'Stop the fear mongering!': Peeved cruise-goers tell the CDC they're ready to set sail despite the pandemic

• The Centers for Disease Control put out a call for public feedback on how to restart cruises, and responses show that many travelers are eager to set sail again.
• Many respondents said they had faith in cruise operators to establish measures that will keep passengers safe, while others downplayed the risks of catching COVID-19 altogether.
• Some said cruises shouldn't start up again until a vaccine is available.

As the expiration date for the United States' no-sail order on the cruise industry gets closer, the Centers for Disease Control wants to know how cruisers about getting back on the water — and the short answer, for most, is that they've been ready.

"Cruising is being unfairly singled out," one person wrote to the CDC. "People are catching it everywhere. Let us cruise."

In July, the CDC put out a call for input on how to restart cruises, asking the public its thoughts on questions related to "planning and infrastructure," "resumption of passenger operations," and other concerns. The CDC has just shy of 2,500 responses — which range from a single sentences to mulitple paragraphs — as of this writing, and has shared more than 1,400 of them.

The call comes as the cruise industry continues to face a no-sail order by the CDC through September 30, and after cruises made international headlines at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was the Diamond Princess, whose original 10 coronavirus cases ballooned to more than 700, and the Ruby Princess, whose passengers were linked to hundreds of cases. Passengers on the Grand Princess had to be quarantined after 21 people on the ship tested positive, and Holland America was hit with a lawsuit after a fatal COVID-19 outbreak on one of its ships.

But many who responded to the CDC said they were ready to set sail again, so long as proper safety measures were put in place. Some suggested protocols such as regular temperature checks, reduced capacities, and cabins where sick passengers could quarantine.

"I think it would be fine to open the cruise lines back up with proper cleaning and sanitation," one anonymous commenter wrote. "There's no difference and going to a grocery store or mall or going out to eat with hundreds of people. I would get on a cruise tomorrow if they were reopened."

Others downplayed the risks of catching COVID-19 at sea and accused the CDC of unfairly imposing its will on cruise-goers and cruise operators, when other forms of transportation have been allowed to continue operating. That's despite cruises being a form of transportation people take for fun rather than necessity, and the fact that from March 1 to July 10, nearly 3,000 US cruise passengers fell ill with COVID-19 and 34 died.

"Please restart cruising," one respondent wrote. "No matter what we try to prevent people will get Covid and most will be fine. It makes no economic sense to keep ruining our country."

"STOP FEAR MONGERING!" another person wrote. "LET US GET BACK TO LIFE AND CRUISING."

"I served this Country in both the Army and the US Coast Guard," another wrote. "I fought to protect and defend the Constitution of the Inited [sic] States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. You are not acting under the Constitution with your actions. Please show me where in the Constitution you, the CDC, has the authority to determine who succeeds during this and who doesn't."

"Open cruises back up," they continued. "Be transparent for once."

"The requirements that you are placing on the cruise lines is absolutely absurd!" another person commented. "Those of us who travel must assume some responsibility for our own health. Please give these cruise industries and their passengers an opportunity to make wise decisions for themselves."

Many, though, expressed strong reservations toward cruising due to its close-quarters nature and the lack of an effective vaccine.

"I don't believe that now is a good time for cruise ships to re-open," one person commented. "Thanks but no thanks. We need to get the numbers down to an acceptable level before we allow cruising again."

One commenter, who said they are a part-time travel consultant involved in booking cruises, wrote that cruises should not resume for the foreseeable future.

"Let me say this as directly as I can," they wrote. "I will not recommend booking a cruise until there is a vaccine — period."

The CDC will accept comments until September 21, or just over a week before the no-sail order is currently set to expire.