The CDC Announced New Instructions For U.S. Cruises & Here's What They Are

By: Alana DeRose

On May 5, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the next phases for their Conditional Sailing Order that will allow the resumption of cruise lines.

These new instructions will go over the necessary test cruise lines will have to make in order to sailing with paying passengers.

We've already complete Phase 1 and Phase 2A so now on to Phase 2B.

Phase 2B: Simulated (trial) Passenger Voyages

• Cruise lines must request approval from CDC to conduct trial voyages and can do so 30 days prior to trial date. In the application there will be numerous protocols that the cruise ship must follow and the documentation will verify the date and location of this test trial.

• The ship also must have volunteers on board and those volunteers must be fully vaccinated and 18+ in order to board. There will be no future reward for volunteering the only reward you'll get is pretty much a free cruise and the minimum number for volunteers is 10% of the maximum number for restricted cruises. You also must be aware of the CDC's health notice regarding Covid-19 cruise travel and sign a document agreeing to post-embarkation testing for Covid three to five days after the trial voyage.

Here's a list of requirements cruise lines need to do during the trial sailing according to Royal Caribbean Blog.

"At least one simulation must be conducted for each ship for which the cruise ship operator intends to commence restricted passenger voyages.

• Simulated voyages must be between 2-7 days in length with a least one overnight stay to test the efficacy of the cruise ship operator’s ability to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 onboard the cruise ship, including through embarkation, disembarkation, and post-disembarkation testing.

  • CDC recommends a minimum voyage length of 3 days with 2 overnight stays.

  • The cruise ship operator must meet standards during the simulated voyage for hand hygiene, use of face masks, and social distancing for passengers and crew, as well as ship sanitation, as required by CDC technical instructions or orders.

• The cruise ship’s color-coding status must be Green or Orange at the time of the simulated voyage.

• Activities conducted on voyages that occurred outside of U.S. waters during the period of the No Sail Order (NSO) and the CSO that were not conducted as part of a CDC-approved simulated voyage, do not count towards the activities that must be simulated on a simulated voyage.

• The cruise ship operator must modify meal service and entertainment venues to facilitate social distancing during the simulated voyage.

• These activities must be conducted on one, or over the course of many, test sailings:

  • Embarkation and disembarkation procedures, as approved by U.S. port and local health authorities as part the cruise ship operator’s Phase 2A agreements, including procedures for terminal check-in.

  • Onboard activities, including seating and meal service at dining and entertainment venues.

  • Medical evacuation procedures.

  • Transfer of symptomatic passengers or crew, or those who test positive for SARS-CoV-2, from cabins to isolation rooms.

  • Onboard and shoreside isolation and quarantine, as per the terms of the cruise ship operator’s Phase 2A agreements, of at least 5% of all passengers and non-essential crew.

  • Recreational activities that the cruise ship operator intends to offer as part of any restricted passenger voyages, e.g., casinos, spa services, fitness classes, gymnasiums.

  • Private-island shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on the private island:

    • Only one ship can port at the island at any one time.

    • A routine screening testing protocol must be implemented for island staff who are expected to interact with volunteer passengers or crew.

    • Mask use and social distancing must be observed on the island.

• Port of call shore excursions if any are planned during restricted passenger voyages. The following measures must be observed on port of call shore excursions:

  • Self-guided or independent exploration by passengers during port stops must be prohibited.

  • Shore excursions must only include passengers and crew from the same ship.

  • Cruise ship operator must ensure all shore excursion tour companies facilitate social distancing, mask wearing, and other COVID-19 public health measures throughout the tour.

  • Cruise ship operators must have a protocol for managing persons with COVID-19 and close contacts at all foreign ports of call. At a minimum, the protocol must include the following:

    • Disembarkation and housing of persons with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 needing shore-based hospital care and their travel companion(s) for the duration of their isolation or quarantine period.

    • Commercial repatriation of U.S.-based persons with COVID-19 and close contacts only after meeting criteria to end isolation and quarantine per CDC guidance. For commercial repatriation of foreign-based persons with COVID-19 and close contacts, cruise ship operators must consult with all relevant public health authorities.

Phase 3:

This phase is simple as the cruise line would apply for the Conditional Sailing Order certification and the CDC would review their simulated voyages.

Phase 4:

Phase 4 is simple too as once the cruise line is rewarded their Conditional Sailing Order certificate they will be able to resume cruising with passenger and sailing length restrictions.

However, these phases are subject to adjustments based on public health considerations and other factors.