Carnival Corporation CEO Arnold Donald said he was “very disappointed” in the CDC’s guidance released last week on the company’s business update call on Tuesday morning.
Donald mentioned the company has 30 ships in U.S. waters that have achieved “green status” per CDC guidelines, and that the company was continuing to work with the agency and current administration to find practical approaches to resume cruising in a way that is in the best interest of public health.
He said he aimed to have all nine Carnival Corp. brands sailing this summer and that ships will come back on a staggered basis with occupancy rates ramping up over time.
Donald noted an acceleration of booking trends globally, with an AIDA ship sailing the Canaries and restarts set in the UK and Italy shortly.
Donald was also quick to note 59 of 90 of the company’s ships were outside of the Conditional Sail Order, and restarts were being worked on in Asia and Australia.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings today announced it will restart service this July with cruises from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Greece with the Norwegian Joy, Jade and Gem.
The Jade will sail seven-day cruises to the Greek Isles from Athens starting on July 25. The Norwegian Joy will sail seven-day itineraries from Montego Bay starting on August 7, and the Norwegian Gem will launch service from the Dominican Republic on seven-day cruises starting on August 15.
The Jade’s Greek Isles program will see a different port call daily, including Iraklion, Rhodes, Mykonos, Olympia, Corfu and Santorini.
Both Caribbean sailings each feature four ports and two days at sea. Sailing from Montego Bay, Norwegian Joy’s calls include Harvest Caye, Roatan, Cozumel and Ocho Rios. Sailing from La Romana in the Dominican Republic, the Gem will visit Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Maarten and Antigua.
Guests wishing to go ashore will need to purchase a Norwegian Cruise Line shore excursion for sailings taking place in July and August. Norwegian said this policy will be continually evaluated and it will modify requirements accordingly.
The company said the news was part of a two-pronged plan for its long-awaited return to cruising this summer, also including the proposal the company sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC on April 5, 2021, outlining its plan to restart cruising from U.S. ports starting July 4 and requesting the CDC lift the Conditional Sail Order.
All initial voyages will operate with fully vaccinated guests and crew in addition to the company’s robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program, which includes universal COVID-19 testing prior to embarkation.
The company has also announced the formation of the SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council, the company’s expert public health council, chaired by former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Dr Scott Gottlieb, which will complement the work of the Healthy Sail Panel (HSP).
“We are excited to unveil our initial plans for the resumption of cruise voyages embarking outside of the U.S. with sailings to the Caribbean and Europe. In addition, we continue to plan for a resumption of cruising from U.S. ports and await further discussion with the CDC regarding our proposal for a July 4 restart to participate in America’s national opening. As we prepare for our return to cruising, the health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we visit is our first priority, as demonstrated by the establishment of our robust, multi-layered SailSAFE health and safety program and our Company’s SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council,” said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.
“Safe and highly effective vaccines are a gamechanger and to create the safest environment possible, we will require all guests and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccine requirements will be combined with multiple additional layers of protection against COVID-19 introduction, including universal testing, and we will continue to evaluate and modify protocols over time as the science dictates.”
Del Rio continued: “The return to cruising has been much-anticipated by our loyal guests, valued travel partners, the destinations we visit and our team members across the globe. We look forward to once again delivering best in class vacation experiences and also restarting our cruise ecosystem, bringing much needed economic benefit back to our homeports and the destinations we visit that have been significantly impacted by the halt in cruising.”
As Norwegian Cruise Line makes its final preparations to welcome guests onboard, guests will have the opportunity to follow along with its new docuseries, EMBARK – The Series, premiering April 15 at http://www.ncl.com/embark and Facebook.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Oceania Cruises will announce details on their voyage resumption plans at a future date. All voyages on these brands with embarkation date through July 31, 2021, have been cancelled.
Following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) updated Conditional Sail Order, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH) has proposed its own plans to resume sailing from U.S. homeports on or about July 4, 2021, with full COVID-19 vaccinations required of all guests and crew. This applies to the corporation’s three brands — Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises — and is consistent with the Biden administration’s targeted reopening of the country. Norwegian agrees with the CDC “that vaccinations are the primary vehicle for Americans to get back to their everyday lives,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of NCLH, in a press release. However, the company requests that the government agency no longer limits cruise travel, as mandatory vaccine requirements exceed safety measures in the Conditional Sail Order, thus eliminating the need for it.
“Our robust and comprehensive SailSAFE health and safety program extends well beyond the proto-cols of the travel, leisure and hospitality sectors, all of which have already reopened, including hotels and resorts, casinos, restaurants, sporting venues, theme parks and airlines,” Del Rio said. “With vaccine mandates and strict health and safety protocols in place, we believe we can provide a uniquely safe and healthy vacation experience.” Del Rio has issued a letter to Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky, director of the CDC, requesting permission to sail accordingly, citing the Healthy Sail Panel, developed in conjunction with Royal Caribbean Group and led by Michael Leavitt, former Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The proposal includes required vaccinations, as well as SailSAFE health and safety protocols such as COVID-19 testing, physical distancing, reduced capacity (60% to start and increasing by 20% every 30 days) and face coverings, for the time being. Vaccines will be required until at least October 31, 2021, when the company will reevaluate its requirements based on the latest science.
“We can create a safe, ‘bubble-like’ environment for guests and crew.”
“These stringent requirements will remain in place until public health conditions allow for the im-plementation of more lenient protocols,” reads the letter to Walensky. Until then, passengers must show proof of full FDA-, EMA- or WHO-approved COVID-19 inoculations no less than two weeks prior to embarkation. Since vaccines are not currently approved for children, kids will not be permitted to sail during this initial period. “We can create a safe, ‘bubble-like’ environment for guests and crew,” said Del Rio. “We look forward to joining the rest of the travel, tourism and hospitality sectors in participating in this next phase of our recovery.”
While Norwegian’s plans include resumption from the U.S., it is preparing an upcoming restart outside the country, as well, scheduling NCL sailings in the Caribbean and Greek Isles. Norwegian Jade will embark in Athens (Piraeus), Greece, starting July 25; Norwegian Joy will sail from Montego Bay, Jamaica, beginning Aug. 7; and Norwegian Gem will depart from La Romana, Dominican Republic, starting Aug. 15. “Over a year after we initially suspended sailings, the time has finally come when we can provide our loyal guests with the news of our great cruise comeback,” said Harry Sommer, president and CEO of NCL, in a press release. “We have been working diligently towards our resumption of operations, focusing on the guest experience with health and safety at the forefront.”
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