Royal Caribbean CEO Working to Safely Bring Cruising Back to US

The CEO of Royal Caribbean International recently addressed the possibility of a return to cruising for ships in the United States this summer and the impact of continued government restrictions.

According to a video posted on Royal Caribbean’s trade loyalty program page, Richard Fain reiterated the goal of the cruise line and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is to safely bring back sailings.

The cruise industry has faced uncertainty in recent weeks as the CDC issued the next phase of technical guidance for the cruise industry under its Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO).

The initial No-Sail Order was replaced at the end of October 2020, but officials have provided little additional information to cruise lines. Last week, CDC officials signaled some cruising could restart from U.S. ports sometime this summer.

“We all want the same thing; safe and healthy cruising,” Fain said. “That’s our hope and the sincere hope of the CDC and public officials around the world.”

Fain said with the recent success of COVID-19 vaccine programs and what Royal Caribbean learned from the 150-plus voyages and 100,000-plus travelers onboard during the pandemic, the cruise line is ready to sail from U.S. ports again.

To combat the possibility of COVID-19 spread, better and more accessible coronavirus testing, widespread vaccinations and unparalleled contact tracing make traveling on a ship even safer than attending events on land.

The Royal Caribbean CEO said the company continues to work with health officials in the U.S. to find a way to safely restart sailings, just as other countries have down around the world. The cruise line is launching voyages from the Caribbean and Europe next month.