Royal Caribbean International has over 100,000 form submissions for volunteers to take trial cruises as part of the CDC’s new Conditional Framework to restart cruising in the United States.
Forms filled out required a person’s name, phone number, email, Crown and Anchor Society number, and the number of people in a person’s party, meaning the cruise line likely has upwards of 200,000 potential volunteers assuming each form submitted is for two people.
The news came via Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley in a Facebook post.
The two largest US cruise combines will not sail again until the new year at the earliest. The North American brands of Carnival Corporation and those of rival Royal Caribbean Group confirmed an extension of sailings until December 31 – joining Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, which confirmed an extension of its suspension of cruises across its three brands until the end of 2020. The latest pause affects Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard North America, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn together with RCG lines Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea. Global ocean cruising has already been shut down since March due to the Covid-19 pandemic with many lines already cancelling cruises well into 2021. The US last week cleared the way for the cruise ship to resume sailing in American waters from November 1, but have yet to confirm when paying passengers will be allowed on board. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ‘Framework for Conditional Sailing Order’ will see cruise lines operate itineraries with no passengers on board to demonstrate the effectiveness of Covid-19 prevention measures and compliance with CDC measures. Carnival Corporation chief executive Arnold Donald, confirming the extension of the pause in operations of its North American brands from December 1 until December 31, said: “Our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, protecting the environment, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in communities we touch, our crew and shoreside employees. “We continue to work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and global government and public health authorities, as well as top medical and scientific experts around the globe, on a comprehensive plan for the eventual restart of cruising in North America. “With their collective guidance, we have developed and continue to update our enhanced health and safety protocols that are in the best interest of our guests, crew and overall public health. “Whenever we restart our cruise operations in the US, we certainly look forward to welcoming our guests onboard.” The date for restarting cruise operations will be communicated by each respective brand and available on their websites, Carnival Corporation said. “The company and its brands are also notifying crew members, travel professionals and other stakeholders,” the group added. RCG said: “Our primary goal continues to be a healthy return to service for our guests, crew and the communities we visit. “As we work with the CDC and others toward this shared goal, Royal Caribbean Group will be extending the suspension of sailings to include those departing on or before December 31, 2020, excluding sailings from Singapore. “Celebrity Cruises has already suspended their full 2020-21 winter programme in Australia and Asia. “Additionally, Azamara has suspended their 2020-21 winter sailings throughout Australia and New Zealand, South Africa and South America. “We will be reaching out to our guests and travel partners to share further details and address any questions or concerns they may have.” Welcoming the CDC’s pathway for return to service announced on Friday, RCG said: “While we are eager to welcome our guests back on board, we have a lot to do between now and then, and we’re committed to taking the time to do things right. “This includes training our crew in new health and safety protocols and conducting a number of trial sailings to stress-test those protocols in real-world conditions.”
Quantum of the Seas would be the only Royal Caribbean ship with passengers. FILE PHOTO: Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas. Photo courtesy Kallis Video Production
By Kyunghee Park (Bloomberg) –Two cruise ships will start sailing from Singapore from next month into the open seas and back as the city-state aims to give residents some outlet for their wanderlust amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Genting Cruise Lines’ World Dream and Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas will begin round-trip journeys from November and December respectively, the Singapore Tourism Board said in a statement Thursday.
Stringent protocols for cruise operators and passengers to permit the pilot voyages have been established under a CruiseSafe certification program. They include Covid-19 testing of crew and passengers, increased sanitization, fresh air circulating measures, and onboard steps to discourage close contact and intermingling. The boats will sail at a reduced capacity of 50% and the journeys are only open to residents of Singapore.
“This cruise pilot is a valuable opportunity for cruise operators to reinvent the entire cruise experience in order to regain the confidence of passengers,” said Singapore Tourism Board Chief Executive Officer Keith Tan. “Singapore remains committed to supporting and growing cruise tourism in the region.”
The cruise-ship industry globally shut down in March after a series of Covid-19 outbreaks at sea, including one at cruise giant Carnival Corp.’s Diamond Princess off Yokohama, Japan, in February. Even healthy passengers have suffered, as many ports turned ships away for fear of seeding new shore-side outbreaks. Tens of thousands of crew members were trapped on vessels for months.
Singapore is looking at ways to boost its tourism industry, which has been hit hard as the pandemic decimated travel. The outbreak has led to record losses at the nation’s flag carrier Singapore Airlines Ltd. and destroyed traffic at Changi Airport. The government warned earlier this week that Singapore can’t afford to wait a year or two for a vaccine to become widely available.
A bar inside the main lobby of the Genting Dream cruise ship berthed at the Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore in 2018.
Genting is offering two- and three-night packages starting Nov. 6. In July, the cruise operator restarted services in Taiwan. Royal Caribbean will operate three- and four-night packages from Dec. 1.
Passengers will need to get tested and submit travel and health declarations before they board. During the trip, they’ll have to wear masks at all times and keep a safe distance of one meter. Tracing tokens or apps will be mandatory outside of cabins.
Crew members that are flying into the city-state will be required to take a test on arrival and another at the end of a 14-day quarantine.
The tourism board said that Singapore is one of the first countries to develop and implement a mandatory audit and certification program for cruise lines. Prior to sailing, all cruise lines out of Singapore must obtain the CruiseSafe certification, which requires assessment by a third-party certification firm.
Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean are in the process of attaining the certification, the board said, adding that Singapore will decide on the next steps for the cruise industry after carefully monitoring the voyages.
To woo customers, Royal Caribbean is offering various flexible terms and conditions, including Covid-19 related onboard medical cost cover of up to S$25,000 ($18,400) per person.
Wetravel2u's Weblog 