UPDATE
CDC has now changed its Level 4 Notice to Level 3, noting the overall dropoff in cases, and has urged that people going on cruises take care that vaccinations are complete, including boosters. No response yet from cruise lines.
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What cruise lines expected to be a ‘peaceful transition’ from CDC’s now-expired “Conditional Sail Order” to new recommendations has turned into a war of words between the agency and cruise ship operators.
The companies are upset over CDC’s latest guidance that marks cruising as a Level 4 Travel Health Notice, which is the highest level of warning despite the incidence of Covid cases on cruise ships being orders of magnitude lower than for the country at large.
Since sailing resumed under the CSO, the cruise lines have followed procedures even stricter than CDC recommendations for masking and other safety measures and for pre-cruise testing. Almost all cruises have been limited to vaccinated passengers, although some lines have allowed younger children, not yet eligible for vaccination aboard.
The strictest company has been Norwegian and its subsidiaries, which have not allowed even young children to sail without vaccine and is only now permitting that as the omicron wave ebbs. They and Royal Caribbean are also now allowing vaccinated passengers to go unmasked in more parts of their ships.
Cruise line resentment over being treated more stringently than other means of travel has resulted so far in cruise lines holding off on signing into the voluntary program while calling for changes. Only Norwegian agreed to the plan ahead of time, and since the release of the guidelines it has said it is reconsidering
