But, he added, others may want to cancel if they have underlying conditions, are unvaccinated or are in contact with others who may be at risk.
“Personally, I’ve taken several cruises since they’ve returned, but I’m holding off on sailing for a month or two until things have calmed down,” Callais said. “With daily contact with a family member that has health issues, I think there’s no harm in putting off travel until cases fall.”
The CDC advises people who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to avoid cruise travel and advises travelers to get a booster shot if eligible, Daigle said.
While the cruise industry hasn’t stopped operations and lines haven’t canceled cruises themselves, a cruise vacation may look different as coronavirus begins to spread more rapidly.
Cruise attorney Michael Winkleman told USA TODAY he doesn’t think cruisers necessarily should cancel but “they should expect the unexpected and be ready to deal with itinerary changes.”
Some itinerary changes have already occurred on sailings with coronavirus cases on board.
Holland America’s Koningsdam ship skipped a port call at Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, spokesperson Erik Elvejord confirmed to USA TODAY Sunday.
The ship had “small number of fully-vaccinated crew on Koningsdam tested positive for COVID-19,” Holland America said, without specifying the number of crew who tested positive. No passengers tested positive.
By mex
