WAYS WE ARE KEEPING YOU SAFE WHILE CRUISING WITH US
While efforts to contain COVID-19 continue to evolve, your cruise operator has taken proactive steps to help customers have a healthy and safe cruise experience. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for the future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene and social distancing so that when they embark on one of our ships, they know our commitment to their health and safety is our priority. This pandemic situation has forced us to rethink and raise the hygiene bar and also to change some of our regular procedures not just in terms of hygiene, but also our service.
- Cleaning procedures
Disinfecting surfaces is one key way to minimize the spread of viruses. Your ships will increase the frequency of the regular cleaning programs and all common areas will be cleaned at least two times per day with the cleaning agents that have been proved to eliminate viruses and bacteria. Cleaning solutions with diluted bleach as well as those with at least 70% alcohol are considered effective in combating coronaviruses. Handrails, doorknobs, remote controls, light switches, cabin keys, etc. will be disinfected multiple times daily, as well as common toilets on the ship. Special attention will be given to ship salon cleaning, where desks, chairs and other surfaces will be cleaned after every use.
Cabins will be cleaned on a daily basis, meaning all surfaces will be treated with effective sanitisers as mentioned above. Guests will be asked to leave their cabins during cleaning to avoid close contact and respect social distancing policy. Extra blankets and pillows will be removed from the cabin wardrobes and will be provided on request. Guests can refuse the daily cleaning practice if they wish so.
- Helping our guests
Personal hygiene including frequent hand washing and not touching your eyes, nose or mouth is essential to minimising the spread of the COVID-19 and other viruses. These recommendations are very important and will be repeated to guests frequently.
To ensure all our guests are safe we are introducing:
Hand sanitisers – will be available at the entrance of each ship as well as at the salon entrance. Guests will be asked to use the sanitizer every time when getting on/off the ship or when entering the salon.
Soap and paper towels – will be provided to guests in their cabins for their personal use.
- Air conditioning on the ship
All ships have air conditioning that can be self- regulated (for all our categories except traditional vessels which are not fully air conditioned). Salon and common hall areas are also air conditioned. The AC system is maintained annually and filters are cleaned and replaced as needed. Due to the coronavirus situation and the negative image that large AC systems can contribute in the development and spread of the virus through ventilation systems, your cruise operators will be taking extra measures in cleaning and disinfecting AC units. If guests do not wish to use AC in their cabins, they can easily be turned off.
The salon area will be organised to ensure that social distancing is respected and it will be suggested that salon doors and windows are kept open during breakfast and lunch time to increase air circulation. Guests will be reminded during their stay on the ship to open cabin windows multiple times daily for ventilation (where possible). Air ionizers will be placed in the restaurant on all vessels. These ionizers successfully eliminate all microorganisms and prevent the possibility of infection.
- Social distancing
Your ships are small cruise ships. This is very important to highlight because we work with small groups and we are able to accommodate all social distancing requirements. Furniture in public areas will be arranged to allow more space for distancing. Additional tables will be placed in the outside area. Most of the ships have very spacious sundecks allowing the sun beds and chairs to be easily placed at 1.5 m distance as recommended. Sun chairs will be marked with cabin numbers and guests will be kindly asked to use the chair marked with their cabin number only. Deluxe and deluxe superior ships with jacuzzi/hot tubs will have a limited number of people using it at a time – maximum two people if they are couple or family members, as there is no evidence that a swimming pool or jacuzzi would put anyone in danger to get the COVID-19 virus, as long as social distancing and hygiene is observed. One of the great experiences for our guests is using a dinghy to go from ship to nearest bay for swimming. This is done daily on our swim breaks, but we will have to limit the number of people in the dinghy from 8 to max.4 people at once. - Ship service
Breakfast and lunch will be served and no meals will be on a buffet. Depending on the size of the group and ship layout, meals will be served either in two sessions or simultaneously in the saloon and on the outside deck. Food will be prepared and served in gloves. Finger food and other snacks that are usually served in salons for guests to have throughout the day, will be removed as well as all the magazines, newspapers, books, board games etc. - Further instructions
Swim stops will be regulated by the crew and the tour manager – in order to respect social distancing policy the number of people using the swim platform at once will be limited as well as people using the upper deck. Crew will keep track of the numbers to prevent crowding.
Each time before the ship arrives at the new destination/ port, the cruise manager will organize the procedure of how the guests will leave the ship to go on shore. This will be communicated to guests via the ship sound system. If two or more ships are moored next to each other, guests will be asked to respect the following procedures when embarking /disembarking the ship: those coming from the mainland should walk towards the stern, while guests wishing to leave their ship will go towards the bow, if the design of the ships allows.
Welcome reception on the day of arrival will be held on deck or in small groups in the salon, depending on the conditions of the boat. The Croatian Institute of Public Health suggests that guests carry their own luggage in order to avoid excessive contact. However, if you need the help of a crew member, they will be glad to assist you and they will do it using hand gloves and later they will disinfect their hands. Lastly, we recommend that you bring only one piece of luggage per person, as well as one piece of hand luggage.
All above instructions will be posted on our website as well on all our programs description. Guests are kindly asked to pay attention to these instructions and to prepare for the new regulations before coming on board. Guests are also asked to respect check in and check out time and not to make crowds when entering or leaving the ship. They should always keep in mind the social distancing policy of 1.5 m.
- Crew
All crew members will be informed and trained on the new procedures and will be advised to keep the highest hygiene standards and social distancing in guests interaction. They will be advised to wear masks and gloves and to use hand sanitisers on a regular basis. Also, every day before starting their shift, they will need to measure their temperature and if they have any respiratory problems they will be instructed to consult their physician.
We ask our guests to be aware of their own responsibilities and adhere to the following guidelines:
• Pay attention to the minimum distance of 1.50 m on board and on land and avoid crowds.
• Each guest is free to wear masks on board. Bring them in sufficient quantities. If you do not have masks with you, the crew will provide you with some in your cabin at extra cost.
• You will be asked by the crew to measure your temperature once you come on board as a part of coronavirus safety procedures. If you feel ill during the voyage, notify the captain immediately and our crew will help you according to accepted procedures with the virus.
These rules are written in accordance with instructions and recommendations of the Croatian Institute of Public Health and Ministry of Tourism. In case of any further changes and following the future development of COVID 19 situation, we will update them accordingly.
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