World’s First Fully Vaccinated Cruise To Start Operating From May

The cruise shipping world has been the most affected by this pandemic and now they have reinvented themselves for the new normal. The Royal Caribbean has achieved a mega milestone in this regard as it launched a fully vaccinated cruise.

The Royal Caribbean’s new ship in Israel, “Odyssey of the Seas” will be a fully vaccinated cruise ship. This ship debuts in May and will only have vaccinated crew and passengers onboard. All persons on the ship will be above 16 years of age

Only Vaccinated Crew & Passengers

“In conjunction with Israel’s health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated sailings, where both crew and guests above the age of 16 will be vaccinated against COVID-19,” reads a press release issued by the cruise liner.

Image Credits: Royal Caribbean

Israel is one of the biggest vaccinating countries of the world, having already vaccinated a majority of its population. However, the middle Eastern country hasn’t started vaccinating people below the age of 16. Hence, there’s an age limit for this cruise.

New COVID Benchmark for the Cruise Industry

So far, 3 cruise liners – Royal Caribbean, Holdings Ltd and Costa Cruises have reaffirmed that they will vaccinate their cream. However, none of them made this bold move of a fully vaccinated cruise.

Hence, this move comes as a surprise as it creates a new benchmark for the cruise industry.

The newly launched fully vaccinated cruise was originally set to sail in Rome and make its way to Florida. However, covid ensured that it makes its debut from Israel, making it the first Royal Caribbean cruise to set sail from Israel.

“The current situation throughout Europe is still uncertain, and Israel has been praised for their effective COVID-19 management by global experts and communities, and thus is well-placed to resume cruise operations,” said Lyan Sierra-Caro, spokesperson for Royal Caribbean.

Realising Their Israel Dream

This exclusive cruise will be only offered to vaccinated Israelis. It’s a 3-7 night round trip cruise journey to the Greek Isles and Cyprus. The cruise will operate from Israel’s Haifa port.

Royal Caribbean International President Michael Batley said that sailing from Israel was in their plan for a long and the pandemic made it happen. Michael appreciated Israel’s Government’s efforts and thanked them for this collaboration.

The Vaccine Proof Requirement

The cruise liner has already chalked out the detailed plan for the cruise destinations and now they are finalizing the vaccination proof procedure. They still haven’t decided what kind of vaccination proof should be carried by the passengers.

“We are still working with the local health authorities on what this will look like and will have more details shortly,” Sierra-Caro said.

They are closely working with Israeli authorities to formulate a plan. They are discussing whether the type of vaccine is an essential thing to mention.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hailed the cruise ship launch attributing it to the vaccination success of the country.



Reference: usatoday.com

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Source: Maritime Shipping News