What’s Cruising Going To Look Like in 2021?

In March 2020, I was scheduled on a Mekong River cruise to Vietnam and Cambodia with AmaWaterways. I had booked my cabins, received my visas, and cleared my calendar. Then the world shut down. Countries closed their borders and cruise ships came to a halt. Eight months later, I still have no idea when my cruise will be rescheduled for.

Curious to know when will you be able to go on your next cruise vacation? While there’s no certainty, chances are 2021 will bring new changes to the cruise industry, making it safer and viable.

Cruise to the Italian Riviera

Europe is Sailing

Cruise ships in Europe started sailing in Summer 2020 amidst the pandemic. With only European passengers on board and local (mainly river cruise) itineraries, many of the cruises were able to contain COVID-19 outbreaks. “With enhanced measures in place – including 100% testing for passengers and crew prior to boarding, mask-wearing, physical distancing requirements, highly controlled shore excursions and many more, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) members have gradually resumed sailing in Europe and other parts of the world with success,” the organization said. CLIA members comprise 95% of global oceangoing cruise capacity.

AmaWaterways became the first U.S. based river cruise line to resume operations in Europe. They followed protocols outlined by not only the CDC, but the World Health Organization, IG RiverCruise and other official authorities.

US Suspended Until Dec 31, 2020

In the U.S., CDC banned cruising until October. On Oct 31st, it lifted its No Sail Order on cruise ships in U.S. waters, but with a series of requirements – 74 in fact. CLIA member cruise lines extended their suspension of cruise operations through Dec. 31, following the CDC’s latest order, which ended the cruise ship sailing ban but replaced it with an extensive series of requirements cruise lines must undertake to resume sailing again in U.S. waters. These were established by The Healthy Sail Panel.

Cruising on Anthem of the Seas in the Mediterranean

Simulations/ Test Voyages

The framework includes a requirement that ships conduct test sailings prior to restarting commercial operations and present to the CDC a report showing that those sailings were successful in mitigating the risk of spread to crew, passengers and communities. 

Once a simulated voyage is complete and the cruise line reports on its results, the CDC will determine whether that ship will receive a Conditional Sailing Certificate or if it must modify its practices or engage in additional simulated voyages.

Also among the requirements is that a cruise line must apply for elements of Conditional Sailing Certificate at least 60 days before a ship plans to launch passenger cruises, which is likely to push any sailing in U.S. waters until at least early January.

More than 100,000 people signed up to take part in Royal Caribbean’s test sailings just days after the cruise line put out a call for volunteers. Sign up here if you want to be on a simulated voyage.

volunteer on a cruise
Cruise lines are looking for volunteers on simulated voyages

Sailing Agreements

Further, there are new restrictions by the ports. Cruise lines must establish agreements with shoreside healthcare entities in any ports in which they plan to operate, in case they need to evacuate any passengers and crew in need of Covid-19 care to a hospital.

sail to key west

For example, Key West has capped the number of cruisers allowed ashore and the size of ships allowed to dock, and to give priority to ships based on their health and environmental records. Their measures include banning cruise ships that carry more than 1,300 people, including passengers and crew; allowing only 1,500 cruise passengers per day to disembark; and requiring ports to prioritize berthing to companies based on their scores with the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program and their record of environmental violations. According to the Florida Ports Council, Key West is one of the busiest cruise ports in the nation, with about 393 ships and 913,323 passengers visiting during the 2018-19 season.

viking world cafe

Food and Tours

Meal service and entertainment venues are going to be modified to facilitate social distancing. While most cruise ships around the world stay docked, many cruise lines are launching new designs and new ships. AmaWaterways is replacing buffets with more personalized dining experiences, from à la carte dining to debuting show kitchens on the newly renovated sister ships AmaBella and AmaVerde. Silversea is launching a new culinary focused Silver Moon ship.

Shore excursions may be fewer, and restricted to smaller groups, rather than bus load. Many of these now focus on outdoor adventures, natural spaces, sustainability and ecotourism.

Views from a Cruise Ship

Smaller

Heard of barges, gulets or Turkish schooners? Luxury tour operators and yacht rental companies are seeing growing demand from first-time customers and ocean cruisers for the variety of small-boat products that enable families or groups of friends to travel in their own bubble.  

These include slow traveling river barges that carry six to 18 passengers. They have sails but are typically powered by engines. You can do a full buyout to create your own itinerary and meals in a Covid-safe bubble. Where could you go? Turkey, Croatia, Mexico, and most of the Caribbean is open to US citizens.

In the meantime, learn about Croatia’s delicious food

Also important to note that The Framework for Conditional Sailing Order applies to all cruise ships, which the Order defines as commercial passenger ships with the capacity to carry more than 250 people and where an overnight stay onboard by passengers or crew is anticipated.

cruise in the galapagos islands

Private Islands

To avoid crowds and port agreements, some cruise lines are developing their own private island, just for the passengers to enjoy. Expect more itineraries from Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings. CEO Frank Del Rio said that the cruise company is the only one with a private destination in both the Bahamas, with Great Stirrup Cay, and the Western Caribbean, where it developed Harvest Caye in Belize.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean International’s senior vice president of sales, trade support and service, confirmed that the first sailings the line will offer when it resumes service will be short cruises to its private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Continuous Testing

When you do get on a cruise, expect to be tested before and during the sail. According to Viking Cruises, “Continuous PCR testing, along with our extensive onboard hygiene protocols, will lead to making Viking ships a safe place to get away to and explore the world.” The Norwegian cruise operator has installed a laboratory capable of running daily Covid-19 tests on all guests and crew onboard its 930-passenger Viking Star.

When onboard infections are detected in time, they can avoid any ship wide outbreaks. The important things is that the ships have a procedures (and space) to isolate those who are infected.

cruise travel in Greenland

Cruise Restart Will Take Time

It is unlikely that cruise ships will start sailing in January 2021. It takes time to bring crew from various countries, quarantine and test them, provision and prepare ships for service, and deploy them to ports. This will likely take a minimum of two months. The bigger piece for all the cruise lines is to combat media negativity and consumer fears.

two cruise ships
Photo by Samson Bush on Pexels.com

Economic Impact

Why should you even care? With rising COVID-19 cases, who wants to book, let alone go on a cruise in the distant future?

CLIA says that each day without cruise operations in the U.S. results in nearly 1,000 American jobs lost and that from mid-March through today (Nov 2020). It is estimated that the suspension of cruise operations has resulted in a loss of more than $25 billion in economic activity and over 164,000 American jobs. Globally, the cruise industry generates over $150 billion in economic activity every year, supporting 1.17 million jobs paying more than $50 billion in salaries and wages.

“The positive news regarding a vaccine, together with our Travel Waiver Plus program, proven health and safety protocols, and innovative designs give guests peace of mind,” says Kristin Karst, Executive Vice President and Co-Founder of AmaWaterways.

And when you return from your cruise ship or river cruise voyage, check here for the latest CDC advise to passengers.

Read about my fly/ cruise to Antarctica in January 2020

Cruise Ships and Naturalists Conserve the Galapagos Islands

Often times, once a destination gains popularity, tour companies and travelers pour in from around the world, threatening the sanctity of the place. Finding a balance between allowing for outside visitors and not destroying the natural habitats, can be a challenging feat. It was however, humbling to see the extent of preservation initiatives in the Galapagos National Parks of Ecuador during my recent visit.

First, I found that tour operators must pay a significant license fee to the park to obtain permits. These can range from $25-100k, depending on how many guests the tour agency plans to bring per year and how much they charge per person. Once the National Park gives permissions to visit the Galapagos Islands, they assign itineraries that must be strictly followed. This means that the tour companies are told which routes to take, which islands they can visit at what times of day, how long to spend there, etc. By doing so the Park ensures that visitors don’t constantly walk around in the same areas and disturb the wildlife each and every day. It also means that tour operators cannot travel the same route two consecutive weeks and have to offer different programs to their clients.

cruise ships in the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador

Visiting Galapagos Islands by small to medium size cruise ships is very popular. This is largely due to the huge range of cruise holidays available. Private boats can be arranged for 10+ passengers, while most vessels are designed for 16. There are also a few ships that take 100 passengers at a time. Unlike other cruise docks, the ships and boats in the Galapagos are only allowed to anchor themselves far from land. Most islands do not have a port, so transfers have to be made via water landing. Even the islands that have small ports, such as San Cristobal and Santa Cruz, allow only fishing boats to be parked near the docks. You have to be very cautious of this area due to it not having a port because accidents or injuries may occur that could be fatal, if this were to happen to a traveller then its best to seek medical help as well as reaching out to a specialist lawyer. And if you’re a worker on the boat and are also involved in the accident then you should get in contact with maritime attorneys. When travelers get out for day excursions, they have to transfer from the cruise boat to land via panga (dinghies). Even when going kayaking and snorkeling, they have to jump off the panga at the sites. As a result, you could see sea lions, iguanas and pelicans welcoming visitors at every island. It seems they did not feel threatened by humans, as the boats here do not produce loud noises or oil spills.

panga used for water landing in the Galapagos Islands

Thirdly, naturalists who work for the park accompanied the tourists throughout their tours. It is required by the Park to have at least 1 naturalist for every 16 passengers, although companies like Ecoventura organize 2. They not only educate visitors about the flora, fauna and history of the Galapagos, but also act as eyes and ears of the park. They made sure that the humans did not touch the animals, walked off the trails or wandered on their own. The naturalists were required to report any hazards seen on the islands to the park authorities.

sea lions resting on the beach in Galapagos Islands

While most islands in the Galapagos looked pristinely beautiful with white sand beaches and turquoise blue waters, water currants would occasionally bring debris on to shore. It was good to see that the naturalists made sure to collect any garbage they saw. They even asked the passengers to collect it during our excursion and took it back to the boat for proper disposal.

naturalist pick up trash from the Galapagos IslandRead more about the sustainability efforts of the Ecuador based cruise ship company, Ecoventura.

Read more about our experiences with the Galapagos Sea Lions.