Royal Caribbean International and local Caribbean communities Saturday celebrated the cruise line's long-awaited return to regional operations as Adventure of the Seas set sail from Nassau, The Bahamas. The fifteen-deck, Voyager-class cruise ship, which arrived in Nassau only last week, is homeporting this season at Nassau Cruise Port for the very first time.
"The return of Adventure of the Seas marks a start in the tremendous step forward our guests have been waiting for and we've been working toward for more than 15 months. This is all possible thanks to the government of The Bahamas, the support of our partners and the hard work of our teams across Royal Caribbean," Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International, said in a statement.
Adventure of the Seas now embarks upon a summer season of seven-night 'Bahamas & Perfect Day' sailings, which call at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean's private island destination in The Bahamas; Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas; and Cozumel, Mexico.
"We are excited to welcome back our guests and crew, and to help our Caribbean family regain the benefits of tourism their communities depend on. This is just the beginning, as we get ready to set sail from the U.S. for the first time on July 2," Bayley added.
Not only was this the cruise line's first post-pandemic guest departure in the Caribbean, but in the entire Western Hemisphere, after COVID-19 shut down worldwide cruising over 15 months ago. This inaugural cruise left port with over 1,000 vacationers aboard, and the crew and guests (ages 16 or over) all being fully vaccinated.
On this particular voyage, 94 percent of passengers are of sufficient age to have completed their COVID-19 inoculations, with the remaining six percent being children under the age of 16. Guests under the age of eligibility are instead COVID-19 tested and are subject to certain protocols while onboard. Come August 1, the policy will change to require guests ages 12 or older to be fully vaccinated before sailing.
Now that Caribbean operations have restarted, things will really start heating up again, with 11 Royal Caribbean ships set to restart sailings starting from various dates in July and August; eight from the U.S. and three within Europe and the Mediterranean region.
In July, Anthem of the Seas will begin sailing from the U.K. and Jewel of the Seas out of Cyprus, while Harmony of the Seas will return to European sailing on August 15. Royal Caribbean's planned summer lineup for sailings from the U.S. includes:
-July 2: Freedom of the Seas - three- and four-night Bahamas and 'Perfect Day at CocoCay' sailings from Miami, Florida.
-July 3: Odyssey of the Seas - six- and eight-night Southern and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
-July 19: Serenade of the Seas - seven-night Alaska sailings from Seattle, Washington.
-August 8: Allure of the Seas - seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Port Canaveral, Florida.
-August 13: Ovation of the Seas - seven-night Alaska itineraries from Seattle, Washington.
-August 14: Symphony of the Seas - seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from Miami, Florida.
-August 15: Independence of the Seas - seven-night Western Caribbean sailings from Galveston, Texas.
-August 23: Mariner of the Seas - three- and four-night Bahamas and 'Perfect Day at CocoCay' sailings from Port Canaveral, Florida.
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