The world’s first fully vaccinated cruise sets sail
The world’s first fully vaccinated cruise ship has set sail from Florida after winning a lengthy legal battle.
Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) restarted their operation on August 15th with the Norwegian Gem setting sail from Florida with fully vaccinated passengers and crew.
The voyage is a result of a legal feat by the line’s parent company Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, who had sued the state of Florida to let the cruise commence.
The legal action was taken against the state, as state law banned businesses from requiring people to disclose their COVID-19 vaccination status.
Despite this law, the cruise company was insistent on having 100 percent of people on board fully vaccinated against coronavirus, as opposed to adopting voyages that allow a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers.
On August 8th, a judge ruled in favour of a preliminary injunction on the law, allowing the cruise line to go ahead with their vaccination policy.
This win kick-started NCL voyages worldwide, as cruises departed from both Greece and Alaska following the courtroom win.
Harry Sommer, NCL's president and CEO said in a press release that the win was felt around the world as the company could resume safe operations.
"It has been an exhilarating few weeks as we relaunch our fleet, reunite with our shipboard families and welcome our guests back for their long-awaited cruise vacations," he said.
"Today is even more special as it is the first time we are relaunching from our hometown and from the new NCL Terminal at PortMiami. After many months, we are ready to deliver a safe and memorable experience for our guests at every step of their cruise journey."
Image credit: Shutterstock