Level 4: Very High Level of COVID-19 DO NOT CRUISE

 DO NOT CRUISE

That is what the CDC reports on 

December 30, 2021

The COVID-19 Travel Health Notice level has been updated from Level 3 to Level 4, the highest level. This reflects increases in cases onboard cruise ships since identification of the Omicron variant.

It is not safe.

I am seeing a ton of adverts with really tempting prices, but is it worth death or sickness?

I have only been on one cruise (the Inside Passage Alaska), and I recall the screening process before we boarded in Whittier. Picture below:

Whittier is pretty interesting since while you can get to it by boat, if you want to drive, you need to go through a tunnel that changes direction every half hour.

So back to health issues for cruises:

Key Information for Cruise Ship Travelers

• Avoid cruise travel, regardless of vaccination status.
• Even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.
• The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily between people in close quarters on board ships, and the chance of getting COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high, even if you are fully vaccinated and have received a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose.
• Outbreaks of COVID-19 have been reported on cruise ships.
• If you travel on a cruise ship, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel and get a COVID-19 vaccine booster dose if you are eligible.
• People who go on a cruise should get tested 1–3 days before their trip and 3–5 days after their trip, regardless of vaccination status or symptoms.
• Along with testing, passengers who are not fully vaccinated should self-quarantine for a full 5 days after cruise travel.  
• People on cruise ships should wear a mask to keep their nose and mouth covered when in shared spaces. While CDC is exercising its enforcement discretion under CDC’s Mask Order to not require that persons wear a mask under certain circumstances on board foreign-flagged cruise ships subject to the Temporary Extension & Modification of the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (CSO), including onboard cruise ships choosing to follow the requirements of the CSO on a voluntary basis, individual cruise lines may require travelers (passengers and crew) to wear masks on board the ship.

Wait for more people to get vaccinated and it will be safe to cruise in a year or so.