A handful of sailings from US ports are slated to embark within the next month, nearly 15 months after a no-sail order from the US Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention brought cruises to a halt.
Most ships are still awaiting CDC approval to sail. Since October of last year, the agency has issued a series of evolving requirements and guidelines in the form of a Conditional Sailing Order.
In the past month, as US vaccination rates have climbed, those requirements have increasingly granted more latitude to ships where the majority of passengers and crew -- 95% in both cases -- are fully vaccinated.
Summer sailings with vaccination requirements, which many cruise lines have started to announce, are expected to bring some normalcy to upcoming cruises.
Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas sails past beachgoers as it prepares to dock at PortMiami on May 28, 2021.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
When can I cruise from US ports?
Major cruise lines have started to announce sailings from US ports starting as early as late June and July.
As mentioned, the situation is in flux as cruise lines await CDC approval on plans to launch ships with either nearly fully vaccinated sailings or trial cruises and the lawsuit around the sailing order remains unsettled.
In response to questions about the situation in Florida, Celebrity Cruises said "we are encouraged by the ongoing dialogue" with the CDC, local and state authorities from US ports, including Florida, and the destinations the cruise line calls on.
Which ports are in play?
The major cruise lines are busy getting ships positioned and crews vaccinated for these and other itineraries yet to be announced and cleared to sail.
But while the companies prep and await CDC approval for cruises from US ports, some big cruise ships have arranged to sail out of the Caribbean. The first big-ship sailing in the Caribbean since the pandemic halted operations is scheduled on Celebrity Millennium from St. Maarten on June 5 with sailings on other lines to follow.
But Chiron, The Cruise Guy, cautions that those ships and sailings could move back to US ports if CDC approval comes through.
"So they could be back in Miami or Fort Lauderdale or Port Canaveral, so if I was booked on one of those ships, I would be cognizant of that and make sure that the airline will allow me to cancel and rebook my flights," he advised.
Carnival Cruise Line is working on arrangements to resume sailing out of Miami and other US ports.
DANIEL SLIM/AFP/AFP via Getty Images
Will vaccination be required?
It depends.
Others require everyone 16 and older to be vaccinated, with plans in many cases to drop that age to 12 later in the summer as vaccines are more widely available.
Some ships, particularly those that sail with more than 5% of passengers younger than 12, will likely be required to go the trial cruise route for CDC approval and enforce more stringent restrictions.
The CDC is not requiring cruise lines to test fully vaccinated passengers. Testing is required upon departure and for disembarkation (on voyages of more than four nights) for unvaccinated passengers.
Check with the cruise line about your specific itinerary for details on each sailing's requirements.
Will cruises from US ports require passengers to wear masks?
The CDC's mask mandate remains in effect for transportation hubs, so masks are required in port. Masks aren't required inside cabins.
Whether to require masks outdoors is up to the cruise lines. Otherwise, the rules are likely to rest on whether or not you're vaccinated.
The CDC's latest guidance for cruise ships aligns with its broader recommendations for fully vaccinated people, the agency confirmed.
The guidance "allows cruise ship operator discretion for requiring masks outdoors, in crowds, in crew-only areas, in areas only for vaccinated passengers, and on ships with at least 95% of crew and 95% of passengers that are fully vaccinated," the CDC said in a statement.
Sailings that don't have the 95% vaccination requirements will have more mask rules for unvaccinated passengers.
What will my time aboard the ship be like?
This also depends on your vaccination status. The CDC is allowing cruise lines to designate certain areas accessible only to fully vaccinated passengers -- spaces such as casinos, bars, spas and dining areas.
This and other increased access for vaccinated passengers, "where masks and physical distancing are not required" is to be determined by "cruise ship operators, at their discretion."
Self-serve buffets are listed among areas where only fully vaccinated passengers could be permitted to gather without masks or social distancing.
Otherwise, physical distancing must be observed in most cruise ship spaces.
MSC is among the cruise lines that have already started sailing in Europe.
Courtesy MSC Cruises
What kinds of shore excursions will be possible?
Many cruise lines are basing their shore-excursion policies on the rules of the destinations the ships are calling on.
"Our tours extend the highest health and safety standards we're following on board. Most experiences are outdoors, and guests will be encouraged to stay with their group. Buses will be at reduced capacity and will be sanitized frequently," the cruise line's website says.
The CDC says that cruise lines, "at their discretion," may advise fully vaccinated passengers that independent excursions during port stops are OK.
What happens if the cruise is canceled or I have to change my plans?
But travel insurance is more essential than ever, said Angel Wilson, a travel adviser at Dream Journeys in Indianapolis.
While travel insurance didn't cover the pandemic at all last year, many companies have adapted their policies to cover Covid-related events.
But don't take coverage for Covid for granted, Chiron says. "You want to be able to clearly understand how you're covered because they're all going to be different."
A cancel-for-any-reason insurance policy offers the broadest protection in the event that any situation or uncertainty causes a passenger to rethink their trip, Wilson said.
Her best advice for cruising this summer: "Be open-minded and ready in case there are changes."
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