Cruises in North America will restart this autumn
Carnival Cruise Line ships will resume operations in September and October bringing the total number of ships to 15 – while Canada is also preparing for the upcoming cruise season
The Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced that as of 1 November, the prohibition of cruise ships in Canadian waters would no longer be in effect if operators are able to fully comply with public health requirements.
As the outlook of the Covid-19 pandemic continues to improve, Canada looks forward to having a cruising season in 2022. The cruise ship industry, which represents more than CA$4 billion annual input into the Canadian economy and directly and indirectly generates approximately 30,000 jobs, is an important part of Canada’s domestic tourism sector.
Alghabra commented: “As Canadians have done their part to reduce the spread of Covid-19, our government continues to work hard to safely restart our economy and build back better. We will welcome cruise ships – an important part of our tourism sector– back in Canadian waters for the 2022 season.”
Carnival Cruises will resume operations in September
Meanwhile, based on the success of its initial resumption of service and the guest response to the onboard experience and health and safety protocols that have been implemented, Carnival will continue to operate all its ships as vaccinated cruises through October.
The three ships for September are Carnival Glory from New Orleans, starting on 5 September, Carnival Pride from Baltimore, starting 12 September, and Carnival Dream from Galveston, starting 19 September.
Carnival will continue to welcome unvaccinated guests on board, but all unvaccinated guests including children under the age of 12, will be subject to pre-cruise and pre-embarkation testing and testing again prior to debarkation (on cruises longer than four days) along with a $150 per person charge to cover the costs of testing, reporting and health and safety screenings.
Booked guests and travel advisors are being notified of the plans for the returning ships, the cruise cancellations, and the process by which they are being asked to follow to confirm traveller vaccination status and to apply for an exemption to the vaccination standard. Guests who want to change their plans, who are unable to wait to see if they receive an exemption, or who cannot meet the vaccination standards may change their reservation without penalty or request a full refund.