What ships are cruising right now?
A lot of people are asking – is anyone cruising right now. Well the answer is YES. I found this and thought it worth reporting. It is from Cruise Critic, Adam Coulter, UK Managing Editor
While the global COVID-19 pandemic has shut down most cruise lines since mid-March, there are areas of the world where some ships are sailing.
In most cases, these are single-nationality cruises calling in at a limited number of ports, usually in the country of origin. Nearly all are in Europe or Asia, as U.S. cruise lines are on an operational pause until at least October, bound by the ruling from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Although options are still limited, and in most cases are nationality and government-advice dependent, here is a round-up of which lines have restarted cruising on what ships, as well as where they are going and who can sail.
All these lines are operating strict new health and safety protocols, all of which include temperature checking and social distancing. We have also indicated which lines have mandated COVID-19 testing before boarding, as well as ship-sponsored, shore excursion "bubbles."
OCEAN CRUISES
Aranui Adventure Cruises
Ships: Aranui 5
Itineraries: French Polynesia
Who can go: Visitors must prove their visit is for work/family reasons and take a COVID-19 test 72 hours before departure.
Health requirement: COVID-19 test the day before departure.
Costa Cruises
Ships: Costa Deliziosa, Costa Diadema; Costa Smerelda (October); Costa Firenze (December).
Itineraries: Costa Deliziosa operates from Trieste, offering week-long cruises around Italy. After October 10, it will sail to Greece.
Costa Diadema offers week-long trips round Italy, departing from Genoa.
Costa Smerelda will offer Western Med cruises from October 10.
New flagship Costa Firenze will offer Western Mediterranean cruises from the end of December.
Who can go: Italians only, opening up to more European nationalities toward the end of the month.
Health requirement: COVID-19 testing as standard; only ship-organized shore excursions.
Coral Expeditions
Ship: Coral Discoverer
Itineraries: 7-night Great Barrier Reef from Cairns (from October 14, 2020)
Who can go: Australians and Queenslanders
Croisi Europe
Ship: MV Belle des Océans
Itineraries: Mediterranean
Who can go: Open to all
Dream Cruises
Ship: Explorer Dream
Itineraries: From Taipei, offering four-day cruises to Taiwanese islands
Who can go: Taiwanese only.
Hapag-Lloyd
Ship: Europa 2, Hanseatic Inspiration
Itineraries: Cruise to nowhere from Hamburg to the North and Baltic seas
Who can go: Germans, Austrians, Swiss
Maine Windjammers
Ships: Schooners Stephen Taber, Ladona
Itineraries: Operating three- to six-night cruises along the coast of Maine
Who can go: Anyone
Health Requirement: COVID test required to board, no port stops
The Majestic Line
Ships: Glen Shiel, Glen Entive
Itineraries: From Scottish ports to Scottish islands.
Who can go: U.K. citizens
Metropolitan Touring
Ships: La Pinta
Itineraries: Galapagos Islands expeditions
Who can go:Anyone eligible to travel to Ecuador
Health Requirement: COVID negative test required to enter Galapagos Islands; masks must be worn.
MSC Cruises
MSC Grandiosa in Genoa (Photo: MSC Cruises)
Ships: MSC Grandiosa, MSC Magnifica (October 19)
Itineraries: MSC Grandiosa operates from Genoa, offering week-long cruises round Italy.
MSC Magnifica will homeport in Genoa and call at Livorno for Florence and Pisa, Messina in Sicily, Valletta in Malta, Piraeus for Athens and Katakolon for Olympia in Greece, and Civitavecchia for Rome.
Who can go: Schengen citizens (not U.K.)
Health requirement: COVID testing as standard; only ship-organised shore excursions
Paul Gauguin
Ship: Paul Gauguin
Itineraries: 7- to 14-night Tahiti, French Polynesia, and South Pacific sailings.
Who can go: Open to all.
Health requirement: Proof of a negative COVID-19 test
Ponant
Ships: Le Jacques Cartier, L'Austral, Le Lyrial, Le Champlain
Itineraries: Le Jacques Cartier is sailing French coastal itineraries in Brittany. L'Austral is sailing in the Mediterranean from Marsailles. Le Lyrial is sailing to Corscia from Nice. Le Champlain is sailing in Croatia.
Who can go: French, Belgians, Dutch
Health requirement: Proof of a negative COVID-19 test
SeaDream*
Ships: SeaDream 1 (possibly SeaDream 2)
Itineraries: Transatlantic from Norway (where it has been operating successfully) on October 15 via the U.K. and Madeira to Barbados, where it will be based. On November 7, SeaDream 1 will start round-trip cruises from Bridgetown to St. Vincent and several islands in the Grenadines such as Union Island and Bequia, as well as Grenada. If demand is there the line will add SeaDream 2.
Who can go: Passengers from Barbados' "safe list", which includes US and Canadian citizens.
*from October 15
Health requirement: At least two negative COVID-19 test results
TUI
Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 6
Itineraries: Mein Schiff 1 is offering Hamburg "blue cruises" (cruises to nowhere).
Mein Schiff 6 is offering week-long cruises from Heraklion, calling at Piraeus and Corfu, with scenic sailing of Santorini.
Who can go: Germans
Variety
Ship: Galileo
Itineraries: Week-long, round trip from Piraeus to the Cyclades, which includes Paros, Poros, Santorini and Mykonos
Who can go: Open to all
RIVER CRUISES
Amadeus Imperial (Image: Amadeus by Lueftner)
Amadeus
Ships: Amadeus Imperial and five other ships.
Itineraries: Danube, Rhine, Main and the Dutch and Belgian waterways
Who can go: Open to all
AmaKristina
AmaWaterways
Ship: AmaKristina
Itineraries: There are two different five-night itineraries running on the Rhine River, both round-trip from Cologne. One sails north to Amsterdam and Antwerp, while the other runs south to Strasbourg. The cruises run through November 2.
Who can go: Germans, Dutch on charter cruises only
A-ROSA
Ships: A-ROSA Flora, A-ROSA Aqua, A-ROSA Alva, A-ROSA Donna, A-ROSA Mia, A-ROSA Riva, A-ROSA Brava, A-ROSA Silva
Itineraries: Rhine, Danube, Douro
Who can go: Open to all
CroisiEurope
Ships: MS Gerard Schmitter, MS Modigliani, MS Lafayette, MS Douce France, MS Monalisa, MS Renoir, MS Van Gogh, MS Camargue, MS Mistral, MS Loire Princesse, MS Cyrano de Bergerac, MS Amalia Rodrigues, MS Miguel Torga, MS Gil Eanes, MS Fernao de Magalhaes, Barge Anne Marie, barge Madeleine, barge Jeanine
Itineraries: French rivers and canals; Douro
Who can go: Open to all.
English Holiday Cruises
Ships: Edward Elgar
Itineraries: Offering two-, three-, four- and five-night cruises along the U.K.'s longest river, the Severn.
Who can go: Any citizen on the U.K.'s "safe list" of countries.
Nicko
Ship: NickoVision
Itineraries: Danube and Rhine.
Who can go: Open to all.
Viva
Ships: MS Inspire, MS Treasures
Itineraries: Four-night cruises along the Main and the Rhine.
Who can go: Germans only.