Today, June 26, Celebrity Cruises will restart voyages on Celebrity Edge, the first cruise ship to set sail from U.S. port with paying guests. As agreed with CDC, at least 95% of passengers need to be fully vaccinated on the ship. According to Celebrity Cruises, 100% of the crew onboard Celebrity Edge are already fully vaccinated.
Starting today the crew onboard Anthem of the Seas will go in a so-called modified quarantine after four crew members tested positive for COVID-19 on the recent PCR test. According to our source, the 4 crew members disembarked the ship today.
Odyssey of the Seas crew will go in a 14-day quarantine again, after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19. Six team members who tested positive are asymptomatic and two with mild symptoms. They are quarantined on board and are being closely monitored by the ship’s medical team.
Royal Caribbean International continues with crewing up its ships for the upcoming cruise season. With the latest announcement of its gradual restart with more cruise ships on the way the company will bring team members from all around the world back on board.
Several crew members from India have contacted Crew Center raising concerns about their current status and rejoin dates on Celebrity Cruises. The crew said since the decision by Royal Caribbean to temporarily suspending all crew assignments in April, amid a surge of Covid-19 cases in India, they haven’t received a Letter of Employment or sign-on date by Celebrity Cruises.
Celebrity Cruises has come up with an interesting solution how to meet the CDC threshold of 95% of passengers and 98% of crew to be vaccinated on cruises sailing from U.S. ports, and at the same time comply with Florida law that prohibits companies asking guests to provide proof of vaccination.
The latest test results of the 4 Royal Caribbean crew members who tested positive for Covid-19 last week onboard Odyssey of the Seas are now all negative. The great news for the crew and for their fellow shipmates was announced by Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley.
Royal Caribbean International plans to restart cruises on the Spectrum of the Seas from Hong Kong this summer. Hong Kong authorities have given Royal Caribbean approval to restart operations with short "cruises to nowhere" only for Hong Kong residents following strict health protocols.
After more than a year since the suspension of cruising in the U.S. Royal Caribbean International announced another big comeback with the cruise line's return to Alaska this summer season. The company plans to launch its popular Alaska itineraries with 7-night cruises – roundtrip from Seattle – on board Serenade and Ovation of the Seas, starting July 19 and August 13, respectively.
Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas is the latest cruise ship to get the crew vaccinated at the port of Limassol, Cyprus. According to information provided by a fellow crew member, vaccination will start today (May 22) and will be completed by tomorrow (May 23). The crew will get their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine as a crucial step to resume cruise operation scheduled in the UK, this summer.
