What will the future of cruising look like?

Avid cruisers put their ocean excursions on hold for most of the year due to the coronavirus. Now, several cruising companies are resuming operations, but taking to the water for a luxury holiday will look a lot different than before.

Being confined to a shared space with hundreds of strangers poses a myriad health challenges during the COVID-era.

Cruise Lines International Association, the world’s largest cruise industry trade association and leading authority, has released universal guidelines to improve the safety of passengers.

Cruise liners around the world will adopt strict health and safety protocols.

‘Interestingly, CLIA ocean-going cruise ships are the only form of travel or passenger transportation that must be medically equipped to care for passengers or crew in the event of illness. As a condition of membership within CLIA, ocean-going cruise lines are required to fit their ships with medical facilities that meet the standards set forth by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), which require that doctors and medical personnel be available onboard 24/7,’ the CLIA writes on their website.

‘Additionally, cruise ships must have an examination room, an intensive care room and equipment for processing labs, monitoring vital signs and administering medications. CLIA and our ocean-going cruise line members continue to actively engage with our partners at the local, national and international levels to facilitate alignment as we work toward the gradual resumption of cruise operations.

‘The combination of European guidance, national regulatory measures, cruise line protocols and port and terminal protocols are designed to promote the highest priority of putting people first while taking into account the need for carefully crafted response plans.’

MSC Cruises, the world’s largest privately-owned cruise company and a South African favourite, also subscribes to the CLIA and adopts their guidelines.

‘We are working together with leading international experts in the fields of Medicine, Public Health and related scientific disciplines to develop and validate our health and safety measures,’ MSC Cruises writes on their website.

‘Our new operating procedures are designed to meet and exceed guidelines provided by national and international health authorities and we continue to monitor the situation in order to adapt them if required.’

Here are some of their on-board health protocols:

For more of MSC’s specific health and safety measures, click here.

Image credit: Unsplash 

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