The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said cruises could resume sailing from U.S. ports in mid-July.
The CDC will require that ships guarantee that at least 98% of crew and 95% of passengers are fully vaccinated. This rule is in keeping with decisions already made by many other countries to require proof of vaccination in order for cruise ships to operate again.
A vaccine requirement is not favored by all travelers but the cruise lines have no choice in the matter, they will not be allowed to operate otherwise.
Faced with this reality, cruise lines have been rolling out new sailings for vaccinated passengers and crew that will depart from ports outside the U.S. starting in June. We’ll soon see similar announcements about sailings departing from U.S. ports, eliminating international flights for many eager cruisers.
Vacations To Go has developed a new tool — the only one of its kind in the travel industry — that displays all the vaccine-required cruises that are approved to operate now. This list of sailings will continue to grow, and you can click the link in this newsletter or on the home page of our website, VacationsToGo.com, at any time, for the latest list.
Every cruise on this list is available for booking now and several departures sold out within hours of listing.
If you’re holding a future cruise credit (FCC) from a previous cancellation, you can book any of these vaccine-required sailings (on the same cruise line that issued the FCC) through Vacations To Go, regardless of whether the original cruise was booked through Vacations To Go.
No one knows how long governments will require cruise passengers and other international travelers to show proof of vaccination, but it’s reasonable to assume the requirement will be in place until the threat from Covid-19 has substantially subsided.
The past year has reminded us that travel is a cherished part of life that no one is keen to give up. While traveling is not as easy now as it was just a short while ago, we’ll get there again, and this is a big step forward.
