Travel Tuesday: Will anyone feel comfortable with a cruise vacation again?

As cruise ships sit in port, the possibility of a cruise vacation seems to drift further away.

Are you dreaming of a cruise vacation? While that dream might be tempting, will travelers ever feel comfortable embarking on another cruise ship?

With travel restrictions starting to lift and people ready to pack that suitcase, many people wonder what vacations can and will look like both for the remainder of 2020 and beyond. While Florida theme parks have reopened to limited capacity and Las Vegas resorts are welcoming guests, one of the biggest vacation industry segments remains closed.

Although some people might be wanting to set sail again, the health concerns still weigh heavily. In the era of social distancing, a cruise ship does not lend itself to a well-distanced location.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) just released some of its guidelines for its members. One significant requirement is for all passengers and crew to be tested for COVID prior to embarking.

While this requirement seems important and plausible, it doesn’t take into some considerations. Questions about when the test is taken, how it is administered and many others are not addressed.

Here’s an example, a family travels from Texas to Florida for their Carnival cruise vacation. Everything is fine at home, but they have traveled a long way. At home, they have a negative COVID test but are exposed during travel to the cruise ship. Could that scenario be captured and/or prevented?

While a negative COVID test seems to be an obvious requirement for a cruise vacation, the definition needs to be clarified. More uncertainties piled on an uncertain world.

Other recommendations were shared by CLIA. Some parameters were obvious, like mask requirements and social distancing. Overall, the organization was trying to create a general recommended policy that could help get those ships out of the dock.

While the industry is taking measures to try to restart tourism, it will take tourists to enable success. Some people might never feel comfortable traveling the waters with thousands of other people on a mobile city.

Anyone who had previously been on a cruise understood there were always health precautions. Hand sanitizer was the norm long before COVID. In light of the current world, could an even bigger change be coming to the cruise industry.

In the last several years, cruise ships kept getting bigger. From roller coasters to race tracks to multiple stages to gourmet dining, a cruise ship offered it all. Each year the ships got bigger and bigger.

Given the current climate, could cruise ships take a step back and downsize? It all depends on the guests’ wants and needs. Of course, they will never want to give up the impeccable service or the luxuries. But, they might want those items on a smaller scale.

In the end, it will come down to business. The cruising industry has a long road of recovery ahead. It is more than just picking up anchor and heading out of port. What the future holds is on the horizon but no one is quite sure what they will find.

Would you be comfortable going on a cruise vacation any time soon?