That is your weekly cruise information replace which is dominated by the aftermath of the CDC ending its voluntary cruise ship program. Two cruise traces within the U.S. have already determined to finish pre-cruise testing.
Cruise Information Replace
The cruise trade is one other step nearer to normality after the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) ended its voluntary program for cruise ships. We’ve obtained all of the protection on the growing cruise information, together with Virgin Voyages and Margaritaville at Sea dropping pre-cruise testing.
There’s additionally information on a record-breaking week at Port Canaveral in Florida, venues closing on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, and a serious building milestone for the third Excel-class Carnival cruise ship.
CDC Ends COVID Progam for Cruise Ships
In a shock announcement on July 18, the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) said that efficient instantly, the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships that has offered pointers for pre-cruise and onboard well being and security protocols, in addition to the colour classification system for cruise ships, has ended.
The “voluntary” program for all cruise ships working in U.S. waters was first carried out in February 2022, after the expiration of the extra restrictive conditional sail order.
This program allowed cruise traces to choose into its steerage, offering one other layer of public checks on well being and security protocols to reassure passengers in regards to the security of cruise journey.
The aim of the CDC’s program was to extra carefully monitor cruise ships and observe outbreaks of COVID-19 aboard vessels. Ships have been assigned coloration codes – inexperienced, yellow, orange, purple, or grey – to point the variety of instances detected onboard.
As not too long ago because the morning of July 18, the day the order was dropped, each single one of many 95 vessels being tracked by the CDC was labeled as “orange” – indicating instances onboard and that the CDC was starting or persevering with an investigation into the ship’s mitigation measures.
The suspension of this program doesn’t imply the CDC will now not supply steerage to cruise ships or recommendation to vacationers.
As a substitute, cruise traces and ships will have the ability to develop their very own protocols, making an allowance for steerage from the CDC, however they aren’t required to observe regimented steps.
Virgin Voyages Drops Pre-Cruise Testing
Virgin Voyages introduced on July 21 that, following the ending of the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships from the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC), the cruise line can be ending its pre-cruise testing requirement for sailings from the U.S. as of July 27, 2022.
Whereas the Virgin Voyages fleet is small – simply the 2 vessels – this can be a vital step for the cruise trade.
Valiant Woman is the cruise line’s youngest ship, having simply launched into her maiden voyage in March, and he or she is at present providing 7-night roundtrip Mediterranean sailings from Barcelona.
Various cruise traces in Europe have already ended pre-cruise testing on chosen voyages consistent with native protocols, together with Azamara Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and Viking Cruises, so this transfer is just not as beautiful nor stunning.
Pre-cruise COVID-19 testing has been required by all cruise traces crusing from U.S. homeports for the reason that cruise restart started in July 2021. Now that the CDC’s pointers are now not obligatory however solely advisable, cruise traces can replace their insurance policies on a person foundation.
Whereas the top of the testing requirement is a robust step, Virgin Voyages is sustaining its different well being and security protocols.
All friends will nonetheless be required to fill out pre-cruise well being questionnaires, in addition to abide by all native laws, together with masks sporting if required.
Virgin Voyages requires 90% of passengers to be vaccinated, and 100% of the ships’ crew is vaccinated.
Margaritaville at Sea Removes Pre-Cruise Testing
These eager to sail onboard the Margaritaville At Sea Paradise cruise ship will now not be required to current a destructive take a look at outcome earlier than their cruise to the Bahamas, so long as they’ve proof of being totally vaccinated.
The corporate introduced on July 22 the elimination of the testing necessities saying it goals to make taking a cruise faster and simpler, beginning with sailings on July 23.
Margaritaville at Sea gives 3-day and 2-night voyages to Grand Bahama, and friends can cruise with out the necessity to undergo the stress of getting examined.
Whereas the information will overjoy many friends, they might want to remember the fact that this new process is just for these friends who’ve been totally vaccinated. That is each to fulfill the cruise line’s necessities, in addition to the entry necessities to the Bahamas.
These friends who haven’t been totally vaccinated will nonetheless have to current a destructive antigen COVID-19 take a look at prematurely of crusing, accomplished not more than in the future earlier than departure. The cruise line additionally recommends vaccinated friends proceed to conduct testing prematurely of departure.
File Breaking Week for Port Canaveral
Cruising is most undoubtedly again on the world’s second busiest cruise port, as greater than 100,000 passengers have been welcomed via central Florida’s Port Canaveral in only one week in early July. This marks the third time in 2022 the favored cruise embarkation port has seen such large visitors.
From July 8-14, 2022, Port Canaveral welcomed an astonishing 107,000 passengers via its six cruise terminals. That is the best variety of passengers to go to in a single week within the cruise port’s historical past because it started internet hosting cruise ships in 1964, and demonstrates the wonderful reputation and comfort of Port Canaveral for keen vacationers.
Throughout that week, cruise ships from a wide range of traces both set sail from the port or visited as a port of name, together with the model new Disney Want on her inaugural crusing.
This additionally marks the third time in 2022 that Port Canaveral has topped 100,000 passengers in a single week. Throughout the native spring break week of March 11-17, greater than 101,700 passengers visited Port Canaveral, and from July 1-7, the port noticed 105,600 friends.
With the port’s schedule together with large vessels reminiscent of Carnival Cruise Line’s flagship Mardi Gras and two of Royal Caribbean Worldwide’s largest ships – Oasis of the Seas and Concord of the Seas – making common visits, Port Canaveral is certain to proceed such super passenger operations all through 2022.
Cruise traces that homeport at Port Canaveral contains Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Worldwide, MSC Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
Venues Shut on NCL Cruise Ship
In a letter despatched to booked friends, Norwegian Cruise Line has introduced that Spice H2O and the Sports activities Advanced aboard the Epic-class Norwegian Epic shall be closed in the course of the August 14 crusing, a 7-night roundtrip Mediterranean itinerary from Barcelona, Spain.
The letter states, “We constantly intention to supply an enhanced expertise for all our friends, and we attempt to supply a world-class product constant all through our fleet. As a part of this dedication, Norwegian Epic Sports activities Advanced and Spice H2O are present process upkeep to higher serve our friends, and subsequently shall be closed throughout your cruise.“
The precise nature of the upkeep requiring the closure of the 2 areas has not been disclosed.
Spice H2O is the ship’s adults-only (ages 18+) seaside membership on Decks 15 and 16 aft, which features a pool that converts to a dance flooring and an enormous display screen for visible results, in addition to a complimentary pool bar and grill and terraced lounger seating.
Throughout the day, Spice H2O is usually a quiet and enjoyable area, whereas at evening the realm converts to an edgy nightclub vibe with music and dance events.
Carnival Jubilee Keel Laid at Shipyard
Sporting cowboy hat-shaped laborious hats, Christine Duffy, Meyer Werft Managing Director Bernard Meyer, and Carnival’s Senior Vice President of Newbuilds Ben Clement introduced some enjoyable to the Meyer Wert shipyard in Papenburg, Germany.
Carnival Cruise Line and Meyer Werft celebrated the keel laying ceremony on the shipyard by putting cash underneath an enormous 375-ton metal block, one of many first elements of Carnival Jubilee to be put in place.
The ceremony marked the completion of the primary stage of the development of Carnival’s third LNG-powered cruise ship, which began with the metal slicing ceremony in March.
Because the ship is constructed, the cash will stay underneath its basis as an emblem of excellent luck. The official ship coin depicts Carnival Jubilee alongside the unique MS Jubilee from 1986, which was scrapped in 2016, commemorating a vital a part of Carnival’s historical past and celebrating its future.
As soon as accomplished, Carnival Jubilee shall be heading to Galveston, the place she is going to play an essential half in additional growing Carnival’s presence in Texas.
From Galveston, the ship shall be crusing seven-day cruises to the Western Caribbean beginning November 18, 2023, together with voyages to Cozumel and Costa Maya in Mexico and Mahogany Bay on Isa Roatan, Honduras.
Extra Cruise Headlines
It was simply one other busy week of cruise information throughout the cruise trade and we’ve obtained all of the protection, together with cruise cancellations by Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line children program expands reopening, P&O Cruises testing coverage replace, Carnival response after CDC ends its program, former MSC Cruise ship arrives for scrapping and many extra tales all on Cruise Hive.
