Where to cruise in 2022
AFTER A careful and limited return this autumn, cruising will be back in earnest in 2022 with programmes of holidays all around the world’s oceans and rivers.
Many countries are beginning to ease their Covid restrictions but although some parts of the world may not open up quickly and some may have to maintain part of their cautionary rules, cruise holidays have some important advantages over single-destination tours.
They are flexible in that itineraries can be reorganised to cope with changes in regulations, rather like weather conditions can sometimes cause a cruise to change the order of ports of call or even skip one – disappointing but not ruinous.
Many cruises can start from UK ports now, avoiding air travel, and either stick to home waters or head up to Northern waters.
Once aboard, passengers and crew have in practically all cases been certified double-jabbed and Covid-tested before crossing the gangplank. This means the ship in effect forms a bubble and passengers remain in bubbles for shore excursions. River cruises can form even smaller bubbles and cruise lines can organise shore trips to be as safe as possible.
All lines are now building in quarantine space as a precaution in case of infection. Check-in procedures have been streamlined to have minimal contact and no crowding.
There will usually be changes to the buffet arrangements
