Cruise industry leaders are frustrated at the lack of progress on restarting the sector, with the Foreign Office continuing to advise against cruise ship travel.
The government’s Global Travel Taskforce concluded in November that “now is not the time” for a cruise restart, although it laid out the stages for a phased resumption.
Celebrity Cruises managing director Jo Rzymowska said: “There is recognition of how we’ve pulled together as an industry and the path we’ve got for a resumption of cruising, the commitment we have to 100% testing and the work we’re doing in prevention, mitigation and our repatriation commitment.”
Rzymowska told a Travel Weekly Insight report launch event: “We’ve got great support from the maritime minister, Robert Courts.
“However, we’ve made it very clear we’re fed up of being commended for our collaboration and our approach. We need cruise to be taken out of being singled out as a sector.
“We know there is a pandemic. We know what is going on in the world. But cruise should not be singled out with everything we’re doing, by saying: ‘We recommend you don’t take a cruise’.”
Rzymowska insisted: “This is not about immediate sailing. We’ve made that very clear.
“[But] we have to make sure when it comes to January, in the period we call the wave, that there is greater consumer confidence – understanding that it takes eight to 12 weeks to get ships lined up with crew on board, with all the protocols in place, to make sure we have a good season sailing.
“We’ve made that very clear. It’s critical for us.”
Asked if she hopes to see a restart date by the end of the year, Rzymowska said: “That is what we’re pushing for, yes.
“There is an understanding as to how important it is. We’re not talking about sailing immediately but making sure we can resume from UK waters in spring.”
She declined to name a date, insisting: “All I can say is there are productive conversations going on.
“The way we work collectively as an industry helps. There is a lot of work going on. We have significant protocols in place as an industry, way above anything hotels have had to do.
“We are getting there. [But] they need to give us a start date for us to be able to plan.”
The taskforce report proposed a restart in three stages, with cruises initially resuming in UK waters with no calls at ports outside the UK, a second phase beginning and ending in the UK but with calls at EU ports subject to Foreign Office advice and the travel corridors list, and a final phase of open sailing.
Rzymowska said: “We’re lined up to do some trial cruises, but we need very quickly to be opened up to Europe and beyond. Who will be on [the trial cruises] we’re not sure at the moment.”
She added: “We’re cautiously optimistic because the vaccine can change things significantly.”
Rzymowska insisted the experience when cruises restart would match customers’ expectations despite the safety protocols.
She said: “We want everybody to be safe, but we also want to make sure they have great holidays. That is really important. All the work we’re doing on board is to make sure guests have a great time.
“Technology is a key part of that. Everything is through our app, from opening your door to using the remote control in your room for lighting, for TV, for booking restaurants. Everything is as touchless as possible, but the human interaction is still there.”
She added: “We’re not going to be at full capacity to start with so that allows greater physical distancing. Guests will have a great holiday. And we’re working with destinations to look at ‘bubble’ excursion opportunities.”