Passengers arrive at the departure area at the Marina Bay Cruise Center in Singapore.
Singapore:
Hundreds of passengers departed Singapore on Friday on a “cruise to nowhere” with security measures in place to prevent coronavirus outbreaks, as the industry seeks to bounce back from a pandemic-induced crisis.
Cruises around the world were halted in March after travel restrictions began and several ships have been hit with major outbreaks but have now resumed in a few places.
The “cruise to nowhere” – starting and ending in the same place, non-stop – proved to be a success, and passengers wearing masks lined up for virus tests conducted by workers in protective gear before setting off. board the World Dream liner.
The liner leaves Friday evening in the Strait of Malacca, a major shipping route between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, and will sail to international waters before returning to the city-state on Sunday.
Vinoth Arun, 27, a financial consultant accompanied by his girlfriend, was among some 1,400 passengers on board – half the ship’s capacity, to ensure social distancing.
“The fact that you are carrying your luggage and taking out your passport, I guess that’s just the state of mind that you are going on vacation,” he told AFP.
He felt it was safer to sail now compared to earlier this year when cruise ships were hit hard: “Now everyone knows about Covid and they’re not so nonchalant about it anymore.”
The cruise operator, Genting Group of Malaysia, has implemented a series of security measures.
Rooms and public areas are regularly disinfected, restaurants have reduced capacity, guests must book the pool in advance, while the ship’s clinic is equipped with a machine that produces virus test results in one. hour.
The ship also has an intensive care unit, in case anyone contracts Covid-19.
While it hasn’t made a stop like a regular cruise would, there is plenty of onboard entertainment such as a casino, movies, water slides, and a Christmas show.
Account manager Renee Toh, 56, who sailed with her husband and daughter, said she was thrilled to be able to set sail and looked forward to spending a “relaxing time” with her family and have fun at the casino.
Tourism operators are rolling out new services as they struggle to survive. Airlines operate “flights to nowhere” and travel-hungry diners ate last month aboard two parked Singapore Airlines jets turned into pop-up restaurants.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
