Cast your fears away – a cruise may be the perfect post-Covid holiday – The National

Cast your fears away – a cruise may be the perfect post-Covid holiday – The National

When Covid-19 swept through the world last year, shutting borders and sending nerves on edge, it seemed for a while that the worst place to be was on vacation. And the worst kind of vacation to be on was a cruise.

To landlubbers, it may seem a distant memory now, but for weeks, scenes of cruise ships sailing aimlessly with infected passengers, unable to dock anywhere, frequented the world's television screens. Captains of the industry were rightly worried that the ensuing reputational damage would scupper their companies for good.

But this week saw the start of Dubai's first post-pandemic cruise season, with 126 ships carrying 500,000 passengers expected over the next few months. With the tide of the pandemic receding in many countries, cruises are coming back on line. And in a world that is more knowledgeable and more prepared for life with coronavirus, they may come back stronger – and safer – than ever.