PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. — It’s business as usual at Port Canaveral, despite a recent recommendation by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention not to cruise, regardless of vaccination status.

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On Wednesday, the port’s CEO said the cruise ship protocols in place are working, and plenty of passengers are making the choice to sail.

Passengers cruising aboard the Norwegian Gem told Channel 9 that when it comes to travel, they believe a cruise ship is one of the safest places they could be.

“We’re vaccinated, we’re boosted, we’re partying,” passenger Tom Nihill said. “They take care of all the precautions and I feel very safe.”

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Canaveral Port Authority CEO Capt. John Murray said he’s still anticipating a strong year for the world’s second-busiest cruise port, even with every homeported ship sailing under yellow status because of COVID-19 cases reported to the CDC.

Murray said he doesn’t anticipate another shutdown for the cruise industry.

“The cruise lines are managing it and at the end of the day, this is what we’ll have to do for the foreseeable future, even after it becomes an endemic and we just deal with it in our daily lives,” he said.

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Murray said cruise traffic exceeded expectations for the first quarter of the fiscal year.

The next big test for cruise traffic will come during spring break.

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CDC asks 'all people' to avoid all cruise ship travel (NCD)

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