a Chicago area oncologist, was looking forward to a week of lazy days on Caribbean beaches as he boarded Windstar’s 312 passengers, recently stretched Star Breeze – only to find he spent a week almost entirely on instead Lake. In Iceland, Viking Sky’s passengers consoled themselves with lobster thermidor and Dover sole after being similarly turned away from almost every port they wanted to visit. And in Alaska, some sick passengers and crew were quarantined in the fishing town of Petersburg after a 10-person coronavirus outbreak ended a 10-day trip on the American Constellation with 175 passengers.
Cruise companies have had more than 15 months to iron out their pandemic-era operations – longer than any other industry. But after seven major lines resumed operations in the U.S. this summer, it’s immediately clear that this ever-changing virus can destroy even the best of plans.
Its executives, who had generally accepted that some Covid-19 cases would surface on their ships, are faced with two unexpected complications: port cities with a zero tolerance policy and the looming threat of the Delta variant.
After an alarming rate of positive cases in the first few weeks after their return, they had to do a large number of pivots – some resulted in cancellations. This includes PCR tests before sailing, including for vaccinated passengers, a mask requirement for interiors and the requirement for proof of travel insurance. Then there are pandemic-related health and safety protocols – such as capacity restrictions and regular PCR tests on some lines – which are often stricter than those on land in the ports they visit, be it in the Caribbean or in Greece.
Even so, in early August, 13 of 18 ships sailing with paying guests had cases on board, according to maps from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“During the pandemic, ‘planning’ was a case of operational mess for the cruise lines,” says Robert Kwortnik, associate professor of service management at Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. “Once a plan is in place, the situation changes – unexpectedly – and that plan is scrapped for a new one.”
The cruise industry’s difficulties begin with the lack of clear industry-wide guidelines; Covid-cautious CDC recommendations contradict the state-wide guidelines of Florida, which have made mask mandates and vaccination certificates legally controversial. And marketing that changes often isn’t sexy. “Promoting hygiene and health measures isn’t exactly a tempting message for a vacation product,” says Kwortnik.
It’s a confusing landscape for everyone, especially consumers.
Take unvaccinated cruise fanatic Laura Angelo, 57, from the Bronx, which will set sail on the Freedom of the Seas in July. After a mix-up about whether she had to do a PCR test before setting out to sea, she was wiped down on board and then promptly booted from the ship in Nassau when the test was positive. But it didn’t go quietly. Her kicking, screaming and argumentative comment went viral after posting her own footage of her “deportation”.
In other cases, promises were not kept.
The 80 passengers who boarded Windstar Cruises’ aforementioned Star Breeze in St. Maarten on June 19 had agreed to a socially distant and pure affair only to find out at the last minute that the company had failed Johnson & Johnson – Obtain vaccines for his crew before departure. As a result, each of the planned ports of call – the British Virgin Islands, Anguilla and St. Barts – refused entry to the ship and allowed Star Breeze to sail aimlessly for days. (The company knew there would be problems with the itinerary and at least gave them a free ride.)
But most travelers these days understand the need to go with the flow. “Our members are becoming aware that travel destinations in the Caribbean and elsewhere are increasingly demanding evidence of a negative Covid-19 test and that cruise lines are implementing testing guidelines to meet this requirement,” said Chris Gray Faust, managing editor of the Cruise Critic website .
Every ocean-facing government on earth has negotiated safety policies with every cruise line – and almost all of them are different. They can range from pre-cruise testing to taking action in the event of an outbreak. But when these are iterated in real time, the passengers get caught in the crosshairs.
Iceland, which was one of the first countries to reopen international borders for rural tourism with compulsory testing in June 2020, seemed a safe choice for the adventure-oriented Viking Ocean Cruises with its breathtaking natural beauty and the predominantly vaccinated population (90% of adults) were completely immune when Viking set sail there in late June). The first two Viking Sky crossings from Reykjavik went smoothly. But then on the fourth day of the third trip, an asymptomatic passenger showed positive and was quickly quarantined.
Viking followed the protocol negotiated with the national government only to tell the mayor of Seydisfjordur (700 residents) that its cruisers were not welcome. Guests who were on hikes through the idyllic valley town or were on its mountain passes to learn something about elves were immediately returned to the ship – only to be turned away from another port the next day. When the Coast Guard ordered the ship back to Reykjavik, the guests had had little Icelandic experience apart from lectures on board about the country’s role in World War II and Game of Thrones. (These passengers received a 50% refund in the form of cruise credit.)
Viking Sky passenger Kristi Chapler Nelson, from Raleigh, NC, took the itinerary changes calmly. “If you leave now, you should expect things to be less than perfect,” she says.
Viking wasn’t alone. As the CDC updated the travel warnings for Greece on August 3 and only recommended essential trips, the Greek line Celestyal Cruises has canceled its entire program with three- and four-day itineraries from the end of August to March 22, 2022.
And the changes continue. The U.S. Virgin Islands changed their rules in early August, promising to refuse ships unless all passengers 12 and older are vaccinated. Abandoned was Royal Caribbean, which rushed to notify unvaccinated guests who were sailing from Florida to St. Thomas on August 8 on the Allure of the Seas, one of the largest ships in the world, carrying 6,780 passengers.
On that day, Michael Bayley, President and CEO of the company, performed a new ritual: he informed his customers of policy and travel plan changes on Facebook. He too seems to take it calmly and comments: “More twists and turns!”
