For the past week, Omicron variant news has dominated the news cycle and there have already been a number of changes in the cruise industry, but the exact news has been misinterpreted in some cases.
Much misunderstanding has surfaced between the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warning vaccinated passengers not to board a cruise ship and the news reports on social media of missed port calls making the rounds about it where cruises are currently taking place.
Not everyone is following the daily changes in the cruise industry, so it can be difficult to keep track of what has or has not changed. And certainly a government warning gets a lot of attention, even if it’s just a recommendation.
Before you read what Aunt Sally heard on Facebook as something she heard, here are three really important untrue myths about cruising right now that are completely wrong.
Cruises are canceled again
If that CDC announced that it has raised the warning level for boarding a cruise ship to the highest levelwhich made some people think that cruises were being canceled again.
The CDC warning is just that, a recommendation and nothing has changed about mass cancellations. In fact, no scheduled Royal Caribbean cruise has been canceled.
Example of a false warning from the CDC
This isn’t the first time the CDC has changed its alert level for the cruise industry, but just like its warnings for visiting different countries, these are just suggestions it is making to the public.
No cruise line has given a notice to cancel cruises, so ships are definitely still sailing.
Cruise ships cannot call at ports
Some ports in the Caribbean have refused entry to certain cruise lines because some passengers on board tested positive for Covid-19. This fact is true, but the number of ships and port calls affected was quite small.
So how many ports have refused ships?
Royal Caribbean Group has provided an update that as of December 30, 2021, 16 planned visits out of a total of 331 visits were canceled.
Of course, every country has the right to refuse to visit a ship, but these are treated on a per-ship basis.
The company believes these disruptions will last for a short time and then regress as the world adapts to current trends.
Most importantly, cruise lines have arrangements with the ports of departure from which a cruise ship departs and how the port, health district, and cruise lines will respond with medical care, transportation, and accommodation if necessary, in the event of an outbreak. This was set up before a ship resumed cruises under the CDC’s conditional sailing order in 2021.
The important lesson is that cruise ships don’t get locked out of every port and get stuck at sea.
Cannot visit their own private islands
That rumor was based on a truth that has since turned into false information.
On December 30th, guests of the Freedom of the Seas reported their ship could not dock Perfect day at CocoCay because Bahamian officials refused to disembark passengers.
Similarly, Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic was held up from docking at Castaway Cay in the Bahamas.
On both ships, Bahamian officials allowed passengers to disembark later that day.
It appears that this was some sort of paperwork on the Bahamas side, but nothing has been confirmed.
Regardless, other cruise lines have had no problem visiting Perfect Day on CocoCay as of that day.
Where to get reliable cruise ship updates
Sure, this post should help bring everyone up to speed, but what about tomorrow or next week? How do you completely avoid this false information?
First and foremost, Royal Caribbean will always email you with updated information on your sailing when an official change has been made. Your travel agent is also a reliable source of information to make sure nothing has changed.
I’m generally a fan of Facebook groups for sharing tips and experiences, but unfortunately some groups can share incorrect or misleading information. Be careful with any updates you receive on social media unless there is evidence to the contrary.
You can also contact Royal Caribbean on social media to check out something you may have heard of.
Continue reading: My favorite Royal Caribbean cruise hacks
Finally, you can contact the people on the RoyalCaribbeanBlog forums (yes, that’s a selfish tip). Our community is good at helping direct cruisers with questions and expectations.
