Thanks to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, Disney Cruise Line will soon start trial voyages in waters out of Florida. The ships will sail with volunteer passengers to help test whether the ships are able to sail safely during a pandemic. A two-night trial is set to run from June 29 through July out of Port Canaveral.
Disney Cruise Lines to start trial voyages
A letter from Disney Signature Experiences President Thomas Mazloum was published Tuesday on LaughingPlace.com, a Disney fan site to make an exciting announcement. In the letter, Mazloum stated that the CDC has given the go-ahead for the 2,500-passenger Disney Dream to run a two-night trial from June 29 through July 1 out of Port Canaveral.
“This is a critically important milestone for Disney Cruise Line – and I want to thank everyone who has been supporting our return-to-service plans with such dedication and hard work,” Mazloum wrote in the letter.
The latest action by the CDC is one step closer to resuming cruises in US waters for the first time since March 2020. In fact, it could happen by July. Disney Cruise Line spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez said in a statement, “We have reached an important next step toward our gradual and responsible resumption of service, and are grateful for the productive dialogue with state, local and federal officials, the CDC and others in our industry that has made this possible.”
“We forward to our amazing crew once again creating magic for our guests and to helping the many workers who support our industry get back to work,” she added.
CDC approves test cruises
Back in May, the CDC gave final technical guidelines for test cruises to ship operators. Each trial cruise will run from between two to seven days and must have sufficient passengers to meet at least 10 percent of the ship’s normal capacity.
Passengers will consist of volunteers, aged 18 or older, who have either been fully vaccinated or are free of medical conditions that could place them at high risk for COVID-19. According to the CDC guidelines, each ship operator must inform the volunteer passengers that they are simulating untested safety measures. Passengers must also been informed that sailing during a pandemic is an “inherently risky activity.”
Health and safety protocols on trial sailings
The CDC guidance includes several protocols that must be met before sailing. Before and after the journey, passengers must be examined for COVID-19 symptoms. At least 75 percent of those onboard must be tested at the end of the trial sailing.
According to the guidelines, onboard restrictions will include the wearing of face masks and social distancing. Guided shore excursions are to be allowed, with no one exploring on their own, as long as tour operators follow certain standards.
Ships must make a least one trial sailing before resuming regular cruises in US waters. However, if the operators can vouch that 98 percent of the crew and 95 percent of passengers are vaccinated, they may be able to avoid this requirement.
Cruising considered no more dangerous that air and train travel
The cruise industry was shut down a year ago by the CDC after a number of coronavirus outbreaks were linked to ships worldwide. However, this spring, DeSantis and industry leaders argued that with widespread vaccines and testing more available, cruising is now no more dangerous than air and train travel, which are already open.
Reportedly, cruising has resumed with similar protocols and restrictions in much of the world and ship operators say there have been no new outbreaks linked to their ships.
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