Based on today’s announcement, Carnival sailing from Miami in July 2021 on Carnival Horizon is likely but with some question marks. Vaccination is the sticking point in Florida where Governor DeSantis is pursuing a lawsuit to block cruise lines from asking guests about their vaccination status.

Related: Shop the best deals for cruises on Carnival Horizon now

We have been working to navigate through the evolving guidance for restarting our ships in the U.S. We appreciate the support for our U.S. restart and the industry continues to be in regular communication with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requesting that more manageable guidelines be adopted, especially as it relates to families traveling with children under the age of 12 who are ineligible for vaccination. The current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated are much more restrictive and will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us.

Earlier today we announced that we plan to operate our ships sailing from Galveston during the month of July with vaccinated guests. This approach, however, requires guests to provide proof of vaccination at time of check-in which is currently prohibited in the State of Florida. As stated above, we continue to work with CDC on its requirements for unvaccinated guests, especially children under the age of 12 and we are working with the Governor of Florida to find a resolution so we can begin cruising from Florida in the same manner that we are sailing from Galveston in July and satisfy their requirements.

We continue to believe these matters will be resolved in time for Carnival Horizon’s first departure from Miami on July 4 and we remain optimistic that requirements for cruising from the U.S. will continue to evolve and our approach to future sailings will become more flexible. However, at this time we must follow the requirements we have as of today.

Carnival

As noted above, Carnival announced a return to Galveston this Summer causing an uproar over requiring guests be vaccinated. They’ve also made this requirement for guests who want to be on Carnival sailing from Miami. Their stated reason makes sense even though other cruise lines have decided to allow children too young for the vaccine onboard. Carnival’s core consumer is families with young children and allowing them to cruise unvaccinated would be be “less fun” due to the restrictions that would have to be in place.

With the ongoing discussion and legal maneuvers surrounding whether or not it’s OK to force guests to disclose their vaccination status, the status of Carnival sailing from Miami is uncertain. As a result, Carnival is promising a decision by June 11 for what protocols will be in place and they’re allowing guests to rebook or cancel and request a refund until June 14.

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