The cruise industry has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is some good news on the horizon. Cruise lines are gradually easing restrictions and resuming operations, with some already allowing unvaccinated passengers to disembark. Here is a look at what cruise lines are open and what you need to know before you book your next cruise. Carnival Cruise Line updated its protocols for unvaccinated passengers, now allowing them to disembark. However, several destinations still don't allow unvaccinated travelers, including San Juan, Grand Cayman, and St.
Thomas. Carnival Cruise Line plans to restart cruises from Galveston, Texas in July with two ships, the Carnival Vista (starting in July) and the Carnival Breeze (starting July 1). The line has also announced plans to resume cruises to Alaska from Seattle on July 27 with the Carnival Miracle and expects to resume cruises from Miami with the Carnival Horizon in July. Four more Carnival ships, including the new Mardi Gras, will start sailing between July 31 and the end of August. Disney Cruise Line resumed service in August.
DisneyFantasy and DisneyMagic have resumed browsing from Port Canaveral and Miami, respectively. Beginning March 11, masks are optional for the interior spaces of Disney Cruise Line ships, except at the Walt Disney Theater. Passengers over 2 years old must still wear a face covering while at the Walt Disney Theater. Norwegian Cruise Line also lifted its mandate to wear masks on board on March 1 and passengers no longer have to be tested for Covid-19 before sailing. Masks are optional for most indoor spaces.
The company extended its suspension until May for maritime cruises and longer for other types of vessels. Norwegian Cruise Line is still planning to return to operations in August from Florida, but parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings recently filed a lawsuit against Florida over the state's vaccine passport ban. MSC Cruises has resumed its departures outside Italy with two ships and departures from the United Kingdom. It plans to resume sailing in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe with seven more ships by August. Celebrity Cruises this month became the first major cruise line to operate a sailboat in the Caribbean since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and several other major lines, including Royal Caribbean, are also about to start again in the Caribbean. American Cruise Lines resumed intra-coastal waterway cruises in Georgia and South Carolina on March 13 with a ship, the Independence for 100 passengers, and has since added trips on the Mississippi River and several other U.
S. UU. Almost all 13 ships on the line have returned to operation. Tauck plans to resume some maritime cruise itineraries focusing on Iceland and Greece in June and July. European river cruises will resume in August with departures in France and Portugal.
The company expects to resume navigation on the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers in early autumn. Viking started in United Kingdom in May. It also recently restarted a handful of “welcome” trips from Bermuda and plans to add cruises to Iceland and the Mediterranean in July. Apart from that, the line has canceled all previously announced trips until the end of July. Crystal Cruises plans to resume cruises on July 3 with one of its two largest ocean ships, Crystal Serenity, which will sail from Nassau, in the Bahamas, on trips to all of the Bahamas. Virgin Voyages has not yet started regular cruises with its first and currently only Scarlet Lady cruise ship. Serenade of the Seas will begin sailing to Alaska in July and Ovation of the Seas will begin sailing to Alaska in August, both from Seattle, Washington. Even more good news for the cruise industry came when President Biden signed the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act on May 25th.
This now means that cruise lines can resume operations from Seattle, Washington to Alaska temporarily without needing to visit Canada. The British-based cruise line became the first in the world to announce that all guests must be vaccinated before traveling. Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours plans to resume river cruises in Europe on July 30 with departures on the Douro River in Portugal.
