Cruises from the UK could restart in the spring despite the continuing ‘no sail’ order, according to Carnival UK chairman David Dingle, who forecast sailings would resume “sometime between April and June”.
Speaking at a Travel Weekly Insight Report launch event, Dingle said: “We’ve agreed a phased restart so the early cruises operate only in EU waters close to home. We have a plan to prove the concept before we start taking ships beyond this country.
“Remember, it takes between eight and 12 weeks to get a ship recommissioned and ready to start, to bring crews back, get crews trained in the new protocols.
“We would like to think the first phase of the restart, purely in UK waters, calling at UK ports, may be a month.
“Then we can start taking ships to nearby European ports within the travel corridors and build up from that so ultimately British cruise passengers can sail in any part of the world. But that is some months away.
“If we can get the travel advisory changed, we may be able to do the UK waters [phase] in a test period sometime in March – certainly cruise lines that have been able to get their ships ready to sail quickly.
“But we have to be realistic. We’ll be looking at some time between April and June on average.”
Dingle noted: “There will be some prevalence of vaccination by the time we start. A good number of people, particularly some of the older age groups will have that protection.”
He said: “Our maritime minister [Robert Courts] is working hard to get the obstacles [to restarting] shifted, but they are proving hard to shift.
“I can’t help worrying about the speed at which the government is working.”