The process of getting on board a cruise ship is going to be a little different for a while. But maybe not as different as you might think.
Within minutes of arriving at the port of Barbados on Saturday afternoon to board the first cruise ship to resume sailing in the Caribbean since March, I found myself in a medical tent, face-to-face with two staffers in full Contagion gear — masks, goggles, medical gowns, the works.
They were there to test me for COVID-19 — my second such test in just three days. It’s a new requirement for anyone who wants to step onto the vessel, SeaDream Yacht Club’s SeaDream 1.
I also had my temperature taken, underwent a pulse oxidation test, was asked to sanitize my hands, had my luggage sprayed down with sanitizer — even my hand luggage! — and had to produce several pages of medical-related forms.
Compared to the way boarding a cruise ship was just a few months ago, it was all a bit bizarre.
But it also was not nearly as obtrusive as I had imagined. And it was all over relatively quickly.
From the moment I was dropped off at the port in a private, COVID-safe transfer arranged by the cruise line, to the moment I stepped on board SeaDream 1 — a new, negative COVID test officially under my belt — less than one hour had passed.
Forty-eight minutes to be exact.
The Points Guy is getting exclusive access among North American media this week to SeaDream I’s very first sailing in the Caribbean.
The sailing is a watershed moment for the cruise industry, which has been eyeing a restart in the Caribbean for many months. While some limited cruising has resumed in Europe and a few other places around the world since the summer, no cruise line has successfully restarted operations in not just the Caribbean but all of North America.
Assuming all goes well with this sailing and more than a dozen other voyages SeaDream plans in the region over the coming weeks, it’ll prove that a safe resumption of cruising in the Caribbean — the world’s biggest cruise destination — is possible.
The sailing also offers a first glimpse of what cruising in the Caribbean really will be like when more ships restart operations. For the most part, SeaDream is implementing the same anti-COVID restrictions on its ship that other lines have discussed as part of their restart plans.
In this, our first dispatch live from the ship, we offer a look at the new boarding process.
Rigorous safeguards
In some ways, the arrival process for this cruise was no different than for any other sailing. Upon stepping out of my transfer to the port, I was directed to an initial outdoor check-in station where a ship staffer awaited to check me in.
The first order of business was to sanitize my hands. I then gave her my name and cabin number, which she checked off a master list.
That much was par for the course. It was the next part that was different than anything else I have experienced in 25-plus years of writing about cruising.
From the initial check-in station, I was directed to an isolated (by party) outdoor seating area for a few minutes before being called up to an initial medical screening desk. A second staffer here (wearing a mask and face shield) took my temperature and measured my blood oxidation level with a fingertip device. She also collected several pages of medical forms that I had filled out on my way to the port.