In a statement published 4 May, 2020, Carnival Cruise Line has advised travel agents that eight of its ships will return to service on 1 August, 2020. This date is just one week after the expiring 100-day no sail order placed by the CDC in light of the COVID-19 crisis. Specifically, three Carnival ships will sail from Galveston, Texas; two will sail from Port Canaveral, Florida; and three others will sail from Miami.
Carnival Cruise Line states they are, “committed to supporting all public health efforts to manage the COVID-19 situation”, given this announcement of limited resumption of their North America operations.“We are taking a measured approach, focusing our return to service on a select number of homeports where we have more significant operations that are easily accessible by car for the majority of our guests.”
Will Belize be on this list for resumed service?
Ultimately, yes. Carnival plans to resume service by August 1, 2020, and Belize is found in more than one cruise package.
Travelers can book a cruise to Belize online at Carnival’s website for a 7-day Western Caribbean Cruise departing from Galveston, Texas as early as August 9th, 2020. Additionally, bookings are also being done from Orlando, Florida, starting on August 8th, 2020.
According to the Center for Disease Control, timelines for resuming cruise travel has not been discussed with any operators. Admittedly, the CDC does not have enough information to say when it’ll be safe for cruise lines to resume service. So while cruise lines await go-ahead orders, Carnival is preparing to be the first in line when travel reopens.
But will Belize be accepting travelers?
To date, all of Belize’s borders and points of entry, including maritime territories, remain closed. Belize has gone approximately 21 days without a new coronavirus case with only 2 active cases remaining. However, there has been no indication of when Belize’s borders will re-open. Consequently, there is no official confirmation of cruise lines starting in Belize on August 1, 2020.
