Passenger ships sometimes are undeservedly derided as "floating petri dishes" - usually by people who have never sailed - but cruising has emerged as an especially safe way to travel at this time.
I've been on three cruises since mid-June, and thoughts of COVID-19 rarely entered my mind when I was onboard. That's because all passengers were required to provide vaccination proof and many times to test within a certain time frame or at the port before boarding. Sometimes passengers are tested mid-cruise. When overseas, all are tested again before disembarking, since a negative result is required to re-enter the U.S.
Once onboard, masks are generally required when moving around the ship but are removed when drinking or dining. I have to say, I don't mind taking off my mask when I know my dining companions are vaccinated.
Onboard passenger capacities are still reduced. Dining tables are set for smaller groups, and there are social-distancing reminders. Hand sanitizer and masks are placed in every stateroom.
Cruising took its hits early on in the pandemic, back before anyone really knew what we were dealing with. There was an outbreak on a ship quarantined by the Japanese government. Several countries blocked cruise ships from docking. But those cruise ships were not the cause of the outbreaks - the passengers on those unfortunate cruises boarded before or right as health officials began sounding the alarm.
Cruise ships by their very nature control who is on board and can require health and safety protocols. Yes, there are COVID cases found on cruise ships, but they are few and far between, obviously incidents of breakthrough infections, many times asymptomatic, or false positives. (I don't like to think this, but I suppose there's always the possibility that someone could submit a fake vaccination card.)
After the incidents with onboard breakouts in early 2020, the cruise industry knew it had to get on top of the situation. Royal Caribbean Group and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. joined forces to create an advisory panel with many of the country's foremost health experts. Carnival Corp. held two Global Science Summits on COVID-19 in concert with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). NCLH President and CEO Frank Del Rio sued the state of Florida after it banned vaccine mandates, and a judge agreed to allow cruise ships to require vaccine proof. (The Florida governor appealed the decision, but it remains in place for now.)
The result of these efforts are the stringent health and safety protocols that have boosted the confidence travelers have in cruising. And now, the industry long renowned for its cleanliness and attention to sanitation and safety, is once again becoming the top choice for more and more travelers.
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