New Canadian guidelines for the restart of cruising require all passengers and crew members to be vaccinated, a potential obstacle to the 2022 May-September Alaska cruise season.
"As we look to the 2022 season, Transport Canada remains focused on keeping Canadians safe. We also value the cruise industry and the economic contribution it makes to Canada," said Transport Canada spokeswoman Sau Sau Liu in announcing the guidelines.
Canada's guidelines are tougher than those developed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, which are being followed by most major cruise lines.
The CDC considers ships with at least 95% of passengers and crew with two initial doses as "highly vaccinated" while ships with 95% of passengers and crew with two doses plus a booster shot are being deemed "standard of excellence" ships. Those that don't meet these criteria are labeled "not highly vaccinated."
Canada's recently announced guidelines come with a higher standard and apply to ships departing U.S. ports including Seattle. This comes after cruise ships were banned from Canada in 2020 and 2021.
A truncated Alaska cruise season took place in 2021, after the U.S. passed a law to temporarily allow ships to skip mandatory stops in Canada on Alaska cruises. Alaska politicians are currently proposing new legislation that would allow cruise ships to continue to sail past Canada without the required stop.
Carnival Cruise Line's brand ambassador and senior cruise director John Heald said on Facebook last week that while details for the Alaska season are still being finalized, Canada's announced regulations create an obstacle.
"The issue at the moment is still about resolving Canadian government requirements. If that cannot be worked out promptly, the industry will seek to have government regulations suspended like what took place last year, and our itineraries will bypass Canada altogether," he wrote.
Transport Canada, the nation's transportation agency, said more announcements will be coming soon.
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