By David G. Molyneaux
St. Martin, Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean
For the first time in more than 15 months, vacationers from North America began boarding in June 2021 a small selection of cruise ships that had been activated from their slumber during the pandemic.
Among them was the 312-passenger Star Breeze that glided out of the harbor at Philipsburg, St. Maarten, bound for … maybe St. Bart’s, said the captain, maybe not.
Even the captain did not know where we were going. After all these months, Covid-19 remained the phantom captain, the rascal behind the wheel. When would the old reality return? When would the virus release its watch?
Turned out that the answer was: No time soon. Our expected one-week itinerary changed nearly every day, and passengers were confined to a vacation bubble in a pandemic costume party that included masks, social distancing, and friendly yet serious enforcement. Our experience, while delightfully relaxing and comfortable aboard a spiffy ship recently enlarged and renewed, sometimes was not the carefree voyage that cruisers normally expect.
For me, the tradeoff of occasional annoyances for a return to sea was fully acceptable, but travelers who are planning to cruise or to join any other group vacations this summer should be aware that the pandemic has added stress to the experience. Restrictions are expected to improve as the calendar turns toward fall.
In the meantime, be vaccinated and be prepared to be tested and managed; to carry a mask and paperwork of testing evidence; and to be flexible.
Hiccups, we had a few
For my June trip with Windstar Cruises, vaccinations were required, and we were tested for COVID four times, once at home before we were allowed to board a plane for St. Martin. Everyone on the Star Breeze in June was an experienced traveler, aware that our cruise would have its hiccups.
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