Cruise ships operating longer voyages could effectively become “bubbles” in their own right and sail safely for long periods of time, according to the boss of Holland America Line.
Speaking on a Travel Weekly webcast, president Gus Antorcha said: “Look at New Zealand – it’s a bubble. They took all these precautions and they eradicated the virus there for a while. And life was very much normal for, you know, two, three months.
“In some ways a longer voyage can be perceived that way. If you were able to have a population, and if we really create a bubble on the ship, that could go for a very long period of time because it’s would be its own bubble.”
Antorcha acknowledged issues could arise at ports of call.
“It then comes down to what countries are you visiting? What protocols they have there and what are the types of protocols you have for people to go out and come back. All that stuff needs to be worked out but if you’re visiting places where there’s low infection rates, then there’s relatively low risk,” he said.
Commenting on the Holland America Line fleet, Antorcha said the pandemic had “accelerated the opportunity to manage capacity” by selling off some of its older tonnage.
Holland America announced it was selling four of its older ships but adding the new Rotterdam to the fleet on July 30 next year.
“There was always a plan to decrease some of the older capacity at Holland, I think the pandemic just accelerated the opportunity to do some of that. And so that’s why you’ve seen the [Carnival] corporation take steps across several of the brands to decrease the older hardware,” he said.
And Antorcha insisted “the portfolio we are ending up with is right for the brand”.
“I like the fact that we’ll have a portfolio of ships given what the brand represents and what it offers to customers,” he said.
“The smaller ships have, in recent history, played a role in the Holland fleet. They allow us the ability to do unique itineraries which are very important to the brand, which is around the journey and the itineraries, and part of that is obviously the places we visit.”
Antorcha added: “I think the smaller ships have a role at Holland – a cherished role. It’s not just about the scale because the bigger ships offer scale and lower costs because they are more efficient. They also allow you more space for more features. They give you more physical real estate to introduce new things that, for a portion of our guests, are important.
“So I think we’ll end up with a fleet that has some of the larger ships with more venues, more entertainment options and activities for the guests that want that. But we’ll also have the smaller ships that provide the more intimate experience and the itineraries that are just unique to smaller ships.
“Interestingly, with regards new-to-cruise, these are people that may not want a small ship because they want entertainment at all hours of the day, more food options, more alternative dining. And so that attracts a segment of potentially new to the brand cruisers, that the older ships don’t allow.”