MIAMI – The first cruise ship to board passengers in a U.S. port in 15 months will depart on Saturday from the industry’s hub in South Florida in a symbolic step toward normalcy that health experts are closely monitoring as vaccines prevent the spread of the Coronavirus contain the country.
Industry officials are hoping the Celebrity Edge’s trip will serve as a bookend for people who first felt the severity of the pandemic in last year’s alarming reports of fatal outbreaks on overcrowded ships, with guests quarantined for weeks, ships begging for docking and sick passengers were carried away on stretchers in ports.
“We’re excited to be a part of it,” said Russ Schwartz, a Florida school principal who is honeymooning on the ship and is confident it will go smoothly. “Things have changed drastically. We really didn’t know much about the virus at the time. Cruises weren’t prepared at the time.”
Celebrity Cruises, one of the Royal Caribbean Cruises brands, says that at least 95% of passengers boarding the Celebrity Edge have been vaccinated against coronavirus according to the health requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the ship will come with one reduced speed operated capacity.
It will be a luxurious trip aboard a boat unveiled in December 2018 with a huge spa and multi-story suites. The $ 1 billion ship is led by Captain Kate McCue, who became the first American to lead a cruise ship in 2015, drawing more than 1 million followers on TikTok and 250,000 on Instagram.
Much is at stake for cruise lines as they emerge from a CDC-imposed shutdown that lasted 15 months. During that time, the three industry giants Carnival, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean had to raise more than $ 40 billion in funding to stay afloat with no income.
Combined, they lost $ 20 billion last year and another $ 4.5 billion in the first quarter of 2021, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
“The cruise lines are getting up after being crippled by COVID-19,” said Michael Winkleman, a maritime lawyer. “There is just too much money at stake for the cruise lines not to get it right.”
In order to meet both the CDC’s 95% vaccination requirement and a new Florida law that bans companies from requiring customers to provide proof of vaccination, Celebrity Cruises is simply asking guests if they want to share their status, spokeswoman Susan Lomax said .
Those who do not voluntarily provide proof of vaccination will be treated as unvaccinated and subject to additional protocols such as wearing face masks and being restricted to designated seating areas in common areas such as dining rooms, casinos, and theaters.
Last year, the CDC castigated the cruise industry for keeping bars, gyms and self-service buffets open and for continuing to allow crew members to congregate even as the pandemic raged.
As of March 2020, data showed 3,689 confirmed or suspected cases of COVID-19 on cruise lines in US waters and at least 41 deaths. The CDC says it spent 38,000 person-hours just processing the cruise response to COVID-19, including contact tracing for 11,000 passengers.
Medical evacuation and logistical efforts for passengers exiting ships like the Zaandam in Fort Lauderdale and the Grand Princess in Oakland, Calif., Also diverted resources from local authorities trying to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Dozens of passengers have since filed lawsuits alleging companies failed to protect and warn them of the virus, particularly following an outbreak on Carnival’s Diamond Princess off the coast of Japan with more than 700 confirmed cases and nine deaths.
The extended closure was also challenged in court. In April Florida sued the federal government to require cruise ships to start sailing, arguing that the ban was disproportionately damaging to the state, where the industry generates billions each year for the economy.
Last week a judge issued an injunction preventing the CDC from enforcing the sailing conditions that the state says are effectively blocking most cruises.
Celebrity Edge will be sailing before the injunction goes into effect so the terms will be met.
The Cruise Lines International Association, which represents approximately 90% of the world’s cruise capacity, said it recognizes the efforts of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to support the industry and cruise lines place an emphasis on health and safety. About 600,000 passengers have sailed member ships outside of the United States since last summer, and the incidence of the coronavirus has been low.
“The industry’s protocols are working as intended,” the association said in a statement. “The hugely successful introduction of vaccines in the United States is a game changer and makes travel easier.”
About 44% of people nationwide are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC, and new COVID-19 cases in the US have fallen sharply from their peak earlier this year.
Katherine Quirk-Schwartz, a Celebrity Edge passenger and nurse who looks forward to the upcoming cruise and hopes to meet Captain McCue, recalled her hospital taking in some of the first COVID-19 patients from cruise lines when she finally did After days of negotiations, Florida was allowed ashore.
“It’s almost like a circle. It’s amazing to think about,” she said. “As more things change, more things open, we will see more of the effects of the vaccine. People return to life, people return to sailing.”
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