'Hygiene is the new luxury': How cruise ship design could evolve to ward against outbreaks
The world is acutely aware of the risks of boarding a cruise ship after coronavirus ran rampant on ships for the first few months of 2020, infecting hundreds and forcing passengers into quarantine – sometimes for weeks at a time, both while on board and after disembarkation.
With the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's no-sail order set to expire in late July, cruise lines are starting to consult design experts to ensure passenger safety and minimize risk of infection from coronavirus and other viral outbreaks in the future.
"Nothing will be more critical to resuming sustained and profitable long term operations than making cruising the safest option in (the) travel and leisure space and providing cruisers with peace of mind," Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., said on an earnings call Thursday.
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"Ships are currently formulating similar plans to address outbreaks of COVID-19, and these plans could also be modified to prevent and respond to other communicable illnesses in the future," Aimee Treffiletti, chief of the CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program, told USA TODAY last month.
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Most cruise lines haven't revealed concrete plans yet but suggested changes may include revamping dining rooms and other highly trafficked areas to promote social distancing.
However, AMK Architecture & Design, a Greek firm that specializes in hotel and cruise ship interiors and has worked on more than 120 marine-based projects for lines such as Celebrity and Costa, is already working on future strategies.
"The core of the hospitality business – no matter where it is, is essentially the same, and that is to provide guests with the ultimate experience during their stay," Anna Koustsoukosta, AMK's principal architect and managing partner, told USA TODAY. "The cruise industry, however, which is a floating hotel, is a much more difficult and complex application."
Now another degree of difficulty has been added to the challenge of designing a cruise ship: How do you stop the spread of COVID-19 or other highly contagious viruses in the future? And how do you continue to offer passengers the convenience of a large cruise ship while prioritizing safety?
"Necessity is the mother of invention, and in this period, we need to reinvent how the passenger moves in the ship and interacts with the ship," said Koustsoukosta.
Why are cruise ships so high-risk?
Cruise ships squeeze hundreds or thousands of guests into a relatively small space, and megaships play a prominent role in the industry. Royal Caribbean's 1,188-foot Symphony of the Seas, for instance, can accommodate nearly 9,000 passengers and crew.
"Like other close-contact environments, ships may facilitate the transmission of respiratory viruses from person to person through exposure to respiratory droplets or contact with contaminated surfaces," Treffiletti said.
Cruises, which have a the-more-the-merrier philosophy, are never a solitary affair. The fun centers around myriad group activities in a nonstop party atmosphere. Sipping cocktails around the pool, filling showrooms for Las Vegas-style revues, dancing, playing games or lining up at the buffet table all offer viruses opportunities to spread.
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But ships are facing a potential new reality in which cruise lines' business model will change: The number of passengers could be restricted – either by the CDC or cruise lines – to ensure physical distancing. If that change happens, the lines will need to look at new ways to generate revenue in addition to creating an environment in which they are ready for onboard emergencies such as a viral outbreak.
What kind of changes are needed?
"The aim is to suggest solutions to reduce the need for touch interaction, make surfaces and frequently-touched points virus resistant and shape the layout of areas of the ship so as to enable safe and at-distant flow of passengers and crew, without sacrificing socializing, which is one of the important ingredients of the cruise," said Koustsoukosta.
Dustin Schafer, director of engineering and senior vice president at Henderson Engineers, who is working on strategies to stop viruses in buildings, said similar ideas would apply to cruise ships, where space is at a premium and social distancing is harder.
“Air and surface cleaning becomes even more critical," he told USA TODAY. "As a first-line strategy, I would recommend retrofits to remove required touch points throughout the ships."
Embarkation and disembarkation areas
The first crowded public area most cruisers encounter is the embarkation area, where passengers check in and present travel documents before boarding their ship. AMK suggests making the following changes to make these areas less of a petri dish:
A "sanitization gate" at the embarkation/disembarkation area of the ship to ensure hygiene protocols are followed
Technology to limit or rid cruise ships of check-in lines
Anti-microbial carpets for public areas and cabin corridors
Automatic doors for entrance and exit points to avoid unnecessary touching
Passenger cabins
Koustsoukosta expects that luxury cabins and suites will become first preference for passengers since those rooms provide access to fresh air.
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Koustsoukosta suggests creating an enclosed space akin to a mudroom just outside the cabin where passengers could place clothing and shoes worn prior to entering their cabin. Crew could also leave food and linens in the event of a quarantine.
Inside the cabin itself, antimicrobial carpets and fabric could be installed and bathrooms could be modified for touch-free operation; shower curtains could be replaced with glass dividers.
Crew cabins
Koutsoukosta and her team haven't forgotten the crew members, who remain on board after passengers have disembarked. And due to the pandemic and complicated rules for repatriating workers to their home countries, there are still employees marooned on ships today waiting to be let off.
"With the well-being and safety of the crew in mind, cabins for the crew members can change in capacity or size so as to allow adequate self-distancing for the living quarters," Koutsoukosta said.
"In the cruise industry the number of passengers is closely tied to the number of crew members," said Koutsoukosta. "Now, with the assumption that ships will be sailing with a reduced number of passengers, this will mean that the number of service personnel will be also reduced, as they will have to cater for less people."
Because of that potential reduction, she imagines that crew cabins that hosted four individuals could be repurposed for two individuals and some cabins could be left unoccupied to be used in case of an emergency.
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Dining areas
Dining on ships will likely change, as well. Koutsoukosta said that table sizing and spacing could be altered to ensure safe distancing between passengers and still provide enough room for staff to move about. Dividers could even be used to create separation at times if needed, she added.
The style of dining on board could change, too, including the popular buffet option. Some cruise line officials say that buffets could disappear entirely.
Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, told USA TODAY in an interview that the buffet – a cruise ship mainstay – would probably not be offered anymore.
But Koutsoukosta doesn't necessarily believe buffets need to be eliminated entirely.
"The buffets layout can also change, with more counters as a solution to avoid long queues or even offering table service," she said.
Royal Caribbean president and CEO Michael Bayley indicated he thinks buffets can adapt, too.
"We’ve got teams working on every single element of the guest experience and we obviously have a team working on the buffet," he said during a Royal Caribbean "coffee chat" reported on by CruiseRadio.net.
Theaters
AMK told Cruise Industry News that theaters could be moved outdoors, to start.
"New open-air show theaters and disco areas, with weather-protection options, can give passengers indoor comfort and outdoor relaxation and security," Koutsoukosta explained to USA TODAY.
Schafer, the engineer, suggested that cruise lines "utilize portable UVc lights or potentially fogging systems to sanitize high-occupancy spaces such as dining and entertainment areas." (Electrostatic sprayers have also been used to disinfect the Diamond Princess and commercial airline cabins.)
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Swimming pools
While pools themselves will remain intact, surrounding areas can be reimagined, according to Koutsoukosta.
"To better understand how we can improve the surrounding areas, we must observe how the pools are used and for what function," she said.
In that vein, many passengers use the pool areas to tan and go into the pool only to cool themselves, she explained. An updated pool area design could include showers and other water features to provide alternatives and mitigate pool crowding.
"In addition to that, there are thoughts for passengers to book their slots in the pools, which will give them the added comfort of spaciousness," she said.
And cabanas could replace sun beds or deck chairs to promote social distancing on pool decks.
She also mentioned that they are evaluating the use of hot tubs.
Medical facilities
Onboard medical facilities also need to be upgraded as ships prepare to relaunch after coronavirus. In fact, Koutsoukosta said she believes they could become a "differentiator" as cruise lines compete to woo back customers.
It's likely, she said, that there will be increased space for medical facilities and cabins for medical crew that are separate from the rest of the crew.
"All medical-related facilities can be interlinked, and (at) the same time, isolated from the rest of the ship so as to separate medical operations from the public areas of the ship," Koutsoukosta said.
By having medical facilities separated from the rest of the ship, security and safety for doctors, nurses and patients alike would be increased, she explained. All health emergencies could be dealt with securely in one part of the ship while the fun could remain in tact on the rest of the ship.
How soon could these changes be implemented?
Koutsoukosta couldn't provide a timeline for when these safety upgrades might start appearing on cruise ships. She said AMK is currently consulting with one client and in talks with another, neither of which the company is able to identify.
"Anytime from a few weeks to a few months based on the extent to which of the vessels will be modified," she estimated. "Again, after the feasibility studies, it’s a matter of decision by the cruise lines. Everybody right now is more or less testing the waters."
Del Rio echoed Koutsoukosta's sentiment, predicting that the relaunching cruise ships, including Norwegian's own fleet of 28 ships, will involve trial and error.
"There will be fits and starts, and it will require the implementation of new protocols as we learn what works," he said.
Could changes be applied to ships already in service or only new vessels?
Koutsoukosta said it will be easier to implement complex changes to ships that are still on the drawing board or in preliminary stages of construction.
It's a little trickier to alter existing ships.
"There is really a certain limitation to the extent to which one can modify them quickly and in an economically viable way," she explained. "What we try to do with our clients is focus on the vital-few solutions."
Competition in the cruise industry has always been intense, Koutsoukosta added, and it will remain that way after coronavirus. And while sanitation upgrades aren't as grabby as onboard roller coasters or private islands, they will be necessary to compete.
"The changes that the cruise lines will make to their ships does not only improve their product offering, but it also puts them ahead of their competitors, as physical distancing, and hygiene is the new luxury," she said.
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Contributing: Chris Woodyard
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronavirus: How cruise ship design may change to prevent outbreaks
