CRUISING DURING A PANDEMIC: WHAT TO EXPECT

The cruise industry is just starting to set sail again after a long shut-down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, my husband and I decided to take an experimental cruise to the Caribbean to see how things have changed. (Oh, and also to escape the wintery chill of Idaho.)

This isn’t a post to praise or vilify cruising, or to convince you that it’s the best or worst way to travel, or to say that it is altogether safe or unsafe to travel by cruise ship. This post is for those who already want to cruise and are wondering what may be different from pre-pandemic cruising days.

Please note that most of this information is based on my recent experience cruising with Royal Caribbean. Sailing requirements for this and other cruise lines change frequently.

VACCINATIONS ARE REQUIRED

For most cruise lines, full COVID-19 vaccinations are required for all guests. The exceptions include children. Some cruise lines allow those who are 11 and younger to be unvaccinated. Some allow only those age 4 and younger to board without a vaccine. For most cruisers, however, a full dose of an approved vaccine must be completed at least 14 days prior to sailing.

YOU WILL BE TESTED. A LOT.

Even with proof of vaccination, you will need to take some sort of COVID-19 test at some point along your journey. Depending on your port of embarkation, you may need to present a negative test just to get to your ship’s port city. For example, our cruise departed from Bridgetown, Barbados. We were required to have a standard PCR test taken within three days of our arrival. We were then required to take an antigen test at the cruise terminal on the day we boarded the ship. We had to take another antigen test to disembark the ship on the final day. Luckily, that test also fulfilled the testing requirements to come back to our home country of the U.S.A. Find out beforehand what the embarkation country, the cruise line, and your home country require for testing so you can plan the most efficient and cost-effective nose-swabbing possible.

TESTING REQUIREMENTS ARE NOT ALWAYS EASY TO UNDERSTAND

We actually ended up taking two more additional COVID-19 tests on our recent trip because there was so much unclear information about testing requirements. Barbados immigration, the cruise line, and the airline offered conflicting information about which test would suffice for entry into Barbados. We ended up taking a rapid PCR test and a standard PCR test before leaving home. The rapid PCR test was not accepted in Barbados, and the standard PCR results had not come back to us before our plane landed there. We were then required to take a standard PCR test at the Barbados airport and quarantine (at our own expense) until we received the results. We are all new to pandemic travel, so we suspected there might be some delays. As with any travel, we always budget extra funds for unforeseen expenses. We tried our best to have a go-with-the-flow attitude, and everything turned out okay even with a few hiccups. I hope that at some point, the various travel entities can have matching testing information that is easily accessible to travelers.

SO LONG, DRESS CODES

Now, I’m not saying you should wear your bathing suit to the main dining rooms onboard the cruise ship, but it’s now something of an option.

Cruise ships are operating with fewer crew members right now, so they have consolidated dining areas and are trying to streamline the process. On our ship, the buffet was open only for breakfast and lunch. That meant that dinner was only offered in the main dining room. Workers from the buffet area moved to the dining room to serve the evening meal. Because there was only one option for nighttime dining, dress codes were flung overboard. All were welcome in any sort of attire. Personally, I enjoy dressing up, but I didn’t want to do it every night. I enjoyed the more relaxed atmosphere while still getting the gourmet eats.

REDUCED CAPACITY

Many cruise lines are also operating with fewer passengers on board which means virtually no lines at the café, an easy on-and-off the ship in port, and no fighting for a seat in the theater. We never had trouble finding a spot in the hot tubs and usually had the pool to ourselves. For now, at least, cruise fares are holding steady even with reduced capacity. It remains to be seen if fares rise to make up for lost revenue.

NO TOUCHY IN THE BUFFET

The days of making a mountain of mashed potatoes and a tower of cookies on your plate are long gone. In the buffet, passengers are not allowed to serve themselves. Do not touch any serving utensils! The crew will scoop up whatever you request.

I had hoped that this new method would keep me from overeating. Not so! The crew will gladly pile the food high on your plate if you ask them to do so. You definitely won’t be going without any of those yummy cruise foods you’ve loved in the past.

ENHANCED CLEANING AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS

Every cruise ship I’ve ever been on has always been spic-and-span, scrubbed daily, and laced with a network of hand-sanitizing stations. But now…all of that is supercharged. Elevator buttons, hand railings, pool deck chairs: they all get spritzed and sanitized even more frequently than before the pandemic. Sea pass cards are no longer swiped but rather bar-code scanned by crew members to eliminate any transfer by hand. Exiting the theater is done methodically by section to keep passengers social distanced. In some eateries on board, menus are downloaded digitally on your phone.

LESS FREEDOM TO GO ASHORE ON YOUR OWN

First of all, I will say that I have gone on many wonderful shore excursions offered by cruise lines. I have also gone on some that really stunk, so I enjoy having the option to book a tour through a third-party or just being able to go ashore and wander freely without an organized tour.

At least for now, that freedom is a rarity. On this most recent cruise, we had only one out of six ports of call that allowed us to go about on our own. The other five required that we purchase a shore excursion through the cruise line. In most cases, we were effectively in a bubble while on these tours. We were not allowed to shop or eat at any place not designated for the tour. We were also not allowed to interact with any local vendors or citizens in general. This, for me, took away a lot of the magic of travel.

My recommendation is to book shore excursions that involve some sort of nature hike or outdoor adventure. This way, you can still feel immersed in some aspect of your destination without putting yourself or others at risk of exposure. Riding around on a bus for four hours certainly keeps you “safe” but doesn’t constitute “seeing the sights” to me. I want to breathe in the air of the place I’m visiting.

Cruise lines are at the mercy of the port’s most recent policies, so check before you book to find an itinerary that best fits your style.

ITINERARY CHANGES

Be prepared for changes to your cruise itinerary. With governments changing travel regulations almost daily, there is a likelihood that the cruise you booked isn’t the cruise you will take. Our itinerary was changed twice between the time of booking and the time of sailing. Two of our port stops were cancelled due to border closures and the onset of the Omicron variant. My advice: if your ports are changed, just go and revel in the adventure and spontaneity of it all.

BUILT-IN ISOLATION

While on the ship, there are protocols that inherently make socializing harder to do. In the theater, you are asked to seat yourself at a distance from other parties. Every other dining table around the ship is taped off. Bars and lounges also have seating arranged so you are away from others.

Now, if you were to make friends and were to sit with them during lunch, the crew will in no way stop you from doing so. You are free to mingle with others. It just seemed like we had to make more of an effort to meet new people and be gregarious. It can still happen, though.

MASK MANDATES ARE PREVELENT AND EVER-EVOLVING

A couple of weeks before our cruise, we received an e-mail stating that we would be required to wear masks only at a select few venues around the ship. A couple of days before sailing, we received an updated e-mail stating we would be required to wear masks at nearly EVERY venue around the ship. We were only allowed to be mask-free on the pool deck, in our stateroom, and while actively eating or drinking. Just be prepared for any eventuality. We still had an enjoyable vacation even with this last-minute change to protocol.

FLEXIBILITY

The number one rule of travel, flexibility, still holds true. Travel has always involved risk. Sometimes your trip doesn’t go as planned. Sometimes you have to do uncomfortable things while traveling. But it is still worth it to get out and explore our amazing world.

I am in no way criticizing cruise lines for their new protocols. I think it is wonderful that they have hashed out the logistics in a way that allows us to get back to sailing. To carry on with limited crew members and even more limited numbers of passengers is an accomplishment. Even with all of the changes, I would encourage travelers to get back to cruising. There is nothing about the new state of cruising that would keep me from taking another cruise again soon. After all, we humans are pretty adaptable, right? Happy sailing!