Cruise Travel

Travelers who are thinking about hitting the high seas in 2023 should also be thinking about the prices they’re going to have to pay to make that happen. 

According to policyholder data from InsureMyTrip, cruisers got a good deal in 2022 – paying an average of $4,104 to take a cruise between January and March of 2022.

However, for the same time in 2023, policyholders will pay an estimated $6,250 for their ocean voyages. That’s a 40%, $2,100 increase. 

That’s a sizable increase for most people, one that can easily cause would-be travelers to scrap other vacation plans.

Why are cruise lines charging more? Well, basically because there are more travelers who want to enjoy a week or two at sea. Another reason is that almost every cruise line has launched a new ship -- or will in 2023 -- so they want to be able to pay for that investment.

It’s not Armageddon cruise experts say

Yes, the ships are filling up fast -- thanks in part to future cruise credits (FCC's) that were given to all those with canceled cruises due to COVID-19.

"These FCC's have an expiration date so they have to be used by a certain date, hence 2023 bookings. Demand has resulted in higher prices and less availability,” Elisa Karen Ball, a travel advisor at Total Travel Experts, told ConsumerAffairs.

Ball says that cruising is still a good value because cruise lines are rolling out packages like there’s no tomorrow.

“Many luxury cruise lines have packaged everything so the guest pays one price,” she said.

Other travel experts agree

Experts from InsureMyTrip, and Cruise Critic have also combined forces to help travelers find the best deals and make the most informed decisions when booking a cruise in 2023. Here are some FAQs they shared with ConsumerAffairs:

Q: I’m looking for a deal.  Should I book a cruise before or during wave season?  

“You’re likely to score a great deal at either time, but the big question is around your flexibility. If you have specific needs or preferences (date, ship, cabin type), it’s early enough that you’ll likely be able to book exactly what you’re looking for – and secure a great deal,” Cruise Critic’s Colleen McDaniel said. 

She, like Ball, said that the secret sauce is the available perks, but don’t just take the first deal you see – take a comparative look and play one cruise line’s offerings against another. And whatever you do, don’t book solely on price. 

“It’s easy to see a low fare and want to jump on it immediately. But it’s important to do your research to make sure it’s the right ship and experience for you. Read reviews from other cruisers and read more about what you can expect onboard,” she suggested. 

Q: How important is travel insurance?

Travel insurance took a hit during the pandemic because of what was and what wasn’t included if COVID impacted a cruise, a destination, or a family of cruisers. Now that things have settled, InsureMyTrip’s Meghan Walch says the safest bet is buying travel insurance with the added Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) rider. 

“If you need to cancel a cruise for something other than a covered reason – CFAR may reimburse you up to 50%-75% of your prepaid, non-refundable trip costs,” she said.

And you should also take a look at your medical insurance to see what’s covered, too.

“If you’re traveling out of the country – we recommend emergency medical coverage because most domestic health insurance plans will not cover medical bills overseas,” Walch said.

Q: Should I buy travel insurance through the cruise line or a third party?

 This is a thorny subject. Walch recommends that you do your research. “Don’t just check the travel insurance box on a cruise line website. These plans may not cover what you think they will.”

She said that InsureMyTrip researchers analyzed popular cruise lines and found while many offer basic travel insurance perks, few cruise lines offer robust trip cancellation insurance or expansive emergency medical care coverage.

As ConsumerAffairs found, buying travel insurance through the cruise line can wind up being a can of worms if something goes wrong.

“Bought this insurance based on Viking River Cruises recommendations on Viking's booking system. Was removed from cruise after two days. Numerous calls and emails later they still can't do math in Claims Department,” Courtney from Grand Haven Mich. wrote in her review of TripMate.

Only a week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) heightened its investigation over COVID-19 outbreaks on cruise lines, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Lines have canceled planned excursions because of the growing spread of the Omicron variant.

Royal Caribbean canceled its planned January 6 Spectrum of the Seas cruise after guests on the previous week’s trip were identified as being close contacts to a local Hong Kong COVID-19 case. Matt Hochberg of RoyalCaribbeanBlog reported that there were no actual cases on board and that all guests and crew were scheduled to take COVID-19 tests on Jan. 5 and Jan. 8. 

Norwegian cited “COVID related circumstances” on a recent cruise and a new high in the number of daily COVID-19 infections as its reason for canceling voyages.

"Due to ongoing travel restrictions, we've had to modify a few sailings and unfortunately have had to cancel," a spokesperson for Norwegian said. The company stated that it’s looking at late April as the time frame for embarkation dates on any canceled cruises.

CDC to make sail order voluntary

The CDC will soon transition its Conditional Sail Order to a voluntary program on Jan. 15. The new guidelines simply require cruise ships sailing into or out of the U.S. to employ several health safety protocols, such as sanitization and wearing facemasks. 

If that word “voluntary” makes you nervous, the CDC’s new “color” status might be of some help if you’re trying to decide on whether or not you’re ready to sail. The chart is updated frequently with any action that the CDC has taken with a ship reporting a COVID-19 case.

Major cruise lines are once again in the crosshairs of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over an escalating number of COVID-19 cases aboard ships. According to various reports, the CDC has opened an investigation into 36 ships and is observing another 32 vessels amid COVID-19 outbreaks. 

According to the CDC’s charts, Carnival has the most at stake. Despite the company’s commitment to operate vaccinated cruises through March 31, 2022, it has 17 ships being scrutinized for being at or above the CDC’s investigation threshold. Crossing that threshold could mean any number of things – from .10% or more of passengers testing positive during the previous 7 days to one or more cases being reported by ship crew members.

Other cruise lines that the CDC lists as being part of an investigation or has been investigated and remains under observation include:

• Royal Caribbean – 14 ships

• Norwegian – 8 ships

• Celebrity Cruises – 5 ships

• Holland America – 4 ships

• Princess Cruises – 3 ships

• MSC Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Oceania, and Viking – 2 ships

Cruise lines claim they’re following rules

Cruise lines have clashed with the CDC several times since the pandemic began due to the various virus mitigation efforts that the agency has enforced. When it looked like COVID-19 was losing all its steam and bookings started to climb again, the industry fretted over the CDC’s lack of flexibility with its no-sail order. 

Despite all that, Carnival says it’s following the agency’s dictates and has the data to prove it. A company spokesperson told Insider that the CDC has been "fully informed and supportive of its protocols and operational plans." 

An MSC Cruises spokesperson stated that their company has hosted more than a million passengers who have met its health and safety protocols, which include a vaccine mandate.

Be ready for your cruise to get canceled

More consumers will likely be looking to take a cruise as temperatures turn colder this winter, but that may be a problem if the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to climb due to the Omicron variant. If your trip does get canceled, then you’ll need to connect with the company you were traveling with to rebook or get a refund. 

But beware – many cruise lines will offer bonus credits to entice you to rebook instead of canceling to get a refund. That’s what happened to one ConsumerAffairs reviewer earlier this year, and the outcome was worse than she expected.

“I purchased a cruise for the beginning of October. It was canceled due to Covid-19. That's understandable. They gave me $300 onboard credit. However once I tried to rebook I found that all the cruises were several hundred dollars higher so [I was not] able to get a price like the one THEY CANCELED,” Shannon from Atlanta wrote in a review of Carnival.

The moral of the story? Make sure you know exactly what you’re getting if you choose to rebook a canceled cruise.

American Cruise Lines (ACL) has been forced to cut an Alaskan cruise short and cancel another after three people aboard tested positive for COVID-19.

After setting sail from Petersburg, Alaska with 162 passengers and 52 crew onboard, the ACL ship was forced to return to Juneau only a day into the journey. After two vaccinated passengers tested symptomatic for coronavirus, one unvaccinated crew member tested positive for the virus. 

ACL said it was also canceling its next cruise -- scheduled for July 14 -- purely as a precautionary measure and that the people who tested positive would remain in Petersburg to isolate themselves from others. While most of the ship’s crew had been vaccinated, the company said they would remain on the ship in quarantine until local health authorities in Juneau gave clearance.

“State and local officials in Alaska have been engaged, and have been working together with American Cruise Lines to ensure a swift and effective implementation of the Response Plan,” an ACL spokesman told ConsumerAffairs.

Is COVID-19 testing efficient enough to be safe for travelers?

Cruise lovers are among the most dedicated of travelers, and they’ve sat through more than a year of uncertainty from authorities and unsuccessful test journeys. Now that some restrictions have been lifted and cruise lines have been given the OK to sail, the real test begins.

American Cruise Lines stock and trade is not the same as other major cruise lines like Celebrity or Princess; the company has a more diverse portfolio of cruises that focuses mainly on river cruises. The company had carried some 10,000 passengers on 130 voyages since its return to sailing in March, and this is the first coronavirus-related incident it has weathered since then.

So, is what happened to ACL a predictor of what other cruise lines and travelers might encounter? Who knows. For its part, ACL told ConsumerAffairs that it follows all local COVID-19 protocols in every one of the 31 states it travels through. While there’s no language mandating that passengers be vaccinated on one of ACL’s cruises, the company’s website says all passengers are tested as part of the boarding process and that it “strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccine for all eligible guests.”

The most important takeaway from this incident is that cruisers need to be ready for anything. To help, here are a couple of sites you should double-check at least two weeks before setting sail:

• Vaccination requirements. CruiseCritic offers an excellent list of both river and sea cruise lines and what each company’s vaccination requirements are.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ship status. The CDC offers a complete and up-to-date report of confirmed cases of COVID-19 or coronavirus-like illnesses that ships have reported. 

U.S. cruise lovers will finally have a chance to break free from their pandemic cabin fever this weekend. 

Celebrity Cruise Line is putting the final touches on its Edge ship to set sail out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Saturday. The voyage will make the Edge the first major cruise ship to return to service from a stateside port since COVID-19 forced the industry to shut down more than a year ago.

Celebrity has decided to take baby steps at first by sailing at 35% capacity with a fully vaccinated crew. The passenger list will be roughly 95% vaccinated. While 100% vaccination level would be an even better mark, the state of Florida has a new state law banning businesses from requiring proof of immunization. 

A valuable lesson learned

Earlier this month, Celebrity set sail on a seven-day Caribbean test run to try out its COVID-19 protocols. That turned out to be a smart move because two passengers on that cruise from St. Maarten tested positive for coronavirus. 

But the company was quick to respond and made sure that every single passenger on board was tested. The results were all negative and no further positive cases were discovered. The company said its handling of the incident proved that its protocols worked.

Taking it slow and doing it right

Just to be safe, Celebrity is taking three important precautions: 

• 1) Any U.S. citizen age 12 or older must be vaccinated; 

• 2) Unvaccinated passengers will be required to take part in stricter coronavirus procedures than those who’ve had their vaccinations; and

• 3) Every guest age 16 or older who can’t offer proof of vaccination will be required to wear a mask while on board. They’ll also be subjected to antigen tests during the cruise at their own cost. 

“We’re definitely finding that cruisers prefer to be vaccinated and to share this information with us,” said Susan Lomax, associate vice president for global public relations at Celebrity Cruises.

More cruises planned to set sail soon

Now that it’s got the first one ready to sail, Celebrity said that its plans are for eight of the 15 ships in its fleet to return to sailing in 2021.

Celebrity’s Summit is the next ship set to cruise from the U.S. Plans are in place for the Summit to sail to Alaska starting on July 23. In the Caribbean, Celebrity’s Millennium will restart 7-night sailings from St. Maarten on June 5. Other ships set to sail outside of the U.S. this summer include the Celebrity Apex from Athens, Greece, and the Celebrity Silhouette from Southampton, England. 

U.S. lawmakers have found a way around Canada’s ban on cruising that prevented cruise lines from running Alaskan voyages through its waters.

Driven by Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Sen. Dan Sullivan’s (R-AK) undying effort to save their home state from a cruise-less summer and reverse its $3+ billion loss in tourism revenue, the pair convinced the U.S. Senate to pass the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (ATRA). The bill provides a way for cruise ships to skirt the Canadian impediment and travel through Canadian waters en route to Alaska. 

Time to change the law?

ATRA might be just the leverage needed for the U.S. to nudge Canada into reframing its 135-year old Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA). The act states that foreign-flagged passenger vessels carrying more than 100 people can operate between American ports, but it requires them to include a stop at a foreign destination. For Alaska-bound cruise ships departing from Washington State, this means a stopover in Canada.

Most Alaska cruises depart from either Seattle or Vancouver, but Seattle has an edge for Americans because of the convenience of booking flights to and from the city.

“This shows that the health and restoration of our economy cannot be held up by Canada, especially since Alaska has led with vaccinations in the country and our communities are ready to welcome visitors back,” said Sen. Murkowski “Our hope is that the House will now promptly follow suit.”

“Given the CDC’s much-awaited loosening of mask guidelines today for vaccinated Americans, I am hopeful we will see progress on this front as well,” Sullivan added.

Cruisers must be patient

While cruise lines are probably breathing a sigh of relief, launching a cruise is not as easy as flipping a switch.

Before a ship sets sail, a cruise line still needs to market and sell cruises, position ships, and get crews together. Frank J. Del Rio, the president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines, told the Anchorage Daily News that his company’s ships would not begin operating in the U.S. until at least August.

Ralph Samuels, an executive with Holland America Line and Princess Cruises and a former Alaska state lawmaker, also estimated that it could take two months or more to prepare.

“Progress is steady with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the passage of a solution to the Passenger Vessel Services Act issue in the Senate, with tremendous leadership from the Alaska delegation, should move things along,” Ball said.

In a statement published Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said cruise ship operators can start doing “simulated voyages” with fully vaccinated volunteer passengers. 

The new guidance is part of the CDC’s COVID-19 “Conditional Sailing Certificate application,” which aims to make sure cruises have all the necessary health and safety protocols in place.

“With the issuance of these documents, cruise ship operators now have all the necessary requirements and recommendations they need to start simulated voyages before resuming restricted passenger voyages,” the agency said. 

The CDC said all volunteers will need to be fully vaccinated and will have to agree to be tested for COVID-19 three to five days after their voyage to ensure that they didn’t contract the virus while on the cruise.  

The agency’s new guidelines further state that cruises can skip the “test cruise” phase if 98% of its crew and 95% of passengers have been fully vaccinated. Health officials also recommended that all port personnel and passengers get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they’re able to. 

“COVID-19 vaccines play a critical role in the safe resumption of passenger operations, but not all cruise ship operators have announced plans to mandate passenger vaccinations,” the CDC stated. “As more people are fully vaccinated and more drug therapeutics are available, the phased approach allowed CDC to incorporate these advancements into planning for safe resumption of cruise ship travel.”

Moving toward resumption of normal operations

Cruise operators and cruise lovers alike are eager for cruise lines to resume normal operations. However, the CDC has been cautious in lifting restrictions imposed on the industry amid the pandemic. 

In its most recent statement, the federal agency acknowledged that it’s “not possible for cruising to be a zero-risk activity for spread of COVID-19.” 

“While cruising will always pose some risk of COVID-19 transmission, CDC is committed to ensuring that cruise ship passenger operations are conducted in a way that protects crew members, passengers, and port personnel, particularly with emerging COVID-19 variants of concern.”

Finally, after lawsuits, industry pleas, congressional complaints, and nearly 70% of the prime cruising demographic getting fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has relaxed its sailing ban. 

In a letter sent to cruise lines on Wednesday, the agency said the industry can set sail again starting in mid-July if they certify that 98% of crew and 95% of passengers are fully vaccinated. The CDC said the change came about after several rounds of meetings with cruise lines. 

The CDC's change also allows cruise lines that have met that vaccination mark to skip the current Conditional Sailing Order (CSO). Until now, cruise lines had to do a trial sailing before allowing passengers on board so that the ship’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols could be vetted.

Many cruise lines were already prepared for the change. When ConsumerAffairs reviewed the CDC’s list of ships that have met surveillance reporting requirements, all the major lines -- Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean -- all had a “green” status. Green means, among other things, that the ship had “no confirmed cases of COVID-19 or COVID-19-like illness for 14 days, as determined by a qualified medical professional.”

The cruise industry says it’s encouraged by the change

As you can imagine, the cruise industry couldn’t be happier after a year and a half of being at the dock. 

“We are encouraged by the communication from the CDC Wednesday evening and look forward to learning more,” Laziza Lambert, Director of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs for the Cruise Lines International Association told ConsumerAffairs. “Our technical experts are currently reviewing the information and its implications, but we are optimistic that these clarifications show positive progression—and, importantly, a demonstrated commitment to constructive dialogue, which is key to restarting cruising as we have seen with other governments and health authorities around the world.”

Lambert said that despite the CDC’s change, this is not a fait accompli. “Plenty of work remains in order to achieve our mutual goal of responsible resumption from U.S. ports this summer. Doing so will put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work and further support the nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic,” she said.

The cruise industry got some more support in its grudge match against the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced the Careful Resumption Under Improved Safety Enhancements (CRUISE) Act. If enacted, the bill would revoke the CDC’s current Conditional Sail Order on cruises and put ships back at sea by July 4, 2021.

This marks the third time the CDC has found itself in a defensive position over cruising. The agency first faced pressure from cruise industry trade groups, then the state of Florida. But the trio of senators behind the new bill tried to make their legislation as much of a win-win as possible by still allowing the CDC to provide COVID-19 mitigation guidance for cruise lines. 

The proposed legislation also offers the CDC:

• The establishment of an interagency “Working Group” that will develop guidance to facilitate the resumption of cruise ship operations in the U.S.

• Guarantees that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and CDC retain the authority to make and enforce regulations necessary to prevent the introduction, transmission, or spread of communicable diseases on any individual cruise ship.

Florida, Alaska, and cruisers win

The pivot points in the proposed legislation are Florida -- a state from which 5 million travelers set sail and $9 billion in cruising-related money is generated each year -- and cruisers, many of whom have been vaccinated and are flooding cruise lines with reservations so they can take a much-needed post-pandemic break. 

“The benefits of cruise operations are integral to the economies of Florida’s port cities,” Rubio said. “Floridians and many other Americans who are employed by ports, cruise operators, or work in hospitality jobs near cruise terminals face an uncertain future because of the CDC’s unresponsiveness to requests for guidance by stakeholder groups.”

Alaska has also been hard-hit by both the CDC and Canadian orders. Sen. Sullivan tried to reason that the playing field the CDC set for the various travel segments is not exactly level.

“Unlike the airlines, rail, and other modes of transportation—and all other sectors of the hospitality industry for that matter—the cruise lines have been denied clear direction from the CDC on how to resume operations,” he said. 

“The foot-dragging, mixed messages, and unresponsiveness of CDC leaders is totally unacceptable and ultimately endangering the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Americans and the hundreds of small businesses across Alaska that rely on the tourism sector. My legislation with Senators Scott and Rubio will accomplish what letters, meetings, and repeated phone calls have not -- directing the CDC to finally codify timely guidance and a plan for cruise ships to safely and responsibly welcome passengers again this summer.”

The cruising industry’s return rolls on, and Carnival Cruise Line is certainly feeling the love from wanderlusters who have been forced to stay at home during the pandemic. 

While the company lost $2 billion in the first quarter of 2021, it said on Wednesday that pent-up demand has booking volumes for all future cruises running close to 90 percent higher than booking volumes during the fourth quarter of 2020.

"We are focused on resuming operations as quickly as practical, while at the same time demonstrating prudent stewardship of capital and doing so in a way that serves the best interests of public health,” noted Carnival Corporation President and CEO Arnold Donald.

Shuffling destinations and tours

Donald added that six of the company’s nine brands are expected to resume limited guest cruise operations by this summer -- although the company will have to do some shuffling of routes because of restrictions certain countries have put on cruising. Canada is a prime example of that. The country has banned all cruise ships, putting Alaska’s 2021 cruise season at great risk.

So, what’s a cruise line do in one of its more prosperous markets? In Carnival’s situation, it’s taking its act off-shore. To bring in some revenue, Carnival’s Holland America Line and Princess Cruises are setting up shop to offer land-based vacation options for travelers to experience Alaska through a combination of tours, lodging, and sightseeing.

Here is the current plan for some of Carnival’s other brands:

Canary Islands: AIDA Cruises has already resumed guest cruise operations in late March for sailing in the Canary Islands. On Thursday, the company announced it is extending its Canary Island season into June.

Italy: Costa Cruises expects to resume operations in May for sailing to Italian ports.

United Kingdom: Cunard and Princess Cruises will each offer a series of cruises this summer sailing around U.K. coastal waters. P&O Cruises (UK) will kick off the season in June, followed by Cunard and Princess Cruises in July. 

Greece: Seabourn also expects to resume guest cruise operations this summer for sailing from Greece. 

Still trying to dance around U.S. restrictions

The biggest hurdle the cruise industry still has to overcome is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While the industry has tried to make its case for resuming operations, the CDC has yet to budge.

Donald says the CDC obstacle is forcing Carnival to adapt how it operates a cruise to meet guidelines that seem to be in a constant state of flux. He said the company has no other option but to make 2021 a “transition year.”

“Of course, the thing on everyone's mind is when are we going to resume sailing here in the U.S.?” Arnold said in an investor conference call. “Now, while we're very disappointed with the April 2nd additional guidance issued under the conditional sail order, all 30 of our ships in U.S. waters and that fall under the conditional sail order have achieved green status and we are continuing to work with the CDC and the administration to find practical approaches to resuming cruising in a way that serves the best interest of public health.”

But what will happen if the CDC continues to stand pat? Donald says Carnival may have to consider sailing or home porting out of the Caribbean. “Carnival, it's really America's original cruise line … we sail more people than anybody else from America and more kids and all that,” Donald said.

“I have 14 home ports here in the U.S., nobody else has anything like that … We prefer to get the people who are working in the ports, all the people who depend on the cruise industry for their livelihood, obviously we prefer and I'm sure the other companies would too, we prefer to have those jobs and all that stuff be here. But if we're unable to sail, then obviously we will consider home porting elsewhere,” he concluded.

The cruise industry gave its best effort to try to convince the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lift its No Sail Order, but no dice. The CDC has formally rejected the industry’s request, leaving cruise lines to either sit and sulk or try to entice anxious American travelers to fly elsewhere to board a cruise ship.

The CDC wasted no time responding to the cries of cruise operators. On Wednesday, the agency made it clear that the shutdown will remain in effect until at least November 1, 2021.

“Returning to passenger cruising is a phased approach to mitigate the risk of spreading COVID-19,” Jade Fulce, a Public Affairs Specialist for the CDC, told ConsumerAffairs. “Details for the next phase of the CSO are currently under interagency review.”

When ConsumerAffairs reached out to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) for a comment on the CDC’s stance, its president Zane Kerby expressed his deep disappointment 

“The CDC’s continued inaction in removing cruise restrictions imperil livelihoods and communities in South Florida, up to now the de facto cruise capital of the world, and far beyond. It is a shame that the CDC’s inflexibility has brought us to this point,” he said.

Senator also turns up heat on CDC 

The cruise industry isn’t the only source of pressure that the CDC is facing. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski went after CDC director Rochelle Walensky last week to try to pin down which agencies had the authority to make decisions concerning the No Sail Order. However, Walensky wasn’t exactly sure.

"This is an interagency decision, it is not a decision solely up to the CDC. The decision is not totally up to us," Walensky said. When Murkowski pressed Walensky for a clearer answer, she said she couldn’t provide one because she didn’t believe that “it's solely in our jurisdiction to address."

Like Florida, Alaska is in the thick of this cruise-related issue. Not only are businesses in the state reliant on the economic impact that cruise ships bring, but some cruise itineraries go through Canadian waters, and Canada has banned all cruise ships -- another burr in Murkowski’s saddle.

“We sent two letters to Prime Minister Trudeau. It’s hard, because we’re all operating in a time of COVID so we don’t want to imply that we want to risk health and safety for the purpose of our economy, but we are seeking areas of cooperation as to how we can move people safely. To do that, Canada must be willing to work with us,” Murkowksi said in a meeting with Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and National Security Advisor (NSA) Jake Sullivan.

“We don’t have many points of entry that they have to worry about, but they have cut off all points of entry—by land and by sea. We are truly an island,” she added.

Consumers still have options

Impatient travelers still have options, but they’re going to have to invest in extra travel costs to satisfy their cruise craving. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises plan to restart operations in June from the Bahamas and St. Maarten. Crystal Cruises has also announced plans to base one of its cruise ships in the Bahamas starting in July.

Greece is also opening its doors to international visitors in mid-May. Vaccinated Americans over 18 and minors with negative COVID-19 tests will be welcome aboard. Crews will also be fully vaccinated.

Celebrity Cruises is the first cruise line to take advantage of the situation, announcing that its new Edge series ship will make its world debut in Greece this summer beginning June 19.

Travel lovers are ready to hit the high seas again, but are cruise lines ready to sail again too? The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) thinks so and is asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to lift its conditional sail order to make that happen.

In an open letter, the CLIA called on the CDC to lift the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) and allow cruise lines to resume operations by July. That date was chosen because it meets President Biden’s forecast for when the United States will be “closer to normal.” 

However, the CDC isn’t taking its cue from the White House. When it first established the CSO, the agency said the order would remain in effect until one of two determinants are made: “the expiration of the Secretary of Health and Human Services’ declaration that COVID-19 constitutes a public health emergency; or the CDC Director rescinds or modifies the order based on specific public health or other considerations.”

Why is cruising being left off the approved travel list?

The CLIA says it’s frustrated because the CDC has lifted restrictions on other travel and tourism. It notes that other countries have also found a way to allow cruises to restart carrying passengers and that the U.S. should move to do the same.

“Over the past eight months, a highly-controlled resumption of cruising has continued in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific—with nearly 400,000 passengers sailing to date in more than 10 major cruise markets. These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that have effectively mitigated the spread of COVID-19,” said Kelly Craighead, CLIA’s President and CEO.

“Our Members continue to follow [a] multi-layered approach to enhancing health and safety that has proven effective, making cruising one of the best and most adaptable choices for travel,” she added. 

The CDC started lifting its ban on cruises and allowed them to start phasing in travel last October, but CLIA officials say the agency is now letting other travel-related segments return to business while leaving cruising as the only sector of the U.S. economy that remains restricted.

"The outdated CSO, which was issued almost five months ago, does not reflect the industry's proven advancements and success operating in other parts of the world, nor the advent of vaccines, and unfairly treats cruises differently," said Kelly Craighead, CLIA's CEO. "Cruise lines should be treated the same as other travel, tourism, hospitality, and entertainment sectors."

Cruise lines are finding a way to get around the CSO

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) recently released a statement related to the situation and threw in the fact that cruise lines have already found a way to get around the CDC’s restrictions.

“In response to the ongoing situation, late last week, two of the leading cruise lines announced that they would resume cruise operations in the Caribbean by bypassing U.S. ports altogether. Clearly, when legislative, regulatory, and diplomatic ‘fixes’ all fail, businesses are forced to make alternative arrangements,” Zane Kerby, President & CEO of ASTA, wrote.

An ASTA spokesperson confirmed to ConsumerAffairs that there are actually three individual cruise lines skirting U.S. regulations. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises plan to restart operations in June from the Bahamas and St. Maarten. Crystal Cruises has also announced plans to base one of its cruise ships in the Bahamas starting in July.

The demand from travelers is already strong -- CDC restrictions or not. Within 24 hours of announcing it was going to base a cruise out of the Bahamas, Crystal said nearly 4,000 travelers made reservations. The line added that some 200 guests were so happy to have a chance to sail again that they reserved back-to-back voyages on board the cruise ship.

As cruise lines learn how to navigate the choppy waters of returning to sea with a hopeful end to the pandemic in sight, Princess Cruises has decided to extend the pause of its return to cruising in the Caribbean, California Coast, Mexico, and Mediterranean through June 30, 2021.

The pause affects the following voyages:

• Caribbean Princess: Seven-day Western and Eastern Caribbean cruises

• Enchanted Princess: Seven-day Mediterranean & Adriatic, seven-day Western Mediterranean, and 14-day Western Mediterranean & Adriatic Medley

• Ruby Princess: Seven-day Classic California Coast, seven-day Mexican Riviera, and five-day Cabo San Lucas Getaway sailings

What this means to people holding existing reservations

For guests who had already booked one of Princess’ cancelled voyages, the company will offer to move them to the same cruise when it sets sail in 2022. Princess says those guests will have the added benefit of price protection, guaranteeing that what they paid for the 2021 cruise will hold for their 2022 voyage. If they prefer, guests can also choose a future cruise credit (FCC) equivalent to 100 percent of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus equal to 10 percent of the cruise fare paid (minimum $25 USD). And if all else fails, customers can also request a full refund to the original form of payment.  

Guests who were booked on one of the cancelled trips that Princess doesn’t have a set itinerary for in 2022 will automatically receive a refundable FCC equivalent to 100 percent of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 10 percent of the cruise fare paid (minimum $25). 

There is a deadline on these options, though. Requests must be received through the company’s online form by April 15, 2021. If it isn’t processed by then, guests will automatically receive the FCC option. FCCs can be used on any cruises booked by and sailing by December 31, 2022. 

For up-to-date information and instructions for booked guests affected by these cancellations, plus more information on FCCs and refunds, it’s available on the company’s site here.

Travelers hoping to break away from the coronavirus situation in the U.S. mainland and take a cruise to Alaska, where the number of positive cases and hospitalizations is declining, may have to rethink that plan. The Canadian government has decided that idea is no-go for the rest of 2021.

On Thursday, Canada banned cruise ships carrying 100 or more people from its waters through the end of the year, which pretty much puts the kibosh on Alaska cruise season before it even sets sail.

If you’re asking what Alaska has to do with Canada, the answer is two-fold: 1) It’s hard to get to Alaska without going through Canadian waters; and 2) Many Alaska cruises start in Vancouver, Canada, and the ones that start in Seattle have to have a one-day stop in Victoria to satisfy certain U.S. maritime laws.

Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport, said that the country’s decision came about over concern that cruise vessels in Canadian waters pose a risk to Canada’s health care systems. 

“Temporary prohibitions to cruise vessels and pleasure craft are essential to continue to protect the most vulnerable among our communities and avoid overwhelming our health care systems. This is the right and responsible thing to do,” Alghabra said.

Cruise lines raise concerns

Understandably, the cruise ship companies aren’t happy with Canada’s ban because cruising in the 50th state is big business. The state welcomed 1.3 million cruisers in 2019, and it was anticipating to welcome 1.4 million in 2020 before the pandemic struck. 

“While it remains unclear what will happen with Alaska cruises in 2021, it looks like Canada is not yet moving in a direction friendly to cruises,” Royal Caribbean International, a major player in the Alaska cruise game, fumed on its company blog.

Economic impact is also a concern. Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA-NWC) says the ban could have a devastating impact on local businesses. 

“Two years without cruising in Canada will have potentially irreversible consequences for families throughout the country,” said Charlie Bell, Chair of CLIA-NWC. He notes that the cruise industry has creates $4.25 billion in economic activity for Canada and pays out $1.43 billion in wages while creating 29,000 Canadian jobs.

“We hope to have an opportunity to revisit this timeline and demonstrate our ability to address COVID-19 in a cruise setting with science-backed measures, as CLIA members are doing in Europe and parts of Asia where cruising has resumed on a limited basis,” Bell added.