Florida governor Ron DeSantis on Friday became the latest politician to express frustration with the CDC and implored it to rescind its restrictions on cruising.
"I urge the CDC to immediately rescind this baseless no-sail order to allow Floridians in this industry to get back to work," DeSantis said during a press conference at Port Canaveral's new Terminal 3, with cruise executives including Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy, MSC Cruises USA chairman Rick Sasso, Norwegian Cruise Line president Harry Sommer, Royal Caribbean International president Michael Bayley and Thomas Mazloum, president of Disney Signature Experiences, in attendance.
Ron DeSantis
DeSantis was referring to the CDC's current Conditional Sailing Order, which forbids cruising in U.S. waters until Nov. 1 or until the lines pass guidelines set by the CDC and receive a conditional operating certificate, whichever comes first. However, the CDC has not yet provided any specific guidelines on how cruise lines can receive an operating certificate.
DeSantis said that the CDC has not updated its guidance based on current data "to justify the lockdown of the industry," and he said that while the industry has spent the last year preparing to safely resume service, "they've been blocked by the CDC every step of the way."
The governor said that while Florida cruise ports have lost hundreds of millions of dollars to the year-long cruise shutdown, and stand to lose millions more, Americans wishing to cruise will be able to board ships just outside U.S. borders this summer in the Caribbean. In the last two weeks, Crystal Cruises and Royal Caribbean Group brands Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean international said they were launching service in the Caribbean and Europe in June.
"If you say they can't sail in the U.S., people will still be taking cruises," he said. "Instead of flying to Orlando, or here, or Fort Lauderdale, you'll have people fly to the Bahamas and other places. So the activity won't be any different; it's just going to be detrimental to states like Florida that have so many people who depend on this industry for their livelihood. We absolutely need a way forward."
He added that in Florida, the ripple effects of cruise shutdown impacts "small business and mom and pop shops" that service the industry.
"We need to be able to get these cruise lines operating again," he added.
DeSantis echoed arguments being made by CLIA and ASTA, which both recently called on the CDC to adjust the timeline of the order, saying that myriad other forms of transportation and leisure activity are already back.
"We have people flying on airplanes, on buses, hotels, restaurants, theme parks, casinos, you name it -- all this stuff is going, but somehow the cruise is viewed differently," he said. "Give them a date so they can plan and be ready to go. And I can tell you, we'll put a lot of people back to work in this state if we're able to do it."
He said that he and the attorney general of Florida are looking into any potential "on the legal side" to reinstate cruising, but hopes to not have to "go down that road."
Nick Pena, a Cruise Planners travel advisor in attendance, said he had to move out of Miami and in with his family in Orlando because of the financial impact the pandemic has had on him.
"My Florida clients are used to the local drive market that the Florida cruise industry presents," he said. "Right now, my clients who are vaccinated and who are willing to follow social distancing and mask mandates are ready to cruise. The pent-up demand is real, and my phone is ringing off the hook with travelers who are ready to hit the seas."
Pena said those clients are willing to get on an airplane and follow safety protocols in order to go to Caribbean and set sail from there.
"These are the same vaccinated Americans who could cruise from a domestic port if the [order] was lifted," he said.