Most luxury cruise passengers favour refusing boarding to those from regions and countries with high levels of Covid-19 infection, a new poll reveals.
Almost half (43%) said such curbs would make their cruise much more enjoyable, while 23% suggested it would make their trip a little more enjoyable.
A strong support for compulsory Covid-19 testing prior to embarkation also emerged in the latest survey by cruise retailer Mundy Cruising, with 44% indicating that this would make their cruise much more enjoyable, and 12% stating that it would make it a little more enjoyable.
But respondents gave a lukewarm response to some measures outlined in the Covid-19 Framework published last week by the UK Chamber of Shipping and cruise trade body Clia.
Three quarters said that making face masks mandatory in public areas would make the cruise experience less enjoyable, and just over half felt that removing self-service buffets would have a negative effect on their enjoyment.
The idea of limiting visits ashore to the ship’s own excursions, as has been trialled on MSC cruises this summer, was also unpopular, with 70% responding negatively to this suggestion.
The results represent the first findings of Mundy’s new Cruise Expert Panel, introduced to coincide with the company’s 50th anniversary this month.
The panel of 240 people includes Mundy clients and regular cruisers.
Previous research showed that cruisers are keen to return and are happy to comply with new safety protocols.
The new study looked specifically at the extent to which new measures might affect clients’ enjoyment of their cruise.
The idea of ‘cruises to nowhere’ with no port calls proved particularly unpopular, with 67% believing this would make their next cruise much less enjoyable.
Those surveyed were also not keen on the prospect of cruises being limited to ex-UK and short haul itineraries, with 71% expressing either strong or moderate opposition to the idea.
Mundy Cruising managing director Edwina Lonsdale said: “This survey shows that luxury cruise buyers are concerned about what the experience will be like on board when operations resume, and I can understand that – cruising is such a sociable way to travel.
“However, we also know from conversations with our clients that safety is paramount, and this is reflected in the desire for testing and pre-departure health screening.
“We have already seen these measures successfully deployed by cruise lines in Europe this summer, creating a safe bubble at sea.
“The detailed proposals from Clia and others lay the foundations for the safe return of cruising, and while the measures proposed will of course take some getting used to, they will ensure that a cruise ship is one of the very safest places to be.”