“Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” -Ryunosuke Satoro
The experience of taking a cruise will be forever changed by the Covid-19 crisis; Cruise ships have been hit hard by the pandemic and day to day cruise ship from booking a cruise to disembarkation will be changed.
Guests will be required to follow stricter rules and restrictions to minimize social contact:
- Passengers 70+ may need to a Doctor’s note proving that they are fit to travel
- All guests may be required to show proof of travel insurance
- We expect an increase in booking of balcony cabins which may drive down the prices of inside cabins. We may find more ships built without inside cabins at all. There are already some luxury cruise ships which don’t have inside cabins.
- The process of embarking on a cruise is likely to change as well. There may be health screening processes in place worldwide with temperature screenings. Technology has been developed to to make the temperature checking process more efficient; A large group of passengers in Japan experienced having their temperatures checked all at once while boarding their cruise ship. This technology may become more commonly implemented in ports all across the world.
- The biggest changes will come from onboard experiences: Dining, cleaning and entertainment are three areas set to change dramatically. Many cruise lines have revealed new healthcare measures they’ll be taking post covid-19 such as removal of self serve buffets. They will more than likely have some form of buffets but the food will be served to guests by the staff and the cutlery and sauces will not be left on the tables. Dining rooms may see more space between tables and disposable paper menu may become more popular.
- Hand washing or hand sanitizing for guests entering any dining venue will be mandatory. We may see extra hand cleaning stations in places like the theaters, lounges, and bars.
- Many cruises have said that going forward their guest’s cabins will be cleaned and disinfected twice daily and cabins of sick guests will have to be sterilized to hospital grade. Most ships allow for 100% external air to be filtered and supplied to each passenger cabin as well as on board public areas, ensuring a constant and healthy flow of fresh air throughout the vessels.
- All public areas onboard will undergo a two-tier sanitization process with thorough cleansing, fogging and wiping using hospital grade disinfectant.
- Elevators will be cleaned every 2 hours; Public areas and facilities 2-10 times daily; Spa and amenities will be cleaned at least twice daily; Frequent touchpoints such as rails, lift buttons, table-tops, door handles etc. will be sterilized every hour or less during peak hours (embarkation and disembarkation time, returning from shore excursions and meal periods).
Most cruise lines used their hiatus period to implement comprehensive crew training to reinforce the new effective cleaning procedures, health and hygiene protocols and efficient guest interaction, which will be adopted as the new safety norm for the cruise industry.
With these new standards in place the industry is optimistic that they will rebound and regain the confidence of cruise passengers.
