Covid Cruise Confusion and Contemplation

MSC’s Magnifica: Zeebrugge, Le Harve, Amsterdam, and Hamburg.

Set sail—but don’t forget your mask, your test result, your locator form, and your patience.

In Covid Cruise Confusion, Gary Troia returns to the sea—but this time, cruising isn’t quite the sanctuary it once was. Against the backdrop of ever-changing regulations, masked smiles, and hand-sanitiser stations at every turn, Troia charts a journey shaped as much by government guidelines as by ocean tides.

Still accompanied by wife Marina and daughter Aemelia, this voyage explores how it feels to cruise when spontaneity is replaced by protocol, when shore excursions are timed and tested, and when the familiar ease of cruising is clouded by uncertainty.

With his signature dry humour, sharp observation, and honest introspection, Troia reflects on the clash between the desire for escape and the reality of a world not yet free. Yet even through the confusion, moments of stillness, laughter, and meaning break through—proving that the spirit of travel is harder to quarantine than you might think.

A timely, wry, and quietly moving account of navigating both sea and self during turbulent times.