Even as countries in Europe are slowly easing out of lockdowns, Europe's cruise ports, which right about now would be gearing up for the busy summer season, appear in a state of suspended animation. There are no tourists in Venice's Piazza San Marco, a flurry of pigeons the only movement. A lone runner jogs along the polished flagstones of Dubrovnik’s elegant Stradun boulevard. Amsterdam’s waterfront, normally abuzz, is lined with laid-up riverboats. Off the Bahamas, cruise ships slowly circle in hopes of being eventually allowed to dock in nearby Miami: They are empty of passengers, but thousands of crew are still stuck on board, waiting to go home.

The year had started full of promise for the cruise industry. Some 30 million passengers were expected to sail and 22 new ships were due to launch, among them Virgin Voyage's jazzy new Scarlet Lady, Celebrity Cruises' innovative Apex, and the swish new expedition ship Crystal Endeavor.

The virus took the cruise industry, as it did the rest of the world, by surprise. When word came in early January of the first confirmed outbreak, in Wuhan, China, the cases of illness seemed a distant and irrelevant matter. Many ships were already under sail. Some were headed on three-month round-the-world journeys, while others were taking that trip-of-a-lifetime to Antarctica. Others still were on culture-packed voyages around Asia's vibrant—and crowded—capitals.

all aboard cruise lines

By mid-February, the virus was no longer a Chinese problem. The world watched as the 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess was quarantined in Yokohama, Japan, sickness racing through passengers and crew. More than 700 were infected and 13 died.

By early March, as the virus tore its way around the globe, the cruising world collapsed like a house of cards. On March 11, the World Health Organization officially declared coronavirus a pandemic, and just three days later, on March 14, the CDC issued a flat-out "no sail order." It is currently in place until July 24—or until Covid-19 is no longer regarded as a health threat.

While all this was happening, hastily introduced regulations by governments around the world left lines scrambling to repatriate thousands of passengers and crew already under sail. Panicked port officials slammed shut their metaphorical doors, making those operations all the more complex. Ships would arrive in port as planned, on itineraries designed years previously, only to be turned away—even when, in some instances, they had no documented cases of Covid-19 on board.

So where do we go from here?

Some have speculated that cruising won't be able to mount a comeback, but the industry has an ace in the hole: A passionate community of dedicated cruisers. There is a core group of travelers who have an unshakable passion for life afloat, be it adventure cruising, the ultra-luxury ships, or the large floating resorts. “We must never forget that at the heart of the travel industry is the human desire to connect with people and nature in the world around us,” says Rudi Schreiner, founder and CEO of luxury river cruise line AmaWaterways.The desire to travel has not disappeared.”


Were ships unfairly stigmatized?

Earlier this spring, media the world over embarked on a cruise-line feeding frenzy. Headlines screamed "Prison Ships" (because of passengers denied disembarkation in ports) and "Floating Petri Dishes." Yet, as many in the cruise industry pointed out, while cruise ships were demonized for "spreading" the virus, airplanes were still in the sky and sports stadia were still hosting mass gatherings, despite the early social distancing orders.

silversea antartica
Courtesy Silversea/CT Productions
Seabourn's Seabourn Quest cruising Antarctica.

“Cruise ships do not create viruses nor are they ‘petri dishes,'” says Tom Baker, CEO of Houston-based travel agency, CruiseCenter. “The current Covid-19 virus was carried onto the ships by infected passengers, just like any person who travels by airplane, bus, or taxi, stays in a hotel room, visits a restaurant or store, or pushes an elevator button can carry it.”

As CLIA, the international cruise industry association, points out, the figures on ships were simply easier to track because the cruise industry by law must declare any outbreaks of sickness on board—the way a large hotel or resort, for instance, is not required to. (It is one reason why cruise ships are so readily associated with the stomach bug norovirus.) “What is different about the cruise industry is that the very stringent reporting requirements applicable to vessels do not apply to comparable venues on land where the spread of communicable disease is just as prevalent,” the association said in a statement.

cruise quote 1
Michael Stillwell

Cruise lines were also castigated for continuing to sail during the crisis, although only a tiny number kept sailing as they wound down their operations. The highest profile "stranded ships" had not broken any rules; many had already set off before the no-sail order was issued. And one even succeeded in turning a potential drama into a good thing: Azamara Cruises’ 684-passenger Azamara Pursuit, which departed Buenos Aires on March 2, bound for Lima, Peru, was turned away from one South American port after another, including Callao, the port for Lima, and Valparaiso, Chile, where the ship waited outside the port for three days before being resupplied with provisions and fuel.

But because passengers and crew had in the process effectively quarantined together for three weeks and were all healthy, social distancing wasn’t necessary and the company hastily extended the cruise to Miami, where they were finally allowed to disembark. Yoga, dolphin spotting and deck parties kept everyone entertained, and passengers heaped praise on the crew after the voyage and gave the sailing the company's highest guest satisfaction ratings ever.


What is happening in cruise world now?

All passengers have now arrived home, although as of last week, thousands of crew, many from India, the Philippines, and Indonesia, still remained at sea. In the absence of repatriation flights, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity Cruises have now begun actually sailing crew members home, some all the way to Asia, or conveying them to ports across the Caribbean, then putting them on specially chartered flights home.

Cruising is without a doubt bruised, and the three biggest lines, Carnival Corporation, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean, will not qualify for U.S. government aid, as they are all registered offshore. What’s more, drastic new protocols will be needed to restore confidence, as well as an extensive public relations campaign to communicate the details of those protocols to prospective passengers.

viking rhine
Courtesy Viking
A Viking longship winding its way along Europe’s Rhine River.

For ships sailing to and from US ports, the CDC's no-sail-order remains in place and lists various protocols that the CDC would need to sign off on prior to any sailing: how would a ship dispose of used PPE, for example, and precisely how would any sick passengers be tested onboard? Importantly, the CDC wants cruise lines to demonstrate that, should an outbreak occur, they would not be over-reliant on government resources and local shoreside hospitals.

cruise quote 2
Michael Stillwell

Adding to the confusion, individual countries apply their own rules to port closings, as they do with border closings generally. The Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean, for example, has banned all ships from calling at the archipelago's ports until the end of 2021. Spain's two-week quarantine for all arrivals means cruising there is not an option. Australia and New Zealand, likewise popular cruise-stop countries, remain closed. Grand Cayman, in the Caribbean, has suspended port access until September.

It may seem gloomy, but what cruise lines know is that if they can hang on, their committed customers—those who see a boat voyage as the ultimate vacation—will be back. For now, cruise lines are trying to keep this desire alive with generous future cruise credits, often to the value of 125% of the cruise fare, against canceled voyages.


What will sailing innovations look like?

When cruising does return, we will step off the gangway into a different world. Its shape is becoming clearer as cruise lines begin to tentatively reveal what might change.

Screening will be prevalent and rigorous.

Many cruise lines, big, medium, and small, have already announced preliminary plans for future voyages. Princess Cruises has a new "Cruise with Confidence" program. Pre-boarding checks may include "a thermal scan to check temperatures, and in some cases secondary screenings," per their website. Crystal Cruises also has new protocols, including temperature testing, detailed pre-boarding health questionnaires, and denial of boarding to anyone who has traveled recently to countries identified by the CDC as having a recent outbreak of Covid-19.

seabourn
Courtesy Seabourn
A Seabourn ship sails along the coast of Tuscany, Italy.

Cruise lines might adopt a strategy similar to that of Emirates airline, which already conducts rapid-result Covid-19 tests on embarking passengers. Industry watchers predict something even more stringent. "Imagine this," one insider suggested: “[Each day on board,] you open a kit in your cabin, swab cheek, seal the swab, submit the test to a medical steward. A negative reading validates your lanyard card for the day. A positive one cancels it and sends you to the ship’s doctor and likely quarantine.”

Social distancing will rule.

Say farewell to the self-service buffet; from now on, all food will be waiter served and tables in restaurants will be arranged much further apart. Outdoor dining on deck, always appealing, will be even more so now. “All of our yachts already do outdoor dining," says a spokesperson for small ship line Windstar, “but now all of our three Star Class yachts—Star Breeze, Star Pride, Star Legend—are undergoing a major renovation that will further increase [space for] it.”

Luxury cruise lines have an advantage here, as by definition they have more space aboard per passenger. “Given our high space-to-guest ratios, social distancing will naturally be easier to implement than on the larger ships,” says Barbara Muckermann, chief marketing officer for Silversea Cruises. “Even in our buffets, passengers are already mostly served at their tables instead of via self-service, which upholds social distancing.” As another Silversea spokesperson told us, "Look, there will be a new normal. The reason we are not prepared to say what we are doing [in more detail yet] is because requirements are changing not just daily, but hourly."

For all ships, other measures might include:

  • Fewer passengers per cruise. The term "50% of capacity" is bandied about in cruise world, but that will likely vary.
  • Staggered embarkation and disembarkation times. You'd arrive in port exactly when advised (as opposed to during the large window that has been the norm), and embark in waves rather that in a long line. Windstar is experimenting with this, a spokesperson says.
  • An expanded medical crew. Instead of the usual one doctor and two nurses, ships may now carry extra medics. Telemedicine may be offered, in partnership with renowned medical institutes on land.
  • A certain number of cabins allocated for potential quarantine cases; in you go if you test positive at any point of the cruise.
  • Social distancing around the pool: Loungers would be spread out, and there might be scheduled pool times. (Family groups would sit together, of course.)
  • Spread out seating in the ships' theaters. Family groups together, but spacing between each party.
silversea pool deck
Courtesy Silversea
Normally filled lounging areas, like this Silversea pool deck, will have to be spaced out for social distancing.

Even the little things will change. New protocols announced by the upscale river cruise line Uniworld, for example, include the removal of the candy and cookie jars that have long served as guilty pleasures . Shared items like bread baskets and butter dishes are consigned to history. And dining will be by reservation, with passengers sitting at the same table for every meal—goodbye to turning up when you like and sitting where you like (but so worth it).

Cleaning will be supercharged.

The scale of cleaning will be unprecedented, onboard and off.

Hong Kong-based Genting, which owns Star Cruises, Dream Cruises, and Crystal Cruises, was the first company to announce new protocols, back on April 6. A detailed document outlined methods for deep cleaning of bathrooms, regular disinfecting of bed linens, and "fogging" of empty cabins (spraying them with disinfectant). Busy areas like lounges would be cleaned "up to 10 times a day," the spa twice a day, and door handles, lift buttons, and stair rails every hour.

And then there are the off-ship protocols, which are slowly being revealed, with many lines yet to publish their new guidelines. River cruise operators will deep-clean coaches used for shore excursions. There may be comfort here in booking through a line that uses its own branded coaches (as opposed to subcontracted ones), such as does Crystal River Cruises and Viking. Whether drivers and tour guides are required to be tested remains to be announced, as are the rules pertaining to private cars used for shore excursions (the more deluxe way to go).

crystal cruise
Courtesy Crystal Cruises
Crystal Cruises, a luxury line with a range of mid-sized ships, has already announced a new disinfecting and screening protocol for their vessels.

Ships using equipment like kayaks, snorkel gear, and paddle boards will be constantly sterilizing them. Aqua Expeditions, the boutique expedition-cruising company, which operates on the Mekong, the Amazon, and in Indonesia, has announced that it will "clean and disinfect all excursion equipment prior to and after use, including but not limited to skiffs and tenders, kayaks, bicycles, dive and snorkel gear, and life vests. Snorkel gear is distributed to guests to keep throughout their voyage (applies to Indonesia only)."

To mask or not to mask?

It remains to be seen whether masks will be mandatory on shore excursions, and rules will most likely differ from one country to another. In Spain, for example, masks are compulsory on all public transport; in Norway they are not.

As for masks on board, no cruise line has confirmed a policy one way or the other. But Royal Caribbean might be an indicator of what's to come: It has recently applied to trademark the term "SeaFace," to be used in conjunction with sanitary masks. The new chic in cruise logowear, perhaps?

Technology might liberate us.

After 9/11, flying changed overnight. International aviation consultancy SimpliFlying has predicted a similar course following Covid-19—with much of the futuristic technology likely to be adopted by airlines applicable to cruising as well.

For example: One day soon, we might be uploading our "Covid-19 immunity passport"—confirming that we've received whatever vaccination may become available (much the same way as we currently need to present proof of a yellow fever vaccination before entering certain African countries). Then, we would head to a voice-activated, touchless check-in at the cruise terminal. After which we might walk through a temperature-checking scanner (Carnival has already ordered them) while our bags go through a disinfecting fogging tunnel. A group of Chinese students have won an innovation award for designing a self-sanitizing door handle that uses UV light to kill germs.

Welcome to the future.


Which cruises will come back first?

It is still too early to predict what exactly the new protocols will be, which cruise lines will adopt them first, or when more advanced technology will become widely available. But meantime, many cruise lines are hoping—and planning—for at least a limited comeback in 2020, some as soon as late this summer. (Although the cruise specialists we spoke with, those helping people actually book their cruises, think September is more realistic.) Here, depending on CDC rulings, is how things might look:

Many ships will stay close to home.

One of the biggest fears voiced by passengers early in the crisis was not getting sick, but getting stuck. Cruise fans, it's safe to say, will want to get their fix, but minimize their risk of a repeat of what happened in March in foreign ports.

“I think the issue of ports being skittish about accepting cruise ships is a big one,” says cruise specialist Tom Baker. “It's unclear when key cruise ports around the world will begin allowing ships to return. And once they do start taking cruise ships again, it's unclear how they will handle ships that have any illness on board. I suspect that the initial return to cruising will entail a lot of close-to-home sailings where ‘the ship is the destination,’ as they say. Advance bookings for the Caribbean this coming winter look good. But we still have to see what the virus will do."

Anticipating a surge of interest in cruising in American waters, a group of small cruise lines—among them UnCruise Adventures, American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC), American Cruise Lines, and Lindblad Expeditions, has joined forces to form the U.S. Small Overnight Passenger Boat Operators coalition. The group will lobby the CDC, appeal for government financial support, and fly the flag for small-ship cruising in America.

viking st louis
Viking/Rottet Studios
Viking’s Mississippi, still under construction (this is a rendering), will cruise its namesake river, passing St. Louis, Missouri along the way. Some cruise lines anticipate strong interest in domestic sailings after the pandemic subsides.

John Waggoner, founder and CEO of AQSC, says: “U.S. domestic inland cruise operators should be exempted from the CDC’s no-sail order, which we believe is aimed at large foreign-flagged cruise operators. U.S. river cruise vessels are relatively small and guests always have quick access to regional U.S. health care systems. Anyone who requires treatment can be sent ashore within hours, if not minutes. You will never have to be concerned about receiving medical treatment, as you might at sea.”

And anyway, says Dan Blanchard, the CEO of UnCruise Adventures, keen to not be stigmatized by some of the recent travails of the big ships, "[we] have always been more about adventure travel than cruising.”

In fact, one of the group, American Cruise Lines, has just announced bold plans to resume operations very quickly, restricting its luxurious ships to 75 per cent capacity. The contemporary, 180-passenger riverboat American Song will sail the Columbia and Snake rivers starting June 20, while the 190-passenger American Harmony embarks on Mississippi voyages June 28. There’s also hope, the company says, for a short Alaska season on the 175-passenger American Constellation. “Our guests want to cruise,” says Charles B. Robertson, the line’s president and CEO. “There is a resurgence of demand to begin exploring this country, and we look forward to responsibly resuming travel.”

Among the big lines, Carnival Cruises was the first to announce (on May 4th) a return to cruising—as soon as August 1, with eight of its 27 ships sailing from Miami, Port Canaveral, and Galveston on short voyages to the Bahamas and the eastern and western Caribbean. The success of this plan depends on three factors, the last two of which are not within the cruise line's control: Carnival meeting the hygiene protocols demanded by the CDC; the CDC not extending its no-sail order; and ports opening up.

cruise quote 3
Michael Stillwell

In Europe, cruising inside a single border could return first—for example, around Britain, or in the case of the Hurtigruten line, along the Norwegian coast. “We still have a good hope of doing part of the summer season in the Arctic and along the Norwegian coast,” says CEO Daniel Skjeldam. “We’re a Norwegian-based company and a lot of our cruises are in domestic waters, including our Arctic expedition cruises."

For American passengers, the critical factor will be the lifting of international travel restrictions. And although Hurtigruten plans to start sailing the Norwegian coast on May 21, the government announced this week that the country's border will remain closed until August 20. (After, passengers should have little problem social distancing ashore in Norway's vast landscapes, glassy fjords, and sparsely populated hamlets—you could argue, in fact, that Norway is the perfect place to make a tentative return to travel.)

Rivers cruises are a safer bet.

River sailings in the United States might make an early comeback—in theory, as the majority of operators use ships carrying fewer than 250 passengers, which exempts them from the CDC no-sail ruling. And AQSC, for one, plans to emphasize that as a U.S. flagged operator, "we employ U.S. citizens, pay U.S. taxes, adhere to U.S. laws, and sail in U.S. waterways, unlike larger, foreign-flagged cruise companies," says Waggoner, whose traditional paddle-wheelers sail rivers including the Mississippi, Columbia, and Tennessee. "In addition, our boats are never out of sight of land.”

viking river cruise
Viking River Cruises
The Viking cruise line sails ships both along rivers and at sea.

Europe’s rivers, too, could see early recovery. “I anticipate seeing European river cruise companies easing into regional river cruising this summer although it may be with limited itineraries,” says AmaWaterways' Schreiner. “The big question remains as to whether European countries will open up to American travelers immediately or whether that will come a bit later in a second phase of opening up to tourism.” (Currently, European countries are discussing opening their borders in phases, and within "bubbles," so nationals of adjoining countries such as Austria and Slovenia, say, can move around within that bubble. Such freedoms do not as yet apply to visitors from the US and other countries.)

Far away on small ships will feel safe, too.

There’s also a distinct appeal to cruising far away from where others are, and where exploring is not dependent on infrastructure like ports and bus tours (who wants to do that anytime soon?). This puts expedition lines, which use their Zodiac tenders to ferry passengers ashore for hiking and so on, in a strong position. “I believe travelers will seek experiences that are different, more authentic, more sustainable, and more remote, away from the crowds,” says Skjeldam. “I think expedition cruising is in a great position for the time ahead of us. Our ships are smaller. They take guests to places with little infrastructure and therefore fewer people. We focus on nature-based experiences to less populated areas—Antarctica, the Arctic, Greenland, Iceland, Alaska.”

silversea antartica
Courtesy Silversea
Silversea is one of the cruise lines offering voyages to the Arctic. As cruising comes back, faraway and unpeopled destinations may have increasing appeal.

Francesco Galli Zugaro, CEO and founder of Aqua Expeditions, which operates on the Mekong (the Aqua Mekong), the Amazon (Aria Amazon and, later this year, the new Aqua Nera), and in Indonesia (Aqua Blu), agrees. “Our small ships only visit and navigate remote destinations, far removed from crowded areas and attractions, with a focus on nature and wildlife regions with little to no outside human interaction,” he says.

One of Silversea's new ships, Silver Origin, is designed specifically for one such remote, people-less destination: the Galapagos. Its inaugural July 15 sailing has just been cancelled, but there's a new departure date, still to be definitively confirmed, of August 22. The line's other bucket list destinations, including Antarctica and the Arctic, are getting brisk bookings for 2021 and 2022--cruise aficionados clearly taking the positive long view.

Private charters and family buy-outs are already trending.

Early signs are that travelers will feel more comfortable taking over entire ships, or traveling as a close-knit group. Zugaro says: “In the past three weeks, not only have we had three charter requests for Aqua Blu, Aqua Mekong, and Aria Amazon but one confirmed for summer 2021. Our 15 to 20-cabin expedition vessels are perfectly suited for family buy-outs. Much of our business already is for multi-generational family charters. I believe this will only increase, as the value is there compared to any other charter boat in the Mediterranean or Caribbean.”

aqua blu
Courtesy Aqua Expeditions
Aqua Blu, one of Aqua Expeditions’ 15 to 20-cabin ships, is available for private charter and, according to the company, has already been requested for summer 2021.

AmaWaterways' Schreiner reports a similar trend. “We are specifically seeing a lot more family bookings. Often it's rescheduled trips, people using their enhanced future cruise credits. Extended families have been separated during these times and are now adding staterooms to their rescheduled 2021 bookings to bring more family members along on their river cruise vacation.”


How to book a cruise now:

Given the number of unknowns—the nature and timing of CDC regulations and of its protocol approval processes, as well as of port closures, other travel restrictions, and what the virus itself might do—the safest bet is to book your cruise through travel advisors who specialize in cruises. They will be abreast of all the latest developments and can also help if you need to cancel or reschedule. Importantly, they are unbiased and put the traveler's interests first.

agia galini
Garry Hogg//Getty Images

Town & Country recommends the following, all of whom are also on travel guru Wendy Perrin's WOW list of carefully vetted travel advisors:

  • Tom Baker of CruiseCenter specializes in large ships and river cruises. Anywhere you want to go, chances are he's been—he has sailed on more than 250 ships over the years—and knows the best itineraries, cabin types, and shore excursions. According to Perrin, he has particular clout with "river lines AmaWaterways, Amadeus, Scenic, Tauck River, Crystal River Cruises, Uniworld, and Viking, and with ocean lines Celebrity, Crystal, Holland America, MSC, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, and Windstar."
  • Ashton Palmer of Expedition Trips specializes in small-ship sailings to wild, remote, unpeopled places from the Galapagos to Papua New Guinea, the Russian Far East, and, of course, the two poles. He'll match you to the right ship and tell you frankly if a two-week trip to the Arctic might not be right for you.
  • Mary Jean Tully of Tully Luxury Travel knows her way around the high-end cruise lines—as in, every detail. Contact her about Crystal, Regent, Seabourn, Silversea, Oceania, Viking, Azamara, Cunard, Holland America, Celebrity, Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, Ponant, Scenic, and Aqua Expeditions, among others.

And remember: If you are searching online for trips, there appear to be bargains out there for whenever cruising resumes. But specialists warn that because of pent-up demand, this will not last long. "We are already seeing limited availability for 2021," says Ashton Palmer of Expedition Trips. "If you have an interest in a destination, make a reservation, the sooner the better. Cancellation policies are very generous now, so our risk is very low. Later, they may not be availability." (And prices, too, will likely go up.)

And some travelers are already thinking way ahead. “The 2023 world cruise on the deluxe Crystal Serenity, which went on sale March 27, has seen extraordinary demand, exceeding the last year's figures for the same time,” says Carmen Roig, senior vice president, marketing and sales for Crystal Cruises.

And as Aqua’s Zugaro points out, the luxury market tends to be fairly shock-proof. “It’s exactly our demographic of affluent explorers that will come back first as long as we demonstrate that we are ready and prepared to provide comfort and to address their concerns about the health of the crew and clean, sterilized vessels.”

Headshot of Sue Bryant
Sue Bryant

Sue Bryant is an award-winning writer and editor specializing in travel, in particular cruising and experiential travel. She is cruise editor of London's The Times and The Sunday Times and also contributes to Cruise Critic, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Cruise Passenger, Travel Weekly, National Geographic Traveller and Insight Guides.