GALVESTON
If cruise ships resume operating from Galveston later this summer, they probably won’t sail packed full of people, Port of Galveston Executive Director Rodger Rees said Tuesday.
During a meeting of the Galveston Wharves Board of Trustees, Rees gave an update about the limited information the port has about its cruise tenants’ plans to, possibly, return to business under operating protocols meant to keep passengers and crew members safe from COVID-19.
“I think what they’re planning on doing is to come back at 25 to 30 percent starting out,” Rees said. “I don’t know how long that will go on, and I think it’s going to be a matter of how they handle that on the ships. I’ve heard conversations where they’re talking about only using outside cabins and using every other cabin, at least early on.”
Carnival Cruise Line on May 4 announced it plans to restart cruises from Galveston and two Florida ports beginning Aug. 1. Since then, however, the company has disclosed no details about its plans.
Similarly, Royal Caribbean Cruises has officially canceled all of its cruises through July 31, leaving open the possibility that the cruises could return in Galveston or other places in August. Royal Caribbean has not announced any cruise start dates however.
The two companies were scheduled to sail 304 cruises from Galveston this year, but shutdowns prompted by the coronavirus have caused the cancellation of dozens of cruises since the last ship left Galveston on March 12.
Limits on the number of people who can sail on each ship could mean a difference on thousands of people traveling to and through the port of Galveston on a given day. The Carnival Vista, the largest ship among those homeported in Galveston, has a normal capacity of 3,934 passengers.
The Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas has a normal capacity of 2,252 passengers.
Carnival Cruise Line has not publicly revealed its plans for reopening, Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said.
Smaller cruise lines that have announced reopening plans have disclosed changes the larger cruise lines might adopt, however.
The American Queen Steamboat Co., which offers cruises on the Mississippi River, plans to require passengers to undergo temperature checks, will limit off-ship excursions and will not offer buffet meals, according to a report by Bloomberg Businessweek.
The port plans to make some renovations to its cruise terminals, including installing glass barriers in parts of the terminal to limit the exposure between cruise guests and employees and contractors working at the port.
Rees noted the actual return date for cruises was also dependent on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control Prevention allowing business to resume. A CDC-imposed no-sail order is in place until July 22. While that order could be lifted earlier, the agency has not indicated it’s ready to change its policies, Rees said.
“It’s all dependent on the CDC no-sail order,” Rees said. “I know the cruise lines have presented plans to the CDC on how they intend to cruise. They haven’t got a response on that at all.”
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Port of Galveston director expects limited cruise ship capacity come August - Galveston County Daily News
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