Carnival to return to Puerto Plata and La Romana with vaccinated passengers

ITS HORIZON AND VISTA CRUISES WILL OPERATE AS OF JULY

The shipping company is grateful for the support of the CDC and other federal agencies in the United States.

Cruise ship passengers must present proof of vaccination against Covid-19.

Carnival will start operating again in the Amber Cove Port of Puerto Plata, having 100% of its crew vaccinated and allowing 95% of the passengers to be vaccinated, understanding that 5% are child passengers, less likely to suffer Covid-19. The first voyages would take place on July 6, 16, 20, and 30.

It would call on La Romana twice, on July 15 and 29, before docking in Puerto Plata with the operations. The Carnival Horizon has a capacity of up to 6,538 passengers and 1,423 crew members.

The first ship to sail will be the Carnival Vista from Galveston, Texas, on July 3, followed by the Carnival Breeze, which will sail on July 15, according to a press release.

The cruises are available to passengers who have received their final dose of a Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days before the start of the cruise. They must present proof of vaccination.

“We appreciate the progress and support from CDC and other key federal agencies for our U.S. restart. However, the CDC’s current requirements for cruising with unvaccinated passengers will make it very difficult to provide the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us,” said Christine Duffy, president of the cruise line.

“As a result, our alternative is to operate from the United States during the month of July with vaccinated guests,” she said.

The Carnival Horizon will also sail in July from the port of Miami. The company did not provide further details on the specific health protocols it will maintain onboard but indicated that it would provide weekly updates for booked guests.

Crew members on Carnival ships will be vaccinated, and Duffy noted that they have received “strong support” from both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, as well as other state and port officials, to make vaccinations available to cruise line staff, which has expedited the restart process.