Oh-dark-thirty wakeup calls, malfunctioning ride share apps, and flight delays are not how I prefer to start my trips, but sometimes you have to work to earn your cruise. Today was one of those days. 

There are lots of things you can pack for a cruise, but what should you bring? Simply put, pack those items that are necessary for your comfort and to allow you to do everything you want to do.

Planning ahead can be a great time saver, as no one wants to use valuable vacation time doing detours while in port in a search for a forgotten item.  Or missing out on a great activity, such as a galley tour, because you don’t have closed toe shoes.  

If you are unvaccinated and looking for a cruise line to sail on, cross Norwegian Cruise Line off your list.

NCL announced on Wednesday it will keep its Covid-19 vaccine requirements in place for the foreseeable future.

While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will allow its stringent cruise protocols that are part of the Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) to expire in January, NCL will not let go of its requirement all guests be vaccinated.

It might surprise you, but cruise lines have been debuting new ships during the pandemic, including Carnival’s Mardi Gras, Celebrity Apex, and Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas. Another newcomer, Holland America’s Rotterdam is on its maiden transatlantic crossing right now. On Friday I will board that ship’s first cruise from Fort Lauderdale – a five-night Bahamas sailing -- to give you all a first look at the brand-new ship.

Celebrity Apex is officially launched as of today.

Celebrity Cruises held a naming ceremony at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Tuesday to celebrate the newest ship in the fleet, which included introducing the ship's Godmother and giving the vessel a proper sendoff.

Apex's godmother is  Reshma Saujani, who is the founder of groundbreaking non-profit Girls Who Code and author of bestseller, “Brave, Not Perfect.”

Perhaps no other industry has been singled out for being of concern because of the Covid-19 pandemic as cruise ships.

Cruise ships were front page news in early 2020 when the virus was completely unknown and a few ships in Asia quickly found themselves with cases onboard and no protocols to handle it.

Since then, the cruise industry has learned a lot from what health professionals around the world have advised, and cruise lines are armed with more stringent Covid-19 protocols than any school, workplace, or theme park in the world.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced it will extend the rules and protocols for cruise ships sailing from the United States for an additional two and a half months.

The Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) will be extended as of November 1st, which is the date it was scheduled to expire.

Instead of going away, the CSO will be temporarily extended through January 15, 2022.  At that point, the CDC says the CSO rules will become voluntary for the cruise lines to follow.

The rules keep changing when it comes to cruising during Covid. The number of unvaccinated cruisers allowed onboard, mask mandates, and testing requirements are constantly in flux. Plus, different cruise lines and destinations have differing health policies and protocols.

Below we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about cruising during a pandemic. We will update this story as cruise lines revisit their sailing requirements. The guidance is based on U.S. travelers departing from U.S. homeports, except where noted.

I recently returned from my first cruise since the pandemic began, and I realized mid-trip that my cruise packing list needed to be updated. With mask mandates in place and anxious thoughts about getting sick, I had added several healthy cruise essentials to my suitcase. Once onboard, I realized there were useful items I had not thought to bring that would have enhanced my Covid-era cruise.

Here’s my new post-pandemic cruise packing list for all the healthy cruise essentials you’ll want to bring onboard.