Last week, the CDC’s ongoing no sail order that had been continually extended since March 2020, was allowed to expire. While cruise lines and cruisers alike were anxiously waiting for that moment for months, the CDC quickly released a detailed 40 page document outlining the steps required by cruise lines to start sailing again.

The CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing order follows a phased approach to resuming cruises from the United States. From reading the document, it becomes very clear that a full scale restart of the cruising business is not imminent. This point has been reinforced by the fact that every major cruise line operating from U.S. ports has already canceled the remaining cruises departing in 2020.

Some Cruise Lines have briefly commented on the Conditional Sail Order:

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Cruise Line will continue to work with the CDC on an eventual return to guest cruise operations. We are evaluating the CDC’s new order that sets out the conditions under which cruising can resume, but there are a significant number of requirements that must be evaluated in the context of our plans to resume operations. We ask our guests, travel advisors and community and destination partners for their patience as we complete our review. We are committed to communicating more details as soon as possible.

Royal Caribbean Group

While we are eager to welcome our guests back on board, we have a lot to do between now and then, and we’re committed to taking the time to do things right. This includes training our crew in new health and safety protocols and conducting a number of trial sailings to stress-test those protocols in real-world conditions.

Norwegian Cruise Line

On October 30, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) issued the Framework for Conditional Sailing Order (the “Order”), a roadmap for the steps the CDC will require for resumption of cruise voyages in the U.S. The Company will closely review the Order and continue to partner with global and domestic authorities, including the CDC, to chart a path forward. We are committed to taking all appropriate steps and actions to combat the spread of COVID-19 and are working closely and in partnership with local, state, federal and global agencies.

What are the key points of the new Conditional Sailing Order and what does this mean for cruise passengers?

The expiration and replacement of the long-standing no sail order was welcomed by cruise lines and cruise passengers. With all cruise lines already canceling the rest of the 2020 cruise departures from U.S ports, the earliest cruises could restart would be in January 2021.

Any restart would be contingent on successful completion and certification of the required simulated cruises and other restrictions under the Conditional Sailing Order over the next several weeks. Additionally, the new order will likely have some impact on many cruises already booked to depart January 2021 onward, with capacity limits, length of cruises and number of ships allowed in port at any one time.

Read the full 40-page CDC Framework for Conditional Sailing order.