by David Anderson, Gramps Travel
While the answer is nobody knows when it may happen, there are some important steps that need to occur first in order for the cruise lines to start up again.
New policies submitted and approved by CDC
By all accounts, the first step for cruise lines to resume service is to come up with a plan on how they will keep guests safe.
When the CDC instituted the first “No Sail” Order in March, they required each cruise line to submit a plan for protecting people on their cruise ships.
Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line are addressing this by the formation of the Healthy Sail Panel, which is actively working on creating new procedures to institute aboard cruise ships. Thus far, it sounds like the first set of recommendations by the panel will be shared by the end of August. Once the full plan is in place, Royal Caribbean will submit it to the CDC for approval.
End of the No Sail Order
The next biggest hurdle for the cruise industry is the end of the “No Sail” order that formally prohibits cruise lines from operating with passengers onboard.
The CDC has extended the order two times already, and it is currently slated to end September 30, 2020. Of course, that could be extended again.
There is no clear indication of when the CDC will loosen the reigns on the cruise industry, but it stands to reason that two things need to likely occur:
The public health emergency needs to subside
The cruise line needs to have approval for a safe return to cruising with their submitted plan
There very well could be additional steps required for the prohibition to be rescinded, but as long as it stands, there will be no cruises.
Ports need to reopen
Some countries have started to re-open their borders to international travel, and a few have already closed back down. Regardless, cruise ships need somewhere to go for cruises to start back up.
More than likely, if the CDC were to allow cruises to start back up again, there would be a few ports of call that would be open, but it is still anyone’s guess as to which ones would open and when.
Start-up plan announced
One of the last major steps to look for is a plan of action of which cruise ships will begin sailing and when.
More than likely cruises will resume with just a handful of ships at first (and those with limited capacity), with a phased approach to bringing the entire fleet back.
When will this happen?
The steps outlined in this post are merely the basics, and while you might be wondering how soon these could occur, it truly is anyone’s guess.
What we know about the virus is changing on a daily basis, advances on a vaccine are moving long swiftly, and new announcements by the cruise lines and various governments provide a new outlook almost as quickly as the old ones they replaced.
While no one has a crystal ball that can predict when these steps will take place, these changes are a good way to measure progress towards getting back to life at sea.
Gramps Travel is owned and operated by David Anderson. David is travel agent who specializes in cruise vacations for families, couples, reunions, and groups of all sizes.
Gramps Travel is dedicated to offering you the best prices and advice while maintaining an emphasis on customer service. Don’t hesitate to contact David so he can help you plan your next travel adventure!
To learn more, Follow Gramps Travel on Facebook or visit http://www.grampstravel.com.
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