German cruise ship operator TUI Cruises has launched the first-ever voyage of a commercial luxury cruise ship since the entire industry was shut down for months due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. The massive luxury cruise ship called the Mein Schiff 2 (My Ship 2) left a port in the northern city of Hamburg on Friday, marking the company's resumption of its operations.
In a post on the company's official Instagram account, TUI Cruises stated that it was finally time for it to go back to business. It added that its ships and its crew were ready to serve its customers once again. TUI Cruises, which is a joint venture between TUI AG and American cruise operator Royal Caribbean Cruises, is of course adhering to social distancing regulations and has implemented various health measures onboard its vessel to ensure the safety of its passengers.
As a precaution, TUI Cruises had only filled its first voyage to just about 60 percent of its total capacity. The cruise ship, which will be sailing to Norway for a three-night scenic tour of the North Sea, is only carrying around 1,200 guests. The Mein Schiff 2 is capable of carrying up to 2,900 passengers. According to the company, it had originally allocated around 1,740 slots for the voyage, but it, unfortunately, could not fill the quota.
Apart from limiting the number of passengers, the ship's route has been changed and it will no longer be making any pit stops at other ports. All passengers and crew members onboard the ship have also been requested to wear facial covering or masks at all times.
The ship's facilities have also been modified to avoid close person-to-person contact and promote proper social distancing. At its restaurant, guests are no longer allowed to help themselves to the buffet. They are instead served at their tables with the items they want to get from the buffet.
Prior to boarding the ship, all of the passengers and crew members were required to fill out health questionnaires. They were also submitted to health checks to ensure that they were not carriers of the disease.
TUI Cruises had announced that they will be launching another voyage next month. The company also plans to gradually launch additional ships in an attempt to reignite demand. While Germany hadn't been as affected by the pandemic as other European countries, health experts have warned that reopening businesses and other industries could become potentially disastrous. German officials have stated that a second wave will be imminent and it might already be happening.
