If you want to board a cruise in the US right now, and you’re at least 12 years old, you’ve got to be vaccinated.  What exactly does it mean, though, to “be vaccinated”?  It turns out, the definition varies, and it kept some would-be-cruisers from setting sail, especially Canadians.  That is, until now.  Because so many things have changed recently, it's easy to get confused, so let's review vaccine requirements for cruisers...

In an announcement leading to changes at many cruise lines, the Bahamian Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis signed an emergency powers order that prohibits cruise ships from entering Bahamian ports unless all persons 12 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. 

Sunday evening a US District judge granted a preliminary injunction to stop Florida's so called "vaccine passport ban".  The Florida law, until now, prohibited businesses (including cruise lines) from denying service to customers if they couldn't provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Businesses violating the law were subject to a $5,000 fine per instance.  Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, originally filed a suit on the matter in July of this year.

Royal Caribbean is bringing more and more ships back into service.  Before each ship can sail with paying guests, they complete what the CDC calls a Simulated Voyage with volunteers, where the line demonstrates proper protocols can be followed onboard.  We got an surprise in our inbox recently, as we’ve been invited to sail the Simulated Voyage for Mariner of the Seas this week...

In this episode of Billy's Cruise Takes we discuss Carnival's return to service, the importance of Alaska sailings resuming, mixed vaccines, the state of the Conditional Sail Order, and a new cruise that we just booked

The last time a large cruise ship was in Alaska was September of 2019 - until now.  That might not matter to some, but if you’re one of the 8,500 residents of Sitka, AK, the return of cruising is the ability to breathe again.  Just like when cruising returned to the Caribbean in early June of 2021, it was Royal Caribbean Group that was first to bring that oxygen to the community, this time in the Last Frontier, with Serenade of the Seas and her 2,143 guests.

When Celebrity Edge set sail as the first cruise ship leaving the US with guests in over 15 months, it came after a lot of planning, preparation, and of course certain new rules in place to ensure the safety of guests, crew, and those in the communities the ship visits.  For those looking to sail Celebrity Edge, or any other ship in the near future, we thought it’d be helpful to go over some of the COVID related rules, as well as our experience from being on the first two Celebrity Edge cruises back...

The return to service for cruise lines has just begun, but despite the significant logistics involved, things are starting to move quickly.  One of the largest and best known lines, Carnival Cruise Line, has announced that they'll be brining even more ships back in September and October - with a total of 15 vessels sailing, and plans to have the rest sailing by the end of the year...

This is the first In the very first episode of Billy's Cruise Takes I weigh in on NCLH suing Florida, Carnival's smoking policy changes, Canada allowing cruising, and the state of the Conditional sailing order...

Cruising is back, and we could all use a vacation. Depending on the cruise you take, and whether you’re fully vaccinated, the available cruise experiences can be very different.  Will you need to wear a mask?  Will you have access to all the spaces and services you expect?  It’s not as easy as we’d like to tell what the restrictions will be on any given cruise, but we’ve got some tips that can help clear things up...