Following CDC order, Carnival will sail from two ports in Nov. and Dec.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has officially extended its no-sail order for cruise lines to October 31, which is the already-in-place, voluntary no-sail timeline set by the major cruise lines back in August.

The CDC in its Wednesday update doubled down on the warnings against cruise ship travel, highlighting the instances of COVID-19 transmission on ships outside of the US that have begun to sail.

The CDC’s formal no-sail extension prompted Carnival Cruise Line to release a statement in which it revealed plans to nix sailings from all US ports for November and December of this year, with the exception of Miami and Port Canaveral, adding the caveat that itineraries for the final two months of the year for those two port are still not a certainty for the company.

“Carnival continues to work on protocols and procedures that would allow for the resumption of cruise operations, with a gradual, phased-in approach, designating Miami and Port Canaveral as the first two home ports for embarkations,” Carnival’s statement said.

“Cruises currently scheduled for November and December from those two home ports will remain in place for the time being while Carnival evaluates options. However, the cruise line is providing guests booked on cruises in November and December out of Miami and Port Canaveral the ability to voluntarily cancel their reservation and receive the same offer that all other impacted guests are receiving, which includes a combination future cruise credit and onboard credit, or a full refund.”

Carnival President Christine Duffy said in the statement that the cruise line’s return to service will be a phased approach once cruising is allowed.

“The health and safety of our guests, crew and communities we serve remain the cornerstone of our plans and decisions,” said Duffy.

“The patience and support of our guests and travel agent partners have been a huge motivation to our team as we have worked through this unprecedented situation and we are dedicated to getting back to operations when the time is right.”

The CDC said the outbreaks on ships that have begun to cruise with passengers bolsters its caution, and lends credence to it wanting to take further action to stem the spread of COVID-19.

“Recent outbreaks on cruise ships overseas provide current evidence that cruise ship travel continues to transmit and amplify the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, — even when ships sail at reduced passenger capacities — and would likely spread the infection into US communities if passenger operations were to resume prematurely in the United States,” the CDC statement said.

It was widely reported on Wednesday that CDC Director Robert Redfield’s recommended ban on cruise sailings until mid-February was overruled.

The CDC update contends that “despite cruise ship operators having extensive health and safety protocols to prevent the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) on board and spread to communities where passengers disembark”, there have been reports of passenger contraction. 

“The continued spread of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide, risk of resurgence in countries that have suppressed transmission, ongoing concerns related to restarting of cruising internationally and need for additional time to assess industry measures to control potential SARS-CoV-2 transmission on board cruise ships with passengers without burdening public health, support continuation of the no-sail order at this time,” the CDC said.

“On cruise ships, passengers and crew share spaces that are more crowded than most urban settings. Data show that when only essential crew are on board, ongoing spread of SARS-CoV-2 still occurs.

“If unrestricted cruise ship passenger operations were permitted to resume, passengers and crew on board would be at increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and those that work or travel on cruise ships would place substantial unnecessary risk on healthcare workers, port personnel and federal partners (i.e. Customs and Border Protection and the US Coast Guard) and the communities they return to.”

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