Norwegian Cruise Line chief executive Frank Del Rio told Wall Street analysts during an earnings call that a July restart in the U.S. is unlikely.
"The July U.S. launch, at least for our company, is just not possible," Del Rio said.
With all of the delays from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he was unsure if a restart in the U.S. homeports was still possible, considering the time it takes to get a ship ready to resume operation.
Del Rio's comments come after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new technical guidelines for the cruise industry and stated its intention to allow the industry to resume operations by midsummer.
However, Del Rio claims that the standards imposed on the cruise industry are more stringent than those imposed on any other industry.
"The unfair treatment that the industry has had to endure for over a year continues," he said. "It's got to stop, it's unfair, it's un-American and certainly in contradiction with the goals set forth by President Joe Biden."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines this week which include requirements such as mask use, vaccinations for volunteers, social distancing and more.
According to Del Rio, Norwegian intends to begin with a 100% vaccination requirement for cruise ship passengers.
Another hot subject in the cruise industry is what a new Florida law means for cruise ships.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law prohibiting businesses from requiring customers to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination. This may have an impact on cruise ships, which are potentially required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ensure passengers are vaccinated.
Del Rio did not rule out moving ships away from Florida if the law becomes a problem, saying, "at the end of the day, cruise ships have motors, propellers and rudders, and God forbid we can't operate in the state of Florida for whatever reason, there are other states where we do operate from."
"We can operate from the Caribbean."
