What are volunteer passengers? I’m pretty sure that all passengers, even pre-covid, were volunteer, with the exception of children, which technically may have been forced to be there by their parents.
Are they implying that these test cruises should have “non-paying” passengers?
I think the voluntary part of the program is for passengers to agree to be tested for Covid-19 3-5 days after the cruise is over.
We have friends, a retired couple, who pre-pandemic were doing 3 or 4 cruises a year. They’d return home from a cruise, do laundry, take care of the mail, relax a bit, then prepare for the next cruise.
They’ve been approached about booking a cruise, not free but extremely reduced fare because they are “good customers”.
I once made the comment that big computer companies have figured out that it’s cheaper for them not to do quality assurance. Instead, they can release their software in ‘almost done’ form, and use all of us customers as ‘beta testers’.
In the same sense, all cruise passengers are ‘test subjects’. I mean, long before Covid, we used to call the cruise ships we were on “Floating Petri Dishes”.
And a percentage will catch Covid, a different percentage will get a norovirus, and some will catch a simple cold. People who love cruises LOVE cruises, so I’d bet even a higher chance of contracting a virus wouldn’t deter them…
“Well, sure, my lungs are compromised for life, but Tiki Night with the all-you-can-eat luau buffet was worth it!”