The COVID-19 pandemic sent the cruise industry into a 15-month shutdown, but now ships are back in business with an anticipated 31.5 million passengers embarking on cruises in 2023, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
Last summer, the CDC stopped requiring COVID-19 vaccination and testing on all cruise ships, leaving individual lines to determine their own protocols. Cruises are still required to report outbreaks to the CDC, as they do with norovirus, but all major lines have dropped their vaccine requirements, with a few exceptions (such as some Carnival cruises longer than 16 days, and some cruises departing from Australia).
For those still hesitant, Richard Simms, staff writer for Cruise Radio, says many lines, like the Haven from Norwegian, are investing in a “ship within a ship” concept,…
