Against the wishes of my husband, kids, the media, the CDC etc. I opted to go ahead with my Princess Regal cruise. Turns out it was probably the safest I've felt in any public space since the pandemic began over two years ago. From the perspective of a well-traveled and pretty picky 60 year old single female traveler, here are the highlights.

COVID PROTOCOLS

I followed the requirements Princess had clearly communicated via email and on the Medallion App, including getting a negative test within 48 hours of sailing. This wasn't a problem as I was able to get a drive-thru test at my local pharmacy before flying down to Florida, and brought that, along with my vax card and passport. I half-expected they would blow it off as so often happens these days (and particularly since the CDC had ended their mandatory cruise protocols a few days prior), but no, Princess definitely examined my documents carefully before I embarked. That, along with the KN95 masks (2) left on the bed in my stateroom and the non-stop disinfecting and cleaning which I witnessed throughout the ship, made me feel super safe. They ask you to wash your hands before entering the buffet, and there were no instances where people were just grabbing food on their own. At every station, there were staff who (masked and behind plexiglass) gave you what you pointed to. Staff kept their distance while talking or engaging with you, which made it hard sometimes but appreciated. While in the dining rooms, people removed masks for the duration of the meal. Read more