ARTS & CULTURE___________ 12
Carnival cruising during Covid
Can you flee the pandemic on the high seas?
STORY AND PHOTOS BY KATIE S klB B A
A ssociate A rts & C ulture editor
Cruise vacations — what other vacation can
yôû unpack once, visit multiple places and
have unlimited food and entertainment steps
away from your room?
They seem like the perfect vacation, or at
least until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and
hundreds of people got stuck On ships while
the virus made its way through cabins.
The cruise industry was one o f the first
industries to shut down worldwide, with
little insight when it could return; the United
States went l£ months without a ship leaving
one of our own homeports.
From that moment, we began to see more
and more companies begin their restart.
With guidance from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention in the form of the
Conditional Sail Order, proper health and '
safety protocols were'established; with each
company adapting them for their clientele.
Whether it’s voyages with all - passengers
vaccinated, encouragement to be vaccinated,
The Clackam as P rint
mask requirements and capacity limits, there spacing; however the one thing that hasn’t
certainly is a pandemic style of cruise out changed is the fun and high class service
there for everyone.
you’ll receive each time you step onboard.” .
“Cruising this year has been a whirlwind of
On my six-day cruise that went to Bimini,
emotions. Some things are different and have Bahamas, Half Moon Cay and Amber Cove,
needed to adjust, much like everything else Dominican Republic and not once did I
post COVID,” said Josh Hocum of CRUISE feel a negative impact from the changes. If
WITH JOSH in an email.
anything, there were some much needed
I m yself was able to cruise on Carnival changes, like the infamous muster drill. Gone
Horizon out of Miami, Florida, almost three are the days of crowding the entire ship into
months after they were able to start sailing open decks or venues, instead you complete
back on July 2,2021.1 can’t deny that I relied the briefing on the Carnival Hub App then
on multiple cruise vloggers who were able to proceed to your assigned station for the life
jump on ships at the beginning of the restart jacket demonstration.
so l could get an idea of what I would be in fo r
Prior to sailing a way, ship’s staff do one
. One concern I had was whether I’d have last overhead announcement to do a much
access to the fun that comes with getting to quicker runthrough of the procedure. While
meet all sorts of people and make friends. I all the deck parties at night stayed in place, I
didn’t know if I’d have that chance if no one can’t deny I missed the almost nightly atrium
wanted to be with strangers. As someone who parties. Overall, I took most of my days to relax
would be cruising solo, this definitely made and enjoy finally being on my long awaited
vacation. As I predicted, the socializing aspect
me second guess cruising during Covid.
Another Complication. was the constant was below the bar of previous trips, but it was
changes in pre-cruise
and onboard to be expected.
As someone who works heavily with the
requirements. Would I have to wear a mask
or get a COVID-19 test, and would results get public as part of my job, I felt probably the
back in time? Noneless, the chance to take a safest I could’ve since the start of 2020.
I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. “I
cruise for the first time in almost two years
also didn't expect to feel SO safe on a ship,”
was too tantalizing to pass up.
Due to the federal mandate of wearing said Sheri Griffiths of Cruise Tips TV in an
masks on all forms of public transportation, email. “Since May, I've traveled by air, visited
ships are not fully mask-free zones.
hotels* & resorts, and have experienced
They also aren’t excused from enhanced dozens of travel venues & flights. The only
boarding
health
checks,
but
take place I feel more safe than a cruise ship
responsibility to encourage guests to make (perhaps), is my own home. At the moment,
sure they; are socially distancing and using there is simply no other travel sector that is
sanitizer whenever possible.,
held to the safety and health standards cruise
Hocum said, “On the flip side, there are Shipsi are mandated to meet.”
Overall, cruising in a pandemic world is just
also some really great changes like a harder
emphasis on hand washing, which I think we as fun and memorable as it was before the
all can do more of, even off the cruise ship. pause in service, factu ally will be boarding
With cruising today you’ll notice things that Carnival Panorama in December and can’t
have changed, policies that have updated, wait to have another amazing vacatiori.
and schedules adjusted for more timing and
th e c la c k a m a s p rin t.c o m
D ecem b er 2021