Cruising Returns to Singapore Today 

‘Twas the night before cruising and all through the ship, the team at Royal Caribbean was stirring to make it a great trip! The masks were all hung by the gangway with care, with hope that happy passengers would soon be there. The crew were nestled all snug in their beds while visions of lido deck activities danced in their heads.  

December 1st means the yuletide spirit is officially in full swing and this year, it also means that cruising is back in Singapore. Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas is set to embark with paying passengers for the first time since last Spring and that’s a big deal for the cruise industry. Leaving from Singapore and limited to residents of the city-state only, the cruise will spend a few days at sea without any stops as part of the cruise line’s gradual return to operation. 

Not only will the ship be limited to 50% capacity, but there are several health and safety protocols guests will need to adhere to throughout the cruise. Masks and social distancing are important, but so is the use of contact tracing bracelets which will help identify at-risk passengers in the event COVID-19 is found on board. All guests must prove they’ve passed a COVID-19 test three days prior to sailing. Royal Caribbean helped coordinate the testing for guests prior to their cruise in order to speed up the embarkation and reduce the need for close contact.

The new regulations were developed by Royal Caribbean and the government of Singapore and are similar in many aspects to what the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires before cruising returns to America.

 Successful Test Cruise 

Last week, Quantum of the Seas embarked on a test run prior to passengers stepping on board to ensure the crew had all their ducks in a row when it came to proper testing procedures and on board protocols. Nick Weir, Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean, tweeted out a few images of the entertainment getting ready for their first shows back during the test cruise.

Since the upcoming cruises are for Singapore residents only, we’ll have to wait a little bit longer before we can hop on board, but the fact that cruises have started again is an important step in the right direction. If these three and four day cruises to nowhere can operate successfully, it offers hope that cruise lines here in America will be able to meet the rigorous demands set forth in the CDC’s conditional sail order. 

Have you sailed on Quantum of the Seas before? Let us know in the comments below!