Carnival Cruise Line is apologizing for prematurely posting information about the health and safety protocols that must be implemented when they resume travel.
What guests should expect
On Saturday, Carnival Cruise Line posted on its website what a spokesman described as disclosure information required as part of the Center for Disease Control’s Conditional Sailing Order.
At the time, the representative said: “This disclosure information includes essential elements of our return to service plan, which will continue to evolve as soon as we receive additional guidance from the CDC. When we have a final plan, we will update our website and communicate directly with guests and reserved travel agents. “
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Carnival now told Cruise Radio, “In our rush to keep guests and travel agents informed, we posted some information that has not been finalized. As we said earlier, guests should expect [mask-wearing], testing, distance and other protocols. We plan to provide more details in the coming weeks as we work to resume operations. ”
What made people talk
Almost immediately, the internet started to buzz with respect to some of the information contained in the original disclosure. In particular, attention was paid to a section that discussed limiting access to public spaces, locations and activities. Without going into details, the document spoke of spaces operating with reduced capacity and the possibility of a reservation system being implemented for a wide range of areas and activities, including swimming pools, gyms, casinos, restaurants, bars and entertainment productions. “
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For those who have followed the protocol discussions closely, none of this is particularly new. For example, the Healthy Sail Panel – established by the Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – addressed these potentially problematic areas. “Capacity reductions,” says the report, “should also apply to all ships and terminal locations (for example, restaurants, retail, casinos, lounges, gyms), as well as transportation vehicles and shore excursions, to allow proper spacing practices. “
Although neither the Health Sail Panel nor any similar plans presented speak specifically of a reservation system, it stands to reason that cruise lines will need to have something that allows them to control capacity and allow equal access for all passengers.
As questions flooded the Carnival brand ambassador’s Facebook page about the protocols, he thanked people for their patience as the company works to finalize the protocols. “I know it’s not easy to ask, but I do it sincerely,” he wrote. “We will share the news and then see what we can do as a company to help you in the best way that we can.”