In late December, the CDC issued a Level 4 Do Not Travel warning on cruises due to rising cases of the Omicron variant.
The CDC has now updated their COVID-19 Travel and Health Notice Level for cruises and moved them to a Level 3. While Level 4 advises against all travel, Level 3 advises that you are fully vaccinated before traveling.
The CDC currently has 147 countries around the globe listed at a Level 4 Do Not Travel warning. They are now saying that it is safer to take a cruise than to visit 75% of the countries in the world.
COVID-19 cases are down more than 80% around the country since the peak in January and continue to drop. The CDC moved cruise ship travel to Level 3 after the number of symptomatic cases on cruises remained below the top threshold for 14 consecutive days. This includes both passengers and crew members.
The cruise industry has gone above and beyond implementing strict health protocols that have kept guests safe on cruise ships. All guests 12 years and older are required to be vaccinated and everyone age two and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result to board a cruise ship.
Cruise ships are also sailing at a reduced capacity and have added new air filtration systems.
The CDC is starting a new voluntary program for cruise lines that kicks off on February 18, 2022. You can read more about that here.
