Goodbye Rome, shalom Israel: Odyssey Of The Seas moves its base to Haifa
Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated cruises, where both crew and guests over the age of 16 will be vaccinated against COVID-19.
It is one of the most anticipated ships of 2021, perhaps the most anticipated, along with the Scarlet Lady which was scheduled to debut in 2020 and instead should make its first cruise this summer.
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In an official statement, Royal Caribbean announced that the newest addition to its fleet will not be debuting in Italy with its home port in Rome/Civitavecchia, but will depart for weekly cruises in the eastern Mediterranean starting from Haifa in Israel and no longer calling at any Italian port
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Hard to imagine that the decision of the largest cruise line on the planet, the one that has in service the 3 largest cruise ships in the world, does not depend on the state of immunization in Israel, which, to date, has immunized almost 50% of the population. And it is precisely the vaccine that is the key to the restart of the cruises, unlike in Italy with Costa and MSC..
In cooperation with Israeli health and tourism authorities, Royal Caribbean will be the first to offer fully vaccinated cruises, where both crew and guests over the age of 16 will have received their dose against Covid-19.Â
"Thanks to the millions of inoculations we have carried out, I am proud that Israel will be the first country in the world to launch Royal Caribbean's new flagship. The decision to choose our nation is a significant expression of confidence in our policy, an important economic and tourism moment for the State of Israel, " said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .
"Israel is a successful global model. We will continue our program-the 'green passport'-so that we can come out of the Covid-19 virus in peace. Just as we made Israel the world champion in vaccines, we will also make it the world champion in economics and tourism in the post-Corona period."
This announcement, in many ways, is "momentous" because it breaks the mould by openly talking about cruise 100% vax, a topic that other companies in the industry had already covered, as the CEO of Qantas back in late December..
There are no other details in today's announcement about security protocols, but the fact that it will be open only to vaccinated passengers could open a precedent. Considering the size of Royal Caribbean, decision may in fact make this road the only road to jumpstart the U.S. market, which is the world's top cruise market. Now we will see what the other giants of the sea will respond.