The Cruise Lines That Are Rated
As of the latest update , ships operated by the following cruise lines are included in the table: American Queen Steamboat Company, Bahamas Paradise Cruise Company, Carnival Cruise Lines, Inc., Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, and Silversea Cruises LTD.
What About The Environmental Impact
Cruise ships are notoriously bad for the environment, and research released last year showed that passengers on a seven-day Antarctic voyage produce as much CO2 as the average European does in an entire year.
According to Friends of the Earth, while some cruise liners such as Norwegian-based Hurtigruten are leading on sustainability, others are trailing behind.
Many of the actions cruise companies have taken are lip service instead of real, quantifiable sustainability initiatives.
Hurtigruten is doing good work and is a leader on sustainability with their hybrid ships, battery technology and shore power operations, says Marcie Keever, Oceans and Vessels Program Director for Friends of the Earth U.S.
However, the majority of the industry especially companies like Carnival Corporation, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian, which have the largest ships are significantly lagging behind.
Many of the actions cruise companies have taken are lip service instead of real, quantifiable sustainability initiatives.
Outbreaks Of Infectious Diseases Are Very Likely
Viruses spread easily and quickly between people interacting closely together, especially in indoor areas.
Going on a cruise ship increases your chance of exposure to COVID-19, influenza, acute gastroenteritis and other infectious diseases.
While cruise ships have plans in place to reduce passengers risk, these measures may not prevent outbreaks. If there is a COVID-19 outbreak, you may be required to self-isolate in your cabin and follow health advice, and your journey may be impacted.
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Whats The State Of The Cruise Industry Today
According to Scrivanich, cruise lines are currently sailing between 70% and 100% capacity, depending on the destination. So can you still find a deal? The answer is yes.
Following the cruise industrys yearlong pause during the height of COVID, we saw a demand that far exceeded supply, says Chris Gray Faust, the managing editor of cruise ship review site Cruise Critic. Cruise lines planned a slow, methodical return to cruising, which meant welcoming back just a few ships and itineraries at a timeall with limited capacity on board.
Credits for canceled cruises and pent-up demand meant cruise lines had no trouble filling their ships in 2021. Pricing remained stableno need for the lines to discount faresthroughout the year. But things are different this year, what with reduced restrictions on cruise ships and delayed or canceled flights across the country.
The cruise lines have all their ships sailing with no capacity restrictions. So we have seen pricing become very attractive for consumers, particularly when other forms of travel, such as flights, hotels and gas, have record-high prices, Gray Faust says. For summer 2022 and into fall, cruising is a value proposition, and so while bookings are not quite at 2019 levels yet, cruise shoppers are taking advantage of these deals.
Why We Feel Safe Cruising Right Now
With three cruises in the books, and gearing up for number 4 this weekend, we feel it is completely safe to cruise right now.
While protocols differ between cruise lines and destinations, nothing we have experienced so far had us questioning our personal health or safety.
Even when we had a positive case on Viking Sky, the situation was handled swiftly. The cruise lines mix of contact tracing, face masks, and daily testing had us resting easy during the trip. The vaccinated, asymptomatic individual was quarantined and contact tracing revealed no further cases.
Whether you think it is safe to cruise now is a personal choice. You will need to weigh the health and safety protocols with your own comfort level.
Further, you will need to determine if you are willing to comply with such measures. Are you willing to potentially wear a mask? Are you willing to complete extra paperwork or pay additional fees for travel documents?
Reviewing the regulations of ports of call should also inform your decision about cruising right now. Are you okay if cant explore on your own? Will you be upset if there is a last minute itinerary change?
Once you have weighed the pros and cons, then you can decide if youre ready to cruise in summer 2021.
The key to cruising right now is being flexible. The cruise lines are doing their part to protect guests, crew, and shoreside destinations. Now, we as cruisers need to do our part to ensure a successful resumption of cruising.
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Is Florida Seeing Another Covid Surge
Not yet, no. Cases appear to be on a slight upswing as we head into cold and flu season with the highest weekly addition last week since the last week of September when new omicron variants were spreading. But it’s still a much slower rise than previous variant-fueled surges.
Lots of new omicron variants have popped up such as BQ.1, BF.7, and BN.1, and they make up most of the COVID infections across the southeastern United States now, but they’re not anywhere near as prevalent as what we saw over the summer with BA.4 and BA.5. The so-called “nightmare” omicron variant, XBB, remains rare in Florida.
This doesn’t mean you can’t catch it, however.
Is Your Cruise Ship Safe How To Check Its Covid
A new color-coded system adds new information to cruise safety.
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If you have already booked a cruise or are in the throes of deciding whether or not to take one, you might be having second thoughts after listening to news reports of COVID-19 outbreaks at sea.
The CDC has recently reported that 15 of the 24 ships currently sailing in U.S. waters with paying passengers have experienced outbreaks of the virus on board.
Because traveling in the era of COVID is never risk-free, up-to-date information can help travelers make better-informed decisions, taking into account their personal health status and willingness to take risks.
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Protecting Your Investment: It’s Safe To Book A Cruise Right Now
Of course, you’re concerned about protecting the money you invest to take a vacation. Another reason cruises are a safe way to travel is cruise lines’ great rebooking policies. In this regard, its one of the best options out there. We have continued to cruise in 2021 and 2022 and will continue cruising we practice what we preach.
We book with confidence: We know the policies of the cruise lines we’re interested in, in case we need to rebook because of COVID. Additionally, we know the cruise line’s policy in case they need to reschedule our cruise for any reason.
Cruise lines policies have changed with the times, and many will allow you to rebook without penalty before your sailing. Some even reward you with more Future Travel Credits if they need to reschedule your cruise because of COVID. For instance, many river cruises rebooked guests from 2020/2021 cruises for 2022, 2023 and beyond with 125% FTC.
We advise looking into the particular policy of your individual cruise line to remain educated about the topic.
Look for something like a Travel with Confidence or Health and Safety tab on their websites, where youll find the terms and conditions for rebooking. You will also be able to find info about current COVID procedures onboard.
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*If you have a special status , please review the travel news page provided by IATA. You can also visit the passport, visa and health information page to confirm that your terms are in accordance with the regulations of your destination country.
*This information is compiled, monitored and provided independently by Visa Run Inc. from sources selected and monitored by Sherpa. It is only made accessible here by Holiday Tours for your convenience. Holiday Tours does not guarantee the accuracy or reliability of either this information or Sherpas verification processes, for which please refer to Sherpa. As such, Holiday Tours does not accept liability or responsibility for any omissions, errors or inaccuracies in this information, which may also change at any time. The dynamic nature of local responses to COVID-19 increases the risk of information being outdated or inaccurate. It is your responsibility to independently inform yourself of any actual restrictions or requirements that may apply at your origin, destination or transit locations when you travel. This webpage is made available to you on the basis that you have accepted these terms.
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Many Travelers Did Not Let Cdc Changes Or Omicron Cancel Their Cruise Plans
Despite the wariness we saw from our January 12 survey, where respondents noted their concern over omicron and the December 2021 Level 4: Do Not Travel warning from the CDC, which advised travelers to avoid cruises regardless of vaccination status, our newest survey shows a positive uptick in the sentiment around cruising just a few weeks later.
Still, at the time, only one-third of respondents said they had pulled the plug on an upcoming cruise due to omicron, while another 30% said the variant had not affected their plans for travel and 25% said the arrival of omicron had put them on the fence about canceling or keeping their cruise plans.
In our newest survey, 26% respondents told us they’d taken a cruise within the last 90 days, within October, November, December and January. Of this group, 86% said they took an ocean cruise on a major cruise line, like Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Princess Cruises or Disney Cruise Line.
Right on par for the winter season, warm weather cruises to Mexico and the Caribbean were overwhelmingly popular, accounting for 70% of all survey respondents’ ocean sailing itineraries on major lines. European ocean cruises claimed the second-most popular spot, covering just over 16% of reported cruise destinations.
Cruises Are Safe During A Pandemic Because They Can Track Viruses Like Covid Onboard
Cruise lines can use technology to track their passengers’ whereabouts on ships. For example, Royal Caribbeans RFID bracelets allow them to know where you were in case you get COVID. Or, it helps them track a person’s close contacts if he or she gets COVID and they need to inform and tests passengers who were nearby.
This contact tracing ensures the safety of all passengers and crew on board.
Conversely, if you travel by land for a land vacation, most areas have no way to track COVID or a virus case and then inform you that you may have been exposed. Youre taking the risk of potentially getting te virus by coming into contact with someone who has it .
Cruise ships are safer in this way because youll likely know if youre at risk due to another passenger getting the virus.
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How Will This Affect Covid
The CDC’s decision to end the COVID-19 program will allow cruise lines to set their own COVID-19 policies, Sherrill Brown, MD, medical director of infection prevention at AltaMed Health Services, told Health.
Dr. Brown said depending on the cruise line, COVID safety precautions could be more or less strict, which could result in some cruise lines being safer to travel on compared to others.
For people looking to book a cruise, they won’t have access to publicly available coronavirus data for cruise travel and “will no longer be able to tell if one cruise line or another has a better track record of reducing COVID cases on board,” Dr. Brown added.
Terez Malka, MD, emergency medicine physician and pediatrician at K Health, told Health this change could also make it easier for people to go on a cruise because some companies will drop requirements like testing before embarking and while on board.
In addition, she said customers may not end up needing to quarantine while on a cruise in the event of testing positive, though some cruise lines may require quarantine if you are having symptoms and test positive.
“However, this also means that cruise travel will be less safe for those that are trying to avoid areas with high volumes of COVID infections, and means that travelers and staff will not know the COVID rates on board,” Dr. Malka said.
Keeping Cruises Safe: What The Cruise Lines Do
In addition to Covid-19 protocols, cruise lines also follow strict safety measures to ensure passenger and equipment safety.
Crewmember Training
All cruise personnel are given extensive training in safety, security, and first aid to prevent and respond to potential emergency situations.
Heavy Industry Scrutiny
Cruise ships are among the most scrutinized vessels at sea. With oversight beginning at design and construction, many classification agencies provide strict safety standards and oversight throughout a ships construction and at-sea operations.
Constant Safety Improvements
Cruise lines regularly review operational procedures and improve safety processes and technologies to stay in step with the changing conditions and challenges.
Precautions and Preparations
Every cruise ship is equipped with enough survival craft, including lifeboats and life rafts, to accommodate at least 125 percent of the number of persons onboard. In addition, all survival craft must be tested and meet rigorous safety requirements. Cruise lines also have safety procedures in place to prevent pirate attacks. There have been no pirate attacks on cruise ships in the last several years. Despite this, cruise ships have not stopped taking precautions when traveling in areas previously known for pirate activity.
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Some Cruise Lines Still Require Proof Of A Negative Covid Test To Sail
This is quickly becoming a thing of the past, but because you can still get COVID even if you are vaccinated, some cruise lines still require to show proof of a negative test for COVID when you embark.
This makes cruises the safest way to travel because it’s your land-based hotel is asking for proof of a negative COVID test.
Depending on the cruise, many people who are vaccinated don’t have to show proof of a negative test. However, it’s likely you’ll have to show proof of vaccination.
Consider if testing onboard is a determining factor of whether or not you’ll sign up for a cruise. If so, its best to ask the cruise line youll be sailing with for their most current policies regarding testing.
Other Passengers Are Dangerous
Cruising is dangerous beyond the COVID, of course. Passengers and crew members assault, steal from and kill each other with some regularity.
Don’t believe me? Here are some statistics compiled by maritime lawyer Michael Winkleman.
These are based on numbers reported to the U.S. Department of Transportation by cruise lines.
But these numbers don’t tell the whole story, according to Winkleman.
“It’s important to note that these figures are only the reported crimes aboard ships,” he notes. “As a law firm specializing in maritime law since 1971, we have firsthand knowledge that many crimes at sea go unreported for a number of reasons. As such, it is our opinion that the figures are far lower than the actual number of crimes at sea.”
Common sense tells you that’s true. But if you don’t think the reporting requirements are a problem, just take a look at the latest report. According to cruise lines reporting to the government, there was almost no crime on cruise ships last year. It looks like it was such a non-issue that the government stopped reporting incidents altogether.
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Carnivals Protocols For Cruises
The Carnival cruise vaccine policy requires anyone 5 years old or older who is fully vaccinated against COVID to provide proof prior to embarkation. Passengers age 5 years or older who are not vaccinated, must provide a negative PCR or antigen test within three days of cruise departure.
All guests must complete an online check-in and choose an arrival appointment. However, the cruise line suggests passengers download the VeriFly app to submit their health information, including vaccination status.
They recommend guests wear face masks when indoors, and cruises 16 nights or longer may require masks indoors. Carnival recommends practicing social distancing and handwashing. For further information, visit Carnival.com.
Whats The Cdcs Role In Cruise Ship Covid
Reducing regulations and restrictions regarding COVID-19 has been the cruise industrys focus since the pandemics beginning. As arguably the hardest-hit industry in the tourism sectorcruise ship COVID-19 fears meant 81% fewer passengers embarked on a cruise in 2020 versus 2019ships are more than ready to be back and sailing at full capacity.
During the pause, we worked to carry out protocols that helped make cruising among the safest forms of travel today, and we offered guests a worry-free promise so they could feel confident booking a cruise, knowing they would be covered if their plans changed, says Beth Bodensteiner, senior vice president and chief commercial officer for Holland America Line. We have approached our fleets full return with the safety of guests, crew members and the communities we visit top of mind.
Even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agrees that its time to move forward. And its backing that up with action: As of July 18, 2022, the CDCs COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect.
Over the past two years, the CDC has worked closely with the cruise industry state, territorial and local health authorities and federal and seaport partners to provide a safer and healthier environment for cruise passengers and crew, says Jasmine Reed, a public affairs specialist for the agency. CDC has determined that the cruise industry has access to the necessary tools to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 on board.
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