We still see stories of some ship sailing the world, which would be the daily norm if we weren’t in time for coronavirus. But now, With the 30-day cessation of operations announced by the cruise lines, which is effective until April 11, many wonder why there are still ships sailing. The removal was in addition to the announcement made previously by the International Association of Cruise Lines (CLIA), that the ships that compose it (representing 95% of world capacity), would cease their travels in the United States.
However, when making the announcement, he clarified that 14% of the entire world fleet was sailing, so the instructions were to finish those trips as soon as possible and return with the passengers to the ports that could be reached, whether or not they were in itinerary.
The reality is that this week there were still more than 15 ships sailing. This is not because the cruise lines have disobeyed the order, or because after that they have put the cheapest trips to sell more. Nothing of that. Cruise lines have tried by all means to disembark, but have not been allowed due to port closures and fear of the spread of the coronavirus. This has made it extremely difficult for them to find a suitable place to end their journeys.
So those trips, which were mostly for Australia, the South Pacific and some in South AmericaThey have extended far beyond what even travelers, true fans of cruise ships would have wanted. Many of them had separated these trips up to two years in advance, when thinking about the possibility of a pandemic was only in the minds of science fiction writers.
For most passengers, the experience has been challenging and worrisome, due to the uncertainty it represents, but in all cases, the comments that the same passengers publish on social networks overflow with praise for the cruise lines and their staff. .
On those trips, bars have been opened with unlimited drinks and free unlimited Internet and calls from the cabins have been offered so that they can communicate with their relatives on the ground. Also on almost all ships all shows continue to be offered and the staff have gone above and beyond to entertain and deliver top quality service.
Passengers have not lacked food or basic necessities. The ships have been resupplied at the ports, which although they have not allowed the disembarkation of passengers, they have supplied the need for additional products to guarantee that there is no shortage on board. There has also been no fear that they will run out of fuel, because arrangements have also been made for them to be replenished.
In these cases, in which everything that would have been imagined in the history of cruises has been broken, the lines have also made (mostly) complete arrangements to transfer their passengers from the ports where they manage to disembark, and This, with the few flight options available around the world, has represented one of the greatest challenges. In other cases, the cost and arrangement of flights has been on the part of the passengers.
But all that is the positive part, although we have to recognize the other side of the coin. There are passengers who are distressed by not knowing when they will arrive at their homes or to be reunited with relatives. As time goes by, anxiety grows and is completely understandable. But there are two things that we have seen more frequently reported on social networks, the uncertainty of flights, especially for US citizens with destinations that have closed access, and sick people on board with conditions not related to the coronavirus, but they have a limited amount of their daily medications.
It must be remembered that these exotic and usually long-lasting trips, beyond the classic seven days, are very popular with seniors.
Among those that have most attracted the attention of these ships are the Zaandam of Holland America, whose passengers maintain the hope of disembarking as soon as possible. The ship, which set sail from Buenos Aires on March 7, and which has several Puerto Ricans among its passengers, was originally scheduled to arrive in San Antonio, Chile, on March 21. After trying to land at various ports, he is en route to Florida. It was previously said that it would arrive in Ft. Lauderdale, but the company announced that it will now be in Canaveral Port where they will land this next week, as long as they have the confirmation that they can make the transit through the Panama Canal.
“If not, have another plan for us,” said the company, which also confirmed that it has 43 people, including sick passengers and crew members with an influenza outbreak, detected just a few days ago.
Another ship currently sailing is the new one of Hurtigruten, the Roald Amundsen, who was traveling on the Antarctica. The explorer, luxurious and with all the modern technological facilities, made a 17-day journey that should have ended in Punta Arenas, Chile. The journey began on February 29 and has been going on for more than 26 days. He confronted from the characteristic bad weather of the Drake Passage, with waves of up to 25 feet and strong winds, to go from port to port in which the landing was not authorized. Although many European passengers were able to disembark in the Falkland Islands, a large group of Americans and Australians were unable to do so because the flight arrangement could not be achieved.
The passengers of the Coral Princess they had not been able to disembark at the closing of this edition. Originally her trip to South America, she is expected to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale on April 5, if there are no changes. The latest news from this ship indicated that they would be trying to get many of its passengers to land in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and although that port is closed, they were working with diplomatic authorities to obtain the permit. It is also expected that between Monday and Tuesday the passengers of the Celebrity Eclipse, who have already left Valparaíso, Chile, and are en route to San Diego, California, on an unexpected return that took another ten days of travel.
About Royal Caribbean
Royal Caribbean International announced that it will extend the global suspension of its operations until at least May 12, an additional month than planned. The company, which groups Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises ships, among other brands, had originally said it would suspend its trips only until April 11.
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