Cruise CEO Says Without a Vaccine, Ships Are Adrift
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is almost ready to roll. But there’s a small catch: Covid-19.
A rendering of a Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection vessel.
Source: Ritz-Carlton
This week the cruise industry seemed to crest a wave in its pandemic saga, with major companies such as Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. announcing long-in-the-making protocols to safely resume operations. Their new policies encompass 74 points that will sound familiar to anyone monitoring the travel industry’s best practices: Both crew and guests will be required to take Covid-19 tests and wear masks when social distancing isn’t possible, sanitation and ventilation methods will be improved, and contingency plans will be implemented to treat and quarantine sick passengers. Both cruise lines are now accepting reservations for a limited number of sailings as soon as November.
But a straightforward set of best practices isn’t enough to get ships back out to sea, says Doug Prothero, chief executive officer of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, speaking to Bloomberg from the Spanish shipyard where his company’s maiden vessel, Evrima, is nearing completion. The luxury cruise brand was slated to see its first departures in 2020 but has deferred those plans until next April due to construction delays.