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Cruise lines call on passengers to ask Congress to restart US cruising

April 09, 2021
•
3 min read
Celebrity Apex
Cruise lines call on passengers to ask Congress to restart US cruising
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I love seeing messages from Celebrity Cruises' Captain's Club in my email inbox. They're usually filled with interesting tidbits about destinations on forthcoming voyages or ways to earn extra loyalty points. But, the note I got today was different.

Celebrity Cruises asks that I -- and all of its past and future passengers -- reach out to our elected officials in the Congress and Senate to urge them to restart cruising from U.S. homeports.

The email says, in part, that "Cruising remains the only sector of the economy that is prohibited by the U.S. Government from operating at this time." This is due to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Conditional Sailing Order, which bans cruise ships from sailing from ports in this country.

This has been a great source of frustration not only to cruise lines and cruise fans but also to the State of Florida, where many homeports, such as Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral, are located. On Thursday, TPG reported that the state of Florida had filed suit against the federal government to force it to allow cruise lines to resume sailing out of U.S. ports.

Celebrity and the Sunshine State aren't alone in this fight, though. Major players in the industry, from Norwegian Cruise Line to Royal Caribbean to the industry's CLIA association, are all asking Congress to take action. They believe it's necessary to restart cruising from U.S. ports and their customers agree. According to Celebrity's email, more than 300,000 jobs have been lost in the U.S. because of the suspension of cruise travel.

Screenshot from Celebrity Cruises' email

While some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Viking Cruises, Seabourn and Silversea, have put summertime sailings on their books, none of them can embark from a U.S. port due to the CDC's Conditional Sail Order.

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If you want to sail this summer, you're jetting off to ports in Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Iceland or Greece.

Cruise lines are asking the House, Senate and the Biden administration to lift the CDC's Conditional Sailing Order by this July.

It appears that the cruise lines may have some support from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. At a White House briefing today, he said, "The CDC is hopeful that a lot of these operators will be able to be cruising by mid-summer. We want to do this as soon as we responsibly can, but we want to be safe."

If you want to weigh in on this issue, CLIA's Action Center makes it easy to do so. In addition to explaining the issue, it offers a template where you can enter your information to email your thoughts to your U.S. senators and representatives.

There's also a tab if you want to take your message to Twitter and information on how to call your representatives if you prefer to literally voice your opinion.

Featured image by CELEBRITY CRUISES
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

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  • Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
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  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
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