Two more Royal Caribbean cruise ships have been approved by the CDC to sail test cruises later this summer.
Freedom of the Seas was the first Royal Caribbean to receive approval for a simulated voyage that will take place later this month.
Now, two of the cruise line’s Oasis class and largest ships in the world have test cruises scheduled. Allure of the Seas will depart on a test cruise on July 27 and Symphony of the Seas on August 1.
The simulated voyages are one of the CDC’s steps in allowing cruises to restart from U.S. ports. Each cruise ship that will not require passengers to be vaccinated will have to sail a test cruise from two to seven nights in length.
The CDC will monitor each cruise line’s health protocols during the test cruises before giving them the green light to restart.
The cruise ship operator must meet standards during the simulated voyage for hand hygiene, use of face masks, and social distancing for passengers and crew, as well as ship sanitation, as required by CDC technical instructions or orders.
The ships will sail at 10% of the maximum capacity that the ships will sail for the first two restricted cruises.
