US cruising company Royal Caribbean is looking for brave volunteers to hop aboard their ships to trial new COVID-19 safety protocols, free of charge.
Since March of this year, the United States cruise industry has been under a ‘no sail’ order. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) planned to extend the ban until February 2021, but this has since been overruled by the White House under a new Conditional Sailing Order which has allowed cruising to resume from November 1.
Royal Caribbean is seeking volunteers to join them on free voyages in 2021 as part of the company’s safety protocols trial runs.
However, in light of the risks posed by an enclosed space such as a ship (and the known large-scale outbreaks on cruise ships), the company will do a series of test runs before resuming their passenger voyages.
The CDC requires trial runs as part of a phased resumption of operations. ‘Subsequent phases will include simulated voyages to test cruise ship operators’ ability to mitigate COVID-19 risk, certification for ships that meet specific requirements, and a phased return to cruise ship passenger voyages in a manner that mitigates COVID-19 risk among passengers, crew members, and U.S. communities,’ the CDC said in its Conditional Sailing Order.
‘While we are eager to welcome our guests back on board, we have a lot to do between now and then, and we’re committed to taking the time to do things right,” a cruise line spokesperson told Travel + Leisure. ‘This includes training our crew in new health and safety protocols and conducting a number of trial sailings to stress-test those protocols in real-world conditions.’
According to Royal Caribbean, the Healthy Sail Panel’s 65-plus-page report includes 74 detailed ‘best practices’ to protect the public health and safety of guests, crew and the communities where cruise ships call. Recommendations include testing, the use of face coverings, and enhanced sanitation procedures on ships and in terminals.
The trial cruises will be a series of short trips to the cruising company’s private island, CocoCay in the Bahamas, in 2021, which would allow it to operate in more of a bubble, Vicki Freed, the senior vice president of sales, trade support, and service, told Cruise Industry News.
The terms and conditions of the volunteer-based trips have not been released yet.
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