UnCruise Adventures, which had to shut down its fledging return to Alaskan cruising when a passenger tested positive for COVID-19, says it took proper precautions and all passengers and crew tests to date have come back negative, but its season is still ruined.
The small boat adventure company reported Friday that the majority of the quarantined guests and crew from its ill-fated Aug. 1 cruise aboard the Wilderness Adventurer have returned home after being cleared by further testing, showing that there was no transmission onboard.
After the guest’s positive test (delivered three days into the cruise), the adventure brand immediately cancelled the excursion and four subsequent sailings in Alaska for the summer, and now says its season “will not be recovered.”
“Strict planning paid off,” says Captain Dan Blanchard, UnCruise Adventures Owner, and CEO. “We were able to act quickly, but that doesn’t mean this event has not been painful to our company and guests. Our policies held up and may be a footprint for future sailings and the industry.”
The company says its actions have provided some validation that there are safe sailing protocol options and it will continue to advocate for better testing to help save the travel industry.
UnCruise Adventures says it worked in tandem with local and state officials, which benefitted both the company and guests. Ultimately, most guests were not required to quarantine for the expected 14 days and began departing for home on Aug. 8.
The company says it has received support from the local community and the industry at large, though it received some criticism for being the first to return to sail this season.
But despite its unsuccessful return to cruising, UnCruise says it “remains resolute” in its focus to help educate the industry on what small boat travel is and the safe routes to follow that will help lead the industry.
“We have taken proactive steps and understand our responsibility to our guests, crew, communities, and the industry,” says Blanchard. “Safety remains our focus and we will continue to accelerate protocol standards.”
The company, which is now focused on rebooting its upcoming seasons and creating safe outdoor bubbles for travellers, cites studies suggesting that small boat sanitization is high and, in some instances, poses less of a risk of viruses than an average location that individuals visit in their local neighborhoods. Nevertheless, the company says accessible rapid COVID testing is needed across industries for businesses and tourism to return.
“We’ve been lobbying Congress for rapid testing that would change the game. We can all do better and are asking national leaders to work with us,” Blanchard states, adding, “Small businesses like ours have taken a considerable hit during COVID, and this was a big one.”
Here’s the timeline of the cruise in question:
July 28 – Identified guest takes a test prior to departure from home city.
Aug. 1 – UnCruise Adventures returns to sailing and all guests with a gap of more than the 72-hour requirement were retested at the Juneau airport.
Aug. 4 – A guest onboard received communication from the State of Alaska of a positive C-19 test retaken at the Juneau airport; contact tracing was immediately implemented by the state; the identified guest and four travelling companions were retested onboard the vessel by trained staff.
Aug. 5 – The 60-person passenger vessel Wilderness Adventurer, operating at 60 percent occupancy cap, returned to Juneau; all guests were securely quarantined at a local hotel in Juneau with costs covered by the cruise line; the crew quarantined onboard the vessel.
Aug. 6 – All guests and crew were tested.
Aug. 7 – UnCruise Adventures received negatives results back on all tests to date.
Aug. 7 – 30 of the 36 guests were greenlighted by the State of Alaska to be released.
Aug. 8 – Guests began flying home.