Cruise lines to set sail again for vaccinated passengers

• Three major cruise lines (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian) will be offering voyages again to vaccinated travelers starting in July.
• Earlier this month, the CDC gave the green light to resume cruising from the US, but only for fully vaccinated passengers and crew.
• Royal Caribbean’s first trip will be on July 19, Carnival’s Holland American Line will start July 24, while Norwegian will start on August 6.

Vaccinated travelers have cruise trips to look forward to starting in July, following the return of three major cruise lines.

Earlier this month, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have given the green light to resume cruise trips for fully vaccinated passengers and crew. This was good news for cruise lines that have suffered a year of crippling losses.

Late last week, Carnival and Royal Caribbean confirmed that they will set sail again starting in July. On Monday, Norwegian Cruise Lines also confirmed trips starting in early August.

“We have been waiting for a very long time to announce a resumption of cruising from the US,” Norwegian Cruise Line chief Harry Sommer stated. “We are so proud to be sailing for the first time in over a year from our special homeport of Seattle to the breathtaking state of Alaska.”

The CDC had issued a “no sail order” back on March 14, 2020, to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. There have been several incidents of deadly outbreaks on board by then.

While there were some cruise ships that resumed operations in Europe and other locations last year, the ban was still in force in the US.

The three cruise lines’ first trips will all be from Seattle to Alaska.

“All crew and passengers must be fully vaccinated to embark,” Norwegian noted.

Carnival guests should have received their final dose at least two weeks prior to their scheduled trip.

Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean passengers aged 16 and older should be vaccinated. After August 1, passengers over the age of 12 should also be vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean will be the first to leave port on July 19, followed by Carnival’s Holland American Line on July 24 and Norwegian on August 6.

Richard D. Fain, Royal Caribbean Chief Executive, said last week, “It’s been a tough year for everyone, but people clearly have pent-up demand to cruise again, and we can’t wait to get back to what we do best.”

Disney Cruise Lines, meanwhile, has yet to announce when their ships will sail again. Earlier this month, they announced that all trips were canceled until the end of July.

Source: France 24