Cruise ships are in the revival mode

In early 2020s, cruise ships were in the news for all the wrong reasons. Some people even went to the extent of predicting the industry would never recover. There were news related to outbreaks, port refusals, travelers stuck onboard. Fans of cruises say all that is ancient history. As a Singaporean said - “Given a choice, we would be living on the cruise ship for the remainder of our lives.” He goes on to add that those are issues of 2020 and “not of any concern” today because people are vaccinated and they observe personal health protocols.” He and his wife loves cruises and have already planned three cruises through 2023. They love to wake up in a different country the next day. A recent report mentioned about COVID-19 outbreak in a cruise ship circumnavigating Australia. According to a survey published by Cruiseline.com and the booking app Shipmate, 91 percent of respondents planned to take a cruise by 2023. Afraid to cruise? Not at all, say fans who are causing ‘an explosion of bookings’.

Arrivia is a travel loyalty provider. It operates programs for American Express, Bank of America and USAA and 75 percent of members indicated plans to cruise in the next two years. Moreover, regular leisure travelers are also open to cruising again. The fear of the pandemic gradually reduced. An example is an Indian national who said he had “no qualms” about cruising this month with his family – it was his first cruise ever. He said he felt safe and that his family wore masks in crowded areas and might cruise again next year. A market research provider says the global cruising industry will not return to pre-pandemic levels until 2027. In Asia, the problem is due “mainly to the slow recovery in China … due to the strict zero-tolerance COVID-19 policies.”

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Numerus flood warnings are in place for areas like Yeovil, Derby, and the Lake District and London suburbs. Warning of a yellow thunderstorm is there for London, the south and parts of Wales. Storm Claudio has been lashing parts of the country, causing chaos on the roads and in coastal towns. The Met department issued more than 20 separate flood alerts across the nation, apart from yellow weather warnings for parts of the south east of England and North West Scotland. Residents should install flood protection measures to reduce the impact of the floods. In London, heavy rain fell overnight with rise in river levels. There are possibilities of floods in low-lying land, roads and riverside gardens and disruption in rail services. Flooding has led to closure of many stations. Signal failure due to floods has contributed to the agonies of the travelers. UK weather: Britain wakes up to widespread flooding and warnings after night of downpours.

In such a scenario, people have to be prepared to face floods and associated travel problems. These could be due to various reasons like signal failure or cars struggling to navigate surrounding roads. Meanwhile, forecasters have warned Brits to be prepared to "get their ice scrapers out" and prepare for frost to cover this week. Temperatures could drop to below freezing in many rural parts of the north tonight before plummeting further to -2C. Areas in the South will need to brace for chilly nights in the low single figures, as a November chill finally arrives following an unseasonably warm spell. Motorists have to be careful of the freezing temperatures ahead. As the Met Office said in a tweet - "Some of us may need our ice scrapers in the next few days as temperatures dip close to freezing."

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