Cruising in 2021 is going to be much different to how it has been previously.
In our ultimate guide to cruising in 2021, we show you everything you need to know about booking and going on a cruise
this year.
Well ahoy there cruisers.
We're cruise with Ben and David.
Welcome to our channel.
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So let's start with when will cruising resume?
Well this is the one billion dollar question.
Literally one billion - as that's how much some companies are burning each month keeping their fleets afloat.
No pun intended.
We're going to try and answer this looking at the situation at the moment.
Unfortunately for most cruise lines it looks like the first half of the year will be a complete wipeout.
Cruise lines are already cancelling cruises until April
and we expect that to move even further into the year.
But hopefully some of the first cruises will go ahead between May and July.
But why do we think this?
Well because of several things;
Distribution of the vaccines has just begun it's going to take months to cover all of those at risk
and the CDC in the USA have put some pretty big barriers in the way for cruising to resume.
This is going to take a good few months for them to start and comply with the new sailing conditions.
Plus the ships have to get crew back on board.
At the moment most cruise ships around the world are operating with ghost crews of around 100 crew members.
Compared with the thousands that are normally on board.
It's going to be a gigantic effort to get all of the ships re-crewed again.
Especially with quarantines and tests and then there's training the crew with all these new procedures.
There are a few cruise lines already cruising in Europe;
Aida, MSC and Costa Cruises.
But these are mostly limited to EU citizens from certain approved countries.
Some of these cruises are just going to nowhere.
They're just sea days!
We have everything crossed that by the middle of next year normality will slowly resume.
But if anything changes we'll let you know so make sure you subscribe.
So the big question on everyone's lips;
Is cruising safe?
Well experienced cruisers like us know that the level of hygiene is already incredibly high on cruise ships.
It's a controlled environment where no one else can wander in from the outside.
Making a cruise a very safe form of international travel for holiday makers.
Plus with all the extra protocols cruise lines are putting in place there is no other form of vacation that is safer.
Cruise lines have used this pause in operations wisely to come up with new strategies and protocols
to minimize the impact of the pandemic on the health of crew and passengers.
All while enabling social distancing and keeping levels of enjoyment high.
That's the most important thing.
They still want cruising to be fun and just as good as it was before.
We feel very confident that cruising is safe and we'll talk about some of the big changes later in this video.
So stay tuned.
So next up booking a cruise.
Should you book a cruise now or wait for all of this to blow over?
Now that cruise lines are giving booking reassurances
and putting robust safety enhancements in place
the answer is most definitely yes.
Because of pent-up demand and an influx of deals that cruise lines and travel agents are offering.
there's been a reported surge in bookings for the next year.
Meaning if you don't book soon you could miss out on some great deals.
Plus as soon as cruise is given the green light to sail again
there's going to be a huge influx of booking
so get in there and book early.
Ships are only going to be traveling at 50 to 70 of normal capacity.
So they're going to sell out quicker.
So if you want to sail on a certain ship on a certain date book as soon as you can.
Plus now it's wave season.
So the next question:
What is wave season?
Well it's january to march every single year.
This is when you'll usually find some of the best cruise deals.
Almost every cruise line has got some great offers at the moment.
offering some of their best discounts of the year
Whether this be money off, extra onboard credit or extra perks for booking.
And deposits are super low at the moment as well.
So now is really one of the best times to book your cruise.
But do keep in mind that things still could change.
Cruises could be cancelled.
So you need to know what the cancellation and refund policies are before your book.
It's well worth taking the time to look at the cruise lines websites before choosing to book a cruise.
But most cruise lines are also offering - such as Princess, NCL, Royal, Carnival and more -
are offering a "cruise with confidence" program.
So you can be flexible and you're able to make last minute changes to your booking.
Like changing the date or cancelling the cruise for credits with no extra charges.
Plus if your cruise is cancelled most cruise lines are offering a generous future cruise credit to book another cruise with.
Most cruise lines are offering around 20 compensation.
So if you have cruise credits now is a great time to use them with all of the special deals.
These schemes will probably be removed as life turns back to normal.
But make sure you read all the terms and conditions before you book.
So you've got a clear picture of what you're dealing with.
So should you book direct with the cruise line or with a travel agent?
Well it's pretty simple for us.
We always book the best price.
It's as simple as that.
There are some great travel agents with their own special offers so always double check.
Also we recommend that if possible you pay your cruises using a credit card.
One that protects you in the unlikely event that your cruise line goes bust during the pandemic.
Now don't worry this we don't think this is gonna happen but this is a way you should get all of your money back just in case.
That goes as well for anything related to travel at the moment.
Flights, vacations, hotels, excursions, anything.
We really recommend you put them on a credit card.
Yeah and again as david said with flights we recommend you don't book them yet
and make sure your insurance covers cancellations or book them with a protected travel agent as part of a package
and check you are covered for any changes.
If possible book a cruise closer to your home that doesn't require any lengthy travel and in particular flights.
That way there won't be any problems getting to and from the port.
So that brings us to insurance.
This is one of the biggest points
and it could be a tricky one at the moment as many insurers will not be offering insurance for cruises
or travel or they will have expensive premiums.
This will obviously change once normality resumes.
But it's well worth reading all of the small print and checking that you are fully covered.
Many won't cover things due to the situation.
So make sure you check everything.
Yeah and if in doubt just give your insurer a call and ask them what your cover is.
This is another reason to pay your cruise with a credit card.
This will protect your money in case things go wrong.
So next up some of the changes on board.
We've talked about these before but we've got a full list of all of the things that are definitely going to go ahead.
When cruising does initially restart
there's going to be some big changes.
You'll see shorter cruises especially from the usa and caribbean.
Less than seven nights most being three or four nights.
You'll see touchless check-in and disembarkation
everything will need to be completed before you arrive at the port.
There's also going to be a new health screening process before boarding
including a test before you cruise or before you board at the port
and you're going to have to fill out a health questionnaire on the day of boarding as well.
You'll also find things like staggered arrival times and social distancing in the port.
Lots of new protocols to protect yourself and the crew
and new technology installed such as fogging machines, UV lights.
Plus they'll be social distancing on the ship as well
and the use of masks will be required when not eating or drinking.
You'll also find things like daily temperature checks and loads of hand washing and hand sanitizer stations around the ship.
As well as more cleaning of the ship.
So you'll see crew around giving things a clean all the time.
Ships will have new air filtration systems and this will make the air much safer
more like an aircraft with brand new hospital grade filters
and air being replaced very quickly.
You're not going to be allowed to mix and mingle or sit with people you're not traveling with.
So this could be a problem for solo travelers.
And you're going to see big changes to dining.
There'll be no more buffet it will be staff picking things for you
and you're going to be ordering from your phone instead of ordering from paper menus.
Shore excursions will be limited you'll need to book ship approved shore excursions.
Doing it yourself in most ports will not be permitted.
Don't worry - most of these things will not even be noticeable on your cruise
and things are going to change back to normal before the end of 2021.
Let's talk about new ships coming in 2021.
Yeah because of shipyard delays
lots of the ships that were due last year are going to sail for the first time in 2021
and there are some really exciting ships such as Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas.
We'll be sailing her in April hopefully. A brand new Quantum-class ship, she really looks spectacular.
There's also the celebrity apex and the Carnival Mardi Gras.
The Mardi Gras is a brand new designed ship for Carnival and will have the first ever roller coaster at sea called Bolt.
Sounds amazing and Virgin Voyage's Scarlet Lady will hopefully finally sail for the first time
after being cancelled numerous times.
And then there's still the largest ever ship built for the British market
the P&O Cruises Iona.
She looks lovely as well
But we're going to be bringing you a show soon with all of the details of these brand new ships
and what to look out for.
So with all these changes and everything going on.
Would we recommend booking a balcony cabin opposed to an inside or an ocean view cabin?
Yep usually we'd recommend booking the one that you could fit into your budget or your likes.
But at the moment we would really recommend a balcony cabin or above.
Balcony cabins usually cost a little bit more but for the fresh air alone they're going to be worth it.
There is still that tiny risk that you could be quarantined to your cabin if there is a case on board.
So a balcony cabin would be so much better than being stuck inside an inside or porthole cabin.
If you suffer from seasickness we recommend you choose a cabin lower down and towards the middle of the ship.
As this is where the least movement will be.
Next up destinations!
We've touched on this before but as everything now things are changing every two seconds
Most cruise lines have their own islands or resorts in the caribbean
they're going to be using them as much as possible because they are really controlled environments.
They test the crew and staff in the resorts regularly
and know that the standards and protocols here will be very high.
So we expect to see visits to these islands on most cruises.
All the destinations still seem to be on sale at the moment;
Alaska, Europe, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Asia and Australia.
But all of these things are subject to change.
We recommend not setting your heart on one particular place or port stop.
Try to be flexible and open to change.
Things are very movable at the moment.
Countries have different policies when it comes to cruising
so some may be open and others may be closed at the last minute
depending on the local situation.
This of course will get better as the vaccine is delivered and rolled out across the world.
The most thing to take away from this is that changes are going to be coming soon
and cruising will get back to normal as soon as the vaccine is rolled out.
Yeah definitely and i think personally a biggest tip for me is enjoy the ship.
This is a time where you may be on a cruise to nowhere so pick a ship that really suits you that you'll really love
and just enjoy all the facilities on board.
So that's it for this week's episode let us know in the comments what you think about cruising in 2021
and if you've got a cruise booked
we'd love to hear from you.
Thank you to all of our patrons for supporting us.
It's because of your support that we're able to keep this channel running.
Yeah captain of the week is Amy.
Remember to hit that subscribe button
that's it until next time happy cruising.