Just over a year and a half since the Covid pandemic shut down most of the world, the travel industry is slowly opening up and the cruise industry, one of the sectors to be hit the hardest, is beginning its recovery. If you think back to the beginning of the pandemic, cruise ships were at one point covid epicentres– people confined to a restricted space, docking at various locations worldwide with passengers and crew from all over the world aboard one vessel. Sure enough, a rapid spread would occur and result in at the time, well-publicised deaths. However, the cruise industry is keen to move on from this dark period and has taken many measures to improve its overall safety to draw passengers back.
We look at a few of the reasons why you should consider taking a cruise in 2022.
1) Improve health and safety protocols
The pandemic has forced extensive health and safety protocols to be implemented. As with many venues such as cinemas, convention centres and sports arenas, a limited capacity has been implemented– usually at 40%. Not only does this reduce the concentration of people and therefore the potential of infection, but this will also improve passenger experience as there will be less crowding. Having a small city’s population aboard one vessel can be overwhelming, but not so much anymore.
The use of face masks is compulsory in many areas of the ship; rapid testing is widely available and the full vaccination of passengers and staff is a standard prerequisite. Such measures are bringing back confidence in the industry.
For those needing to work while on holiday, cruise ships have now improved their contact tracing abilities and some have implemented digital systems for booking meeting rooms and other business or leisure spaces.
2) Prices have dropped
Although they aren’t at rock-bottom prices like post-September 11, prices have dropped significantly with the intention of enticing people onboard. Cruise prices were once comparable to an average holiday abroad depending on the route, but they are now more competitive and offer a lot less hassle than trying to book a holiday abroad where the travel ban list could change at any time. Many holidaymakers found out the hard way when they went to Portugal for a quick holiday only to find out abruptly that a sudden change in travel restrictions meant that they would have to quarantine for 10 days upon their return to the UK. You won’t have such issues when booking a cruise.
3) They are fun!
You go on holiday to have fun, right? Whether your idea of fun is to relax by the pool, have a drink with an ocean view or do other sorts of activities, many cruise packages will tick your boxes. Cruise ships are so vast that they have something for everyone from young adults to families and seniors.
