Having now taken my first two cruises — one with UnCruise Adventures and the second on Windstar Cruises — since the COVID-19 pandemic initially paused all travel, I can report that travel advisors should prepare their clients to be as flexible as possible.
With a lack of consistency regarding the protocols that passengers must adhere to, agents should check the current regulations per individual cruise line, as well as advise clients that shipboard and destination rules might change along the way.
While there is the option for unvaccinated travelers to cruise on some sailings, the vast majority of cruises do currently require guests to be fully vaccinated prior to boarding, UnCruise and Windstar included.
Within a particular window before leaving home, the line or destination also required me to take a molecular (not antigen) coronavirus test for added assurance.
In the case of UnCruise, I only had to do this non-invasively once prior to the domestic embarkation in Alaska. For Windstar, departing from St. Maarten, I had to undergo a very specific nasopharyngeal PCR test (the more uncomfortable one that samples the back of the nose and throat) as mandated by the island to fly there, as well as take another rapid test at the pier, per the line’s rules. A third test was required to return to St. Maarten, and finally a fourth test to re-enter the U.S.
Originally, I had expected to wear a mask and physically distance onboard both sailings, but new developments were emerging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) specific to vaccinated cruise travel right around the time my UnCruise trip was setting sail.
As such, it was determined that our shared bubble of protected passengers and crew no longer had to do either, and it was a most pleasant surprise to be able to ditch the masks and distancing in most situations both on and off the ship. UnCruise travels in remote territories, and passengers don’t usually interact with other people. It was only when we stopped at Bartlett Cove in Alaska, where people outside our cruise’s group were around, that face coverings were briefly reintroduced.
Windstar, although aware of the new CDC guidelines, operates in and outside of the U.S. and must also adhere to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) baselines and other global regulations.
And here’s where much of the confusion lies. For one, CLIA has not updated its core elements to match the CDC since last fall, and still mandates mask wearing and social distancing. However, this has not stopped Celebrity Cruises, a member of CLIA, from independently deciding that neither its guests nor crew on voyages departing from St. Maarten — which also does not require these measures — need wear face coverings.
Following the delightful freedom to abandon masks on UnCruise, it was admittedly disappointing to have to reinstitute them, especially when all passengers were fully vaccinated. But out of an abundance of caution, Windstar believes multiple layers of protection, including vaccination, are best for now.
This meant face coverings and distancing were mostly necessary when moving about the ship, but not when seated in a lounge or restaurant while eating or drinking. In practice, though, several passengers opted not to wear them while not actively eating, as everyone was sufficiently separated.
What’s more, Windstar is temporarily applying its pandemic policies to sanctioned tours, the only way it currently permits anyone to disembark during a sailing. My parents, who went onshore in St. Maarten, observed that most locals were not wearing masks outside, but face coverings and distancing were still expected of passengers.
My next cruise will take place onboard an equally vaccinated Viking sailing in Iceland, which just lifted restrictions for locals and visitors, and it will be interesting to see how the line compares. It tentatively uses the language that masks and distancing “may” be required “depending on conditions at time of sailing,” as is required on U.K. departures, according to regional reports. But in Iceland, the destination may prompt the ship to relax them onboard, as well.
I’d love to be able to say that pandemic protocols ensure a seamless cruise experience without stress, but they honestly do affect the overall enjoyment. At this time, breezy UnCruise definitely wins my vote in that department over the more restrictive Windstar, if only because it made for a much simpler process overall.
I do anticipate that all lines will soon relax the most rigid protocols that remain. In the meantime, it’s crucial for agents to stay abreast of the latest guidelines and keep their clients well informed.
The Details
UnCruise Adventures
Viking
Windstar Cruises
