Carnival has cruised into hot water with phased resumption of service plan

The company clarified its intentions after taking flak and promised to adapt to comply with health advice, writes James Moore. But how do you maintain social distancing on a cruise ship?

Cruising into controversy: corporate hokey cokey is one way to describe Carnival’s plans (Getty)

The hokey cokey is clearly the party jig du jour at cruise operator Carnival’s HQ. Bosses should be able to adapt it to comply with social distancing. How their cruises might work in the age of the latter has, however, caused a bit of a rumpus.

Let me explain: the “in” part of the corporate hokey cokey came when the FTSE 100-listed company opened the week by announcing plans to restart some cruises from North America on 1 August.

My first thought upon seeing that was why would anyone in their right mind want to contemplate booking a cruise at this time, much less actually go on one. This is, after all, an activity that sees holiday makers spending their time in a gigantic metal hulk in close proximity to others.