Could this be the end of the Captain’s Cocktail Party?

boatswain near the boat

One of the highlights of a cruise for many people is the chance to attend the Captains Cocktail Party and maybe even shake hands and have a few words with him, and of course the chosen few might even be lucky enough to dine with the Captain or one of his officers during their cruise. Although I have met many a Captain over the years I have never had that elusive dinner invite!

As the battle with Norovirus rages on, in an attempt to keep the Captain germ free,  several cruise lines are taking more drastic steps. On a recent historic transatlantic crossing Cunard passengers were faced with a sign forbidding physical contact with the Captain during his Cocktail Party.

It is well known that Norovirus is spread by physical contact rather than being airborne and whilst the ships do all they can to encourage hand washing and the use of hand sanitiser many passengers simply ignore these requests.

Azamara, one of the luxury cruise lines, has come up with an alternative greeting style, one more commonly used by hip-hop artists, for hygiene reasons. They are suggesting that their Captains ‘fist bump’ passengers to keep hand contact to a minimum. They feel it is a more friendly ‘meet and greet’ gesture as it maintains physical contact whilst limiting the chance of spreading germs and bacteria. Knowing as we do that hygiene rules are ignored by some guests this is probably a smart move.

Surely Norovirus is airborne too so how effective these measure will be I don’t know. If anyone has any thoughts on the subject I would be interested to hear them.

I don’t think there is an answer to this problem, with so many people in a confined space it is going to be a tough cookie to crack!