US Cruises Announce Caribbean Travel Restart After Pandemic

Two ships of the US shipping lines Royal Caribbean and Celebrity will be the first to return to the Caribbean from next June after a long industry paralysis since March 2020, due to COVID – 19 , and they will do so with adult passengers and crew vaccinated.

“Vaccines are clearly a game changer for all of us, and with the number of vaccines and their impact growing rapidly, we believe starting with cruises for vaccinated adult passengers and crew is the right choice, “said Michael Bayley, president of Royal Caribbean International, based in Miami (USA).

Royal Caribbean will offer new itineraries with the Adventure of the Seas ship from Nassau (Bahama s), where it has its base port, passing through the private island of CocoCay and even that of Cozumel (Mexico), the company announced this Friday in a statement.

For its part, Celebrity Cruises, with a base port on the tourist island from St. Maarten, announced two itineraries on a luxury cruise ship, the Celebrity Millennium.

One of the routes connect Aruba, Curaçao and Barbados, and the other the islands of Tortola, Saint Lucia and Barbados.

Both cruise lines reported that they contemplate requiring a negative COVID test – 19.

“We are excited to once again offer an unforgettable vacation in the Caribbean, gradually and safely”, noted Bayley.

Passengers, indicated in the statement of this company, they must comply with the travel requirements of the Bahamas, which includes a result negative of the virus.

The Prime Minister of the Bahamas, Hubert A. Minnis, was “especially pleased” that Royal Caribbean has chosen that archipelago as a port base when browsing resumes.

“ This is truly a new day for the tourism. It should inspire many small and medium-sized businesses, tour operators, taxi drivers, restaurants and retailers to prepare for the brighter days ahead, ”he said. Minnis.

Celebrity Cruises announced that their ship will sail with a vaccinated crew and will be available for vaccinated adult passengers, as well as for children under 18 years with a negative test result. Reservations will be on sale from next Thursday.

Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo said she was pleased to “offer people the opportunity to have a safe vacation aboard the revolutionary Celebrity Millennium ”

“ Returning to the Caribbean after more than a year abroad is a very important moment for us. It marks the measured beginning of the end of what has been an exceptionally challenging time for all of us. ”

In his most recent report, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) , representing the 95% of companies with ocean cruises, qualify as “devastating” the losses due to the covid – 19.

Notes that between March and September of 2020 there were global losses of 77, 000 millions of dollars, 23, million dollars in wages and 518, 000 jobs due to the breakdown of shipping companies.

CLIA calculates that each day that the cruise ships are not operating ando means 2, 500 fewer jobs.

For now, Royal Caribbean will be the pioneer as of next May in offering on its new ship, Odyssey of the Seas, cruises from Israel to the Greek islands and Cyprus with passengers and crew fully vaccinated against COVID – 19.

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