Royal Caribbean sailing again with 'cruises to nowhere'

Almost nine months after the coronavirus pandemic brought the global cruise industry to a standstill, Royal Caribbean has returned to the water.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas departed Singapore on December 1 in the first of its series of short ‘Ocean Getaways’ – also known as ‘cruises to nowhere’. As the latter name suggests, these are voyages that start and end at the same destination, without calling at any ports.

The 4,180-passenger ship set sail at a reduced capacity of 30 per cent as part of the precautions put in place due to the pandemic, with the cruise only open to Singapore residents.

Passengers onboard Royal Caribbean’s first vessel to resume sailing during the time of Covid-19 were required to take a Covid-19 test 48 to 72 hours before boarding, and to be able to prove a negative result.

The cruise giant is covering the cost of tests for sailings departing on or before January 30, 2021, and this may be extended depending on the Covid-19 situation.

Should a passenger test positive on Quantum of the Seas’ first sailing from Singapore, Royal Caribbean will pay for any Covid-19-related medical treatment onboard, required quarantine accommodation once off the ship and travel home, up to the value of US$18,000 (£13,779).

Onboard the ship has stepped-up its health and safety protocols in a bid to keep Covid at bay. It’s hoped that these strict policies will help restore consumer confidence after a year of disruption.

Royal Caribbean isn’t the only cruise line to have restarted operations out of the city-state. Genting Cruise Line’s Dream Cruises made the first splash when it launched Singapore's inaugural pandemic cruises to nowhere on November 6. It had been sailing from Taiwan since July.

The two cruise lines were given the green light to run these round-trips with no ports of call as part of a pilot scheme, approved by the Singapore Tourism Board, to kick-start an industry that has been dealt a crippling blow by the pandemic.

Keith Tan, the chief executive of Singapore Tourism Board, said: “This cruise pilot is a valuable opportunity for cruise operators to reinvent the entire cruise experience in order to regain the confidence of passengers.

“As ASEAN’s (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) lead coordinator for cruise development, Singapore remains committed to supporting and growing cruise tourism in the region.

“We will continue to work with cruise lines and our industry stakeholders to chart a new course for safe cruising.”

Royal Caribbean is scheduled to continue the new cruises to nowhere from Singapore aboard Quantum of the Seas, for the next four months. However, the world’s largest cruise line has been forced to cancel all other sailings into the New Year – as it waits for the Foreign Office to lift its advice that British nationals should avoid all travel on ocean-going cruise ships and works to meet the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDCs) conditional sailing order.

One stipulation of the Conditional Sailing Order is that cruise lines run mock voyages with volunteer passengers before their maiden voyage. They must conduct at least 15 simulated voyages in order to earn a ‘Covid-19 Conditional Sailing Certificate’ from the CDC, and thereby be able to operate with passengers.

Royal Caribbean has already signed up over 100,000 sea-starved volunteers for its ‘mock cruise’ programme. The operator’s president and CEO, Michael Bayley, wrote in a Facebook post: “And just like that... 100,000 people have volunteered. We can’t wait to start this next phase with you all!”