On July 25, UnCruise Adventures’ sailings will resume in Juneau, Alaska.
The news was confirmed by UnCruise CEO Dan Blanchard during a virtual panel hosted by the line and featuring experts from the adventure travel industry.
“Adventure travel is normally the category that takes off first,” Blanchard said. “I can look back to 9/11. I can look back to the 2007 and 2008 financial crisis. A return to business for the travel industry often involves the adventure side first.”
Jake Haupert, panelist and co-founder of the Transformational Travel Council, discussed how adventure travelers are accustomed to go outside their comfort zones, as “that’s where the adventure starts.”
“That’s when you start exploring the unknown,” Haupert said. “It would make sense that adventure travelers are more comfortable with being uncomfortable.”
A return to business for the travel industry often involves the adventure side first.
That’s not to say that hurdles won’t come up, at least in the short-term.
Judi Cohen, a contributor to Quirkycruise.com, explained the need to map out one’s full travel journey and evaluate safety precautions along the way.
“A lot more of our vacation time is going to be spent on processes, protocols, virus testings, screening and more,” she said. “So, every touch point will become important, from when travelers leave their homes to the time they get to the airport and they get on the aircraft or cruise ship.”
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According to Blanchard, UnCruise is focusing on the need to respond to pertinent questions such as “How are we going to respond as a company should there be an outbreak?” and “How will we respond should there be an individual that becomes sick?”
“Those are really important questions for travelers to ask of suppliers right now,” he said. “Getting the correct responses to guests and travelers, before they travel, is critical today.”
But responsibility is not exclusively on the cruise line’s shoulders, he added.
“For the guest, part of [ensuring their overall health] is also preparing for their trip a week in advance by reducing their exposure,” he said. “It’s kind of a two-edged sword on that one. There’s what people should be asking of us, but also what we should be asking of our guests.”
There’s what people should be asking of us, but also what we should be asking of our guests.
Blanchard says he remains encouraged by what is to come, but he also knows certain preemptive measures will need to be taken to achieve a degree of normalcy.
"We at UnCruise Adventures believe that we have to have testing before clients can get on our ships,” he said. “In order to have freedom onboard, we have to have testing. So, regardless of what the state of Alaska does, we’re going to be doing that, and I know other small-ship companies feel the same.”
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