Two Major Cruise Lines Cave And Join the CDC Voluntary Reporting Program

Royal Caribbean and Carnival Corp. will join NCL Holdings after the CDC made changes.

Last Month, Aimee Treffiletti, a captain in the U.S. Public Health Service and lead for the CDC's maritime unit, told The Washington Post, that for cruise lines joining the CDC's "It's really about transparency with the cruising public. They'll be able to say that they're in constant communication with the CDC, they're reporting covid cases as well as other respiratory diseases to the CDC on a daily basis, and they're following all the public health protocols and mitigation strategies to control the spread."

Only after the CDC made significant changes to the program on the eve of the final day to register, did Carnival Cruise Corp and Royal Caribbean decided to join the party.

The Cruise Line Industry Association issued a statement recommending their members join. The statement read, "The updated instructions move closer to recognizing the cruise industry's leadership in effectively mitigating COVID-19, as well as acknowledging ongoing improvements in the health environment."

As part of the program, the CDC will display a list of cruise ships sailing in U.S. waters and indicate whether they have reported coronavirus cases on board. The agency will also show the percentage of vaccinated people on ships, and whether most onboard are up to date on their coronavirus vaccines.

A recent survey of 4,025 Cruise Critics revealed that 58 percent of the people polled do not care if a ship is reporting to the CDC.