Back On Board – An Update

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There is still no clear date for the resumption of cruising from the United States and with the recent upsurge of cases south of our border, in Europe and in Canada for that matter, I am doubtful of a quick resolution.  The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) refers to cruise ships as “hotbeds for virus transmission due to the population density on board” according to an online article posted by the Wall Street Journal on September 21, 2020.  As a result of the no sail order and an abundance of caution many cruise line have voluntarily suspended cruising until November and well into next spring for some international destinations. But that doesn’t mean the cruise lines aren’t preparing for just that eventuality.

Back in September a panel lead by Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, and including experts in a variety of fields, unveiled a document containing over 70 protocol recommendations to the CDC. These recommendations can be grouped into five (5) areas of focus;

  1. Testing, screening and exposure reduction before embarkation which would include testing passengers and crew members, wearing masks and social distancing on board.
  2. Enhanced sanitation and ventilation measures which requires an update in heating, air conditioning and ventilation systems to include filters designed to reduce a large portion of airborne particles.
  3. Medical response and contingency planning and execution by designating more cabins for isolation and other arrangements for on shore quarantine, enhanced medical facilities and transportation, including agreements with local governments to allow infected people and their parties to disembark and return home.
  4. Destination and excursion planning in order to reduce exposure at foreign parts by using, where possible, company-owned destinations and ports or requiring passengers to only use ship excursions.
  5. Mitigating risks for crew members by engaging in all of these protocols.

To view the Health and Travel alerts posted by each of the major cruise lines you can visit their websites;

An update on travel would be incomplete without an update on travel insurance, as this is after all a health issue.  The Government of Canada is still issuing non-essential travel advisories for many countries, including advising against travel on cruise ships.  The current advisory, including a list of countries with a Level 3 (avoid non-essential travel) advisory can be found at https://travel.gc.ca/travelling/advisories, but trust me when I say they are all currently at a level 3.

But, good news is still available.  Many insurance providers are now offering, or will be offering, Covid-19 insurance for Canadians who are travelling to countries with a Level 3 advisory.  The coverage offers higher limits for medical and quarantine related expenses along with supplemental Trip Interruption benefits.  This must be sold in connection with an existing travel insurance policy, either new or existing.  It can only be purchased on a single trip basis so if you have an annual policy you will have to add this coverage for each trip.  There are no limits based on age or the length of your travels. Be prepared, in many cases, for a short medical questionnaire to determine your eligibility and rates. Rates are higher for US travel but you can get worldwide coverage excluding the US at a lower rate.

Whether you are chomping at the bit to get back to travel, or are content to remain cautious for months or years more, there is little doubt that the upheaval to the tourism industry from the coronavirus has been massive.  Having said that the loss of lives remains more perilous to our global community than any other factor, and for that reason we will wait, and plan, and hope.