Firsthand Analysis on Cruising Without a Mask Mandate

by John Maddox
Last updated: 12:00 AM ET, Wed March 16, 2022

Image: Carnival Cruise Line's Carnival Valor. (photo via Charles Pluta / Flickr)

On February 19, Carnival Cruise Lines announced that they were lifting their mask mandate effective March 1. I was in luck as I had a cruise scheduled on Carnival Valor beginning March 3. I was curious to see the effects that the mask mandate had on the COVID-19 numbers.

Of course, when boarding a ship, you are required to wear a mask when in the terminal and during the entire embarkation and disembarkation process per the TSA. I noticed that almost everyone removed their masks very quickly once we were boarding the ship. There were a few exceptions. A couple of people I talked with were much more concerned about getting the flu rather than COVID-19.

Once on board, I noticed in several locations (the piano bar, the theatre and comedy club noticeably) had signs stating, "Crowds may gather here, wearing of masks is encouraged". Mask usage in these areas was very low. Masking was most prevalent in the casino area, by primarily older guests.

As a fully vaccinated & boosted individual, I was relatively comfortable without my mask. But to put my mind even more at ease, I checked out the CDC's Cruise Ship Color Status. The day I boarded the cruise, the ship was in a green status which per the CDC means that in the prior 14 days, there were no reports of COVID-19 or COVID-19 like illness (CLI). Checking today, the ship remains at a green status.

Keep in mind that by opting into the CDC program, cruise ships are required to report COVID cases on a frequent basis. Carnival is operating cruises at a "highly vaccinated" status which means that 95 percent of the crew and passengers are fully vaccinated (does not include the number of boosted passengers).

In checking today, Carnival Valor remains one of 114 ships under the CDC's jurisdiction that maintains a green status (48 percent of all ships are in a green status).

What does all of this mean? It appears from my anecdotal evidence that in highly vaccinated environments, cruising is an activity that can be enjoyed without wearing a mask. The cruise lines have all done an incredible job of implementing strict testing and vaccination protocols that have shown that COVID-19 can be controlled in the cruising environment.

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