Worth the wait: Norwegian cruises set sail from Seattle, US ports with 100% vaccination requirement

There may have been a lengthy lineup at the COVID testing facility outside Port of Seattle’s Pier 66 over the weekend, but the sentiment was unanimous among eager cruise passengers and personnel: the wait was worth it. 

This wait has been well over a year in the making. With this seven-day roundtrip sailing from Seattle to Alaska, Norwegian Encore made history as the first ship in the NCL fleet to return to cruising from a U.S. port in over 500 days. 

Harry Sommer, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line, is sailing – with his family – aboard Encore this week. Dr. Stephen Ostroff, formerly of the CDC and current member of Norwegian’s SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council, is also on the ship. Ostroff previously served as Acting Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 

Also cruising this week is John Y. Mason, another SailSAFE council member, who has worked with several government agencies and throughout his career focused his work on the minimization of microbial contamination risk to both humans and non-humans. 

They are among the reduced capacity cruise this week to celebrate the return of U.S. operations. And they are opting to spend their days at sea for another celebratory reason: Norwegian Cruise Line is sailing with a 100% vaccination requirement. 

Every passenger, every crew member, is fully vaccinated. No exceptions. 

“You want to cruise. We want to keep you safe,” the NCL Sail Safe website posted. “All guests and crew are required to be 100% fully vaccinated so you can safely do what you’ve always wanted to do on a cruise – everything.”  

The topic of cruise health and safety in the time of COVID took center stage on August 6 when cruise line and government officials hosted a panel discussion at Port of Seattle’s Pier 66, one day prior to Encore’s sailing. Among the panelists were Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and chairman of Norwegian’s SailSAFE Global Health and Wellness Council. 

“Having Dr. Gottlieb to my left,” Del Rio said, “is just symbolic of how seriously we take health and safety. It’s not a tagline. It’s not a slogan for us. We mean what we say, and we say what we mean."

"We had an opportunity to create the safest possible environment to enjoy a leisure activity,” said Dr. Gottlieb, referring to the “layers of protection” inclusive of strict vaccination requirements and pre-board testing.

Yes, there was a lengthy line for passengers awaiting their pre-cruise test requirements on Saturday, but such firm policies have a trickle effect within the broader community.  

A first-time cruise traveler on this Encore sailing, who asked the Seattle P-I to withhold her name, said cruising and vaccinations went hand in hand for her. “It’s the only reason I got the vaccine,” she said. “I’ve never even had a flu shot before, but I wanted to cruise and they said we all had to be vaccinated so I did it.” 

“On shore I’ll wear a mask,” she added, noting this would also be her first visit to Alaska. “But on the ship, everyone is vaccinated and had to test negative to even be allowed on the ship.” 

While every Norwegian crew member has been fully vaccinated, they will continue to wear masks. Passengers, however, may enjoy a mask-free sailing since every person aboard has received their shot and tested negative the day of boarding. 

So what about that lengthy lineup for the pre-cruise testing area? Sure, there was an occasional check of the watch as guests were eager to start their vacations. Yet each time testing center staff made an announcement to thank guests for their patience, those guests were also reminded once they stepped foot on the ship “the masks could come off.” And every single time, awaiting guests broke into applause and cheers. 

Worth the wait? It certainly seems so for these vacationers. 

Norwegian Encore is setting sail weekly from Seattle to Alaska — including Icy Strait Point, Skagway, Juneau and Ketchikan — now through October 23 and then again May through October 2022.