So you can’t wait for your next cruise?…. Join the club.
The good news is the return of cruising in Australia is looking positive, thanks to the current Australian vaccination target which is anticipated to be reached by early to mid-November 2021 based on current projections. Royal Caribbean are so far leading the way, releasing a revised Australia only program sailing from 13 December 2021 and a forecast for Norwegian Cruise Line to commence Australian sailings from February 2022. Whilst the finer details of the requirements to operate in Australia are still to be determined, all cruise lines are eager to return, along with many cruise guests, with health protocols to be far beyond what is required for most land based accommodation, commercial flights and other land based events or venues.
Has it started back elsewhere?
Across the world, cruising is already back and by November 2021 it is expected to be back up to 80%, being pre covid levels. Sailing from the UK, Europe, USA and the Caribbean, every major cruise line has ships sailing with guests enjoying a family holiday relaxing by the pool or being pampered in the spa. Carnival Corporation will have 42 out of its 91 ship fleet sailing by November 2021. 12 out of those 91 ships would normally be operating in Australian waters.
What is the plan?
Royal Caribbean’s return is based on Australian only sailings and in general a number of short sailings with a reduced capacity with the plan to slowly increase capacity as the season proceeds. Royal Caribbean in particular have been leading the way with cruising from Singapore since December 2020 and have now carried over 120,000 passengers since then without issue. There have been concerns and protocols have been enacted which has avoided any outbreaks. This is important to prove that the additional protocols put in place are tried and tested. With these trial voyages this will pave the way for a return to domestic cruising followed by international sailings to New Zealand or other regions within the Australian travel bubble.
What will have changed?
There are certainly and will continue to be changes from pre covid cruising, such as the potential requirement for masks to be worn, vaccinations and negative tests prior to boarding, dependent on the region and cruise line. Some ships are even adding laboratories onboard. An added protocol is for all crew, officers and staff to be 100% vaccinated and must provide a negative covid test prior to joining the ship as a new or even returning crew member. The one thing that will remain unchanged however, is the excitement and enthusiasm of the crew, waiting to return to the sea and provide that renowned cruise service which is second to none.
The path back to booking
At Holidays of Australia we are well versed on the individual health protocols each cruise line has such as “Healthy Cruising” (P & O Australia), “Cruise Health“ (Princess Cruises), “Sail Safe” (Norwegian Cruise Line) and so on. This allows our team to continue to do what we do best, which is help you plan your next family cruising holiday, a relaxing getaway or an adventurous expedition. One of the positive outcomes from covid is that the cruise lines have banded together to research and implement these measures to offer and maintain consistent safety measures for all guests and crew into the future.
There has also been a number of differing programs for amended covid terms and conditions, generally referred to as “Cruising with Confidence”, which has resulted in a number of Future Cruise Credits (FCC’s). A Future Cruise Credit is a credit for a previous booking, and a number of early offers that resulted in “Bonus” Future Cruise Credits.
Our team at Holidays of Australia are here to help when you are thinking about or ready to plan your next cruise. Contact us on 1300 854 897 or holidays@holidaysofaustralia.com.au
