First trial cruise for Royal Caribbean
IN a long-awaited moment for the North American cruise industry, Royal Caribbean has begun its first ‘simulated’ trial cruise, putting it on track to resume commercial operations at Florida’s mega-cruise ports this summer.
The Royal Caribbean cruise ship Freedom of the Seas departed Port of Miami on Sunday (last week), carrying about 600 vaccinated employees on a trial cruise to test out the company’s COVID-19 prevention protocols.
Her destination was CocoCay, Royal Caribbean’s private island destination. All of the participants are volunteers, and a representative from the US Centers for Disease Control is on board to monitor the outcome.
To meet requirements for the test, the ship must carry at least 10 per cent of the maximum number of passengers that the line plans to carry when it returns to service, and all the passengers and crew have to agree to COVID-19 testing before and after. Post-cruise contact tracing will determine whether anyone became infected with the virus.
By conducting a trial cruise and demonstrating its COVID-prevention measures, Freedom of the Seas will be able to resume operations without adhering to a demanding 95 per cent vaccination standard for all passengers and crew. Unvaccinated guests will have to pay for their own COVID-19 testing in order to board, but they will not be prohibited from joining the ship.
“We do strongly recommend all the guests be vaccinated for sure for those who are eligible, but we have measures in place to keep the cruises safe,” said Patrik Dahlgren, SVP global marine operations for Royal Caribbean Group, speaking to CNN.
Meanwhile, the Royal Caribbeanowned brand Celebrity Cruises will be using the 95-per cent-vaccination compliance option to re-launch its first commercial cruise on June 25.