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SINGAPORE – Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas became the second ship to begin cruises to nowhere from Singapore on Thursday (December 3), with enhanced security protocols to keep Covid-19 at bay.
Follow Genting Cruise Line’s World Dream, which launched Singapore’s first pandemic cruises to nowhere on November 6.
These port-of-call roundtrip cruises are under a pilot program announced by the Singapore Tourism Board in October.
Royal Caribbean will have up to two trips a week, departing on Mondays and Thursdays, with tickets starting at $ 374 per person for a three-night cruise.
The operator offers three- and four-night Ocean Getaway cruises on the ship at a reduced capacity of 50 percent.
The first voyage, a four-night cruise that carries more than 1,300 people, departs Thursday at 9 pm His second, a three-night cruise that departs at 9 pm Monday, will carry more than 1,700 passengers.
At full capacity during the pandemic, Quantum of the Seas can handle up to 2,000 guests, half the usual for more than 4,000 passengers.
“We want to test our product, and the demand is there as we are already 99 percent out of stock for most of December,” said Angie Stephen, Managing Director for Asia Pacific, Royal Caribbean International.
“We’d like to start slow and build up safely,” Stephen said, adding that January tickets are already 50 percent sold out.
He added that demand has “exceeded expectations” and that the company will likely see an increase in bookings for the Chinese New Year period in February and the school holidays in March.
Boarding began at 2 p.m. Thursday in staggered time frames. As part of strict health and safety measures in place, the process involved passengers registering online in advance. Passengers were also required to perform a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test before arriving at the cruise hub, the costs of which were absorbed by Royal Caribbean International.
This procedure differs from that used on Genting’s World Dream cruise ship, which involved passengers conducting a rapid antigen test for Covid-19 at the Marina Bay Cruise Center.
Those who boarded the Royal Caribbean cruise ship had their boarding passes scanned and their bags underwent a disinfection process called electrostatic fogging.
The boat is also impeccable. In addition to deep sanitation between departures, the ship’s aisles and public areas are disinfected daily, while frequently-touched areas in elevators, escalators, stairs, and promenades are cleaned every two hours.
Passengers must adhere to safe distance measures on board at all entertainment venues and restaurants, and capacity limits apply. They will be offered a full tour of the ship’s many amenities, but reservations must be made in advance for key attractions like RipCord by iFly, a glass chamber skydiving experience, and FlowRider, a surf simulator.
Also available for reservations is the North Star, which offers a 15-minute spin in a glass capsule that rises nearly 100 meters above the sea for a 360-degree view.
The use of the mask is mandatory on board and passengers must have the Trace Together mobile app or token on their person at all times.
“With all of these protocols on board, our guests can navigate with confidence knowing that safety is the priority for Royal Caribbean and with all of these measures in place, the probability of a case on board is expected to be minimal,” said Stephen. .
“We want our clients and our guests to enjoy their well-deserved vacations, but also to be protected in a very safe and healthy environment.”
If a positive case of Covid-19 is detected during the cruise, the Quantum of the Seas has a hospital on board, complete with a PCR testing laboratory and ventilator-equipped intensive care units, where cases can be isolated and treated.
The cruise ship is manned by approximately 1,200 crew members who are tested for Covid-19 every seven days. This is 70 percent of your usual crew capacity.
Meanwhile, the World Dream has up to three sailings a week, with cruises of two and three nights to nowhere available.
The two companies are part of a “safe cruise” pilot program serving Singapore residents at reduced capacity. Together, passenger capacities on the Quantum of the Seas and the World Dream will account for only about 30 percent of the usual winter cruise season, the Singapore Tourism Board said in November.
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