The Majestic Princess made its debut in China in 2017 and then moved to Australia. However, since China and Australia are not yet open for cruising, Princess Cruises relocated to the US. Princess Cruises chose the west coast, an area that’s not that popular for cruising compared to places like Florida and Texas.
Majestic Princess and Other Cruises
The Majestic Princess is scheduled to sail via the port of San Francisco on Monday. This makes the Majestic Princess the first cruise ship to dock in the San Francisco Bay Area since the no-sail order in March 2020.
The port of San Francisco is the only cruise terminal in the Bay Area. But for the remaining months of the year, San Francisco expects to welcome 21 other cruise ships. And by 2022, San Francisco expects 127 port calls. In 2019, the cruise industry contributed $27 million to San Francisco’s economy.
Mayor London N. Breed announced on Friday that she is excited to welcome back cruises and passengers in San Francisco. She said that “Tourism is a critical part of our City’s economy, helping to pay for important services that allow us to take care of our most vulnerable residents”.
Safety Measures
Mayor Breed announced that the industry will resume “safely in strict compliance with all applicable US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules and regulations”.
One of the health protocols is for passengers to embark and disembark in a staggered manner. This is designed to avoid crowding. Plus, masks will be required for passengers while they are indoors. Each cruise in San Francisco has coordinated with the San Francisco Department of Public Health for health and safety guidelines.
San Francisco’s director of health Dr. Grant Colfax said that “Our City has shown that with high levels of vaccinations and the right safety protocols in place, we can open up businesses and bring back tourism while mitigating the spread of COVID19”. He added that “The return of passenger cruises to San Francisco is another step forward in that direction”.
To sail, passengers will also have to complete COVID19 vaccine doses 14 days before the cruise. Plus, they will have to show a negative COVID19 test taken two days before the embarkation.
