MIAMI (dpa) – Joel Steckler was excited about his first cruise in more than a year and a half and chose the ship that was the first to take passengers again only two months ago after a long pandemic shutdown.
Steckler was fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which was enough to resume the cruise under the initial guidance of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now, the 63-year-old from Long Island, New York, is postponing the trip planned for Saturday amid new, stricter guidelines triggered by the surge in cases and breakthrough infections from the Delta variant.
“You just have to make a personal decision,” says Steckler, who takes drugs that suppress his immune system and changes his plans after consulting his doctor. “You don’t want to get sick on a cruise and fly home or somehow come home.”
Cruise ships have found infections in vaccinated crew members and passengers, including a recently deceased elderly traveler. Last Friday, the CDC began advising travelers at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19 illness to avoid cruises. It is also recommended that passengers provide both a recent negative COVID test and proof of vaccination.
In addition to the emerging Delta Virus, the CDC has changed its cruise policies for high-risk groups due to the close proximity of ship passengers, limited options for on-board supplies and the challenges of medical evacuation for travelers at sea, centers spokeswoman Kristen Nordlund said Tuesday.
Some cruise companies – and cruise destinations – are also revising their own policies.
Starting September 3, the Bahamas – a popular stopover for cruises – will require all passengers 12 and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for ships to dock. This has led companies like Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival to announce this week that they are adopting the same requirement. Companies will require a government vaccination card or record from a health care provider.
They were able to do so in Florida after a federal judge temporarily blocked a state law this month banning cruise lines from requiring passengers to provide proof of vaccination.
The companies are also asking for masks again in the interior of the ships and in other places where people gather.
“Unfortunately, no venue on land or at sea is currently COVID-free,” said Carnival Corp. in a written statement.
Carnival commented on the case of a vaccinated 77-year-old woman who later contracted the virus. The company said the woman was “almost certain not to have contracted COVID on our ship,” suggesting she was infected upon embarkation.
Neither cruise lines nor the federal government report how many cases they have had on their ships. They just confirmed that there had been infections.
However, officials in Belize recently reported that 26 crew members and one passenger on a Carnival cruise ship – all vaccinated – tested positive for COVID-19. They said they all had mild or no symptoms and were isolated.
Jaime Katz, an analyst who covers the cruise industry for financial services firm Morningstar, said while many high-risk travelers could postpone their trips, others will continue to book for the future, betting that the current wave of cases will wear off by the time their ship sails .
“Flexible booking and cancellation policies have made the cruise more palatable for nervous travelers,” he said.
Companies offer full refunds if people test positive for COVID-19 or choose to cancel after a cruise line cuts the length of a planned trip. Royal Caribbean International also offers flying people home if they or someone in their group tests positive during the cruise.
Chris Woronka, a Deutsche Bank analyst who tracks the recreational industry, said cruise ships, including those over 65, are an avid bunch – so eager to get back on the water that they are from the current COVID surge and tougher Requirements do not easily dissuade travel requirements.
“I don’t think this will last unless we have Delta 2.0 or whatever the next one,” said Woronka.
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Koenig answered from Dallas.
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