The official start of summer will soon be upon us, and with it the official return to cruising from U.S. ports for the first time since March 2020. It has now been 15 months since the CDC’s no-sail order went into effect, barring all cruise ship departures from U.S. ports. Now, with vaccination requirements, social distancing guidelines, reduced capacities, or a medley of all three in place, lots of cruise lines are finally getting back to sea via U.S. ports. Here is how each cruise line (that has announced summer U.S. sailings) is getting back out there in 2021:
Celebrity Cruises
This May, Celebrity Cruises announced that Celebrity Edge, the lead vessel in the cruise line’s Edge class of ships, will become the first major ship to sail from a U.S. port since the
COVID-19 shutdown of March 2020. Now, the line announced that several more ships will be joining Celebrity Edge in setting sail this summer. Celebrity Equinox will be departing from Fort Lauderdale, FL on July 15, 2021, for a 7-night Eastern-Caribbean itinerary. Celebrity Summit will be sailing an Aruba, Curacao & Barbados itinerary out of Miami beginning July 3. To keep passengers and crew members safe, Celebrity plans to employ a 100% vaccination policy for all crew members and passengers over the age of 16.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line will be kicking off the summer with a fun filled voyage that is right up this cruise line’s alley. Carnival Horizon will be departing from Miami, FL on Independence Day (July 4), 2021. Per their announcement, Carnival states they are working closely with the CDC and the State of Florida on setting requirements for unvaccinated guests. Carnival will update guests on health guidelines by Friday, June 11, and because of this has extended the deadline to rebook or request a full refund to Monday, June 14.
In another announcement, Carnival declares that Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze plan to resume operations from Galveston, TX on July 3 and 15, respectively. The announcement states that for now these cruises are available to guests who have received their final dose of a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise, and that proof of vaccination will be required.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises has also recently announced sail dates for summer 2021, for the ships MSC Meraviglia and MSC Divina. The first of the two, MSC Meraviglia, will offer 3- and 4-night cruises from Miami, FL beginning August 2. MSC Divina is set to begin 3-, 4-, and 7-night cruises on September 16 out of Port Canaveral, FL, with Bahamas itineraries featuring Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. MSC Cruises has announced that all of these voyages will welcome both vaccinated and non-vaccinated guests, however those unable to provide proof of vaccination will be subjected to additional safety requirements to be announced at a later date.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line will also have two ships sailing towards the end of this summer, Norwegian Encore and Norwegian Gem. Norwegian Encore will operate 7-day cruises from Alaska to Seattle, sailing every Saturday beginning August 7. Norwegian Gem will offer 7-day voyages as well, departing from Miami and enjoying Western Caribbean itineraries every Sunday beginning August 15. Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Escape have also announced sail dates for 2021, however these will not begin until the fall season in late September, October, and November, respectively. Norwegian has employed a 100% vaccination policy for all initial voyages, requiring all guests and crew to be fully vaccinated at least 2 weeks prior to departure.
To learn more about upcoming voyages or to book your summer 2021 cruise today, visit The Cruise Web online at www.cruiseweb.com or call 1-800-377-9383 to speak with one of our expert travel consultants.