A Royal Caribbean cruise liner set sail from a U.S. port Saturday for the first time since the pandemic began.
The “Celebrity Edge” embarked on a seven-day trip leaving from Fort Lauderdale and headed to Mexico.
The boat’s capacity capped at 40% or about 1,200 passengers. Royal Caribbean said 99% of its passengers are vaccinated, including every adult on board. Children who are not vaccinated submitted negative COVID test results.
Vaccinated guests received a wristband. Unvaccinated passengers have a hole punched in their access cards, cannot access the entire ship, and must purchase medical and evacuation insurance.
But the first U.S. departure since the pandemic began comes as two guests tested positive for the virus on a ship last week, Royal Caribbean said. The passengers were aboard the Adventures of the Seas ship sailing for seven nights from Nassau, Bahamas. Both were unvaccinated and younger than 16-years old. Two more guests tested positive above the company’s Celebrity Millennium cruise ship earlier this month.
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Amid word of positive cases, investors were worried about the future of cruise lines and how successfully the industry will navigate these choppy waters. Royal Caribbean and Carnival shares plunged today, both finishing 7% lower. Norwegian Cruise Lines also finished with a nearly similar market plunge.
Carnival Corporation said it expects to weather a net loss of $2 billion in the second quarter of 2021. It said customer deposits have increased in the same quarter, showing increased interest as travelers look forward to a normal summer.
A Carnival ship overseas left passengers stranded on the water for about a month in February 2020. More than 700 people were infected; 14 of them died.