Cruises – whether you love them, hate them or feel you have better things to do than think about them – aim to open up the world and remove barriers to travel.
“You only need to unpack once,” is the mantra of the industry – and the appeal is strong. You are staying in a luxury hotel that glides, apparently effortlessly, around the Mediterranean, the Baltic or the Caribbean. Each day you arrive at a different location, ready to explore; and at sunset you set sail for a new horizon, ideally with a drink in hand.
The epitome of carefree travel. Or is it?
The UK government doesn’t exactly inspire confidence: “Although operators have taken steps to improve infection control, cruise ships continue to experience Covid-19 outbreaks, affecting passengers and seafarers.
“The confined setting on board and combination of multiple households enables Covid-19 to spread faster than it is able to elsewhere.”
Cruises with confirmed or suspected Covid-19 cases have previously been denied permission to dock or to disembark passengers. This can have serious implications for those on board. To be fair, the government hasn’t updated its guidance on cruise-ship travel for the past six months. And this week, some restrictions eased – with Norwegian Cruise Line saying “all travellers are invited to sail with us once again, regardless of vaccination status”.
Except that what the cruise line says is one thing; what the destination requires is another.
“Destinations on your itinerary may have various requirements, such as specific documentation, testing, or having a booked shore experience,” says Cunard. Anyone who has not been jabbed and who wants to sail to or from, say, Spain or Canada, is unable to do so.
While the direction of travel is the steady easing of restrictions, many cruise lines still demand proof of vaccination and testing.
Marella, the Tui cruising arm, insists for all sailings this month that passengers aged 12 and up have been jabbed (and if the initial course was more than 270 days ago, proof of a booster injected at least a week ago must also be provided).
Everyone aged two or over must take a Covid test the day before flying out to join a Marella ship, whether in Mallorca or Corfu – which injects a fair amount of jeopardy to any trip. Until a negative result comes through, you do not know whether you will be able to sail.
Fred Olsen concurs: “All guests are required to take their own lateral flow test at home within 24 hours of the…
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