Royal Caribbean International Cancels Israel and Goes to Florida

Royal Caribbean International reportedly cancels its Israel season due to the recent conflict between the Israeli government and Hamas. Hundreds of people have been killed in the Gaza Strip. The latest conflict originated after Israeli police tried to evict Palestinian families from their homes. Tension escalated and the Hamas fired rockets at Israel. The cruise line announced last Saturday that the first-ever planned sailings from Haifa will have to wait.

The Odyssey of the Seas was supposedly going to sail beginning June 2 through October in Israel. However, it is not all bad news for Royal Caribbean International. The Odyssey of the Seas is set to sail in Florida. Lyan Sierra-Caro who works as Royal Caribbean International’s spokesperson said that “due to the unrest in Israel and the region, Odyssea has not been able to complete the preparations required to operate from Haifa as planned”.

CDC’s New Guidelines

With the number of people vaccinated in the US, the CDC allowed cruises to resume operations. However, this move didn’t happen smoothly. The industry had to put pressure against the agency to let the industry resume its operations. Florida and Alaska even sued the agency for not allowing the cruise industry to resume operations.

This time, cruises have the chance to skip simulated sailings and go straight towards regular operations. The catch is that they will have to get 98% of the crew and 95% of passengers fully vaccinated. Another thing that cruises can look forward to is the newest mask guidelines by the industry for vaccinated individuals. According to the CDC, fully vaccinated individuals can now remove their masks indoors and outdoors.

The bigger question now is if cruises can operate in Florida? Florida recently passed a law against COVID vaccine passports. It means that businesses can’t ask both employees and customers about their vaccine status. Without the law repealed, some cruises are still hesitant to come back to Florida.