Tag Archives: Port of Miami

Florida Eyeing Legal Options to Restart Cruise Industry

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are keeping all options open to restart the cruise industry in Florida, and are discussing legal strategies, said the Governor, speaking at Port Canaveral during a roundtable discussion on Friday.

“The Attorney General and I have been discussing what potential options we have on the legal side,” he said.

“Let’s appeal to the CDC and let’s try to get the guidance without having to go down that road,” he said. “Obviously at some point, we need a way forward.”

DeSantis noted a strong effort in 2020 to lift the CDC’s No Sail Order, and admitted he thought they had a plan in place to have it lifted by the end of the year.

“The previous administration was supportive of doing it, but the CDC was not. I think what we’ve seen is a continuation of that,” said DeSantis.

“If you keep this No Sail Order in place, Americans are still going to be taking cruises, they are just going to be taking them from the Bahamas or Bermuda,” he added.

CLIA CALLS FOR PHASED RESUMPTION OF US CRUISING IN JULY

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Clia has urged the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to lift its framework for conditional sailing order (CSO) and allow the sector to plan for a phased resumption of cruise operations from US ports by the start of July.

“These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that effectively mitigated the spread of Covid-19,” said Craighead, who noted plans for further sailings in the Mediterranean and Caribbean during spring and into summer.
Craighead said the CDC order no longer reflected operational realities thanks to a combination of an accelerated vaccination programme and better Covid mitigations and protocols.
“The cruise industry has adopted a high bar for resumption around the world with a multi-layered set of policies intended to be revised as conditions change,” said Craighead. “Our members continue to follow this multi-layered approach to enhancing health and safety that has proven effective, making cruising one of the best and most adaptable choices.”

The association said this would dovetail with President Biden’s forecast for when living in the US would be “closer to normal”; president and chief executive Kelly Craighead said the “highly-controlled” resumption of cruising in Europe, Asia and the South Pacific had proved it was possible.

Disney Considering a ‘Competing Port’ Ahead of Miami-Dade Meeting

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Disney Cruise Line is considering “a competing port” to Miami for use with its expanding fleet.

This was reported in Miami-Dade County’s Memorandum ahead of the Board of County Commissioners meeting on Feb. 17.

“Disney has recently advised the Port that, prior to entering into a preferential berthing rights agreement with the County, it will conduct due diligence with a competing port regarding a long-term berthing agreement at that port,” the Memorandum reads.

Disney currently sails cruises seasonally from PortMiami, and is a key client at Port Canaveral, with a year-round presence.

However, by 2025, Disney’s fleet is expected to grow from four to seven – with the Disney Wish and two other unnamed ships entering the family.

If MSC Cruises signs a lease agreement with PortMiami for Berths 8, 9 and 10, Disney Cruise Line may share Berth 10 with MSC, getting preferential use rights over other cruise lines, according to the Memorandum.

It is not wholly clear which other port the cruise line is considering, although Port Everglades would be the closest major cruise port to Miami.