Carnival Corporation has received approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) for restart agreements with three of its key U.S. homeports.
The CDC has approved Carnival’s Phase 2A Port Agreements with PortMiami, Port of Galveston and Port Canaveral, the first three homeports that the cruise line is focusing on for its return to operations this summer.
“These agreements move us one step closer to sailing with our loyal guests,” said Lars Ljoen, executive vice president and chief maritime officer, Carnival Cruise Line, in a press release statement. “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.”
Carnival has already announced that Carnival Horizon (sailing from Miami) and Carnival Vista and Breeze (sailing from Galveston) will be the first ships to carry guests as the line plans its return to service in July. The cruise line expects to announce plans to resume operations from Port Canaveral in the near future.
“This is the exciting news that we have been waiting for,” stated Capt. John Murray, CEO, Port Canaveral, in a press release statement. “A tremendous amount of cooperative effort went into these agreements as we worked closely with our partner, Carnival Cruise Line. This is a monumental step to getting the cruise industry up and running once again.”
Under the CDC guidelines, a cruise line must have agreements with its homeports that they are prepared to support the cruise operator with additional public health and operational resources prior to the implementation of simulated cruise and/or full guest operations.
For more information, visit carnival.com.
