COVID Cruise
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With safety in mind, we went on one of the first post-pandemic cruises.
It’s an obvious observation that cruising is one of the most popular vacation activities. We just finished our second cruise with a holiday trip through the Panama Canal. Our first cruise was pre-pandemic on a chartered Atlantis cruise in the Mediterranean Sea.
We had planned to take a trip to South America with stops in Rio and Buenos Aires, but the trip fell apart as the newest COVID variant reared its ugly head over the holidays. At the last minute, we decided to book a cruise leaving from the United States. Our thinking was that it would be easiest to let someone else deal with the ever-changing travel rules while we sit back and enjoy one of our 15 daily included cocktails.
We sailed with Princess Cruise lines out of Ft. Lauderdale. They required all passengers and crew to be fully vaccinated. Upon boarding, we had to provide a negative COVID test taken within 48 hours. We have had great success taking home tests monitored by a proxy through eMed. A 6 pack of monitored tests set us back US$150. The test results were delivered almost instantly after the completion of the test via email and on their free app. These are also the tests we used when testing to return to the US from Europe and Mexico earlier in 2021.
Onboard, the crew wore N95 masks at all times and passengers had to wear masks in all indoor public spaces. They encouraged us to “sip and cover” at indoor bars. Most people removed their masks for the entirety of meals after the food arrived. From what we saw, everyone was compliant and respectful of the rules.
While at the port, most locations asked cruise passengers to wear their masks at all times (inside and outside). In the Bahamas, public safety officers were stationed to remind people to mask up. While in Jamaica we were told that there would be no warning, if you were mask-down in a public area, they would ask you to return to the ship.
As the new omicron variant became more of a concern, the ports seemed to restrict movement. In Panama, we could not leave the boat unless on a pre-booked excursion, and in Jamaica, we were not able to leave the port side shopping area unless on an excursion booked on the ship or locally.
In Cartagena, Colombia most locals were wearing masks at all times, but there only seemed to be a local indoor mask mandate. We took our own cab to the city center and then walked back to the ship ourselves. We were asked to mask up outdoors while touring their famous 16th-century fortress, The Castillo San Felipe de Barajas.
In Costa Rica, we spent the day on a rainforest excursion (where we saw the most adorable sloths). We booked the excursion through the cruise line and were fully masked the entire time, except during the outdoor lunch.
Onboard, there was the occasional rumor of someone contracting COVID. We were told that the crew tests every three days. A portion of the ship was blocked off as a quarantine zone for anyone who tested positive. We did not see or hear of anyone who had to be quarantined during our 11-day trip.
The buffet dining was replaced with a touch-free system of being served by crew members or taking single serving plates and bowls from the serving bars. A monitored and enforced hand-washing station was available a the entrance.
When we returned to Ft. Lauderdale at the end of the trip there was no requirement to test before returning ashore. They did have free testing available for anyone who needed it.
If you’re a cruise fanatic, I’m sure there are many things that you might have noticed as different on this COVID-times cruise. Overall, we had a great time. The cruise made it possible for us to go “somewhere” over the holidays without having to worry about being stuck somewhere or a last-minute change not allowing us to enter a country as planned.
My hesitation with all cruises is that it makes it impossible to immerse yourself in a place. Running around a port for a few hours before retiring back to your poolside hotdog in the evening takes away the authenticity of traveling to a city. Many cities come to life in the most magical ways when the sun goes down. I miss that when I’m on a ship.
Conversely, cruising is a great way to visit places that might not have been on your radar at all. We would probably never have visited Cartagena or Marseille without docking there on a boat. And we certainly would never have had the chance to travel through the Panama Canal lochs on foot.
I’ve learned how cruising best fits into our exploration of the world. Next up, we cruise to Alaska in July.
Read about the exciting passage through the Panama Canal here.
