If there was any doubt about whether Australians would embrace the return of their cruise ships, it would have been dispelled this week as we celebrated news of deployments and itineraries from Carnival Australia and Royal Caribbean.
P&O Australia was so excited the line’s new boss Marguerite Fitzgerald flew to Europe to front a video of flagship Pacific Explorer’s crew cheering the news that the ship was underway. You can see the video here
And the line also produced the artwork for our lead picture depicting what Explorer will look like when she becomes the first ship to dock at Brisbane’s new port after her sailing to Queensland from Sydney on May 31.
There was even news that Carnival Cruises may add another “fun ship” to its fleet. Carnival has been forced to continuously reshuffle its fleet, which resulted in having only Carnival Splendor set to be deployed in Australia while Spirit was on duty in America until September 2023.
Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald said: “It would not be illogical to think at some point, once things are up and going again, that Carnival would have a stronger presence. We have no specific plans at this time.”
Princess Cruises, who are owned by Carnival Corporation, has already announce that Coral Princess will be redeployed to Australia, taking up a new home at Brisbane’s new international cruise terminal.
Royal Caribbean has also announced new itineraries for the 2023/2024 Australian season with Ovation of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas joined by a third ship, Enchantment of the Seas which will debut Down Under.
So how will life be different on board?
The first thing you can likely expect is strict pre-departure testing requirements and another test once you’re onboard your cruise. Another current unknown is where and when masks will be required, the pattern across cruising in the rest of the world is masks will be required where social distancing is not possible. For example, in theatres or other intimate indoor venues.
A cruise classic that many Aussies would have been craving is the buffet, however, the trend shows that the buffet hasn’t gone anywhere, but does look a little different now. It’s more likely to expect a buffet with staff serving you from behind screens, rather than the free-for-all you might be used to.
Another dining change that’s been happening on post-pandemic cruises is staggered meal times, with guests being allocated times to eat in order to avoid restaurants getting too crowded.
However, overall, those in the know say safety shouldn’t be a concern.
Carnival spokesperson David Jones told A Current Affair: “It’ll be safer onboard a cruise ship than at your local shopping mall. If it were to happen [a positive case onboard] you’ve got all the facilities to deal with it.
“You’ve got mini hospitals on board, you’ve got medical staff, the ability to do testing, and the ability to do isolation.”
What will the vaccination policies be?
While it’s shaping up as highly likely that adults will need to be double vaccinated in order to get on a ship, there are two significant questions that remain: Will you need a booster shot, and what about younger children?
The states have yet to issue guidelines.
Cruise lines across the globe have started instituting booster shot requirements. For example, the first cruise line set to return to our shores, Ponant, have a requirement overseas for adults who had their second dose more than six months ago to be boosted in order to sail. Similarly, P&O Cruises have instituted a booster shot requirement on certain longer sailings, including a 35-night Caribbean sailing on Ventura, meaning booster shots could also be on the cards for them.
More than 12 million Australians have received booster shots so it likely won’t be an issue for many, but it’s worth keeping in mind moving forward.
It is also currently unclear that lines vaccination policies towards families will be, currently all Australians aged five years and older can get vaccinated. However, for families with even younger children or who have not yet been able to vaccinate their children, this has yet to be cleared up.
To tell the truth, I am so glad to hear this inspirational news that cruising will resume its activity because it is a great breakthrough and such a necessary step forward in these times. From my point of view, new possible requirements and rules are inevitable, but I think that it can only make cruising work more effective and stable, which is necessary in this period of time. I stick to the position that our health and safety are paramount and I think that strict pre-departure testing requirements are necessary measures which can ensure it. Also, I think that wearing masks should remain mandatory in many cases because their degree of efficiency is high, despite the fact that a lot of people underestimate it. I have no doubts that there will be a high level of security on board the cruise liner because I think that everything is provided down to the smallest details.
I am so glad to see cruising is back
We have 2 cruises booked before the end of the year
I think we need to all be boosted to get on a cruise
As a Pinnacle Member of Royal Caribbean Cruises Crown & Anchor Society I express my total disgust about Royals cancellation of Radiance of the Seas 2022/2023 season. It appears that the American market out of New Orleans and Galveston are more important than the Australia.I like many thousands of Australian cruisers had booked on the ship in good faith. Some of the guests had booked numerous back to back cruises covering Alaska and the reposition cruise back to Sydney, not to mention air fares and side trips in Canada. All now up in smoke. I myself had e booked back to back cruises from Sydney on 6th December 2022 which covered the Christmas/ New Year which were booked over 2 years ago. The sad part is the way Royal made their announcement via travel agents emails to affected guests. These agents have had a terrible time during the Covid lockdown and now they have to once again go through the process of cancellation and where applicable re-book alternate cruises. The one big problem, everything is booked out and Royal have not offered alternatives, other than suggest their guests try and make their own alternatives. To add further insult, Royal announced their 2023/2024 season 2 days after announcing the cancellation of Radiance 2022/2023 cruises leaving affected guests no time to plan for 2023/2024. The Christmas 2023 cruise is now close to full capacity especially the high end suites. Finally to deploy the very old and tired Vision Class ship Enchantment of the Seas is an insult to Royals loyal Australian guests. My guess is they don’t care. Well I also don’t care and have switched cruise lines offering more modern up-to-date faclities.
I have family members vaccinated and others unvaccinated. Some at Diamond level, and a few just below.
But, Cruising is no longer a choice for us because of the mandates.
I get it if you are overseas and getting off at foreign ports, one needs to be aware of the vaccination regulations for each country.
However, if you are cruising around Australia then where is the necessity for mandates. Local Airlines don’t require it. And, there haven’t been any cases of planes having Covid flights!
I KNOW, there are many people who feel as I do that are vaccinated. And some who do not. However, many more as time goes by are realising as the experts have said, we all just need to live with it and let go of all the fear that was unnecessarily spread by the media, and the ridiculous foretelling by certain Govt funded Institutes.
Follow the science of Drs and researchers who are not reliant on Govt. grants, take into consideration legal proceedings and outcomes that are now becoming more frequent.
Who is responsible for checking the Covid rules and regulations of the ports in each of the countries that are being visited?
From my understanding, each country has different rules, so how will this affect the cruise and or passenger being allowed to visit these ports?
Will the shipping company ensure the safety and Covid rules are adhered to when booking the cruise, or will it be up to the customer who has to ensure their own safety and compliance with the countries being visited?