At our agency, taking care of your health and well-being are one of the most important things we do. With the recent headlines, we understand some of you may be concerned when it comes to planning or booking travel on particular cruises.

As we find ourselves at a turning point with the latest surge (fingers crossed, hopefully it’s the last one), we thought it would be useful to share newly released information from CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association), and some of the major cruise lines.

CLIA:

In a statement released by CLIA,  it said: 

“Cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard—far fewer than on land—and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore. No setting can be immune from this virus—however, it is also the case that a cruise provides one of the highest levels of demonstrated mitigation against the virus. Cruise ships offer a highly controlled environment with science-backed measures, known testing and vaccination levels far above other venues or modes of transportation and travel, and significantly lower incidence rates than land.”

Many of our members have announced additional measures in response to the Omicron variant, including strengthening testing, masking and other requirements, as well as encouraging booster vaccine doses for those eligible.”

Cruise Lines:

Royal Caribbean Group has stated that since cruising restarted in U.S. waters last spring, 1.1 million guests had travelled with its cruise lines and 1,745 people had tested positive for COVID-19, or about 0.16%. It said that 41 people required hospitalization, and that no passengers testing positive with the Omicron variant had been taken to the hospital.

“We don’t like to see even one case, but our experience is a fraction of the comparable statistics of virtually any other comparable location or industry. Few businesses are subject to such intense scrutiny, regulation and disclosure requirements by so many authorities,” said Richard Fain, CEO of Royal Caribbean.

U.S. cruise lines have not announced any plans to halt trips, though vessels have been denied entry at some foreign ports. Carnival Corp.’s spokesman Roger Frizzell said in an email after the CDC recommendation that the company had no planned changes.

“Our enhanced health and safety protocols have proven to be effective time and time again over the past year,” he said.

The View from the Ship:

“Our cruise to the Bahamas was absolutely magical”
“Everyone was excited to cruise again and the crew was so welcoming”
“We felt very safe with all the protocols, Royal Caribbean was excellent “
“Masking was no big deal”
“The service and lavish attention was wonderful thank you AmaWaterways”

Beware of Negative Media:

We hope you found this content encouraging, a kind of a buffer against the all the negative news that tends to get the most air time.

When you are ready to start planning that next cruise or land vacation, be it now or in the future, this agency is at your service. You can rely on us to help you navigate the new intricacies of travel and make your travel planning a seamless and enjoyable experience.

Feature image Bigstock. Ovation of the Seas in Alaska waters courtesy of Royal Caribbean International.