Msc Cruises: Resume Sailing August 2
MSC is a global cruise line and has ships sailing worldwide, but it is making inroads into the United States with some of its newest and largest vessels.
In the United States, trips are scheduled to begin again August 2, 2021 according to CruiseIndustryNews.com. The first trip will be aboard MSC Meraviglia, which will offer short 3 and 4-night cruises to The Bahamas, including its private island, Ocean Cay.
Notably, MSC has some practice in sailing in the new environment. They’ve had a number of sailings in Europe under new regulations and seem to be successful in keeping passengers healthy.
Changes And Revisions Bring Added Flexibility To The Cruise Lines
As part of the CSO extension, the CDC made several modifications. While most of the updates are minor or administrative, several of them are more significant.
U.S.-Flagged Ships are Exempt
Pride of America gets a special carve-out and is no longer bound by the CDCs Conditional Sailing Order as of November 1, 2021
The CDC added foreign flagged to the generic term cruise ships, indicating that U.S. flagged ships over 250 passengers are no longer bound to the CSO.
This clarification might as well have just read excluding Pride of America, as Norwegians U.S.-flagged ship that sails the Hawaiian islands is the only large, U.S.-flagged ship that will be impacted by this change.
Cruise lines will no longer be required to include CDC warnings, advisories, or recommendations in marketing material. While its unclear how closely this provision has been executed and enforced, as of November 1, cruise lines dont need to include any cautions, though some may choose to do so.
Longer Cruises Are Allowed
The requirement that cruises be limited to seven nights or less will no longer apply as of November 1, meaning longer sailings are allowed.
Some cruise lines have longer cruises scheduled for 2022 and beyond, but very few cruise lines have extended cruises scheduled to leave from U.S. ports on the schedule in 2021, so this is unlikely to have much of an immediate effect.
If Theres a COVID-19 Outbreak, Your Cruise Might Continue
Whats Going On With Alaskan Cruises
Little known quirks of maritime law have led some cruise lines that specialize in Alaskan expeditions to cancel all sailings from ports in the Lower 48 states through the end of 2021.
Understand Vaccine and Mask Mandates in the U.S.
Though they seem like American companies, many of the big cruise lines like Princess and Holland America, are, in fact, foreign-owned. According to United States law, foreign-flagged cruise ships are not permitted to cruise between U.S. ports without first visiting at least one foreign port. So cruises from Western cities like Seattle have typically stopped in Vancouver, Canada, on their way to Alaska.
But in February, Canadian authorities extended their ban on cruising through February 2022, effectively shutting down the Alaskan cruise business until then.
Earlier this month, senators introduced a bill that would waive the requirement that ships stop in a foreign port, but a vote could still be months off.
While Alaska cruises are on hold, cruise companies are pivoting to offer land tours of the state using their lodging and tour networks.
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Holland America: Resume Sailing July 24
Holland America suspended departures around the world through July 2021, after pausing back in March 2020. But at the end of July the cruise line will make its return, with a cruise sailing from Seattle.
The cruise line will start sailing to Alaska from Seattle, beginning on July 24 aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam. From there the line will return to sailing around the world, including Greece, Italy, Spain, and more U.S. departures later in the year.
The Cruise Industry Doesnt Like The Cso
As part of the CSO process, the CDC solicited public comments from the cruise industry and its partners. The CDC reports that it received only 15 responses, 11 of which were cruise industry representatives.
The majority of responses indicated that industry-wide COVID-19 protocols were important and that continued communication and collaboration between the industry and the CDC was critical.
However, most industry representatives disagreed that the port agreements required under the CSO have value, and that most industry reps said the CDCs Cruise Ship Color status webpage was not useful.
The CDC acknowledges that the sample size of survey responses is too low to draw meaningful conclusions and that additional feedback will be solicited prior to additional changes or extensions of the CSO.
MORE: Royal Caribbean Releases Protocols For Cruises From U.S. Through November
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Further Changes Are Possible
The situation worldwide is changing weekly, and cruise lines are working with the relevant authorities for a safe return. Its all very fluid, and the restart dates may change even further. The CDC has been making some adjustments recently with relaxing masks and social distancing rules for vaccinated guests.
Also Read: CDC Ditches Mask and Social Distancing Rules for Vaccinated Cruises
Norwegian Cruise Line still plans to restart in August from Florida but parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings recently filed a lawsuit against Florida on the states vaccine passport ban. The result of this could have an impact on any protocols the line implements.
The ongoing saga between the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Florida has still not been resolved. In fact, just recently, the CDC successfully got a hold on Florida being allowed to overrule its Conditional Sailing Order. On July 19, the Florida Governor said it will come out on top and could take its lawsuit against the CDC as far as the supreme court.
Cruise Hive will continue to monitor any new developments, so keep checking this detailed page for when cruises resume, not just this year but in 2022.
Carnival Horizon From Miami
Carnival Horizon became the second ship in the fleet to restart cruises operations and the first to resume from PortMiami, Florida. Just like her sister ship, the fun returned with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which wasnt just attended by the cruise lines president but also brand ambassador John Heald.
Heald had originally been denied to fly to the US to join the ship, but thankfully for the hundreds that booked the Carnival Horizon because he would be on there, that was resolved.
The vessel departed PortMiami on July 4 and became the first ship in the fleet to begin cruises from the cruise capital of the world. Carnival Horizons first sailing back is a six-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary including visits to Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic and the cruise lines private island of Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas.
There was originally scheduled to be a call in Bimini, but that was canceled due to a curfew implemented on the island.
- Resumed Cruises: July 4, 2021
- Homeport: PortMiami, Florida
- First Cruise Back: 6-Day Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean
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Cdc Framework And Its Impact On The Resumption Of Cruises
With the new “Framework for Conditional Sailing,” cruise lines now have a much clearer path to getting back to sailing, though certainly not easy.
While the framework lays out a path, there are no actual dates specified within the process. There are, however, certain steps that the CDC says cruise lines must follow.
The framework itself is a series of measures that cruise lines must take, falling into four categories:
Within each of these categories are multiple measures cruise lines must take in order to complete the framework. Once completed, then the cruise lines can apply for a “Conditional Sailing Certificate” to return to sailing.
For a full explanation of all the steps and their requirements, see our article here.
Recently, the CDC eased some rules for cruise lines if they sail fully vaccinated trips where 98% of crew and 95% of passengers have the shot. For instance, if a cruise ship sails a fully vaccinated trip, they can skip the simulated voyages, drastically cutting down the time needed to meet the CDC requirements.
When Will River Cruise Lines Resume Service
Amadeus: Amadeus resumed service in Europe for international passengers July 27, 2020
AmaWaterways: July 1, 2021, except Portugal Douro sailings, through June 15, 2021.
American Cruise Lines: ACL restarted in March 2021.
American Queen Steamboat Company: AQSC restarted March 21, 2021.
APT: June 1, 2021
Arena Travel: June 22, 2021
A-ROSA River Cruises: June 16 on the Douro, June 19 on the Danube and June 27 on the Rhine.
Avalon Waterways: July 2021 on the Seine, with Rhine, Danube, Rhône and Moselle to follow.
Captain Cook Cruises : Resumed operations in late 2020.
Century Cruises: Century Cruises restarted for Chinese passengers only on August 12, 2020.
CroisiEurope: June 7, 2021 on the Douro River.
Crystal River Cruises: August 29, 2021
Emerald Waterways: July 31, 2021, on the Douro River. Sailings on the Rhine restart August 19, followed by the Danube on August 30.
Fred. Olsen River Cruises: River voyages are canceled for the 2021 season.
Gate1 Travel: August 1, 2021
Grand Circle: Small ship adventures resume August 2021
Nicko: June 3 on the Douro.
Pandaw: Voyages in Myanmar cancelled until further notice.
Riviera Travel July 2, 2021, on the Douro.
Sanctuary: TBA
Scenic: July 30, 2021 on the Douro.
St. Lawrence Cruise Lines:: July 8, 2021
Tauck: August 2021 with additional departures coming on-line in September 2021
Teeming River Cruises: TBA.
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Entire Fleet To Be Back By April 1 2022
Its that time of year when cruise lines are releasing their business updates, including Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and its three cruise brands of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
The good news is that the situation is on the up, especially now that Norwegian Jade became the first in the fleet to resume operations in over 500 days! The ship departed Piraeus in Greece on July 25 with guests onboard. It marks its great comeback, something the company has been covering with its EMBARK video series.
Last week we reached a historic milestone in our Great Cruise Comeback with the successful commencement of our relaunch with the first ship in our fleet, Norwegian Jade, sailing the Greek Isles. Tomorrow will mark our first cruise in the United States in over 500 days as Norwegian Encore sets sail from Seattle to Alaska,said Frank Del Rio, president and chief executive officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.
All 28 cruise ships across the three brands are expected to be back sailing by April 1, 2022. 75% of the fleet is expecting to be operating by the end of this year. The restart will really begin to increase through August, with Norwegian Encore becoming the first in the fleet to restart in the U.S. The ship will restart Alaska sailings out of Seattle, Washington, on July 7, 2021. On August 15, Norwegian Gem will then resume sailings from Miami, Florida.
Also Read: Which Norwegian Cruise Line Ships Have Restarted?
Carnival Pride From Baltimore
Carnival Pride became the ninth Carnival cruise ship to resume operations on September 12 and the first to restart out of Baltimore, Maryland. The spirit-class vessel brought back the fun to the city with a ribbon-cutting ceremony which was attended by Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy.
The ship departed on a seven-day itinerary from the Cruise Maryland Terminal in Locust Point to the Bahamas. The first voyage included calls at Half Moon Cay, Bimini, and Freeport, all in the Bahamas.
Carnival Pride wont remain sailing from Baltimore for too long as sister ship Carnival Legend will take over in November. Carnival Pride will then shift to restart operations out of Tampa, Florida.
From Baltimore, the cruise line is offering six-and seven-day cruises to Bermuda and the Bahamas, eight-day voyages to Canada/New England and to the Caribbean. There will also be a 14-day Carnival Journeys sailing to the Panama Canal and the Souther Caribbean along with a Carnival Sailabration cruise in March 2022 to celebrated Carnivals 50th birthday.
- Resumed Cruises: September 12, 2021
- Homeport:Baltimore, Maryland
- First Cruise Back: 7-Day Bahamas Cruise
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When Are Cruise Lines Around The World Expected To Resume Service
— With many ocean and river cruise lines gradually returning to service around the world after a long pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic, keeping track of the seemingly minute-by-minute changes to the cruise industry can be challenging.
We’ve got you covered, with the latest information on when cruise lines will resume cruising — and which ones have already started. The information here will be regularly updated, though return to service dates are subject to change based on a variety of factors.
For a look at which cruise lines require full vaccination against COVID-19 as they resume service, visit our
Itinerary Of Norwegian Cruise Line
All NCL cruise ships are either new or recently refurbished. As you can see from their list below, the oldest one is just 14 years old. NCL’s fleet is one of the world’s biggest and most innovative ones. NCL ships are big , well-equipped, offering feature amenities and onboard activities, and sailing worldwide.
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Cruise Ship Color Status
Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalizations, and death. Unvaccinated people should get vaccinated and continue masking until they are fully vaccinated. With the Delta variant, this is more urgent than ever. CDC has updated guidance for fully vaccinated people based on new evidence on the Delta variant.
While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, CDC is committed to working with cruise ship operators to ensure that cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission among crew members, passengers, and port personnel.
With the exception of cruise ships operating in Florida, all cruise ships operating in U.S. waters, or seeking to operate in U.S. waters, must comply with the requirements of the CDC Framework for Conditional Sailing Order and Technical Instructions, even when outside of U.S. waters.
Note: As of July 23, 2021, the CSO and accompanying measures, such as technical instructions, are currently nonbinding recommendations for cruise ships arriving in, located within, or departing from a port in Florida. However, CDC will continue to operate the CSO as a voluntary program for such ships should they choose to follow the CSO measures on a voluntary basis.
See table below for cruise ship color status.
Current Color Status Of Ships
Below is the current status of all ships. While the CDC only provides the latest days update on its website, weve tracked and included past days so that you can see how the status of each vessel changes. We continue to update this table regularly to track each ships status over time. The CDC releases new data several times per week.
Data from October 7 shows 20 of 80 ships the CDC tracks have non-green status, indicating the possibility of COVID cases during the past seven days.
Note: A status other than green does not definitively mean cases were found on the ship. There are other possibilities for a change in status, discussed in What the Color-Coded Status Means below.
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Carnival Ships Currently On Hold
At the moment, there are 16 Carnival cruise ships on hold, and some of them are preparing to resume operations in the coming weeks. Carnival Radiance is not on hold as the ship is undergoing a major transformation in Cadiz, Spain, and will debut later in the year. Carnival Cruise Line has already said that the entire fleet is expected to be nack sailing by the end of the year.
- Carnival Conquest Resuming October 8, 2021
- Carnival Ecstasy TBA
- Carnival Elation Resuming October 11, 2021
- Carnival Freedom Resuming October 9, 2021
- Carnival Legend TBA
- Carnival Sensation Resuming October 21, 2021
- Carnival Spirit TBA
Carnival Sunshine Returns Early
Carnival Sunshine is one of two cruise ships scheduled to take over the cancelled cruises from Carnival Horizon, the other vessel being Carnival Liberty. Horizon suffered issues earlier this week that affected her maximum sailing speed, and as such, needed to go for an urgent dry dock.
Carnival Sunshine will return earlier than expected from her operational pause. So far, Carnival has scheduled three cruises for her, initially scheduled for Carnival Horizon. On December 19, Sunshine will sail on a 7-Day Exotic Eastern Caribbean from Miami. Ports of call include Princess Cays in The Bahamas San Juan, Puerto Rico Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI and Amber Cove in the Dominican Republic.
The second voyage sails on December 26. This 5-Day Bahamas cruise, which also sails from Miami, calls in Amber Cove and is currently also scheduled for Grand Turk. Whether this call in Grand Turk will go ahead remains to be seen. This week Carnival changed the itineraries for three Carnival ships, of which two were due in Grand Turk.
The final cruise that Carnival Sunshine is currently scheduled to sail for Carnival Horizon sails on December 31, giving guests the chance to celebrate New Years Eve onboard. This 8-day voyage will call in the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao before finishing the voyage in Bimini, in The Bahamas.
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Disney Cruise Line: Resume Sailing August 9
Disney suspended sailing along with the other major cruise lines. Originally it said that the suspension would last through the end of March 2020. Then it extended that date for all four of its ships to April 12, with trips resuming on April 13, 2020.
Now, according to a notice on its website Disney will resume sailing in August from Florida, with some U.K. cruises for the Disney Magic as well.
The first Disney cruise ship scheduled to return from the U.S. is the Dream on August 9, 2021, from Port Canaveral. It will sail on 3 and 4-night trips to Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay.