The U.S. decision to welcome vaccinated and tested international travellers in early November is good news for a cruise industry in the early stages of recovery after a long pandemic shutdown. But Canadians with mixed vaccinations may still have to wait to board a ship.
The new plan will end sweeping bans on most non-citizens from entering the U.S. from the EU, UK and other nations.
Foreign travellers will have to show proof of vaccination before boarding their flight to the U.S.. They'll also need to provide documentation of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before arriving.
Cruise representatives cheered the decision, led by industry organization Cruise Lines International Association.
"CLIA joins our peers across the travel and tourism sector to express our appreciation to the Biden Administration for recognizing the importance of international travel to the U.S. economy and for establishing a path for international visitors to travel to the United States responsibly," the group said in a statement.
Cruising is an important draw for the U.S. In 2019, approximately 2.5 million international visitors travelled there to take a cruise, representing nearly 18 percent of all U.S. cruise embarkations.
Accepted vaccines will be determined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That's bad news for the millions of international travellers inoculated with vaccines not approved by the public health agency - including many Canadians.
The Oxford Astra-Zeneca vaccine, for example, has been used in 182 countries, more than any other, but has not yet received CDC approval. That will impact millions of potential cruisers from key source markets including Canada and the UK.
Tens of millions in the UK and some other European countries have had two doses of Astra-Zeneca, while many Canadians have taken a combination of Astra-Zeneca along with a dose of either Moderna or Pfizer. Currently, this makes them unable to board many cruise ships departing the U.S.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, re-elected with a minority government on Monday, said two months ago that his government is working to ensure that Canadians will be allowed to travel if they have shots from two different vaccines, even if other countries haven't approved mixing doses.
"We're going to work with the international community to make sure that people who are fully vaccinated in ways that Canadians recognize as safe and effective are also recognized around the world," he said.
No further announcements have been made since that statement, and most provinces are still not offering a third dose to those who received mixed vaccinations.
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