How things will change

One thing we know is that how you travel in the future will be different than how you've traveled in the past.  Remember traveling before 9/11?  No TSA for example.  Well, we know things will be different based on COVID related learnings.  This post takes a look at a few examples

Ocean Cruises

This article lists some changes that await ocean cruisers.  One example is wearable technologies that track your every move aboard the ship.  Why is this more important post pandemic?  It allows much faster contact tracing in the event people are exposed to an infectious person.  Plus this allows staff to monitor room capacity much easier - making sure people aren't jammed into a particular venue so that social distancing is impossible.

Other changes the article points to are: 

• the elimination of muster drills  - which always seemed claustropic to us. 
• much faster check in to eliminate congregating in the terminal
• replacing printed materials (think daily programs and menus) with digital apps to eliminate staff interactions

We heard very similar things from our business reps at Oceania, Celebrity and Silversea.  Buckle up, changes are coming.

River cruises

While river cruises aren't generally jammed packed with people, certain changes are inevitable.  To maintain proper social distancing, expect dining to be a different experience.  Some suppliers are experimenting with room service and others will increase the capacity of alternative restaurants.  

Other changes might be different excursion options as well as more digital content and less printed materials as above.  Wine tasting excursions might have smaller groups to allow more space between unmasked tastings.

And of course there will be much more attention to the hygienic cleaning of surfaces.

Ch-Ch-Ch- Changes (complements of David Bowie)

There's an old adage that says the only thing constant in life is change.  Leisure travel is sure to change.  The pandemic has affected the travel industry worse than any other.  They have a huge incentive to make potential travelers feel safe and secure.  In our experience, eventually, they will be successful.

One thing that won't change is our commitment to ensure you get the best vacation experience, the best value, and advocate for you at all times.