Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2020

2 1 9 a daily review. Every week we have a new situation summary. We know one month prior [to sailing] but we keep a one-week update because we have to combine occupancy with our partners in different countries plus we try to produce additional sales.” What is good and perhaps surprising news is that by the end of July, the company was receiving additional sales for 2021 and also for 2020. “It is not a wave, of course not, but there are some people who still want to travel. They trust the company, but also for example the coach and air travel companies, to be clever with all the health protocols.” With countries having different levels of the pandemic and changing protocols, it is not easy for any of us to keep abreast of regulations at home, let alone beyond borders. Grimm makes reference to the UK government’s advice in early July against cruise travel, saying this was “really a bump for our industry”. Since then river cruises have been taken out of that advice. As he points out there is a world of difference between an ocean-going cruise ship with 4,000 passengers in the middle of the sea and a river ship with 100 passengers travelling between cities, when it comes to possible health situations. The company is not making changes to its river itineraries. “We have absolutely no reason to change any river cruises. The only reason to change a port of call is, for example, if the country we cruise does not let us stop in certain places, but this is not the case in France, Portugal, Spain, Germany or Holland [in July]. On the Danube we are going as far as Budapest. Most people operate now in Western Europe where there is no problem operating. “We also have cruises on the Mekong and Africa but these are not operating so far. We hope to operate in winter but there is not enough information so far to decide, not just on the local operations but also regarding flights, borders etc.” Whilst the company is focusing more on Europe, which accounts for 90 per cent of its destinations, it has made changes to the programme of one of its ocean ships. “We were supposed to operate in Quebec on the Saint Lawrence but, with the Covid situation, the Canadian authorities have closed river access to cruise ships. We have decided to keep that ship in Europe to be able to sail destinations that are close and safe and with easy access.” This means La Belle des Oceans will be sailing out of Nice round Corsica with port calls every day. In winter she will operate in the Canary Islands. Grimm says that Corsica is selling extremely well and is going to remain a classic in the fleet. Most of the July departures were sold out and the