Royal Caribbean has submitted a proposal so that it can begin an official test cruise from the United States.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires all cruise lines to conduct test cruises in order to gain approval to sail from the United States, although test cruises can be skipped if a ship opts to require 95% of its passengers and 98% of its crew members to be fully vaccinated.
Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley confirmed his cruise line has submitted an application to start test cruises.
Bayley shared the update on Facebook, saying the proposal was sent on Friday. He called it, "the first of several" proposals that include agreements with ports of call along with health plans.
If approved, the CDC could grant Royal Caribbean the opportunity to operate a test cruise from the United States in as little as five days.
The post did not indicate which cruise ship or port was part of the application, but it was sent to the CDC on the very same day Royal Caribbean announced cruises to Alaska in 2021.
Simulated voyages are outlined in Phase 2B of the CDC's Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO). This is the plan the CDC has outlined for cruise lines to follow so that they can restart cruises in the United States.
Before revenue cruises can begin, a cruise line must request approval from CDC to conduct a trial voyage. If approved, simulated voyages can commence, followed by an after-action report to the CDC to verify no issues occurred onboard.
Test cruises can be skipped at a cruise line's discretion if 98 percent of crew are fully vaccinated and submit to CDC a clear and specific vaccination plan and timeline to limit cruise ship sailings to 95 percent of passengers who have been verified by the cruise ship operator as fully vaccinated prior to sailing.
The CDC has listed a number of requirements for what each ship must do on a test cruise.
These rules include wearing masks onboard, social distancing, changes to dining options, restricted shore excursions and more.
The requirements and recommendations for a test cruise have been changing, with the CDC revising its instructions repeatedly
Matt Hochberg
Matt loves to cruise, and started Cruise.Blog as a place to share different cruise experiences, advice, and what to know before going on a cruise.
He lives in Florida with his wife and two daughters, where he can be found on any given day trying to convince his wife they "need" to book another cruise.
