Norwegian Cruise Line has joined the sailing party from Florida with only vaccinated guests thanks to a federal court injunction over a new state law that prohibits proof of vaccination.
The company’s return to the state was uncertain as it wanted to stick with its vaccinated-only guest policy despite the passage of the law on July 1 in Florida that would fine companies $5,000 per instance for demanding so-called vaccine passports.
A federal judge earlier in August granted a preliminary injunction against enforcing the law while the case continues. The state has appealed the injunction ruling to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we visit is our No. 1 priority, today, tomorrow and forever,” said Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings President and CEO Frank del Rio after the ruling. “It’s not a slogan or a tagline, we fiercely mean it and our commitment to these principles is demonstrated by the lengths our company has gone through to provide the safest possible cruise experience from Florida.”
Del Rio earlier in 2021 had traded barbs with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis over its cruise policies threatening to have the company’s cruise lines, which also include Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas, find other ports of departure than Florida. DeSantis had at one point referred to NCL as a smaller, expendable cruise line. It’s the third largest in the world behind Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Group.
“We want nothing more than to sail from Miami, the Cruise Capital of the World, and from the other fabulous Florida ports and we welcome today’s ruling that allows us to sail with 100% fully vaccinated guests and crew which we believe is the safest and most prudent way to resume cruise operations amid this global pandemic,” Del Rio said. “The public health environment continues to evolve around the globe and our robust science-backed health and safety protocols, with vaccines at its cornerstone, allow us to provide what we believe is the safest vacation experience for people who long to get back to their everyday lives and explore the world once again.”
With the ruling, NCL was able to move forward with Sunday’s departure of Norwegian Gem as planned from the company’s new terminal at PortMiami. NCL now joins Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, MSC Cruises and Disney Cruise Line among companies that have returned to sailing from Florida.
Norwegian had made its first U.S. return from Seattle last week aboard Norwegian Encore. Outside of Florida, cruise lines have not had as big a hurdle with requiring proof of vaccination, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has granted ships conditional sailing certificates based on promises to sail with at least 95% passengers fully vaccinated.
The alternative is for ships to perform simulated test sailings to show their COVID-19 safety protocols work. Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line opted for that because they continue to cater to families that have a lot of children under the age of 12 on board. Children 11 and under do not have an option yet to get a vaccine.
Norwegian Gem is the first ship to return to Florida but plans to bring Norwegian Escape to Port Canaveral on Nov. 13. The line also has a ship sailing in Europe and plans to begin sailing from New York in September.
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