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Which Cruise Lines Have Restarted Cruising?

Silver Moon Exterior (Photo: Colleen McDaniel)

August 20, 2021

Cruise Critic

Staff

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(Updated 5:21 p.m. EDT) -- While the global COVID-19 pandemic has shut down most cruise lines since mid-March 2020, many of the world's cruise lines have now resumed service, albeit in a limited capacity.

All these lines are operating strict new health and safety protocols that can include mandatory vaccination against COVID-19, pre-cruise or pierside PCR or antigen testing, and masking requirements onboard and ashore -- full details can be found on our continually updated health and safety feature

While the current list of lines in operation is limited to a handful of ships per line, things are slowly ramping up. Here is a round-up of which lines have restarted cruising on what ships, as well as where they are going and who can sail.

Ocean Cruises

AIDA

Ships: AIDAperla, AIDAmar and AIDASol, AIDAblu

Itineraries: Canary Islands, Germany, Greece

Who can go: German citizens

Alaskan Dream Cruises

Ships: Kruzof Explorer, Chichagof Dream, Alaskan Dream

Itineraries: Alaska

Who can go: Vaccinated passengers

American Cruise Lines

Ships: American Constellation, Independence

Itineraries: Coastal southeastern United States, Alaska, Puget Sound

Who can go: All passengers

Aranui

Ships: Aranui 5

Itineraries: French Polynesia

Who can go: All visitors.

Bahamas Paradise

Ships: Grand Classica

Itineraries: Bahamas

Who can go: All visitors

Carnival Cruise Line

Ships: Mardi Gras, Carnival Vista, Carnival Horizon, Carnival Miracle, Carnival Panorama

Itineraries: Caribbean, Alaska, Mexican Riviera

Who can go: All travellers

Celebrity Cruises

Ships: Celebrity Millennium, Celebrity Apex, Celebrity Edge, Celebrity Summit

Itineraries:Alaska, Caribbean, Mediterranean

Who can go: Vaccinated travellers

Celestyal Cruises

Ships: Celestyal Crystal, Celestyal Olympia

Itineraries:Greece

Who can go: All travellers; season ends in August 2021 to resume in Spring 2022.

Costa Cruises

Ships: Costa Smerelda

Itineraries: Costa Smerelda operates from Savona, calling in at Civitavecchia (for Rome), Naples, Messina, Cagliari and La Spezia.

Who can go: Italians only, opening up to more European nationalities gradually.

Coral Expeditions

Ship: Coral Discoverer, Coral Adventurer

Itineraries: Coral Discoverer offers 10-and-16-night Tasmanian voyages from Sydney or Hobart began January 1, 2021. Coral Adventurer will return to operations from Cairns, offering Great Barrier Reef cruises.

Who can go: Australians

Crystal Cruises

Ship: Crystal Symphony, Crystal Serenity, Crystal Endeavor

Itineraries: Bahamas, Caribbean, Iceland

Who can go: Vaccinated passengers

Cunard Line

Ship: Queen Elizabeth

Itineraries: UK

Who can go: UK residents only

Disney Cruise Line

Ship: Disney Magic

Itineraries: UK

Who can go: UK residents

Dream Cruises

Ship: Explorer Dream, World Dream

Itineraries: Explorer Dream: From Taipei, offering four-day cruises to Taiwanese islands

World Dream: From Singapore, for Singaporeans only, offering three- and four-night cruises to nowhere.

Who can go: Taiwanese and Singaporeans.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines

Ships: Bolette, Borealis

Itineraries:UK

Who can go: UK residents

Hapag-Lloyd

Ship: Europa 2

Itineraries: Greece.

Who can go: Germans, Austrians, Swiss

Heritage Expeditions

Ship: Spirit of Enderby

Itineraries: Fiordland Land and Stewart Island; Auckland Islands.

Who can go: New Zealanders.

Holland America Line

Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam, Eurodam

Itineraries: Alaska, Mediterranean

Who can go: Fully vaccinated passengers.

Lindblad Expeditions

Ship: National Geographic Quest, National Geographic Venture, National Geographic Endeavour II

Itineraries: Alaska, Galapagos Islands

Who can go: Vaccinated travellers over the age of 16

The Majestic Line

Ship: Glen Tarsan

Itineraries: Hebrides.

Who can go: Scots.

Metropolitan Touring

Ship: La Pinta

Itineraries: Galapagos Islands expeditions

Who can go:Anyone eligible to travel to Ecuador

MSC Cruises

Ships: MSC Grandiosa restarted cruises on January 24, 2021. MSC Seaside resumed cruising from May 1, 2021. MSC Virtuosa restarted from Southampton for English citizens on May 20, 2021. MSC Meraviglia restarted U.S. operations August 2, 2021.

Itineraries: MSC Grandiosa and MSC Seaside operate out of from Genoa, offering week-long cruises round Italy. MSC Seaside features two new destinations -- Siracusa in Sicily and Taranto in Puglia, where the line has a private beach.

MSC Virtuosa, the line's newest ship, operates four-night cruises stopping at Portland, Dorest; before moving to seven-night cruises from June, calling in at Liverpool, Belfast and Greenock, Scotland. MSC Meraviglia sails from Miami to the Caribbean and Bahamas

Who can go: Schengen citizens (Grandiosa and Seaside); English citizens (Virtuosa).

Norwegian Cruise Line

Ships:Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Encore, Norwegian Gem

Itineraries: Alaska, Caribbean, Greek Isles

Who can go: Fully vaccinated travellers only -- no exceptions.

P&O

Ship: Iona, Britannia

Itineraries: UK, Mediterranean

Who can go: UK residents

Paul Gauguin

Ships: Paul Gauguin

Itineraries: French Polynesia

Who can go: Vaccinated passengers eligible to enter French Polynesia

Ponant

Ships: Le Champlain

Itineraries: Cruise to nowhere.

Who can go: Citizens and residents of Qatar.

Princess Cruises

Ships: Majestic Princess

Itineraries: Alaska

Who can go: Fully vaccinated passengers

Royal Caribbean

Ships: Quantum of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Freedom of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas

Itineraries: Alaska, Caribbean, Bahamas, Mediterranean

Who can go: Vaccinated travellers over the age of 12; unvaccinated children under the age of 12.

Silversea

Ships:Silver Moon, Silver Origin, Silver Muse, Silver Shadow

Itineraries: Mediterranean, Galapagos, Alaska, Iceland

Who can go: Fully vaccinated travellers

TUI

Ships: Mein Schiff 1, Mein Schiff 2, Mein Schiff 5

Itineraries: Mein Schiff 1 operates from Kiel; Mein Schiff 2 operates 14-day itineraries around the Canary Islands; Mein Schiff 5 is based in Crete and operates around the Greek islands.

Who can go: Germans