There's still no set date for when Royal Caribbean could begin launching the test cruises necessary to gain approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to resume normal operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it's clear the cruise giant won't have any trouble finding volunteers to sail.
In addition to encouraging social media posts, Royal Caribbean has received thousands of emails from prospective passengers in recent days.
"Royal Caribbean has some of the most loyal guests in the cruise industry and we have been overjoyed with their interest to take part in our simulated trial sailings," Jonathon Fishman, a spokesperson for the cruise company, told CNN Travel. "This week alone, we have received more than 5,000 emails, not including the tweets, comments and messages across social media."
Fishman pointed out that there are "no dates to announce yet" when it comes to the mock cruises as Royal Caribbean still has "a lot of details to work out to make sure everyone's experience onboard is as safe and as enjoyable as we can make it."
Last week, Vicki Freed, senior vice president of sales and trade support & service for Royal Caribbean International, hinted that the test cruises could start as soon as December but stopped short of issuing a confirmation.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings brands are targeting January for the start of their CDC-required test cruises, CEO Frank Del Rio announced this week.
The upcoming test voyages, which will be critical to the industry's recovery, could prove quite challenging, at least in the beginning. After all, this week, SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream I was forced to abandon its very first Caribbean cruise after a passenger tested positive for COVID-19.
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