No matter where you personally stand on the Great Mask Debate of 2020 — even the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention differ on their advice regarding mask wearing — face coverings and social distancing are already popping up in travel protocols. But compared to, say, onboard an airplane, are masks feasible for an entire cruise vacation?
We already discussed the challenges of COVID-19 testing before boarding a cruise ship, but actually enjoying the onboard experience is another story. On a plane, social distancing is next to impossible, so masks make sense as a safeguard — especially if passengers have not been tested directly before boarding.
If cruise guests, on the other hand, have been cleared as healthy before reaching the ship, perhaps face coverings should not be as necessary. Besides, although technically confined, cruisers have far more room to social distance on a ship than passengers on a plane.
The big-picture question for leisure travel at large is whether travelers will want to wear a mask for the duration of their vacation. It’s one thing to wear a mask for several hours on a plane or over the course of a single day at a theme park, but on a multiday cruise (or even land trip), it can quickly become a claustrophobic discomfort contrary to the purpose of total escape.
Besides, two of the most popular cruise pastimes are eating and drinking, which are obviously very difficult to do wearing a mask. (Not to mention wearing a mask while swimming in the pool, and so on.)
Shipboard social distancing without around-the-clock mask wearing is more practical. Restaurants, even without self-serve buffets, could temporarily have to return to assigned seating times to ensure that diners are properly spaced out.
Seating at live shows will also be subject to change, possibly with spectators having to alternate theater seats. And in an effort to avoid congregating in tight spaces, cabin corridors could mimic a current grocery store approach with only allowing for one-way traffic. There are even rumblings of eschewing mass lifeboat drills in favor of televised versions.
Nonetheless, cruise lines are still considering masks. Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., has hinted that facial coverings may come into play onboard, and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has applied to trademark a “seaface” mask for viral isolation. But whether or not face coverings will be required of guests has yet to be made official, at least on ocean voyages.
Clients on riverboats chartered by Riviera River Cruises and Tauck will be mandated to wear masks according to their operator Scylla. Other river lines have indicated that wearing a mask will be a choice that guests can make for themselves.
There are many similarities between the Las Vegas experience and a cruise, and the Vegas Strip is looking to take the approach of suggesting, but not requiring, facial coverings.
Ultimately, finding the right balance between safety and comfort will help preserve the feeling of being on vacation, along with travelers having an abundance of choice and the freedom to make personal decisions. Empowering clients — in addition to preserving their confidence in the hygiene and safety of their journey — will go a long way toward the recovery of the travel industry and the cruise segment specifically.
