In a sign that Hawaii has reopened its economy, dozens of cruise ships have been scheduled to arrive at Hawaii ports this year and through the summer of next year, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The Koningsdam, a cruise ship operated by the Carnival Corp.’s Holland America Line, arrived in Honolulu Wednesday morning from Santa Catalina, Calif., with 1,477 passengers on board, which is about 50% of its capacity, according to the state Department of Transportation Harbors Division.
Koningsdam will make four port calls in the isles over the next few days, starting with Honolulu, DOT said.
The Ruby Princess, Grand Princess and Carnival Miracle are scheduled to arrive Tuesday, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, respectively, according to Hawaii’s port of call schedule.
Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expressly said people should avoid cruise travel at this time, Hawaii in early January welcomed its first cruise ship after a nearly two-year hiatus and is apparently ready to welcome more to revive its tourism industry.
The CDC, however, has not dropped its Level 4 travel health notice — the highest-level warning — which it issued for cruise ships Dec. 30 due to an increase in coronavirus cases on board since the omicron variant was identified.
Omicron drove a surge of new COVID-19 cases across the U.S., pushing the national COVID-19 death toll above 900,000, but most states, including Hawaii, have been on a downward trend for the past few weeks.
On Wednesday, the Hawaii Department of Health reported seven additional virus-related deaths and 519 new infections statewide, bringing totals since the start of the pandemic to 1,233 fatalities and 228,336 cases.
The seven-day average of new cases statewide declined to 900, down 68% from two weeks ago, and the average positivity rate fell to 9.2%. Hawaii’s epidemic curve places case counts along a rapid downward trajectory from a sharp peak in mid-January, with the journey more than halfway complete.
State government leaders cited declining case counts and hospitalizations in Hawaii as the impetus for dropping proposed restrictions.
Gov. David Ige on Tuesday announced he would not be adding boosters to vaccination requirements for the state’s Safe Travels program. Under the program, domestic travelers can show proof they are beyond the 14th day after completion of COVID-19 vaccines, or a negative test within 72 hours of arrival, to bypass the quarantine.
On Monday, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino dropped a booster requirement for patrons to enter restaurants, bars and gyms in the county. Patrons can show proof of vaccination or a negative test to enter those establishments.
DOH has been encouraging Hawaii residents to get boosters to help protect against severe illness and hospitalizations, but so far, only about 36% of the state’s population has been boosted.
Still, some Hawaii residents are wary of the state relaxing its restrictions and reopening too quickly, given that the pandemic is not over yet.
All cruise ship passengers and crew members are also subject to the Safe Travels program to disembark at any Hawaii port of call.
An online petition launched by Kauai resident Laura Ramirez a month ago says this is not enough. More than 580 have signed the petition, which demands that all cruise ship travelers be required to test negative for COVID-19 at all ports of call in Hawaii regardless of vaccination status.
They may be wary since Hawaii’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, after all, was a Hawaii resident who traveled on a Grand Princess cruise before returning to Oahu.
CDC required cruise ships to follow certain protocols through an order in place last year, but on Jan. 15 participation became optional.
The Koningsdam is participating, and is listed by CDC as “orange” in its color-coded system, meaning reported cases of COVID-19 have met the threshold for an investigation.
Most cruise ships scheduled to visit Hawaii this year are sailing from California, but one is arriving from Canada. Any cruise ship destined for Hawaii from the mainland must stop in Honolulu first before venturing to any neighbor isles, according to DOT. Only one ship will be allowed to call per port per day.
