Kralendijk – On Thursday September 2, 2021 the cruise season will start up again after 18 months. The first Cruise ship to visit Bonaire will be the Equinox of Celebrity Cruises.

Equinox was voted ‘2020 Best Service’ in the Large Ship category of the Cruise Critic Cruiser’s Choice Awards.  The ship is of the Solstice class and uses various sustainable systems on board. It departs from Florida and will visit Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire. In October a first stop in the Bahamas will be added. On September 2 it will sail at 40% of its capacity and will arrive at Bonaire with approximately 1,120 passengers on board.

All crew member are fully vaccinated and were quarantined in-house for 14 days before sailing, they are tested on a weekly basis. As the Equinox has just a few children below 12 years old on board, the ship sails with approximately 98% fully vaccinated passengers. The on-board monitoring is rigorous and in case of Covid-related symptoms, the cruise ship has its own medical staff, testing equipment and designated areas on board where passengers can be placed in quarantine or isolation. Celebrity Cruises states that they will not impose on the medical capacity of any destination.

The cruise industry enforces a very strict Covid policy and strongly encourages fully vaccinated passengers on board. On the Equinox fully vaccinated travelers (12 years and older) must show their proof of full vaccination and a negative Covid test before departure from the home port.  Not (fully) vaccinated passengers are required to undergo a PCR test at the terminal before boarding and need to show a negative antigen test result not older than 24 hours when disembarking on Bonaire.

Happy

“We are happy to restart the cruise industry after 18 months and have been preparing for this day in close cooperation with the Bonaire Health Department, TCB, stakeholders and the cruise line for a safe start. After a long period, entrepreneurs and business owners who faced challenging times because of the measures of Covid-19, will start seeing economic movement again. The first arrival of the cruise ship will also give us the opportunity to evaluate and adjust for the remainder of the season” according to Hennyson Thielman, commissioner of economic affairs and tourism.