French river cruise line CroisiEurope has said that it is looking at a “progressive return to normal” by early July within the Schengen Area as the European directives evolve.

In preparation for its resumption of sailings, the cruise line has laid out additional hygiene procedures onboard its ships.

These include pre-boarding temperature screenings for all passengers, reserved seating in restaurants and social distancing measures in public spaces, among other protocols.

The cruise line has also introduced a coloured bracelet system for groups in the restaurant, lounge and bar, and during excursions, to ensure social distancing requirements are being met.

In a statement, the river cruise line said: “The French, family-run company CroisiEurope is diligently preparing to welcome our passengers on board once again by rolling out a plan for the gradual resumption of our activities and by carefully following all of the health directives governments have issued for each of our markets.

“During these unprecedented times, CroisiEurope is committed to focusing on the safety of our cruising destinations.

“To bring our plan to fruition, we have set up a series of actions that place the health and safety of our passengers and crew members at the forefront. These actions are indispensable to restarting our cruises.”

Croisieurope has introduced a Risk-Free Guarantee, meaning guests can hold their 2020 cruise departure reservation without a deposit and will not need to pay until 15 days prior to departure.

It also allows guests to change or cancel their cruise date up until 16 days before their planned departure, with the line waiving any fees. The offer covers all new cruise reservations that are made before 15 June 2020 for departure between 1 August 2020 and 30 November 2020.

CroisiEurope is also offering an early booking special offer of 15 per cent off per person, available for 2021 departures.

Visit croisieurope.co.uk for more information.