When Riviera River Cruises returns to Europe’s waterways, there will be new health and safety policies and procedures in place.
It is working to meet the highest possible health and safety standards on board its ships, with continual updates from governmental and local tourism authorities. Additionally, the river cruise line has hired one of the industry’s leading independent health and safety experts for guidance during this unprecedented time.
“As we prepare to return to the great rivers of Europe, we’ll be implementing policies to ensure the health and safety of our guests and our crew alike,” said Marilyn Conroy, Riviera River Cruises’ Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing North America, in a statement. “We’re proud to be working with one of the U.K. travel industry’s leading health and safety experts, and we’ll be following standards set by health agencies and local authorities in countries we visit, adapting as needed. Our goal is for your clients to enjoy their cruise aboard our ships and to return home happy and healthy.”
Ian Greaves, Member of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health in the United Kingdom, where the cruise line’s parent company is based, one of the industry’s leading independent health and safety experts with more than 20 years of experience that includes advising ABTA, The Travel Association, will be advising the company.
And Riviera’s new health and safety policies and procedures take into account updates from the World Health Organization, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in the U.K., ABTA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. and local tourism authorities.
Among the new health and safety policies and procedures:
- During boarding, guests will undergo a mandatory health screening and crew will clean their luggage. A daily touch-free temperature check will be required during the cruise. Guests also may be required to wear a face covering when moving throughout ship and during excursions.
- Public areas and touch points will be cleaned and disinfected throughout the day, and hand sanitizing stations will be located throughout the ship. Seating in public areas will allow for social distancing.
- In restaurants, dining will be a la carte and served by crew with reserved seating. Restaurants will be cleaned and disinfected between meals. The bar and lounge will have full waiter service, and water, tea, coffee and snacks will be available from crew.
- On excursions, group sizes and guide-to-guest ratio will respect local social distancing regulations. Motor coaches will be cleaned before each excursion and personal audio commentary devices will be sanitized before each cruise.
- For crew, a period of quarantine and a medical certificate or test will be required prior to the start of all contracts. Crew will undergo daily temperature checks and ongoing health screenings, and will be required to wear face coverings where necessary. Crew will observe social distancing on board and within their accommodations.
- Between cruises, all cabins, suites and public areas will undergo deep cleaning and ventilation. All goods will be disinfected before being brought on board.
Policies and procedures will be reviewed regularly and updated as needed. Additional details can be found here.
For more information about Riviera River Cruises, go to rivierarivercruises.com.
For more updates on new protocols, visit Recommend’s Safe Travels page. Stories about future travel can be accessed at #AmazingDaysAhead.
