While all cruises out of U.S. ports are still on hold, at least five Royal Caribbean cruise ships will be sailing this summer to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Europe, and in Asia.
Royal Caribbean first started up cruises this past December out of Singapore on Quantum of the Seas with new health protocols. Over the past four months, over 50,000 guests have safely sailed on the cruise ship proving that cruises can safely start back up.
There have been zero outbreaks on Quantum of the Seas and only 10 out of 50,000 guests having tested positive for COVID during the cruise. The guests were quickly quarantined and there was no spread on board the ship. In addition to Quantum of the Seas, here are four other Royal Caribbean ships that will soon return to service.
Adventure of the Seas will begin sailing weeklong cruises out of Nassau, Bahamas on June 12. The cruises will visit Cozumel, Grand Bahama Island, and spend two days at the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas, CocoCay.
Vision of the Seas will start sailing from Bermuda on June 26. The seven night cruises will include an overnight in Bermuda as well as a stop in for The Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ship, Odyssey of the Seas, will sail a combination of three to seven night cruises from Haifa, Israel this summer.
Jewel of the Seas will homeport in Cyprus starting on July 10 offering cruises to the Greek Isles. Port stops include Athens, Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhode.
All passengers 18 and over on Adventure of the Seas, Vision of the Seas, Odyssey of the Seas, and Jewel of the Seas will be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Guests under 18 will be required to show a negative test to board the ship.
After months of successful sailings in Singapore, Royal Caribbean will be using the same health protocols that have proven to work for these newly announced cruises this summer.
Royal Caribbean currently has all other cruises canceled through the end of May. However, cruises from U.S. ports can not resume until the CDC allows to them to sail. It is not known at this time when cruise lines will receive this approval.
Why is Royal Caribbean moving ships to Nassau, Bermuda, Cyprus, and Israel this summer?
At the end of October, the CDC replaced the No Sail Order with a Conditional Sail Order. However, Royal Caribbean has repeatedly asked the CDC for instructions and guidelines for returning to service.
Royal Caribbean’s President and CEO Michael Bayley said during a press conference with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday that the CDC just tells them that it’s under review every time they ask for guidance.
Richard Fain, CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, said that science has moved past the CDC’s Conditional Sail Order that was issued five months ago. With the vaccine rollout and the cruise line’s successful cruises out of Singapore, they have proven that cruises can safely operate.
Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, and Genting Cruise Lines are just a few of the cruise lines that have returned to service since last August without any outbreaks thanks to testing, social distancing, enhanced cleaning, proper air filtration, and other health protocols.
If the CDC continues to not let cruise ships sail from U.S. ports, cruise lines will probably more sailings out of ports in the Caribbean for this summer.
