The Florida Health Department informed Royal Caribbean this week it can directly appeal to the CDC to begin cruises.

One of the mandates included in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plan for cruise ships to be able to restart sailings from the United States is for each line to  secure agreements with port and health authorities in the U.S. cities they plan to visit.

Royal Caribbean Group announced it had signed a port agreement with Port Canaveral to operate cruise ships, and Port Everglades informed RoyalCaribbeanBlog it had also signed a similar port agreement with Royal Caribbean Group on May 10.

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.

The CDC's instructions for cruise lines under the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO) are to submit the port agreements to the state Department of Health, but Florida has responded by saying they do not need to give cruise lines permission to operate, and directed cruise lines to go right to the CDC for test cruise permission.

The letter was sent on Thursday by State Surgeon General Scott Rivkees, MD, to Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises CEOs Michael Bayley and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo.

In the letter, Dr. Rivkees said Florida has "limited statutory authority with respect to cruise lines, and the Department's permission is not required for your company to resume operations."

Dr. Rivkees went on to be even more specific about the lack of need for cruise lines to seek permission, "To be clear, nothing in state law stands in the way of cruise ship operations."

"The Department is in full support of your company resuming operations and we look forward to continuing this collaborative relationship when your company begins sailing again."

As a result of the letter, Port Everglades re-executed its MOA between the port and Royal Caribbean International/Celebrity Cruises, and believes the cruise lines can now send its application into the CDC for test cruise permission.

Once the CDC accepts the agreement, Royal Caribbean Group can make an application to the CDC to begin test cruises.

More ships coming to get crew vaccinated

Meanwhile, more Royal Caribbean ships are coming to get its crew members vaccinated in preparation for cruises to sail.

The quick pace of approval with Florida's ports means ships are coming to various ports for brief stops to get crew members inoculated with the Covid-19 vaccine.

Explorer of the Seas stopped in Port Canaveral on Wednesday to administer 210 vaccines, and Adventure of the Seas arrived on Friday morning to administer 1,050 vaccine doses. Explorer will return on Saturday for another 210 vaccines to be administered.

What about Port Liberty?

With all of the news recently of Florida cruise ports working with Royal Caribbean to sign port agreements, many cruise fans have been asking about the state of affairs as it relates to Port Liberty in Bayonne, New Jersey.

A spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey issued a statement after RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com reached out for an update.

"We are working closely with Cape Liberty Cruise Port in anticipation of the ‘trial cruise’ required by the CDC’s Conditional Sail Order to take place by mid-August, with a regular schedule of cruises expected to resume by the end of August."

"At this time, there is no timeline for cruise resumption at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal."

The United States Congress passed a new bill that will make it possible for cruise ships to sail to Alaska without stopping in Canada, and that has Canadian officials concerned.

On Thursday, the House of Representative passed the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act, which provides a waiver for cruise ships in 2021 to not have to stop in Canada in order to offer cruises to Alaska.

Canada banned cruise ship travel until February 2022 due to the global health crisis, and until now, cruise ships would not have been able to sail to Alaska since U.S. cabotage law requires a stop in a foreign port.

After the bill passed, premier of British Columbia John Horgan said he has plans to meet with Alaska's delegation to talk about the issue.

Premier Horgan told Victoria News the meeting would take place "in the coming weeks", "We share a common desire with the people of Alaska to see a safe return to the cruise ship industry."

"The tourism sector is eager to welcome visitors back when it’s safe to do so."

Two ports in British Columbia heavily rely on tourism from cruise ships. Vancouver is a traditional homeport for many cruise ships, and Victoria is a stop-over port.

B.C. Liberal MLA Mike de Jong is concerned this workaround for 2021 could become permanent.

The CEO of the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority said he tried to warn Canadian politicians about what the negative effect this bill would have if cruise ships could skip Canadian ports, "I must admit it’s been frustrating, we’ve been sounding the alarm for the past few months," Ian Robertson said.

"You always worry about a temporary measure becoming permanent," Robertson said.

The new bill is waiting to be signed into law by President Joe Biden before it can become a law. One of the bill's sponsors, Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), posted on Twitter that it is "on the way to be signed into law by the President."

Senator Murkowski added that she is proud of the hard work that went into getting the bill passed, "The Alaska Delegation worked with stakeholders and industry leaders across the state to brainstorm all our options. We were in coordination with the Alaska State Legislature who backed our efforts through a resolution of support."

Senator Dan Sullivan was happy with the bill's result, after encountering no compromise from Canada during earlier negotiations, "We’ve put forward a number of very reasonable suggestions to try to accommodate what we are hoping will be a fighting chance for our tourism season, for our small businesses so decimated by this pandemic to our colleagues in Canada."

"This is not the co-operative spirit that has defined the Alaska-Canadian relationship for decades. Quite frankly, we’ve been disappointed by it."

Hours after the bill passed the House, Carnival Corporation announced three of its brands will offer cruises to Alaska in 2021.

Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Lines will all offer week-long sailings from Seattle for vaccinated passengers.

On top of that, Norwegian Cruise Line put sailings back on sale for Norwegian Bliss from Seattle.

Royal Caribbean has not announced any new sailings yet, or added new sailings to its website for booking.

Hours after new legislation has opened the door for cruises to Alaska, Carnival Corporation announced plans to offer cruises there this summer.

Carnival Corporation announced three of its brands, Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, will offer cruises to Alaska this year.

The new sailings will begin in July, and depart from Seattle, Washington.

The announcement was made a few hours after the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Bill to allow cruise ships to sail to Alaska without stopping in Canada.

Carnival said each of the lines has received guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as coordinated with Alaskan officials in order to sail again.

It is not clear what this guidance is exactly since the Conditional Sail Order is still in effect, but the line issued a statement that it seemingly has the go-ahead to make these cruises happen.

These Alaska cruises are available for guests who have received their final dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination. Crew vaccinations will be in accordance with CDC guidelines.

Princess Cruises will resume operations in Alaska starting July 25 through September 26, with seven-day cruises onboard Majestic Princess, a MedallionClass ship.

Its cruises will visit signature ports, glaciers and attractions in Alaska including Glacier Bay National Park, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

Holland America Line will resume its cruise operations to Alaska with seven-day itineraries aboard Nieuw Amsterdam, calling at Juneau, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan, with scenic cruising in Alaska's iconic locales, including Glacier Bay and Stephens Passage.

The first cruise for the brand is scheduled to depart July 24, with 11 Saturday departures that will operate through October 2.

Carnival Cruise Line has already opened Alaska sailings departing from Seattle beginning July 27, with weekly departures through September 14 aboard Carnival Miracle. There are seven 7-day cruises featuring calls in Juneau, Skagway, and Ketchikan, as well as scenic cruising in Tracy Arm Fjord.

The September 14 departure is an 8-day cruise with an additional stop in Icy Strait Point.

Carnival Corporation also said plans for these itineraries to fulfill obligations under the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) are expected to be approved. Princess Cruises, Holland America Line and Carnival Cruise Line are each continuing the return-to-cruising preparation already underway.

Each of the lines will announce more details in the coming weeks.

More U.S. sailings to come

Carnival Cruise Line is also working to finalize its plans to operate Carnival Horizon from Miami, and Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze from Galveston in July.

Itineraries along with specific details about protocols are expected to be finalized and announced next week.

Another major hurdle to cruises being able to sail to Alaska this year has been overcome.

The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act (H.R. 1318) passed the House of Representatives in a vote on Thursday, and will now to go President Joe Biden to be signed into law.

This bill will allow cruise ships in 2021 to sail from State of Washington to Alaska without needing to stop in Canada.

Canada banned cruise ships from its waters due to the global health crisis, so if cruise ship travel in the United States were able to occur, cruises to Alaska would not have been legally possible unless this bill becomes law.

The bill was introduced by Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) in February 2021 as a way for cruise ships to be able to sail to Alaska in 2021.

The bill passing is a major show of support for Alaska, which desperately needs cruise ship traffic for its local economy.

Speaking on the House of Representatives floor, Rep. Don Young (R-AK) celebrated the bill's passing as a major buoy for Alaskans, "We lost billions of dollars last year because of Covid in the tourist industry, and this bill that we just passed by this House unanimously will give us an opportunity to recover that, not the money, but the ability to take and serve the people of America and the tourist industry in and southeast Alaska and the rest of the state of Alaska."

"And I sincerely thank all of you for being part of an effort to solve a problem for state."

The Alaska Tourism Restoration Act would essentially provide a way to circumvent the Passenger Vessel Services Act (PVSA) restrictions for cruise ships transporting passengers between the State of Washington and the State of Alaska.

Canada has banned cruise ships for at least a year, which means it prohibits cruise ships from navigating, mooring, anchoring or berthing in Canadian waters until February 28, 2022 or until the Canadian Government lifts the prohibition. 

If President Biden signs the bill into law, it would allow cruise ships to visit Alaska in 2021, but the cruise industry still needs the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to rollback its own ban of cruise ships from the United States.

If the bill were to become law, it would apply to any sailing that begins on or before February 28, 2022.

The bill only applies to cruise ships sailing from the Pacific Northwest in 2021, and does not apply to ships sailing from New England and would not be in effect for the 2022 season.

In anticipation of the bill passing, Norwegian Cruise Line began selling Alaska cruises again for August, September, and October.

The NCL sailings will sail roundtrip from Seattle to Ketchikan.

Royal Caribbean's website does not yet show cruises available to book for Alaska 2021.

Celebrity Cruises President & CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo took to Twitter to celebrate the news, "One more signature and then Alaska, here we come!"

We may have an idea about one of the new shows coming to Odyssey of the Seas.

Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal Caribbean International, Nick Weir, has been teasing cruise fans on Twitter with hints about which show might be coming to Royal Caribbean's newest ship.

While Royal Caribbean has not officially announced the new entertainment lineup for Odyssey of the Seas, it appears there will be a show that celebrates showgirls in entertainment onboard.

Earlier this week, Mr. Weir said Odyssey would have, "the biggest cancan in cruise industry history", with a teaser of the sequence.

The biggest #CanCan in #CruiseIndustry history, (and the second biggest in the entire world, ever), coming to a #CruiseShip called #OdysseyoftheSeas, near you... soon. ;-) pic.twitter.com/JhYRzkxav9

— Nick Weir (@NickWeirShowbiz) May 18, 2021

After digging through Royal Caribbean's app, RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader twangster found a reference to a new show listed for upcoming Odyssey sailings.

The show is called, "Showgirl: Past. Present. Future" and is listed as having a 45 minute runtime, with the description as follows:

Our original production is a thrilling multi-sensory experience that uses bar-raising choreography and cutting-edge lighting and video effects to pay homage to the iconic siren of the stage — the showgirl — across the decades. 

A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show, and Las Vegas is famous for utilizing show girls in their acts, going back as early as the 1940s. Traditionally, Las Vegas Showgirls are classically trained dancers with skills in Ballet and Jazz dance.

Showgirls were first introduced at the Sands Casino for a show with Danny Thomas.

It is also worth noting Mr. Weir has an extensive history in working at Las Vegas, as he had a consulting firm based in Las Vegas, which catapulted him into the cruise industry when he worked with Celebrity Cruises to develop entertainment for the Solstice Class cruise ships.

Mr. Weir is no stranger to leaking details about new shows. In December 2020, he confirmed a show for the Two70 venue on Odyssey of the Seas known as "Oceanides".

Oceanides utilizes the roboscreen technology to show different performers on various screens that interact with each other as the screens move.

Two70 is the venue Royal Caribbean designed on the aft of its Quantum and Quantum Ultra class ships that offers immersive scenery on a 270 degree wall of floor-to-ceiling windows. 

The projection surface in Two70 measures 135 feet wide and 22 feet tall, and has a 12k digital screen along with  8-foot-tall, 4-foot-wide robotic screens.

Odyssey of the Seas is Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship, but her immediate plans are not yet known.  Her inaugural cruise season has been cancelled a few times, with sailings from Israel most recently cancelled.

It is not known yet when or where she will first sail from, but Royal Caribbean said a port in Florida is likely. She has scheduled sailings beginning in November 2021 from Fort Lauderdale, with 6- and 8-night Caribbean itineraries.

Royal Caribbean's restart plans in 2021 have hit another snag, as a second ship is having her entire summer season cancelled.

The cruise line announced Vision of the Seas' summer season from Bermuda in 2021 is now officially cancelled.

This affects Vision of the Seas Bermuda departures between June 26 – August 28, 2021.

In an email, Royal Caribbean said the past few weeks have been, "tumultuous", and that, "recent conversations have led to promising movement for the cruise industry and are the necessary steppingstones to get Royal Caribbean back."

Royal Caribbean sees the likelihood of cruises returning to the United States getting better each day, "and with that, U.S. travelers are increasingly showing a preference for more direct access to ports of departure."

Those on cancelled cruises have a few choices for compensation:

125% Future Cruise Credit: 125% Future Cruise Credit (FCC) which is based on the total cruise fare paid per guest and will be automatically issued on or before June 18, 2021. Taxes and fees, as well as any pre-purchased amenities or onboard packages, will be automatically refunded to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancelation date.

Full refund: return the funds paid per guest when selecting this option on or before June 30, 2021. Guests can expect their refund to the original form of payment within 45 days from the cancelation date.

Vision of the Seas is the second Royal Caribbean cruise ship to have her entire summer 2021 restart season cancelled, following Odyssey of the Seas having her cruises from Israel cancelled.

She was scheduled to sail from Bermuda, and offer 7-night sailings down to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

With the announcement, this leaves now just three ships with firm restart plans for summer 2021: Adventure of the Seas from Bahamas, Anthem of the Seas from England, and Jewel of the Seas from Cyprus.

Some travel agents I spoke with seem to think one of the root causes of Vision's cancellation was poor sales, but the cruise line did not specify if that was the case or not.

In an email sent to guests, Royal Caribbean said, "our guests have reached out to us in overwhelming numbers to let us know they're waiting in anticipation for our U.S. debut."

In April, Royal Caribbean began subsidizing flight costs to Bermuda for Vision of the Seas cruises, with fares as low as $99 from New York.

When announced, Royal Caribbean said they were taking the risk of subsidizing fares to get bookings going. 

Official statement

Royal Caribbean issued a statement to the media about why they cancelled Vision's sailings.

"As we return to sailing, we continue to be committed to delivering memorable vacations informed by valuable feedback from our guests and travel partners. The likelihood of cruises setting sail from the U.S. this summer is greater each day, and with that, U.S. travelers are increasingly showing a preference for more direct access to ports of departure."

"The decision has been made to cancel Vision of the Seas’ summer season from Bermuda. While we are no longer homeporting from the island nation, we still look forward to bringing our guests to Bermuda with several ships across the Royal Caribbean fleet as we have for many years. As we get back to cruising, our close partnership with the Ministry of Tourism and the Bermuda Tourism Authority is still focused on working toward the common goal of getting the community back on its feet by helping revive local tourism."

"We are reaching out to guests and travel partners impacted by this change to assist with their options. This cancellation does not affect any other open deployments."

Cruise fans react

The news of Vision's cancellation spread quickly among cruise fans, along with speculation as to why the decision was made.

On the RoyalCaribbeanBlog message boards, CGTLH thinks the decision makes sense given the logistical issues facing this itinerary, "Sailing north-south along the Atlantic during hurricane season. Just seems to be a recipe for sailing delays and cancelations. Add to the mix the implied need of Freeport for provisions and fuel loading. Just seems too many bits that could have gone wrong."

twangster thinks there is more than meets the eye with the change, "The cruise lines all appear to be convinced that a US restart is imminent.  They know something we don't."

One of the major requirements before test cruises can begin looks to be a step closer for Royal Caribbean.

One of the mandates included in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plan for cruise ships to be able to restart sailings from the United States is for each line to  secure agreements with port and health authorities in the U.S. cities they plan to visit.

This requirement is part of the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO), and is intended to ensure health and safety protections for crew and passengers and port personnel prior to resuming passenger operations in a way that mitigates the risk of spreading Covid-19.

Royal Caribbean Group Vice President of Worldwide Operations, Captain Hernan Zini, spoke on Wednesday about Royal Caribbean Group's work to get its ships closer to be able to conduct test and revenue cruises.

Photo by Paul Crow

Captain Zini said that port agreement was submitted to the Florida Department of Health. 

Once that once Florida signs off on the plan, it can be submitted to the CDC. And once the CDC accepts the agreement, the Royal Caribbean group can make an application to the CDC to begin those test cruises.

Read more: Everything you need to know about Royal Caribbean test cruises

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.

Photo by Paul Crow

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.

Explorer of the Seas arrived today to get crew members vaccinated at Port Canaveral, and Adventure of the Seas is due in port on Thursday.

Photo by Michael Bayley

 Royal Caribbean said they are hoping to vaccinate about 1,500 crew members.

Captain Zini told WFTV he likes what is happening right now as Royal Caribbean prepares, "We feel that the worst is behind us. And of course, we have to keep very focused on all the protocols, everything we need to do. But we feel very positive about what is coming."

Port Canaveral CEO Captain John Murray thinks while an exact date for cruises to restart is not yet known, they will be here this summer, "No specific date but I think you’re going to see it happen pretty quick."

"I think by summer we’ll have some ships sailing out of Port Canaveral and you haven’t heard me say anything that optimistic in a while."

Royal Caribbean's plan for the launch of Odyssey of the Seas will now move to an undisclosed port in Florida.

The cruise line announced it has cancelled Odyssey's planned inaugural season from Haifa, Israel last weekend, and that left Royal Caribbean's newest cruise ship without a homeport or inaugural sailings.

It has been confirmed Odyssey of the Seas will sail from somewhere in Florida instead.

During a webinar with travel agents, Royal Caribbean's Senior Vice President, Sales, Trade Support and Service, Vicki Freed, confirmed Odyssey will sail from Florida, but did not disclose which homeport specifically.

"Where in Florida is she going to be? Well, this is like musical chairs, musical ships. So we will be telling you and sharing with you where in Florida as soon as we have more details," Ms. Freed explained. "But she is headed over to Florida now."

"This change of plans was driven by the safety, well-being of our guests, our crew and the surrounding community."

Royal Caribbean canceled the season due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, although there was speculation the inability to get crew members vaccinated may have played a role as well.

There are three possible ports Odyssey could sail from in Florida that are large enough to handle a ship the size of a Quantum Ultra Class ship:

• Port Canaveral
• Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale)
• PortMiami

A crew member on Odyssey of the Seas told Crew-Center.com the ship is headed to Port Canaveral, although it is not clear if that is the new homeport, or just a logistical stopover.

Photo by Paul "Land Genie" Crow

Explorer of the Seas is in Port Canaveral today to vaccinate crew members, so perhaps Odyssey is only headed to Port Canaveral for a similar function.

Odyssey of the Seas is scheduled to sail from Fort Lauderdale in November 2021, when she will offer 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises.

Delays are something Odyssey is not unfamiliar with, as there have been a number of plans cancelled going back to even before she was fully built.

Odyssey of the Seas was originally scheduled to be delivered in 2020, but that was pushed back to 2021 due to the global health crisis.  Then Odyssey's inaugural season from Italy was cancelled, and then redeployed to Haifa, Israel.

Celebrity Cruises just announced new protocols for guests sailing this summer that include changes to mask, vaccine, and shore excursion rules.

These protocols apply to summer cruises from St. Maarten and Athens, Greece.

During a webinar with travel agents, Dondra Ritzenthaler, Celebrity Cruises Senior Vice President of Sales and Trade Support & Service, announced a variety of new protocols for guests sailing on Celebrity this summer.

The policies are an introduction to the new protocols guests can expect once sailing on Celebrity Millennium beginning in a few weeks, as well as Celebrity Apex from Greece.

Here are the major health protocols announced:

• Guests 16 and above need to be vaccinated.  Previously the rule was 18 years old or older
• Fully vaccinated passengers can book third party shore excursions, and not limited to cruise line tours, if the port allows it.
  • Celebrity will advise guests onboard if they can go on their own or not, and/or need to wear a mask in port
• Onboard the ship, fully vaccinated passengers are not required to wear masks inside or outside while maintaining a safe distance from other passengers.
• Back to back sailings are permitted for fully vaccinated guests
  • Vaccinated cruisers on these sailings will take another antigen test before the second leg
  • Unvaccinated cruisers will have to take a second PCR test

The mask rule change is arguably the biggest policy shift, although those that are not vaccinated will still be required to wear masks. However, Ms. Ritzenthaler said you will not need to wear a mask while seated for dinner, nor outdoors.

"Mask requirements have been eased," Ms. Ritzenthaler shared excitedly, "fully vaccinated guests, masks are not going to be required, both inside and outside as long as you're not in a big, big crowd."

Ms. Ritzenthaler said what constitutes a big crowd is at the jurisdiction of the cruise line right now.

For guests 15 and below, they would have to wear masks in some situations, but not the entire cruise either, "If you're not vaccinated and you can't be vaccinated, you're 15 and below, then you will have to wear a mask if you're going from your room to the restaurant."

"But then when you're seated, you don't have to wear it and you don't have to wear it when you're outdoors."

Celebrity will also provide guests returning to the United States a Covid-19 test to re-enter the country, which is a policy Royal Caribbean said they would offer.

These new protocols are more of a preview of the full set of health and safety protocols it will release soon, which may also be tied to a restart of cruises from the United States.

Celebrity Cruises is the sister company to Royal Caribbean, and it is possible (but not confirmed) Royal Caribbean may have the same protocols.

Royal Caribbean has not revealed its own set of protocols, although it has a similar webinar scheduled on Wednesday with travel agents.

Royal Caribbean did confirm last week that masks will not be required at its private island of Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Celebrity Millennium will be the first Royal Caribbean Group ship to restart cruises from the Caribbean on June 5, with Adventure of the Seas following the next week on June 12.

The new protocols follow similar mask and Covid-19 restrictions being eased in the United States with more and more Americans now vaccinated.

Royal Caribbean's ships will have reduced capacity (around 50% initially) along with fully vaccinated adults onboard.