Cruise lines are making agreements with ports around the country to comply with the CDC's requirement that procedures are in place to prevent Covid-19 transmission on ships and in ports and that there is a public health plan in the event that cases are discovered.
Carnival Corp. said Friday that it had received CDC approval for port agreements it made with the first three homeports it plans to launch operations from: PortMiami, the Port of Galveston and Port Canaveral.
Carnival said last month that the Carnival Horizon would launch from Miami and the Carnival Vista and Carnival Breeze from Galveston in July as its first ships to return to service. Carnival said it would release its plans for Port Canaveral operations soon.
The Mardi Gras, the line's newest ship, will arrive at Port Canaveral on Friday, June 4, from where it will sail seven-day Caribbean itineraries. But Carnival has not revealed when the ship will enter service.
"These agreements move us one step closer to sailing with our loyal guests," said Lars Ljoen, chief maritime officer for Carnival Cruise Line. "We appreciate the support from not just these three homeport partners but all of our homeports that are eager to have us back as soon as possible."
According to the Alaska governor's office, Norwegian Cruise Line signed an agreement with the state of Alaska and several port operators last week, laying out protocols for its resumption of cruises, that is being submitted to the CDC for approval.
The Norwegian Bliss is scheduled to launch service Aug. 7 from Seattle to ports in southeast Alaska, including Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan and Icy Strait Point.
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