The CDC is in talks with cruise operators about the possibility of resuming operations as long as cruises meet certain guidelines, including crew and passenger vaccinations.
New CDC cruise guidelines are expected to require that 98% of the crew and 95% of passengers be vaccinated in order to set sail.
Caryn Berla with Cruise Planners in New Jersey says cruise lines will have to submit a phase 2A port agreement.
“Once they submit that, the CDC has 60 days to review," Berla detailed. "That is why we’re looking at a mid-July (relaunch) because the cruise lines still have to get the crew on board, have to get things set up.”
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Berla said that a majority of cruise line staff is centered in the Philippines and India. If an employee comes from a part of the world hit hard by COVID-19, cruise lines may take particular steps.
“There may be restrictions on where crew members can come from; we don’t know yet," she admitted. "Not all crew was sent home. Some of the ships are still floating in the water.”
Berla believes vaccinations are usually going to be required to be able to travel on these cruises.
"There’s going to be a means of having to show and verify, no different from if you’re traveling to a country that requires yellow fever vaccine. You need to show it on your little vaccine passport that you have it. Your yellow card, as it used to be,” said Berla.
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What about people who don’t want to get vaccinated?
“There are places that aren’t going to require it, or they might require you to test if you are not vaccinated. So there will be other alternatives, but they might not be able to cruise for a while until things change. They might have to do more domestic travel," she said.
Berla said among her clients, travel is an incentive to get vaccinated.
“A lot of my clients won’t travel unless there’s a vaccination is required. To them, that’s a positive," she said.
She explained that demand among vaccinated vacationers seems to be high enough to kickstart the cruise business again.
“There’s enough people out there who are vaccinated or are planning to be who want to cruise, that they’re filling up the ships," Berla added.
“The world cruises, which are your long cruises, are selling out in days. So you can see that the demand is there, and the fact that people have to be vaccinated, is not stopping people from booking cruises.”
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