Big day for North American cruise industry

By Marc Allen

In a big moment for the North American cruise industry, Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas has set sail from Miami on a “simulated” trial cruise.

The major step towards resuming commercial operations from Florida’s mega-cruise ports saw the vessel bound for Coco Cay — Royal Caribbean’s private island destination — with 600 vaccinated employees aboard.

All the participants are volunteers and a representative of the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) is onboard to monitor the outcome of the trial.

CDC regulations stipulate that the ship must carry 10% of her normal complement of passengers and that all aboard must have Covid-19 tests before and after sailing. Post-cruise contact tracing will determine if anyone has contracted the virus.

Commenting on the possible resumption of cruising, Patrik Dahlgren, SVP global marine operations for Royal Caribbean Group, told CNN: “We do strongly recommend all the guests be vaccinated for sure [sic] for those who are eligible, but we have measures in place to keep the cruises safe.”