Cruises Set to Return But They Will Now ‘Cruise to Nowhere’

The Covid-19 pandemic has smacked the travel industry right in the face, so hard that it might take a while for it to get back on its feet.

As a result, many airlines across the world have had to significantly scale down operations or shut them down altogether.

Last month, Singapore Airlines flirted with the idea of “flights to nowhere” but soon dropped it after the public raised concerns about its environmental implications.

If you were deeply disappointed about this because you like the journey more than the destination, then I might have some good news for you.

Cruises Set to Return But They Will Now ‘Cruise to Nowhere’

Singapore residents will soon be able to take a “cruise to nowhere”, as part of the Singapore Tourism Board’s (STB) plans to resume leisure travel.

While it did not specify when these cruises will be available, STB said it will only allow 50% of the usual capacity to be taken up for the first three months.

For the uninitiated, a “cruise to nowhere” doesn’t mean STB will get some guy off the street and ask him to steer the ship in any direction he pleases, without a map or GPS system.

It means that the cruise will set sail here in Singapore, and return to the country some time later without stopping at any other countries, unlike the usual cruise before 2020.

Think of it as a holiday but without the tasty exotic food, luxurious hotel stay, and relaxation.

On 23 Sep, STB reportedly hired DNV GL Singapore – a risk management company – to create a safety framework for these cruises.

Once this framework is established, cruises will need to be certified for compliance with it before setting sail.

In addition, DNV GL will also develop a penalty framework for non-compliance to safety management measures, according to The Straits Times.

Inspectors will also be required to conduct onboard checks for each sailing.

Why are the authorities so kiasu about the safety of these cruises? Well, it’s all because of the Diamond Princess.

Easy for Clusters to Form on Ships

While it sounds like a Disney protagonist, the Diamond Princess was a cruise ship that set sail from Yokohama (near Tokyo) in February and was headed to China, Vietnam, and Taiwan before returning to Japan.

However, six days after disembarking, one passenger tested positive for the coronavirus.

The man, from Hong Kong, boarded the ship in Japan and stayed on board for five days, then disembarked in his hometown.

It’s a bit like farting in a lift then quickly leaving it as ten other people enter. 

So, the ship returned to Yokohama and docked.

Three days later, the Japanese authorities locked the ship down, but it was too late.

Around 700 of the 3,700 people aboard ended up getting infected, leading to six deaths.

This is one of the reasons people are so wary of cruise ships. Due to the large number of people on board and the fact that they often come into close contact with each other for a significant period of time, it’s easy for a ship to become a Covid-19 cluster even if only one person is infected.

Consequently, cruise ships have not been allowed to call here since 13 March.

Affordable Ticket Prices

Speaking to ST, Chan Brothers Travel said it will be partnering Dream Cruises to market and sell “cruises to nowhere”, though it’s unclear when sales will be launched.

Ms Alicia Seah, director of public relations and communications at Dynasty Travel, said that making ticket prices affordable will be the key to attracting locals, adding that many of these cruises might be snapped up if they are offered during the year-end holidays.

Sure, we may not be able to travel to another country yet, but at least we’ll be able to sit in a cruise for a few hours and pretend that we can, right?

It’s not great, but that’s the best option we have now.