CCL-Carnival Cruise Line confirmed its plans to restart guest operations from the Port of Galveston TX on July 3 aboard Carnival Vista, followed by the return to sailings aboard Carnival Breeze on July 15.
The cruises are available for passengers who have received their final dose of a CDC-approved COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before the beginning of the voyage and have proof of vaccination, in accordance with current guidelines from the U.S. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, said:
“We appreciate the progress and support for our U.S. restart from the CDC and other key federal agencies; however, the current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us. As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the U.S. during the month of July with vaccinated guests.”
The other cruise ship and port identified for the July restart is Carnival Horizon from Florida's PortMiami. Carnival continues to work with both the CDC and the State of Florida for Carnival Horizon voyages and plans to provide an update concerning protocols specific to the sailings to all booked passengers.
Duffy acknowledged the strong support of both Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, as well as other state officials, in making COVID vaccinations available to cruise ship personnel, which expedited the restart process. She added the support of local officials, especially Galveston Mayor Craig Brown, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, PortMiami and Port of Galveston leaders, had been instrumental in the restart efforts.