by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:42 PM ET, Tue October 26, 2021
After Monday's announcement by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention regarding the extension of the conditional sailing order (CSO) for cruise ships, the travel industry is looking forward to when ships can sail again at full capacity.
Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) vice president Charles Sylvia said the cruise industry is moving into the "final chapter of our successful restart, as we look forward to 100 percent of our fleet capacity being in service by early 2022."
The updated CSO features only minor modifications and runs through January 15, 2022.
When the updated sailing order expires, CDC officials said the agency would transition to a voluntary program in coordination with the cruise industry to detect, mitigate and control the spread of COVID-19 onboard ships.
CDC officials said they do not view this temporary extension as imposing any new burdens or obligations on cruise ship operators when compared to the previous CSO.
"I believe the state of the cruise industry is getting stronger each day," TheCruiseGenius.com's Scott Lara said. "Many of my clients are calling and asking questions about vaccination requirements and booking. I'm encouraged that new ships are coming online and feel confident about the future of our industry."
The CDC first issued a no-sail order effective March 14, 2020, after most cruise lines and CLIA voluntarily agreed to suspend cruise operations from U.S. ports for 30 days.
The no-sail order was extended three times until a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order was issued on October 30, 2020, and modified twice before cruise ships began operating test cruises or requiring vaccination of 95 percent of passengers and crew.
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