Cruises could start with sailing According to a letter from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the cruise industry received TODAY late Wednesday from US ports this summer.

During the letter something cleared up the murky timeframe In order for US cruises to resume – possibly by mid-July, when cruise lines, ships, and ports meet certain requirements – cruise lines that may be considering booking have many unanswered questions.

And while the CDC set a possible restart date, that doesn’t mean the cruising restrictions will be lifted. The CDC offered Clarifications to his guidance and continues to expect cruise lines to meet their requirements before sailing can resume.

USA TODAY was looking for expert knowledge of what this all means for those looking to book or take a cruise.

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Are Cruise Ships Safe?

Ships must meet CDC’s COVID health and safety requirements before sailing. However, this does not mean that boarding a cruise ship is risk-free.

“Cruising during a global pandemic is difficult,” CDC spokeswoman Caitlin Shockey told USA TODAY.

“While cruises always pose some risk to the transmission of COVID-19, CDC is committed to ensuring that cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that protects crew members, passengers and port staff, especially with emerging COVID-19 variants worrying, “said Shockey.

Bari Golin-Blaugrund, vice president of strategic communications at Cruise Lines International Association, the industry’s leading trade organization, said cruising is now a safer option thanwhen cruise ships saw COVID outbreaks and lockdowns at the beginning of the pandemic.

“The beginning of the pandemic was a unique and difficult time for everyone, but we’ve learned so much since then – and those lessons have been applied to almost every facet of the cruise industry today,” Golin-Blaugrund said Thursday in the US.

Almost 400,000 passengers have sailed on CLIA ocean-going vessels in Europe, the South Pacific and parts of Asia since last summer, Golin-Blaugrund said. Of those 400,000, fewer than 70 cases of COVID-19 have occurred. Many of these passengers sailed on cruises before vaccines were introduced or made widely available.

Do I need to have a COVID vaccine before boarding a cruise ship?

Depending on the cruise ship, you may need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

According to the CDC’s letter, 95% of passengers and 98% of the crew on board must be vaccinated against COVID-19 if cruise ships are to return their ships to sail earlier.

That said, the health authority will not require this vaccination rate for sailing, but cruise lines that do not meet it will not be able to sail once others as they will have to conduct test sailing before resuming cruises with paying passengers and implementing additional COVID protocols.

“It is up to the cruise lines whether they need a COVID-19 vaccination to board a cruise ship,” Shockey said.

CLIA does not require its member lines to introduce a vaccination rule despite “promoting vaccination”.

Frank Del Rio, CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., told the US TODAY on Thursday that the Vaccination requirements For his company’s 28 fleet of ships, this is key to protecting its passengers from completing COVID-19.

What other COVID protocols are implemented on cruise ships?

In line with CDC guidelines, Shockey said other safety measures, including COVID testing, mask use, and social distancing, will remain important on ships, regardless of whether passengers are vaccinated.

These protocols have been implemented by CLIA for its member lines in September and remain in force, so Golin-Blueground.

Should I book a cruise now?

Michelle Fee, CEO of Cruise Planners travel agency, told the US TODAY on Thursday “Pent-up demand” For cruises there will be higher bookings with the news of a possible restart in midsummer.

“Many more people will be ready and forego their credit cards,” said Fee.

She added that there will likely be a rush on booking – and not just for the first few cruises. There may be an even higher demand for fall or winter cruises when the sailing seems safer and the schedule for resuming slowly becomes clearer.

“Consumers should consider whether I would like to sail on a cruise ship for the next 18 months in order to receive my deposit immediately,” said Fee.

How soon can I book a cruise from a US port?

Lots of cruise lines canceled crossings from US ports until June but kept crossings in July as an option. Royal Caribbean International and Carnival cruise lineFor example, they will be offering cruises from US ports such as Miami as early as July.

Alaska cruises are a different story, however. Canada has banned cruise lines from its waters until March 1, 2022. However, Canada’s ban not only affects ships in Canadian waters, it also blocks cruises in Alaska, New England, Washington state or the Great Lakes.

As a result, some cruise lines have canceled or suspended bookings for many of their cruises scheduled for the Alaska season. For example, the Norwegian website is not taking new bookings for Alaska cruises until 2022 apart from a cruise in October That is expected to travel to Russia and Japan with no stopover listed in Canada. Royal Caribbean International’s next online opening for an Alaska cruise is in April 2022.