What it will take for cruising to resume

[eel]

On 6/2/2020 at 1:42 PM, mek said:

I went to my dermatologist  this morning and they took my temp.  I had been ridding in my convertible with the top down and I was a little hot.  My temp was 99.2 so I guess based on that I would be denied boarding?  Crazy.  I was at the dentist yesterday and it was 98.0.  Guess it really depends on the accuracy of the equipment also.  My son had his taken the other day and it read 90.0.  He just laughed.

As long as any of this stuff is required to cruise why would I want to?

If you had an elevated temperature I bet they would test you again to verify and may do some additional screening before they deny boarding.

[livingonthebeach]

Very interesting article in The Executive Traveler regarding how cutting-edge-technology will help with social distancing requirements and other health and safety measures when cruises resume.  I feel I would be able to embrace the new changes, however, the potential increase in the cost of cruising, due to the implementation of these new requirements is not a welcome change. 

 

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/can-cutting-edge-technology-make-cruising-safe-again

 

"Virtual reality technology, range from smart, wearable devices for crowd control to elevators that work on voice commands and even robot crew members, among the innovations...

 

Going to a ‘less touch’ model is going to have to have cruise companies rethink almost everything they do,

Beyond the obvious need for touchless soap dispensers and toilets, trivia games, menus, receipts will be rendered hands-free; elevator buttons will be replaced by motion- or voice-activated sensors.."

[fandash]

I have been reading quite a lot of the forum topics and I have actually came to the sad conclusion that I will not be cruising for a while - not just down to the fact ships Are not sailing but even when they start sailing Again it is looking highly unlikely my family will choose a cruise holiday.

a holiday should be that ...

a holiday where you can relax.

all the talk about wearing masks, no buffet, daily temperature checks, social distancing and who even knows what will be available entertainment wise - will the pool be available , theatre shows etc all the fun stuff. Well Imo if all the usual stuff not available then cruising will not be a holiday for us for sometime.

we love cruising and I am devastated that I have come to this conclusion but it looks like cruising will be looking unrecognisable ... and that is not good. I feel for the cruise lines because I know why they have to take some of these steps but it is all too much now to have an enjoyable holiday. 

[mek]

54 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

Very interesting article in The Executive Traveler regarding how cutting-edge-technology will help with social distancing requirements and other health and safety measures when cruises resume.  I feel I would be able to embrace the new changes, however, the potential increase in the cost of cruising, due to the implementation of these new requirements is not a welcome change. 

 

https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/can-cutting-edge-technology-make-cruising-safe-again

 

"Virtual reality technology, range from smart, wearable devices for crowd control to elevators that work on voice commands and even robot crew members, among the innovations...

 

Going to a ‘less touch’ model is going to have to have cruise companies rethink almost everything they do,

Beyond the obvious need for touchless soap dispensers and toilets, trivia games, menus, receipts will be rendered hands-free; elevator buttons will be replaced by motion- or voice-activated sensors.."

IMHO - if most of these changes are implemented post -pandemic, then cruising is over.  Some are minor that make sense, but having to wait for a seat in a bar with a pager sounds crazy.  If crowd control is necessary - count me out.

[bouhunter]

11 minutes ago, fandash said:

I have been reading quite a lot of the forum topics and I have actually came to the sad conclusion that I will not be cruising for a while - not just down to the fact ships Are not sailing but even when they start sailing Again it is looking highly unlikely my family will choose a cruise holiday.

a holiday should be that ...

a holiday where you can relax.

all the talk about wearing masks, no buffet, daily temperature checks, social distancing and who even knows what will be available entertainment wise - will the pool be available , theatre shows etc all the fun stuff. Well Imo if all the usual stuff not available then cruising will not be a holiday for us for sometime.

we love cruising and I am devastated that I have come to this conclusion but it looks like cruising will be looking unrecognisable ... and that is not good. I feel for the cruise lines because I know why they have to take some of these steps but it is all too much now to have an enjoyable holiday. 

That pretty much sums it up for us.  There are members here who cruise all year long and some seem ready to put up with anything to get back get on a ship for their "cruising lifestyle" as they call it.  Maybe their business will keep the cruise lines afloat long enough to get past this.

Edited June 4, 2020 by bouhunter

[livingonthebeach]

8 minutes ago, mek said:

IMHO - if most of these changes are implemented post -pandemic, then cruising is over.  Some are minor that make sense, but having to wait for a seat in a bar with a pager sounds crazy.  If crowd control is necessary - count me out.

 

I get it that not many want to be a "guinea pig" in the "new normal" of cruising, but if the price is right, some might buy in.  While there may be some discounted cruises at the restart to lure passengers, in the long run, the cost of cruising might become prohibitive when all the costly required measures are in place.  At this point, more will abandon cruising.  

As the article concludes:

 

“It works in contrast to the thinking there is going to be low-ball pricing when the ships come back” to gin up bookings, he says. “They will need to offset [all the new technology].” (The opposite may be true in cases with less ambitious retrofitting.)

While Sbarsky agrees that massive change will come to every aspect of the cruise experience, he says it’s impossible to make a cruise ship completely touch-free. There’s an emotional aspect to consider: No one wants to vacation in a floating hospital.

“People go on cruises, knowing they are going to be socializing with other people,” Sbarsky adds. “The ideas all sound directionally appealing,” he admits, before pointing out the one major catch: “They all cut into the very fabric of the cruise experience.”

[xxHadleyxx]

There's a river cruise currently underway in Germany.

A French line is selling iteneraries From France (mostly only French ports, but I think one UK as well) from next month.

Tui is looking at German ports only cruises for later in summer.

etc

 

I have a feeling Royal will also start with similar things....Asia cruises that only port in China, EU cruises with only one nation or only certain sets of nations with all good control and monitoring of covid-19, etc.

 

We are currently booked to sail Jewel from Copenhagen to Barcelona mid August.  I doubt that itenerary will remain unchanged, but at this point I would sail it if it did, especially if only passengers who are residents of the Schengen zone are allowed onboard.  I woudl worry about infection in a balcony cabin on a ship sailing those ports, with EU passengers less than I would worry just going out to teh store in teh US right now.

[sandebeach]

MSC has just announced cancellation of all cruises to and from New York for 2020 and 2021. Also cancelled Armonia for Tampa. Wonder if they have decided to focus on Mediterranean cruises. Will be interesting to see if Royal does any port or ship changes over the next few months. 

[sandebeach]

22 minutes ago, sandebeach said:

MSC has just announced cancellation of all cruises to and from New York for 2020 and 2021. Also cancelled Armonia for Tampa. Wonder if they have decided to focus on Mediterranean cruises. Will be interesting to see if Royal does any port or ship changes over the next few months. 

Just saw on social media that MSC Armonia will move to Miami next year from Tampa and MSC Divina will move to Port Canaveral. I think that is the first time that MSC has ported at Canaveral?

[20165]

4 hours ago, fandash said:

I have been reading quite a lot of the forum topics and I have actually came to the sad conclusion that I will not be cruising for a while - not just down to the fact ships Are not sailing but even when they start sailing Again it is looking highly unlikely my family will choose a cruise holiday.

a holiday should be that ...

a holiday where you can relax.

all the talk about wearing masks, no buffet, daily temperature checks, social distancing and who even knows what will be available entertainment wise - will the pool be available , theatre shows etc all the fun stuff. Well Imo if all the usual stuff not available then cruising will not be a holiday for us for sometime.

we love cruising and I am devastated that I have come to this conclusion but it looks like cruising will be looking unrecognisable ... and that is not good. I feel for the cruise lines because I know why they have to take some of these steps but it is all too much now to have an enjoyable holiday. 

Unfortunately i that is where we are landing too.  We're visiting relatives next week and part of that visit is usually to plan out a year end cruise but im getting the impression that its going to be a year end something other than a cruise vacation... 

[John&LaLa]

1 hour ago, sandebeach said:

Just saw on social media that MSC Armonia will move to Miami next year from Tampa and MSC Divina will move to Port Canaveral. I think that is the first time that MSC has ported at Canaveral?

 

The Port Captain mentioned we were getting a new line soon.

[LorraineP]

17 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

The Port Captain mentioned we were getting a new line soon.

What a bummer I’m booked on the Divina YC for 9/13/21 out of NY. Now wait for another refund to come. Already waiting on RCL for refunds. 

[coffeebean]

On 4/3/2020 at 9:02 PM, time4u2go said:

You say that the destinations are secondary, but they can't sail if they don't have destinations.  They can't do cruises to nowhere.

 

Coco Cay and Labadee are part of other countries (Bahamas and Haiti).  Perhaps those countries will allow them to dock, perhaps not.

Why not unless, it is mandated the cruise ship must port somewhere. There are cruisers who cruise for the ship experience, hubby and myself included. There are several ports that we have already been to many times that we don't even disembark the ship.

[time4u2go]

18 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

Why not unless, it is mandated the cruise ship must port somewhere. There are cruisers who cruise for the ship experience, hubby and myself included. There are several ports that we have already been to many times that we don't even disembark the ship.

It is mandated that the cruise ship must port somewhere.  Cruises to nowhere have not been allowed for several years:

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/cruiselog/2015/06/12/cruises-to-nowhere-to-end-in-2016/71124092/

 

[xxHadleyxx]

22 minutes ago, coffeebean said:

Why not unless, it is mandated the cruise ship must port somewhere. There are cruisers who cruise for the ship experience, hubby and myself included. There are several ports that we have already been to many times that we don't even disembark the ship.

Cruises leaving from US ports cannot be cruises to nowhere, as noted above.  Cruises to nowhere leaving from other countries could be an option as the industry restarts

[SeaHunt]

Bringing this over - CC shows the first European River cruise has set sail - here's what they required (NOT that the US will be the same, but interesting to see just how thorough their plan is:

 

Guest embarkation

• Scylla requests its tour operators to investigate the whereabouts and physical health of guests before boarding the ship by means of a questionnaire.

• Scylla AG requires a pre-boarding statement from the tour operator confirming the validated health checks for all passengers participating in the journey, ensuring all passengers being fit to travel.

• Only registered guests and crew are allowed to enter the ship, after performing safety/health checks such as measurement of body temperature and hand disinfecting.

• In case elevated temperature is measured, the passenger will not be allowed on board until the potential risk of a passenger has been defined by the local health authorities.

• Embarkation is arranged with respect for social distance and adapted procedures minimize the interaction between guests and crew.

• Every step of the check-in procedure is being revised to have a contactless experience.

• The main safety rules will be communicated to guests (verbal and in writing) before entering the ship the first time.

• The use of plastic screens and other protective gear is used for embarkation steps that require interaction.

• Before embarkation, the entire ship, including cabins is being cleaned/disinfected and ventilated.

 

Guest interaction on board

• The use of mouth masks is mandatory onboard when walking around.

• Respect for 1,5-meter social distance or compliance with local guidelines with regards to social distancing is guaranteed and clearly communicated onboard.

• General safety measures such as coughing hygiene are requested and clearly communicated on board

When needed, meals and activities are being arranged in time slots to lower the used capacity of communal areas.

• When spaces do not allow social distancing, one-way movements are being installed and clear routing is defined onboard to exclude crossings without a safe interpersonal distance.

• All meals are being served and no buffet services are offered.

 

Onboard services and facilities

A doctor accompanies journeys to preform health checks with crew and guests, for onboard consultations and to assess the potential risks on a frequent basis.

• Quick tests for COVID-19 are available onboard. These can be used by the accompanying doctor in case of suspected risk.

• The temperature of every guest is being measured on a daily basis.

• Clear signage is provided onboard to make guests and crew comply with the defined routing plans.

• Services such as massage, hairdresser for which social distancing is impossible are not available.

• Services with a medium risk of spreading bacteria such as luggage handling are being minimized and performed with adapted procedures to limit risks.

• Facilities with limited space or elevated infection risks such as elevators and public toilets are out of order.

• Our cleaning staff will be taking additional measures in disinfecting surfaces to minimize the spread of bacteria by cleaning handles, staircases, toilets, armrests, guardrails … with cleaning solutions adapted to COVID-19 on an even more frequent basis than is usually done.

• Room service is being stimulated as one of the measures to limit the number of people in the restaurant.

• Non-essential items that would be touched by multiple people are not made available (newspapers/umbrellas/ …)

• No orders can be placed at the bar, all services are based on table services at all times.

• All food and beverages will be served as individual portions with a minimal need for contact between the person serving and the food/drink item.

• Each cabin is being disinfected twice a day, without the presence of the guest. Cabins are cleaned by the same member of the housekeeping staff every time and all members of the housekeeping staff are obliged to wear a face mask and gloves during their activities.

• Al cabins will be provided with a bottle of hand sanitizer.

• Payments can be made by credit card only, except for tips which will be deposited in a tip box.

 

Crew for hotel and nautical operations

• Every crew member will be officially tested on COVID-19 before boarding.

• The crew arrives onboard days before guests to guarantee a quarantine period, after being questioned about their past whereabouts and current and past health situation.

• Procedures are being put in place to ensure social distance between crew members in sleeping, recreational and mutual areas for the crew.

• All crew is being clearly instructed and trained to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.

• The onboard crew is obliged to wear protective gear during working hours and when interacting with guests.

• If it is determined by the onboard doctor that there is a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19 disease on board, an outbreak management plan will be activated. The suspected case will be immediately instructed to wear a medical mask, follow cough etiquette, and practice hand hygiene; the suspected case will be isolated in a predefined isolation cabin with the door closed. Infection control measures will be applied in accordance with WHO guidance (2, 6). The disembarkation and transfer of the suspected case to an onshore healthcare facility for further assessment and laboratory testing will be arranged as soon as possible in cooperation with the health authorities at the port.

 

https://scylla.ch/uploads/files/200519_scylla_protocol_overview.pdf

 

After a nearly three month pause because of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, cruising has restarted -- but only in Germany, with half the usual passengers onboard.

Nicko Cruises, a German domestic line using ships chartered from Scylla, boarded 110 passengers yesterday on NickoVision and set sail at 5.30 p.m. CEST (11.30 a.m. EDT) today for a 13-day voyage along the Danube and the Rhine.

If all goes well, A-ROSA, another German line will restart on June 17 on the Douro river and Scylla’s sister brand VIVA will restart in July. Scylla also charters vessels to Tauck, although that American line still has cruises on hold until August 1.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/5376/?et_cid=3335856&et_rid=16683889&et_referrer=June 2008 Boards Mailing

[sgmn]

17 hours ago, xxHadleyxx said:

Cruises leaving from US ports cannot be cruises to nowhere, as noted above.  Cruises to nowhere leaving from other countries could be an option as the industry restarts

How about cruise around the UK leaving ftom Southampton, would that be allowed or do we have a similar 'must be a foreign port' rule xx

[sewgood]

13 hours ago, sgmn said:

How about cruise around the UK leaving ftom Southampton, would that be allowed or do we have a similar 'must be a foreign port' rule xx

I don't know about the UK but you could look at upcoming cruises to see if they do.

The best that I could find was a round trip for England, Scotland and Ireland that called in at Guernsey also, not on RC though.

In Australia we do allow cruises just to Australian ports but most lines for longer cruises put in a foriegn port or Willis Island (just off the Queensland coast) to qualify for duty free sales.

[Merion_Mom]

14 hours ago, sgmn said:

How about cruise around the UK leaving ftom Southampton, would that be allowed or do we have a similar 'must be a foreign port' rule xx

According to my five minutes of research, the UK does not have maritime cabotage laws.  (the overarching terms for laws that protect domestic shipping).

[LXA350]

On 6/4/2020 at 5:24 PM, sandebeach said:

Just saw on social media that MSC Armonia will move to Miami next year from Tampa and MSC Divina will move to Port Canaveral. I think that is the first time that MSC has ported at Canaveral?

 

In addition MSC postponed it's start date for european cruises to August 1st, let's see if this will really happen. MSC, Costa and AIDA will ned to be seen as benchmark, if they wil start sailing on August 1st the chance that Royal wll do so a well i(out of Europe) is more realistic, as I doubt they want to be the first ones by themselves.

[hazence]

https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Death-Counts-by-Sex-Age-and-S/9bhg-hcku
 

 

[hazence]

1 minute ago, irzero said:

It keeps hiding my posts but this is important bit.

 

Previous pathologies at the time of hospitalization - Italian Data

Patients with 0 pre-existing diseases 4.1%

Patients with 1 pre-existing disease 14.8%

Patients with 2 pre-existing diseases 21.5%

Patients with 3 or more pre-existing diseases 59.7%

 For the US...

 

https://data.cdc.gov/NCHS/Provisional-COVID-19-Death-Counts-by-Sex-Age-and-S/9bhg-hcku