Carnival Cruise Line announced Monday that Carnival Glory will resume guest operations from New Orleans on September 5 for the first time since March 2020 and COVID-19.
It's one of three ships resuming operations in September, with another four set to sail in October, bringing the total number of operating ships to 15.
Currently, Carnival is operating under guidelines that say 95% of those on board must be vaccinated. While the cruise line will continue to welcome unvaccinated guests, those individuals, including children under the age of 12, must undergo pre-cruise and pre-embarkation testing and testing again before debarkation. Unvaccinated guests will also be charged a $150 per person charge to cover the costs of testing, Carnival says.
"The decision to sail with vaccinated voyages was a difficult one to make, and we recognize this is disappointing to some of our guests especially the many families with children under the age of 12 who we love to sail, and who love to sail with us," said Duffy. "It's important to remember that this is a temporary measure given the current circumstances. In consultation with our medical experts and advisors, we've determined this plan is in the best interests of the health and safety of our guests, crew and the destinations that we bring our ships to. It's very important that we continue to maintain the confidence of our destination partners, so that we can provide our guests with the optimal cruise experience and sail our itineraries."
Carnival Glory left the French port of Marseilles Saturday, where it had been undergoing physical preparations for CDC protocol requirements, like distance barriers and sanitization arrangements, The New Orleans Advocate reports. Crew members also underwent screening there, as many are foreign nationals from countries with lower vaccination rates than the U.S.
A Carnival spokesperson declined to comment on the return of Carnival Valor, the second cruise ship that sails from the Port of New Orleans. It's currently scheduled to return to sailing from New Orleans in November.
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