Avid cruisegoers will be pleased to learn that Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has just reopened bookings for Alaska cruises sailing as soon as August.
NCL is moving forward with its plans for voyages to The Last Frontier thanks to the Alaska Tourism Restoration Act's recent passage in the House and Senate, which is now bound for the president's desk to be signed into law. The bill, sponsored by Alaskan Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, will enable foreign-flagged cruise ships to sail to Alaska from the U.S. mainland without stopping at ports in Canada, as was previously required under the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886.
The legislation was called for in an effort to salvage something of the 2021 cruise season as the industry restarts, in order to bypass the obstacle of Canada's firm policy banning large cruise vessels from its waters through February 28, 2022. Once the act is signed into law, ships will be able to sail directly between Washington and Alaska, and NCL intends to be ready.
There are other hurdles to be surmounted, such as gaining approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restart sailing. Becoming CDC certified requires cruise lines to demonstrate that they've successfully met all the criteria outlined in the agency's COVID-19 Conditional Sail Order.
"We remain optimistic that by working with the CDC, and local port and government authorities in the destinations we visit, that we will be able to resume safe cruising in the U.S. this summer," Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson told Alaska's News Source. "As such, we have opened for sale voyages on Norwegian Bliss to be scheduled for August until the end of the season."
NCL also plans to operate voyages in the Greek Isles and the Caribbean this season, starting as early as July 25. The company had already disclosed its policy, set to remain in place through October, that all guests and crew members will need to be fully vaccinated, as well as COVID-19 tested, before being allowed to board.
This echoes the CDC's recommendation that passengers and crew should be inoculated prior to embarkation. Yet, the agency has recently relaxed some of its guidelines for fully vaccinated cruisegoers, saying that they need not get tested before boarding or disembarking, they can safely go without masks in certain outdoor situations and are able to explore ports on their own outside of excursions booked through the cruise line.
NCL's chief sales officer, Katina Athanasiou, told Travel Weekly earlier this month that the company itself won't be requiring guests to book shore excursions through their ship.
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