Will short cruises prove anything?

[RICCruisers]

When I look at the proposed short three to five night cruises being proposed to get ships back to cruising, I am not sure what they will prove. If everyone is required to have a negative test prior to boarding, passengers will not have much time to develop symptoms of Covid-19. 

 

The cruises may show how the mask mandates are accepted or how well the no serve yourself buffets work or will cruisers socially distance onboard. What they won’t show is how well the ship will handle the inevitable case of a passenger actually contracting Covid-19. I don’t wish anyone poor health by contracting the virus, but at some point it will happen. This is especially true once the length of cruises increase to 10 - 14 nights. The short cruises are fine for training purposes and are a feel good story for all of us anxious to get back on board as well as for the stock market. I’m just not sure it’s a true test of proving cruising is as safe as it once was. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Interesting question.  My take is that short cruises are not meant to prove anything.  Rather, they are meant to ease back into operations and provide both passengers and local governments an opportunity to test the waters.  With so many precautions being angled to take place, the next and most obvious step is to try them out on real people.  If, like you suggest, there is a case of Covid, then the next phase of the planned plan is subject to kick in.  Perhaps the only thing it will prove is how well the best laid plans from the last several months will play out in real time.  Paper plans can only take the cruise industry so far.  At some point they have to put them into practice.  

[jelayne]

I believe that when cruising gets back in full swing ships will be safer than before.

 

In addition to the training short cruises also allow cruises ship and port cities in the many countries they visit time to work out arrangements to disembark, treat and transport the passengers that experience the virus while on board.  
 

The short cruises  allow passengers the opportunity to experience cruising with the new protocols before committing time & money for long cruises. 
 

They will generate revenue for the cruise lines, ports  and allow those employed in the cruise and tourism industry to get working.  

[phoenix_dream]

I have mixed feelings about the reason. I agree it is a way to test the procedures. I also think in the US this allows them to be close enough to the home port that if there is a case onboard they can rush back to disembark the sick passenger(s) without having to arrange isolation and treatment in every port.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

[cl.klink]

I think the premise of your question is also the answer:  I think the idea with a short cruise is to have a cruise that will not be ABLE to have a COVID risk. The idea is not to prove they can beat back COVID or prevent it. The idea is to skirt the issue altogether.

 

- Joel

Edited October 10, 2020 by cl.klink

[Arizona Wildcat]

51 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I have mixed feelings about the reason. I agree it is a way to test the procedures. I also think in the US this allows them to be close enough to the home port that if there is a case onboard they can rush back to disembark the sick passenger(s) without having to arrange isolation and treatment in every port.  I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

Absolutely.  It is a way to see What works and what doesn't.  Also a way to see if whatever screening procedure is put in place works well - not perfect.  A 5 day cruise would give a pretty good indication about screening.

[hcat]

Passengers will be short term guests but the crew will be on for longer if they follow current contract procedures.  Testing of crew during the cruises will be key esp if they are allowed off  the ship in ports.

[WonderMan3]

18 hours ago, cl.klink said:

I think the premise of your question is also the answer:  I think the idea with a short cruise is to have a cruise that will not be ABLE to have a COVID risk. The idea is not to prove they can beat back COVID or prevent it. The idea is to skirt the issue altogether.

 

- Joel

 

Bingo!

[NutsAboutGolf]

My best guess is they're doing it to advertise lower pricing

 

  

19 hours ago, cl.klink said:

I think the premise of your question is also the answer:  I think the idea with a short cruise is to have a cruise that will not be ABLE to have a COVID risk. The idea is not to prove they can beat back COVID or prevent it. The idea is to skirt the issue altogether.

 

- Joel

 

Except the crew stays on the ship

[cangelmd]

19 hours ago, cl.klink said:

I think the premise of your question is also the answer:  I think the idea with a short cruise is to have a cruise that will not be ABLE to have a COVID risk. The idea is not to prove they can beat back COVID or prevent it. The idea is to skirt the issue altogether.

 

- Joel

Only problem with this idea is that the first cruises will be under such a microscope. It won’t matter how many days the cruise lasts, when someone gets sick post cruise that will be all over the news. Even if the cruise is 3 days and someone gets sick on the day the ship docks, the illness will be blamed on the cruise.

 

i think it will be difficult to attract enough people to be financially viable without at least moving toward 7/day cruises?

[rhblake]

15 hours ago, cangelmd said:

when someone gets sick post cruise that will be all over the news

Only if the cruise line follows each guest for 10 - 14 days after disembarking the cruise. Otherwise it is just another individual getting the virus. There won't be any way to trace it to the cruise.

[TeeRick]

Short Cruise = Baby Steps.

[NutsAboutGolf]

I don't understand the premise of this thread as there are currently more >7 night sailings than there are <7 night sailings, globally.

[wrk2cruise]

20 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I don't understand the premise of this thread as there are currently more >7 night sailings than there are <7 night sailings, globally.

 

Not for the next few months🙂

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Not for the next few months🙂

 

[wrk2cruise]

Ok I should have said the ones that WILL SAIL for the next few months.

[RICCruisers]

31 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

I don't understand the premise of this thread as there are currently more >7 night sailings than there are <7 night sailings, globally.

The premise was based on the the fact that the cruise line executives and the guidance from the Safe Sailing Panel have suggested they start with short cruises.  It did not relate to the length of cruises currently being sold. Those two facts are actually in opposition to one another.  

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 minute ago, RICCruisers said:

The premise was based on the the fact that the cruise line executives and the guidance from the Safe Sailing Panel have suggested they start with short cruises.  It did not relate to the length of cruises currently being sold. Those two facts are actually in opposition to one another.  

 

Thanks for clarifying; yet it appears that X has far more 7+ night cruises than short cruises so it appears they're not following the SSP's suggestion.

[wrk2cruise]

The issue is they have not announced their actual plans/protocols to return to sailing.  They have stated that they will accept the recommendations of the Healthy Sail Panel when they do.  If they do implement the recommendations they will start with very short sailings with no ports or private islands only, slowly expanding to sailings no longer than 10 days.  

 

My opinion is it will take several months to get to those longer sailings up to 10 days.   It's also my opinion that we won't see lifting of the short term recommendations in the report during this Caribbean season so probably no 11/12 night itineraries.

[RICCruisers]

3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Thanks for clarifying; yet it appears that X has far more 7+ night cruises than short cruises so it appears they're not following the SSP's suggestion.

This brings up a totally different topic for a new thread about how in the world are cruise lines going to follow the recommendations of the SSP when all they have for the most part are 7+ night sailings.  Will they be following Royal's lead by changing ships and itineraries along with completely cancelling some cruises in the near term. Once the guidance that was proposed last Friday on the conference call with VP Pence comes out we may have that answer.