The need to review recent guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control has led many cruise lines to extend the suspension of US operations until 2021, rounding out a business year that hasn’t so much been difficult in some regions as it has been almost non-existent.

Nevertheless, the show must go on, and in this issue (sporting a brand new design), we attempt to find the positive steps that the industry is taking to ensure its survival. We examine how cruise saw an upsurge in Greece after it became one of the first European countries to ease cruise restrictions, and find out how new health protocols will affect cruise workers.

We also speak to the head of the tour and cruise business for IBS Software about what lines can do optimise their costs, and examine the rationale behind the latest cruise ship swaps and sales on the market. Finally, we investigate how onboard kids clubs must evolve to meet the expectations of a more tech-savvy generation, explore the return of long-dormant cruise operator Swan Hellenic, and find out how Royal Caribbean is breathing new life into emergency drills with its Muster 2.0 solution.

If any lesson has been learned this year, its that cruise lines must return with an attitude that they will change the perception of cruise ships – from seafaring Petri dishes to safe and enjoyable holiday destinations in themselves. It’s a difficult challenge, but the sector needs to roll up its sleeves and get to work, or in another year’s time the stories we tell could be much bleaker.

Joe Baker, editor