Cruise ships will be the 'safest place on earth' when they relaunch, Norwegian Cruise Line CEO says
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Brittany Chang
Apr 7, 2021, 20:05 IST
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings CEO Frank Del Rio in 2012.David Ramos/Getty Images
Frank Del Rio, Norwegian Cruise Line parent CEO, told CNBC that cruises will become "the safest place on earth."
On Monday, Norwegian sent a letter to the CDC detailing its plans to resume cruising from the US by July.
This includes mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for both guests and crew.
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Frank Del Rio, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' president and CEO, says cruise ships will "become the safest place on earth" as cruise like Norwegian continue to ramp up health protocols, Del Rio told CNBC's Jim Cramer on "Mad Money" on Monday.
Part of Norwegian's return to sailing plan includes a sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandate for both guests and crew aboard Norwegian's three brands: Norwegian, Oceania, and Regent Seven Seas. The ships will also initially operate at a reduced capacity, and will implement several other health protocols to create a "safe, 'bubble-like' environment."
"I challenge you to tell me of another venue anywhere that has this kind of ironclad health and safety protocols in place," Del Rio told CNBC's Cramer on Monday. "Cruise ships will de facto become the safest place on earth."
In the new update, the CDC called on cruise companies to create a timeline to vaccinate crew members and port workers. However, it shied away from enforcing an industry-wide vaccine mandate and didn't push the return of cruising to a sooner date, the latter a direct request from the cruise industry.
"It's time to get back to cruising," Del Rio told CNBC's Cramer. "We have a solid plan … I don't want to say that I'm daring the CDC to do anything, but I want to hear any feedback that suggests that this is not the best way to come back and cruise again."
Are you a cruise industry employee or have a cruise industry story to share? Contact this reporter at bchang@insider.com.
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