When the cruise industry in July 2021 returned from a shutdown, ordered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, of US ports, I was one of about 800 passengers on Royal Caribbean’s first cruise. (RCL) Freedom of the seas.
Protocols were not fully formed at the time, but masks were generally required inside and everyone eligible to be vaccinated had to be vaccinated.
The rules were set pretty quickly after that, with the cruise line — as well as rival Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) — requiring vaccinations for every passenger age 12 and older as well as negative tests for Covid taken no more than two days before sailing.
When I told people I was sailing not only on that RCL return cruise, but almost every month or so after it, I often got looks of horror. Cruises, for some of the non-traveling public, were dangerous places where disease could spread unchecked.
In reality, everyone on board except children under 12 was vaccinated and tested, and the entire cruise industry stepped up its already robust cleaning procedures while also improving air filtration.
Yes, disease can spread in a closed environment like a cruise ship, no matter what precautions are taken. But the same can be said for theme parks, airplanes, hotels, concerts and sporting events. You’re just not into those things yet when you actually get sick.
Cruising—at least to me—seemed much safer than going to a grocery store in the South Florida town where we lived at the time. There, you never knew if the unmasked person standing nearby who didn’t believe in social distancing had active Covid. On a cruise I knew every person was vaccinated and tested.
This isn’t complete protection — nothing is — but the risk has never seemed greater, or even as great, as that of simply running errands in my chosen city.
Now, that has finally changed and it creates a dilemma for the cruise industry.
Image source: Daniel Kline.
Cruise lines drop (most) Covid rules
While data varies slightly by cruise line, cruise length and destination, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian have lifted most of the Covid protocols.
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Unvaccinated passengers can now sail (with a negative Covid test) while passengers who wish to try vaccination generally no longer have to test.
It’s easy to see why cruise lines want to make these changes. If more people can sail, in theory, they should sell more tickets.
The problem is that removing protocols while Covid is still raging makes sailing less safe.
Yes, as every cruise industry executive seems to have said, these changes put the industry on par with other forms of travel. But that doesn’t change the reality that what was once an almost fully vaccinated environment will add unvaccinated passengers to the mix — and that increases the risk for anyone taking a cruise.
And while people want to make this a political question, for the industry it’s simply an economic one. Many cruise lines are of a certain age, and the question for Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian is: How do you balance safety and the ability to sell as many tickets as possible?
This question is not simple, nor should it be reduced to a referendum or any kind of political debate. Cruise lines want to be as accommodating to as many people as possible, while also making all passengers — some of whom are elderly or have other health problems that make Covid a greater risk great – feel safe and welcome.
Smooth sailing for now
As a relatively healthy 48-year-old man who has been vaccinated and boosted (again, forget any politics behind those decisions), I’m still planning to cruise between September, October and December.
However, if I had any health concerns, the imminent end of the Covid protocols would give me more cause for concern than I had when the rules were very strict.
Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian must balance actual safety, safety visibility, and the bottom line.
Cruise has been one of the safest, if not the safest, options since returning to regular service. These changes make being on a ship less safe, but should lead to more passengers on board, possibly increasing ticket prices. That’s good news for cruise lines, but it’s also a very fine line to walk.
Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian all embraced the need to create a safe environment during the darkest days of Covid. This is actually not new – cruise lines have always worked hard to stop the spread of disease on their ships.
But all three must remain vigilant and be ready to reinstate some Covid protocols if the situation changes.
