Happy Sunday and unofficial start to summer! Temperatures are rising, and so is the pace of cruise news to share with you this week.

Royal Caribbean has moved the closest yet to getting ships sailing in the United States by announcing test cruises on its first ship.

Royal Caribbean has received permission from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to start test cruises on Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami.

The test cruise can commence on June 20-22, 2021.

Royal Caribbean News

• Spectrum of the Seas will restart cruises from Hong Kong on July 30
• Blocks arrive at shipyard for Royal Caribbean's first Icon Class cruise ship
• CDC gives cruise lines relaxed face mask guidelines and issues new rules for vaccinated passengers
• Royal Caribbean Group CEO: "We will not need to be wearing masks" on cruise ships
• President Biden signs new bill into law to allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska in 2021
• Royal Caribbean extends ability to cancel cruise for a credit until July 31, 2021
• Important things to know about Royal Caribbean's restart plans
• Royal Caribbean has vaccinated over half of its crew members
• Florida's vaccine passport law is holding up Royal Caribbean's new health protocols for cruises this summer
• Royal Caribbean patents new firework illusion special effect for its cruise ships
• Royal Caribbean offering up to 35% off pre-cruise purchases with Cruise Planner sale

Cruise News

• Celebrity Cruises announces first ship to sail out of the United States in June 2021
• How will Celebrity deal with Florida's vaccine passport ban?
• Carnival announces agreements with Port Canaveral, Miami & Galveston to restart cruises
• Norwegian Cruise Line announces 8 more cruise ships that will sail from the U.S. in 2021
• Carnival plans to run test cruises from Galveston
• Norwegian Cruise Line expects to get approval to sail from the CDC "in the coming days"

Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast

The 408th episode of the Royal Caribbean Blog Podcast is now available, covering some of the latest cruise news this week.

There has been a ton of changes, updates, and announcements by Royal Caribbean since last week's episode, so Matt talks about all the changes on this episode.

Please feel free to subscribe via iTunes or RSS, and head over to rate and review the podcast on iTunes if you can! We’d appreciate it.

New RCB Video: Here's what volunteers have to do on a test cruise

Have you subscribed to the Royal Caribbean Blog YouTube Channel? We share some great videos there regularly, all about taking a Royal Caribbean cruise! This week, we are sharing our latest video — Here's what volunteers have to do on a test cruise — and don’t forget to subscribe here.

Royal Caribbean Group CEO talks about changes we can expect on a cruise this summer

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain shared his most optimistic video update yet this week.

The opportunity for cruises to restart again from the United States is something Fain sees as the result of widespread vaccine distribution, public pressure on government officials, and a change in the relationship with the CDC.

So what will a cruise be like once they can sail again?

"As we restart, there will be some more restrictions than before," Mr. Fain explained, "but we expect there will be temporary and similar to what we've all become used to on land.

Optimism surrounding the cruise industry's chances of restarting are likely the most optimistic they have been in well over a year, and that includes Royal Caribbean.

Over the last couple of weeks, Royal Caribbean (and its sibling cruise brands) moved the closest yet to real sailings out of the United States, and it has a lot of cruise fans excited.

After more than 15 months of no cruises from North America, we are swiftly looking at the real prospect of summer cruises.  Essentially, restart plans went from "if" to "when" in many people's minds.

While a restart is very close, cruise lines are not out of the proverbial woods quite yet, and there are some hurdles and challenges left to overcome.

Here are the most important things you should know about Royal Caribbean's restart plans.

Adults (and some kids) need to be vaccinated

For months, Royal Caribbean was uncertain if passengers would need to be vaccinated, and the answer now appears to be yes.

If you are thinking about going on a cruise ship this summer or fall, you will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The cruise line updated its policy recently to all adults over the age of 16 on North American sailings will need to be vaccinated in order to go on a cruise before August 1.  After August 1, that age restriction drops to 12 years old.

Royal Caribbean has not said much since the policy was changed, but it is clear they are looking to mitigate risk as much as possible.  In an industry that is unfairly and unfortunately associated with outbreaks, they cannot afford to take chances.

Could this policy change? Certainly as life gets back to normal and the vaccine becomes more widely available, there is always a chance this policy could be relaxed.  But in the meantime, plan to be vaccinated if you want to cruise this summer.

Test cruises will be necessary first

While Celebrity Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line are going to straight to revenue sailings, Royal Caribbean International will have to conduct test cruises first, and then move to revenue sailings.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave cruise lines two choices: get 95% of passengers and 98% of crew fully vaccinated and skip test cruises, or do test cruises first.

Royal Caribbean opted to do test cruises simply because they are a family cruise line and knew they could not get to 95% of its guests fully vaccinated, primarily due to the amount of children onboard.

This means each ship will need to conduct a series of test cruises to demonstrate its new health protocols can work before the CDC will approve a ship to sail with paying passengers.

Speaking of test cruises, if you are interested in being a volunteer on a test cruise, there does appear to be a way to volunteer and hope you get picked.

So far, Royal Caribbean has announced test cruises will begin in June on Freedom of the Seas, but expect more ships to get the go-ahead as well.

Slow approach to restart

Don't expect Royal Caribbean to announce all, most, or even half of its ships restarting immediately.  Or even over the next few months.

For many months, Royal Caribbean (and all cruise lines) have been emphatic that their restart will be slow and methodical.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said very early on in the shutdown restart will be structured, "We don't expect that... someday somebody blows a horn, and all the ships start operating right away. We think that it will be a gradual start, a little bit like society is opening up gradually."

"So we would imagine that we would start with fewer ships, and more likely to be more drive markets in the beginning, and then it would then evolve and grow from there."

As an example, Norwegian Cruise Line just announced restart plans for 8 ships, and many are not going to begin their first sailings until October or November 2021.

So far, Royal Caribbean has only announced Alaska cruises from Seattle as the confirmed sailings from the U.S. this summer.

As cruise fans, we are eager to get back onboard on our favorite ships from ports of call nearby, but keep expectations inline.

CDC still holds a lot of influence

Like it or not, the CDC is still mostly in charge.

The road to restart goes right through the CDC's jurisdiction, and the cruise lines seem to be past trying to shake them off and are now focused on getting approval to sail.

The tone of discussions with the CDC has radically improved lately, especially with the CDC rolling back burdensome rules and protocols.

Perhaps more surprising is cruises sailing from outside the United States still seem to be based on CDC guidance.

Royal Caribbean has not released its health protocols for Adventure of the Seas cruises from Nassau, Bahamas due to in part, the CDC.

An email update yesterday told guests, "As we’ve been working to finalize all the details, we’re taking a lot into consideration, including the CDC’s recommendations, Bahamian Health Authority’s guidance, and our own Healthy Sail Panel’s expertise – to find that sweet spot."

No matter where ships sail this summer, the CDC will be along for the ride for at least a while longer.

Florida

Celebrity Cruises referred to it as "the elephant in the room", and Florida has gone from chief enabler to major blocker of cruises restarting.

In short, Florida passed a law that prohibits any business from asking their customers for proof of vaccination.  While this may make sense in the case of restaurants or supermarkets, it creates an enormous problem for cruise lines who are battling a sensationalized media that counts any case onboard a ship as a modern day Pandora's Box.

The Governor's office has been adamant about enforcing the policy across the board, including the cruise lines. Meanwhile, cruise executives are talking about some kind of compromise that is in the works.

What ends up happening is anyone's guess, but Florida is the epicenter of the cruise world, and while ships could sail from other states, it is a market too large to ignore.

In the meantime, it is a story to keep an eye on as it relates to where and when cruise ships will be able to sail from first.

Carnival Cruise Line is moving forward with its restart plans from the United States.

Carnival announced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) has approved its plans in place with three major cruise ports.

Specifically, Carnival now has agreements with PortMiami, Port of Galveston and Port Canaveral that have been approved by the CDC under Phase 2A of the Conditional Sail Order (CSO).

These port agreements are part of the Phase 2A of the CSO and need to be signed by executives from the cruise line, as well as port and state health authorities, as will as be approved by the CDC.  The agreement explains what the cruise terminal would do in the case of Covid-19 cases on a cruise ship, as well as how it intends to keep the cruise terminal and gangways sanitized.

Royal Caribbean has a similar agreement with PortMiami, Port Everglades, and Port Canaveral.

With the port agreements in place, it supports Carnival's plans to restart Carnival Horizon from PortMiami, and Carnival Vista and Breeze from Galveston.

Port Canaveral has also been identified as a restart priority, and Carnival expects to announce plans for operations from there over the coming days.

"These agreements move us one step closer to sailing with our loyal guests,” said Lars Ljoen, executive vice president and chief maritime officer for Carnival Cruise Line.  

“We appreciate the support from not just these three homeport partners, but all of our homeports, that are eager to have us back as soon as possible.”

The agreement will also include information social distancing guidelines and plans for using commercial operators for any required evacuations at sea.

Each cruise line must have signed contracts with shore-side medical facilities to treat patients and shore-side housing facilities to isolate and quarantine sick passengers.

With the port agreements in place, likely Carnival will either need to apply for approval for test cruises, or skip test sailings if they can get at least 95% of its passengers vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean International has opted to conduct test cruises, but Celebrity Cruises will be able to skip them since they can get at least 95% of their passengers vaccinated.

Innovation has been a major part of what separates Royal Caribbean from other cruise lines, and that tradition continues with the cruise line's latest public filing.

The entertainment onboard a Royal Caribbean ship has always been a focal point for trying to push the envelope, and a new patent application points to something cruise ship passengers are likely to see onboard soon.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office reports a filing by Royal Caribbean for something called a "Water-based Pyrotechnic Illusion".

Among the four patent authors is Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, Nick Weir. It is also credited to Daniel Comins, Zachary Cook, and Steven Michelman.

What exactly is this thing that Royal Caribbean patented?

Based on the patent application, it sounds like something meant to look like fireworks, but utilizing high speed water and lights to create the effect.

Systems and methods for firework water illusions are disclosed. In one aspect, a device for creating an illusion of rotary pyrotechnics includes at least one nozzle configured to rotate about an axis of the device and spray water in a radial direction while rotating. The device can also include a water supply configured to provide the water to the at least one nozzle and a lighting system configured to illuminate the water sprayed from the at least one nozzle to create an illusion of rotary pyrotechnics.

Basically, making something that looks like fireworks without actually using fireworks.

Figure included with patent

Specifically, they aimed to recreate a Catherine wheel, which is a pinwheel type of firework that when ignited, the energy of the fireworks not only create sparks and flame, but cause the wheel to quickly rotate, making the display much more spectacular.

Example of a typical Catherine wheel

Fire is a major concern for cruise ships, and its use onboard is usually prohibited, so creating the illusion of fire would be an important asset.

The use of fireworks in such performances, particularly in the cruise ship environment, may be relatively dangerous and/or prohibited. Thus, there is a demand for the recreation of fireworks using an illusion to recreate at least some of the effects of fireworks without the drawbacks, such as the fire hazard associated with traditional fireworks.

A few different configurations are possible with this patent, and the use of a mister or multiple water nozzles can provide different effects when the light shines on the water droplets moving at a high speed.

They even outlined using a fog machine to further enhance the look.

Whenever water is mentioned in the context of entertainment, Royal Caribbean's signature AquaTheater space usually comes to mind as the likely setting for it.

In fact, the patent talks about the patent being utilized in the AquaTheater without actually naming the venue.

Aquatic shows, which are traditionally performed in a permanent theater, are being adapted for performance on cruise ships due to their continued popularity. 

The patent says that a water-based illusion has an advantage since aquatic shows already have the necessary hardware support in place, as well as being more engaging to an audience compared to a simple visual projection of the image of fireworks onto a screen.

Interestingly enough, the patent also mentions this water-based pyrotechnic illusion could even be used by Las Vegas.

 Yet another environment in which such a water based firework illusion may be so-called "pool parties" which are popular in entertainment centers such as Las Vegas. These parties may include live music, DJs, numerous swimming pools, etc. In this setting, the use of fireworks may also be a fire hazard, and thus, the use of a water-based firework illusion may be desirable.

Whether Royal Caribbean uses this technology on its next Oasis Class cruise ship, which is currently under construction, or on existing ships in the fleet remains to be seen. 

Royal Caribbean's restart plans are moving faster with their ambitious policy of trying to get crew members fully vaccinated.

Ever since Royal Caribbean committed to getting all of its crew members vaccinated, the logistics of doing so seemed to be a challenge, but things are moving swiftly now.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared on Facebook that over half the crew members currently onboard cruise ships are vaccinated.

"Over 50 percent of our current crew fleetwide are vaccinated!  We are getting there slowly but surely," he shared in a Facebook post.

Mr. Bayley indicated that there are 10,620 crew members onboard, and 5,730 of them are either partially or fully vaccinated.

Over the last few weeks, Royal Caribbean ships have been coming in and out of Florida ports to get crew members their vaccine shot. 

On just Thursday, Adventure of the Seas came to Port Canaveral to get 352 more crew members vaccinated, and Explorer of the Seas had 182 of their crew members getting their second Pfizer shot.

Port Canaveral is one of at least three U.S. ports welcoming cruise ships in so that its crew members can get vaccinated.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Dr. Scott Rivkees approved an expansion to vaccine eligibility in Florida to include individuals who are in the state for purpose of providing good or services for the benefit of residents and visitors of Florida.

The vaccine is a critical part of Royal Caribbean's restart plans to ensure its ships can be as clean and safe for everyone onboard.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain reiterated his company's plan to get the crew ready for cruises during a video update this week, "we intend to vaccinate all of our crew. That process has already started and we expect that essentially one hundred percent of crew members will receive their vaccines before the cruise starts in the US."

In addition to the crew members, all adults over the age of 16 on North American sailings will need to be vaccinated in order to go on a cruise before August 1.  After August 1, that age restriction drops to 12 years old.

Royal Caribbean quickly made the decision to require the vaccine after months of saying no decision had been made, and changing rules might have played  a part in that decision.

The  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been revising its rules for cruise ships, dropping many requirements for guests who are fully vaccinated.

Just this week, the CDC relaxed mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines for fully vaccinated passengers.

To that point, Mr. Fain was excited about the limited restrictions on a cruise ship thanks to the lowered requirements for vaccinated passengers and crew, "We're optimistic that masks won't be required anywhere if you're vaccinated."

"As we restart, there will be some more restrictions than before, but we expect there will be temporary and similar to what we've all become used to on land."

The showdown between Florida and cruise lines that want to sail with fully vaccinated adult is slowing down Royal Caribbean Group's return to service announcement.

Celebrity Cruises announced it would restart cruises from the United States in late June, but Florida law prohibits a business from asking its customers if they vaccinated against Covid-19.

The law has been a concern among cruise lines and cruise fans since it was signed into law, but with cruise ships about to restart operations, could those plans be halted by Florida law?

Royal Caribbean Group has not said much on the topic, but during a webinar with travel agents on Thursday, Celebrity Cruises addressed the issue and seemed to indicate that while the issue is a problem, it is not impassable either.

Dondra Ritzenthaler, Celebrity Cruises Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service addressed the "elephant in the room" during her call, and said they are working with the Governor's office to find a solution to the issue.

Ms. Ritzenthaler praised Governor Ron DeSantis' efforts to help get cruise ships going on the federal level, and even thought the law makes sense for local businesses, "our governor was the one that started really pushing the CDC and talking to the White House."

"When he came out with the policy that says that he will not require in the state of Florida people to show proof of vaccinations, he was talking about restaurants, bars, hotels, Disney, places that weren't cruise ships because at the time, cruise ships weren't open yet."

She went on to say that cruise executives from Royal Caribbean Group, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, and Carnival are working with Governor DeSantis, "we're ironing out a statement that will articulate how cruising will be different than in the state."

The cruise lines are working towards a solution where the law still prevents a supermarket or restaurant from asking customers to see proof of vaccination, but exclude cruise lines since things are different on a cruise ship, as well as due to regulations mandated by the CDC.

Until a resolution is found, Ms. Ritzenthaler said Royal Caribbean Group's full protocols are on hold, "I would say that we are super close, but we will not come out with our total protocols and return to service until we get that formal statement from the governor."

Earlier today, the governor's office told WFTS, "The CDC has no legal authority to set any sort of requirements to cruise. Moreover, the CDC has acknowledged, on record, that the federal government chose not to make a legal requirement for vaccine passports. Now the CDC provides coercive guidance” in the absence of any federal law or congressional authorization, requiring cruise ships to violate state law."

"Companies doing business in Florida, including Celebrity Cruises, should immediately cease to impose such discriminatory policies upon individuals. Companies that violate this law would be subject to a fine of $5,000 each time they require a customer to present a 'vaccine passport' for service," DeSantis said.

Earlier in May, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio said his cruise ships would move their Florida-based vessels to home ports in other states or even to non-U.S. ports in the Caribbean if they were forced to comply with the new rule.

"At the end of the day, cruise ships have motors, propellors and rudders, and God forbid we can operate in the state of Florida for whatever reason, then there are other states that we do operate from."

"We can operate from the Caribbean for ships that otherwise would've gone to Florida. We certainly hope that doesn't come to that. Everyone wants to operate out of Florida, it's a very lucrative market, it's close drive market."

The cruise industry is celebrating the announcement that Celebrity Cruises will have the first ship to sail from the United States next month, but there seems to be one significant concern that no one seems to have an answer for yet.

Celebrity Cruises will restart cruises from Fort Lauderdale on June 26, when Celebrity Edge sails away.

This is a momentous occasion that marks the return of the cruise industry to American waters, and certainly has a lot of cruise fans excited. 

Celebrity is able to restart cruises so quickly because it will require 95% of its cruise ship passengers to be fully vaccinated.

But Florida passed a law that prohibits any business from asking anyone to provide proof of a Covid-19 vaccine.  

So how can Celebrity require and verify its passengers are indeed fully vaccinated without violating Florida law?

In short, there is no clear answer yet what Celebrity or Royal Caribbean Group has planned.

Photo by Broward County’s Port Everglades

The law dictates that it is impermissible for any business operating in Florida to require patrons or customers to provide documentation certifying Covid-19 vaccination or post-infection recovery “to gain access to, entry upon, or services from” the business.

The new Florida law goes into effect on July 1, and carries with up to a $5,000 fine per violation. This means Florida's Department of Health could potentially impose a penalty of up to $5,000 for each customer denied access to a business for failing to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination. 

UPDATE: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was quoted by WFTS on Thursday in response to Celebrity's plans, "Companies doing business in Florida, including Celebrity Cruises, should immediately cease to impose such discriminatory policies upon individuals. Companies that violate this law would be subject to a fine of $5,000 each time they require a customer to present a 'vaccine passport' for service."

Freedom of the Seas is scheduled to run test cruises in June as well, and more Royal Caribbean ships will follow.  Whether test cruises or revenue cruies, Royal Caribbean will be requiring adults to be fully vaccinated in order to sail, so the same issue facing Celebrity Cruises is about impact every other ship operating from Florida.

Lots of theories, but no answers

Until there is an answer provided by Florida, the cruise line, or even the CDC, cruise fans are left to debate the possibilities on their own.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, readers have tossed around ideas how this could play out.

Ampurp85 wonders if the cruise line's international status factors in, "His law says companies in Florida cannot ask to see such a thing. Most cruise lines are international companies so it would not really apply to them."

smokeybandit thinks there is likely work going on behind-the-scenes to address the issue, "I'm sure both sides are busy trying to find wording that makes both sides look good when cruise lines sail from Florida with vaccine requirements."

Guests can save up to 35% off on select pre-cruise purchases with Royal Caribbean's new Cruise Planner sale.

The Memorial Day sale runs between May 27, 2021 – June 1, 2021 and is valid on sailings departing between : June 12, 2021 - May 31, 2022 (except Quantum of the Seas).

For Quantum of the Seas, it is valid on sailings departing  June 7, 2021 - May 31, 2022.

Royal Caribbean states guests can expect to see:

BEVERAGE: Up to 40% off

• Classic Soda Beverage Package: 30% off onboard prices.
• Classic Soda Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 35% off onboard prices.
• Dasani Water Cans: 40% off onboard prices.
• Deluxe Beverage Package: Over 30% off onboard prices
• Deluxe Beverage Package + VOOM Surf & Stream 1 Device: Over 30% off onboard prices
• Refreshment Package: 30% off onboard prices.

SHORE EXCURSIONS: Up to 25% off

• Shore Excursions: Discount varies by ship

INTERNET: Up to 50% off

• The Key: Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf + Stream Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship.
• VOOM Surf Voyage Package 1, 2, 3, 4 Device(s): Discount varies by ship

DINING: Up to 60% off

• Unlimited Dining Package on 3N – 9N sailings: Discount varies by ship. 

ACTIVITIES: Up to 20% off

• All Access Ship Tour (Excludes GR)

Gifts & Gear: Up to 20% Off

• Anniversary Decorations with Champagne
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Chocolate Cake & Strawberries
• Happy Birthday Decorations with Vanilla Cake & Strawberries
• Inky Beach Set
• Inky Beach Towel (TicTacToe)
• Inky Travel Set
• Red Wine and Cheese
• Royal Caribbean Beach Towel
• Strawberries with Champagne
• White Wine and Cheese

PHOTO PACKAGES: Up to 70% off

• Photo Packages: From 5 - 100 Print and/or Digital Options: Discount varies by ship.
• Photo Package: Private Photo Session: Discount varies by ship
• Photo Package: Picture This Private Studio: Discount varies by ship.

To check if your sailing has this new offer available, log into the Cruise Planner on Royal Caribbean's web site look for any available offers. Keep in mind that not all sailings may see the sale applicable, nor are all offers significantly cheaper than previously posted.

If you spot a better discount on something you already pre-purchased, you should be able to cancel the purchase and then re-purchase the same item under this promotion.

More helpful information

• Should you buy pre-cruise purchases now or wait to buy it onboard?
• 45 ways to save money on a Royal Caribbean cruise
• How much should I budget for a cruise?

It looks like Celebrity Cruises will be the first cruise line to sail out of the United States with paying passengers.

Celebrity announced Celebrity Edge will sail out of Fort Lauderdale on June 26, 2021 to restart cruises to the Caribbean.

Edge will offer a 7-night itinerary alternating between Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gave Celebrity the green light to restart cruises with passengers because the ship will have at least 95% of its passengers fully vaccinated, along with 98% of its crew members.

All Celebrity ships will sail with a vaccinated crew. U.S. guests ages 16 and older must be fully vaccinated and, as of August 1, 2021, all U.S. guests ages 12 and older must be fully vaccinated.

Celebrity also said eight of the 15 ships within the Celebrity Cruises’ fleet now have plans to return to sailing in 2021.

Read more: First Timers' Guide to Celebrity Edge

While Celebrity Edge will be the first ship (and cruise line) to restart cruises from the United States, she will not be the first ship in Celebrity's fleet to restart sailings.

The Celebrity Millennium will start cruises from St. Maarten, beginning on June 5 with 7 night sailings to the Southern Caribbean.

Other ships restarting cruises outside of the United States this summer include Celebrity Apex from Greece, and Celebrity Silhouette from Southampton. Celebrity Summit will cruise from the United States on July 23, when she starts sailing to Alaska.

The US summer sailings also follow Celebrity news that beginning July 4, the mega-yacht, Celebrity Flora, will resume sailing the magical Galapagos Islands. She will be followed soon after by Celebrity Xpedition and 16-passenger Celebrity Xploration on July 24, and September 18, respectively. 

Read more: How is Celebrity Cruises different from Royal Caribbean?

What about Royal Caribbean?

Royal Caribbean International's restart will be slower than Celebrity Cruises, because Royal Caribbean is going about restart differently.

Unlike Celebrity, Royal Caribbean will not be able to reach the 95% mandate of passengers being vaccinated by the CDC to skip test cruises.

As a result, Royal Caribbean needs to conduct test cruises first, before applying for permission to restart revenue cruises with paying passengers.

Thus far, Freedom of the Seas will start test cruises in June, and Ovation and Serenade of the Seas will start cruises from Alaska in July and August, assuming they can complete test cruises and receive permission from the CDC in time.

The CDC has relaxed a few rules for fully vaccinated cruise passengers.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued updates its Operations Manual for Simulated and Restricted Voyages that primarily talk about what cruise lines are required to do as it pertains to guests onboard.

The new update covers a few changes in policies that either relax protocols, or give the cruise lines the choice to be less stringent.

In this round of updates, many of the rules focus on face masks for fully vaccinated passengers.

The first change is a cruise line can allow all passengers and crew they do not have to wear a mask outdoors.

Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise all passengers and crew that they do not have to wear a mask if outdoors. CDC still recommends that people wear a mask if they are not fully vaccinated and in a crowded area.

Second, the CDC has removed the suggestion to wear a mask outdoors in crowded settings.  Previously it said fully vaccinated passengers could gather outdoors or engage in outdoor activities, but would need to wear a mask if there was a "crowded situation".

Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise crew who are fully vaccinated that they do not have to wear a mask or maintain physical distance in areas of the ship that are inaccessible to passengers.

Another new option for cruise lines is there can be areas of the ship reserved for fully vaccinated passengers and crew that have no social distancing requirements.

The CDC even would allow self-serve buffets in an area reserved only for fully vaccinated passengers.

Cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may designate areas as only accessible to fully vaccinated passengers and crew where masks and physical distancing are not required (e.g., casinos; bars; spas; entertainment venues; and dining areas, including self-serve buffets).

For ships with at least 95% of crew and 95% of passengers fully vaccinated, cruise ship operators, at their discretion, may advise passengers and crew that they do not have to wear a mask or maintain physical distance in any areas.

Another big change is if cruise ships can attain at least 95% fully vaccinated passengers and 98% fully vaccinated crew members, a number of rules will become suggestions instead.

This includes many of the onerous rules that added a great deal of friction to the cruise experience, including:

• 6-foot social distancing at restaurants and bars
• Limiting seating capacity 
• Eliminate self-service buffets
• Install sneeze guards

Royal Caribbean International currently has no plans to meet the 95/98 mandate due to the amount of families on their ships.

Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain said earlier this week because Royal Caribbean is so family oriented and there are often large numbers of children, he does not think reaching 95% is possible.

The CDC also removed  the rule for fully vaccinated passengers on independent shore excursions have to wear a mask while indoors (unless local laws require it).

The changes are posted on the CDC's website.

This is the latest round of rule changes by the CDC over the last few weeks. Each time, the CDC has relaxed, adjusted, or otherwise removed rules. Many of the changes seem to be occurring following tight-knit conversations with the CDC.

Mr. Fain said the discussions between Royal Caribbean and the CDC has been fruitful as of late, "over the past weeks, that level of dialogue has improved one thousand percent and that dialogue has allowed us to understand their concerns. But in addition to that, dialogue has enabled the CDC to understand our concerns."