When a crescent moon, low on the horizon, swings around your cruise ship from starboard to port, you don’t need a compass to know your itinerary is about to change.
Over the last few months, I have often commented about how I believe cruises may be a safe way for travel to resume as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.
I’m not talking about thousands of passengers clamoring shoulder to shoulder for the poolside “Hairy Chest Contest” while remaining untested, unvaccinated and unmasked.
No, I’m talking about ships operating at substantially reduced capacity, with cabins set aside for potential quarantine. Itineraries traveling to ports where vaccine rollout is robust and, if not, to ports where “bubble tours” can be implemented — for the safety of residents, passengers and crew alike. I want to sail with cruise lines that have established protocols, that enforce the rules they advertise with passengers and crew, and that adapt swiftly to the changing circumstances that will be with us for many months to come.
These are among the reasons I felt safe on my first cruise in 19 months, a July sailing on Windstar Cruises’ newly “stretched” Star Breeze, out of St. Maarten in the Caribbean.
All crew and passengers were fully vaccinated, and masks were required while inside the vessel, except while eating or drinking. Because the ship sailed at less than half capacity, there were no crowded spaces to navigate; most of our dining was alfresco. Every passenger complied with taking four separate COVID-19 tests.
Two of the three islands we visited allowed us to disembark only on Windstar-approved shore excursions, a bubble where interaction with locals was mostly curtailed. On these tours, I observed most islanders wearing masks — even people standing alone at a bus stop. At each port, I thanked dock workers, guides and drivers for welcoming us back, and for managing protocols to keep us safe. Sitting on the pearlescent sands of Antigua’s isolated Valley Church Bay with a couple dozen fellow passengers, I felt privileged to return.
Upon arrival in St. Lucia with Windstar, guests' temperatures were taken and a bracelet identified visitors.
Credit: 2021 David SwansonFlash forward to August, and I was on my second cruise, this time onboard Atlas Ocean Voyages’ brand-new ship, the 196-passenger World Navigator, sailing its inaugural voyage from Athens, Greece, to Alexandria, Egypt.
Atlas began selling cruises before vaccines were widely available in the U.S. I was told upfront that, although crew would be fully vaccinated, Atlas would not retroactively require passengers to be vaccinated.
Editor's Note: On Aug. 26, Atlas Ocean Voyages announced that it will require proof of vaccination from all guests, beginning with World Navigator’s Oct. 4, 2021 voyage.
I boarded with my eyes open. But I expected that announced protocols, which included masks in all public areas of the ship, would be enforced. They weren’t. Crew was sometimes seen with masks down, and a few passengers did not wear a mask at any point, including on shared bus transportation.
I expected that announced protocols, which included masks in all public areas of the ship, would be enforced. They weren’t. Crew was sometimes seen with masks down, and a few passengers did not wear a mask at any point, including on shared bus transportation.
Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that not only were some passengers ignoring masks, but they were anti-vaccine. Some of these people were among the 17 travel advisors onboard. Now, imagine my ire when a fellow passenger overheard one of these guests bragging about having a forged vaccination card saved on her phone, in the event local authorities in Greece required it for touring.
How a Positive Case of COVID-19 Onboard Our Cruise Was Handled
Then, it happened. On the seventh morning of the itinerary, PCR tests administered before departing Crete revealed a positive case of COVID-19. The news was announced by the ship’s captain, who added that rapid, antigen tests had been administered to the individual and his close contacts. All tests had come back negative, but additional PCR tests were now being done to confirm the results, and all these individuals had been quarantined.
The ship’s public areas emptied. Hushed whispers revealed the case was a young man in his mid-20s, fully vaccinated, traveling with his mother and grandmother. It was at this moment, halfway between Greece and Egypt, that I noticed the ship had slowed from a cruising speed of 13 knots (14 mph) to about 6 knots (7 mph).
Although the pool, spa and boutique were closed, most of the ship continued to operate as usual. As we waited for the PCR results to be announced, I chose to dine alfresco, and sitting on the outdoor deck facing aft at the ship’s main restaurant, Porto, I enjoyed a 180-degree view of sea behind us. The sliver of a crescent moon hovered low on the horizon to the west as we motored slowly toward Egypt.
Soon after drinks arrived, the engines suddenly returned to full speed, and a couple minutes later, I noticed the moon’s position had shifted and was now almost straight behind us. Over the course of about five minutes, the moon moved from the ship’s starboard side to port — we were turning around.
Cases are inevitable with this sneaky virus — the challenge lies in swift mitigation and containment through contact tracing and quarantine, processes that are potentially easier on a cruise ship than on land.
About an hour later, the captain announced what I had already deduced: The second PCR test had confirmed the first positive result, and we were returning to Crete.
We landed in Heraklion, Crete, the next day. The COVID-19-positive guest was offloaded to quarantine in a local hotel, and it was announced that Atlas would charter two planes to fly us to Cairo, where we would be able to enjoy one of the two days that had been scheduled for the end of our trip in Egypt.
Cruise Lines Need to Enforce Protocols
Mask-wearing had not been enforced on World Navigator, despite Atlas knowing in advance they had unvaccinated passengers. While it’s not known how the one positive case happened (and he was usually seen in shared spaces wearing a mask), the anti-mask contingent made this cruise unsettling in ways it didn’t need to be.
Still, compare this against travel to Las Vegas, or theme parks in Orlando, Fla., or any number of vacation options around the U.S. In these places, no vaccination is required, no testing is mandated, and masks are the exception, not the rule. Where do you feel safe?
For me, the cruise ship bubble feels right for this moment. Cruise lines have differing protocols, and even protocols within a given line’s ships can vary from one to the next. But I believe the cruise industry knows the future of their industry is at stake and, for the foreseeable future, will endeavor to minimize any spread of COVID-19 on their ships. Note that I said “minimize.” Cases are inevitable with this sneaky virus — the challenge lies in swift mitigation and containment through contact tracing and quarantine, processes that are potentially easier on a cruise ship than on land.
The next morning, on the flight to Cairo, Alberto Aliberti, president of Atlas, assured me that all the line’s Antarctic voyages this winter will require full vaccination. The bubble will start in Orlando, where all passengers will head to Ushuaia, Argentina, on private chartered Airbus A330s. A full vaccination policy will probably go into effect for World Navigator some weeks earlier, to comply with rule changes at ports the ship will call on prior to Antarctica.
Yes, this may result in cancellations for Atlas.
But the moon has circled the ship. This is the way forward.
