What the global cruise industry is estimated to be worth a year

When cruises resume, some changes are likely inevitable, such as thermal scanners at terminals to check temperatures, disinfection foggers to clean ships between cruises, and upgraded ventilation systems. Self-serve buffets may be a thing of the past.

The Times asked 10 of the biggest cruise lines to outline their preparations for resuming sailings. Only one, Genting Cruise Lines, a Hong Kong-based company that mostly operates in Asia, agreed to talk about its plans in detail.

While Princess Cruises, part of Carnival Corp, did not respond directly, it posted a seven-page health advisory outlining some of the steps it plans to take, including increasing the temperature of washers and dryers for better disinfection of bedding and towels.

Carnival said it was still too soon to offer any details. Carnival’s chief executive, Arnold W Donald, said he would let medical experts decide whether to require medical clearances for older passengers.

Royal Caribbean’s chief executive, Richard Fain, said in a May earnings call that he planned to unveil a “healthy return to service programme” that would focus on upgraded health screenings for passengers before boarding, as well as new procedures for dealing with infections onboard. But that plan has not yet been released.

Arthur L Diskin, who was a Carnival cruise ship doctor for 18 years, said the adjustments will likely be tailored to each company’s market. Longer cruises, for example, tend to have passengers who are much older, so changes should account for that.

“Maybe they don’t have a disco,” he said. “Maybe they adapt to have more outdoor dining venues so people can be adequately spaced.”

But none of those changes address the biggest questions of how to prevent a disease – one that has generally been checked by isolation and social distancing – on cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers expecting to party and enjoy themselves. Will they keep people two metres apart? Will they make them wear masks?

James Walker, a lawyer in Miami whose practice is focused on suing cruise companies, said ships are going to have to seriously examine how much time they spend cleaning ships between voyages.

Cruise companies do not make money while in port, and are always eager to head off on another voyage, he said.

A review of the CDC’s preliminary list of affected ships that came to US ports shows that they sometimes ended one cruise and began another on the same day.

One ship, the Carnival Valor, had three back-to-back cruises on which passengers contracted Covid-19. The ship is designed to carry almost 3 000 passengers in 1 487 staterooms. On quick turnarounds, ships come in to port at 7am and head out with new passengers at 4pm.

“There’s never enough time to clean,” Walker said. “And cruise lines all know. It’s not like they bring in professional cleaning crews that do exhaustive work. They use the same cabin attendants who have to be there to greet the guests when they show up.”

Golin-Blaugrund, the trade industry spokesperson, said: “Cruise ships are cleaned and sanitised, under normal circumstances, with a frequency that is nearly unparalleled in other settings. Multiple times daily, crews clean and sanitise surfaces known for transmitting germs, such as handrails, door handles and taps. At the end of a voyage and before a new one begins, ships are cleaned completely from top to bottom.”

As part of the industry’s Vessel Sanitation Programme, she said: “Cruise ship crews are trained in sanitation and public health practices, and ships undergo unannounced inspections twice a year.”

Sheri Griffiths, a video blogger who runs CruiseTipsTV, a YouTube channel, with her husband, said the industry also needs to rethink its cancellation policies. In the past, those who cancelled had to forfeit their payments – often thousands of dollars – which could lead people to travel even if they were not feeling good.

“People need to feel that the passengers around them won’t be boarding the ship sick, and they need to know the crew will be held to a high standard of wellness,” Griffiths said.

Princess Cruises’ advisory said it would issue full refunds or credits to passengers who had to cancel because they were not well or had been exposed to the virus.

As for Griffiths: “I will get on a cruise when the CDC says that I don’t have to self-quarantine when I get off a ship.”