Will we see a rise in the 'cruise to nowhere'?

It sounds almost like a Talking Heads’ song. But a ‘cruise to nowhere’ could be exactly what tentative passengers – and cruise companies – need to boost confidence in a Covid-19 world.

If you’ve not dabbled in such trips before, the terminology is slightly misleading; a cruise to nowhere does actually go somewhere – it’s anchors aweigh and full steam ahead seawards – but you won’t be docking at any ports en route.

Because of their short duration, lack of port charges and fuel consumption, cruises to nowhere tend to be on the more affordable side, though limited in offer, especially since 2016 when they ceased to be an option from US ports under changed maritime laws. But could this all be about to change, thanks to our more restricted environment?

Hurtigruten, the Norwegian liner that became the first to sail the ocean again following the cruise industry’s shutdown in March, have just kicked off a 14-night itinerary from Hamburg along Norway’s coast, circling its North Cape before returning to Hamburg on July 20. Cruises to nowhere are generally brief ventures, usually lasting no longer than three days, so a non-docking trip of this duration is unusual.

“This is as far from a [traditional] cruise to nowhere as you can possibly get,” said Rune Thomas Ege, vice-president of global communications for Hurtigruten. The new hybrid-powered MS Fridtjof Nansen, with a capacity for 530 passengers, has 150 socially distanced German nationals on board. While no landings are made, in keeping with the Norwegian government’s Covid-19 guidelines, there’s the opportunity to take trips on smaller boats (or even kayaks and stand-up paddleboards) to experience the fjords in greater detail.

“As an added bonus, we have the fjords almost all to ourselves. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In close cooperation with Norwegian government and other international experts and health authorities, we have implemented strict measures for our entire operation. The feedback is that [the passengers] feel safe, while they at the same time can enjoy the experience at full.”

Ege is also keen for the passengers to dock if the opportunity arises: “As soon as travel restrictions are lifted, even if it happens mid-cruise, we will take guests on shore to do hikes, visit local communities and expand the wide range of activities we offer.”

For UK cruise lovers who want a preview of ocean liner safety measures before planning more extensive expeditions, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines have a two-night ‘cruise to nowhere’ departing Liverpool on January 6, 2021. In this case, you do actually finish the cruise somewhere else; sailing around England’s south-west coast before disembarking at Southampton.

“We only offer a small number of ‘cruises to nowhere’ each year, generally when we are moving one of our ships to a different port,” said Clare Ward, head of product and customer service at Fred Olsen Cruise Lines.

“They are always popular, because it gives people a chance to come on board, enjoy an evening or two of fine food and entertainment and to catch up with friends without taking a lot of time away from any commitments at home.”

“Cruises that don’t land would help reduce the overcrowding they can cause,” said Dr Tristan Smith, shipping and climate change expert at University College London. Though he acknowledges that this reduces one of the positives of cruise tourism: the chance that their passengers can contribute to spending in the local economy.

“But ‘cruises to nowhere’ are unlikely to significantly assist the air pollution, GHG, presence and aesthetic impacts,” Smith said, noting that one of the measures cruise ships use to manage emissions is shore power when at berth, essentially plugging into the local grid so that the ship’s engines can be shut down.

Nevertheless, it’s the kind of adventure without airport hassle, traffic or the inconvenience of international quarantine restrictions that might even tempt cruise sceptics.

“It can be a great way to sample a cruise for the first time,” says Ward. And with countries such as Spain banning cruise ships from docking indefinitely, sailing to nowhere may become a new normal for those eager to get back on a ship while the tourism navigates its way through the Covid-19 aftermath.

Would you go on a cruise to nowhere? Tell us in the comments section below.