Like many who love to travel but haven’t been able to for some time, junior Malvika Deka waits excitedly for her cruise to the Bahamas this month.

“Because of Corona, we haven’t been able to travel much, so this is kind of my first trip after a while,” Deka said.

COVID-19 affected normal travel procedures for both airlines and cruise lines. With the number of cases going down, the number of travelers by cruise is going up.

“Just in the last three months travel has been looking good for cruises,” Travel Agent Helen Deavers with Apollo Travel, Inc., said. “A lot of the cruises right now are wanting [you to be] vaccinated. If you’re 12 and over, you need to be vaccinated. A lot of my travelers right now feel that’s safer for them to go on a cruise.”

Deka said she sometimes prefers the cruise ship rather than the destinations. The boat normally has a movie theater, pools and more. With the added activities it can get crowded.

“There are less people going on a cruise [right now],” Deavers said. “They’re not selling at 100 percent occupancy. They’re only selling at maybe 65 percent occupancy. A lot of cruises love it like that. There’s not as many people on the ship. And the rates are really good right now.”

The lower occupancy numbers for cruises did not stop Deka and her family from planning their winter break in the Bahamas. Deka looks forward to visiting the beach, swimming and any other adventures she might have.

“I think we leave the day after Christmas,” Deka said. “And our last night on the cruise is on New Year’s Eve.”

By Mattie Menzie