First, it was ‘flights to nowhere’, now its ‘cruises to nowhere!’

Travel has taken to the new normal quite effectively in the past few days with some unbelievable experiences. Who thought that a jolly ride via flight or cruise will become the definition of travel in the new normal? Ever since ‘flights to nowhere’ as an initiative was announced by leading airlines like Qantas and Air India, it has created a furore in the tourist fraternity. In recent news, Singapore has decided to release ‘cruises to nowhere’ as an initiative. As the name suggests, you can literally hop onto a cruise liner for just a jolly ride with no final destination! Intriguing enough?

What is it all about?

From the beginning of November, a cruise liner Genting Cruise Lines’ World Dream will begin operations. On the other hand, Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas will set sail from December. This was confirmed in an official announcement by the Singapore Tourism Board in a press release.

The start and endpoints of these cruise journeys will be at Singapore itself as it will not set sail to any of the ports of call. Round trips to Singapore with 50% capacity of Singaporeans is what can be expected through these cruises to nowhere. All rules of social distancing and other safety precautions will have to be adhered to by the passengers on board the cruise liner.

Also read: Maldives Cruises from India – All that you need to Know!

Safety measures

Both ‘Dream Cruises’ and ‘Royal Caribbean’ have stated that all safety measures will be taken to ensure that tourists are safe and sound. The staff and crew on board will be screened from time to time. Freshly filtered and pure air will be released into the cabins of the cruise liner. If a guest ends up testing positive for COVID-19 three weeks prior to their trip, they will be offered 100% credit which can be redeemed in future.

The highlight of this is that if a member ends up testing positive on-trip, the medical, quarantine and other related expenses will be borne by the Royal Caribbean cruise liner. Apart from this, every cruise liner will also have to attain the CruiseSafe Certification. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) stated that “Singapore is one of the first countries in the world to develop and implement a mandatory audit and certification programme for cruise lines before they can commence sailings.”

Also read: Top 8 Cruises from Dubai to explore the country

CruiseSafe standards will ensure that social distancing and hygiene is maintained all through the trip. Clean air and hand sanitizers will also be provided to all passengers and crew members. In case the crew members are traversing across different countries, they have to serve a home-quarantine period for 14 days on arrival before testing negative for COVID-19.

Aren’t you pumped up already to hop onto your ‘cruise to nowhere?’ Well, go ahead and plan your Singapore tour package with Pickyourtrail. Although the pandemic has brought the world to a halt, travel is eternal. If you prefer a quiet getaway close to your city, check out some exclusive staycations options. It’s time for your travel plans to come back to life!