According to The Straits Times, bookings for "cruises to nowhere" have been pouring in non-stop for Genting Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean.
Genting Cruise Lines' World Dream will be sailing on November 6th, 2020 and Royal Caribbean International’s Quantum of the Seas will begin sailing sometime in December.
This means that vacation-deprived residents of Singapore will finally be able to set sail soon even if their trip is just a circle around the seas.
"While the cruise experience will be different than it was pre-pandemic, we are committed to provide the signature Royal Caribbean holiday that guests know and love, while keeping the health and safety of everyone on board as our top priority," said Angie Stephen, Royal Carribean's managing director.
The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) announced that only these two cruise lines will be allowed to offer "cruises to nowhere" to Singaporean residents under a pilot program.
Some of the conditions include enhanced safety protocols and mandatory COVID-19 testing for all passengers and crew.
From Nov, safe cruises will be piloted with enhanced safety protocols for two cruise lines that are homeported in SG. Prior to sailing, all cruise lines departing from SG must obtain a CruiseSafe cert to ensure high standards of safety and hygiene. https://t.co/jeuepraEKn pic.twitter.com/sSAx1Z60oY — STB (@stb_sg) October 8, 2020
“This cruise pilot is a valuable opportunity for cruise operators to reinvent the entire cruise experience in order to regain the confidence of passengers," said STB's Chief Executive Keith Tan.
A representative of Royal Caribbean International said that Singapore residents will be able to "satisfy those feelings of wanderlust" on three and four-night ocean getaways.
As a part of STB's "CruiseSafe" program, the cruises will have round-trips with no stops in-between. They will also have to sail at a capacity of up to 50 percent only.
The four-night cruise will sail every Thursday evening, meaning guests will only have to take one day off from work to enjoy a long, smooth-sailing holiday weekend.
Starting prices for both companies' offerings range between US$264 (S$359) and US$440 (S$599) per person.
The cruises will also only be open to Singapore residents.
Who doesn't need a holiday after the storm that was 2020, right?
For more details, you can stay tuned for announcements on Royal Caribbean's website or Genting's Dream Cruises website.
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Cover image sourced from 10Best
