MinTVS announced on Monday that Aruba will be reopening for cruise tourism in June. The first ship, he said, confirmed to arrive in the Port of Oranjestad is from Celebrity Cruises, that will be in on the 5th.
I searched the website of Celebrity Cruises, but did not find that specific date. I did find some Aruba dates starting September, 2021.
The information shared by MinTvs originates from a USNEWS article. That article is very generally worded, and I included some pieces of it here for your reading pleasure.
The text includes words like recommends, and should expect, which means that the cruise ship industry, always susceptible to viruses, has not established full, new protocols yet. We’ll wait until they finish their homework, though they had a full year to think about health and safety procedures, and should no longer be in flux!
This is what the article says:
“After almost a year stuck on dry land, cruise lovers may be itching to hit the high seas again on their favorite cruise lines. But with rules and regulations about cruising in flux, it can be hard to pinpoint when next you may be able to hop on board and sail away to paradise – and whether or not it is safe to do so.
At the end of October 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a conditional sailing order that remains in effect until Nov. 1, 2021 — pending further changes. The order states that cruise lines should take a phased approach when restarting service and must satisfy certain safety requirements to provide a healthy environment for crew members and travelers. In response, most major cruise lines have added new protocols on their ships with the aim of resuming select itineraries sometime this spring. Updates include, but are not limited to, face mask policies, daily temperature screenings and the introduction of onboard medical facilities designed for COVID-19 testing.”
In his announcement MinTvs reported that all crew and passengers will have been vaccinated prior to boarding, and that all passengers are required to have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of boarding, with the ship’s capacity at maximum 50%.
I guess a fake vaccination certificate industry is next, by the people who brought you fake drivers’ licenses.
The Aruba Port Authority cautiously optimistic projection for cruise tourism in 2021 is a 6.5% recovery of passengers compared to 2019. Which is about 54,000 passengers.
The USNEWS articles also reports that: “Carnival Cruise Line, is planning to resume operation on June 1, 2021.”
Carnival Cruise Line plans to resume its cruises in June but is still working to finalize its COVID-19 protocols for future voyages. Still, the cruise line has confirmed that passengers looking to set sail on a Carnival ship should expect standard guidelines backed by the CDC and other experts, including the use of face masks, social distancing and testing before boarding.
Celebrity Cruises, the one mentioned by MinTvs, also plans on June 1, 2021
“Celebrity Cruises aims to begin sailing again this June. The cruise line recommends all guests heed the advice of the CDC and other health organizations before booking a cruise. If a certain (unspecified) number of COVID-19 cases is detected on board a ship, the itinerary will conclude and the ship will return to the embarkation port. Celebrity also put together a panel of 11 health experts – including doctors and scientists – who advised the line to implement policies like temperature screenings, enhanced ventilation on board, sanitation stations and more.
We should be concerned, in light of what just happened during Spring Break in Miami. Left to its own devices, the mob goes crazy. I remain confident MinTvs will make it clear to the Cruise Ship industry that we take it seriously, we think it is a big deal, and they are only welcome here if they carefully control the influx of their passenger, otherwise we are in trouble.
https://travel.usnews.com/features/when-will-cruises-resume
