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The American Queen Steamboat Co. paddlewheeler American Queen. The company is requiring passengers have completed Covid-19 vaccinations starting with July 1 cruises.
Sister brands American Queen Steamboat Co. and Victory Cruise Lines last week became the first cruise companies catering to North Americans to mandate that passengers have full Covid-19 vaccinations in order to sail, beginning July 1.
The move followed Saga Cruises, the U.K.-based line, which implemented the requirement for its sailings launching in May.
But as much as the news was headline-making, it does not indicate that this will be the norm for cruise lines going forward.
All three of these brands cater to passengers in age groups at the front of the vaccine lines, which impacted the decision making. Hornblower Group, parent company to American Queen and Victory, said the majority of its guests are in the 65-plus population that is eligible now, or will be soon, to receive the vaccination.
Cruises have been cancelled since last march, resulting in over 100,000 Americans losing their jobs per a November report. Florida has been especially hard hit with the state being home to the three busiest cruise ports in the world.
American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC) and Victory Cruise Lines (VCL) have become the first cruise lines in the U.S. to mandate a coronavirus vaccine requirement for passengers and crew before setting sail this summer.
The Hornblower Group subsidiaries announced the news Tuesday, in a policy effective July 1. The sister brands follow Saga Cruises of the U.K., which made waves for announcing a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all passengers last month.
More Cruise Lines Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements to Sail
February 03, 2021
American Queen Steamboat Company will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all guests starting July 1. Photo: Debbie Ann Powell/Shutterstock.com.
After U.K.-based Saga Cruises announced that it would make COVID-19 vaccination a requirement for sailing, the first cruise line to do so, two more cruise lines announced the requirement this week.
On Tuesday, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines, two sister-brands, announced that they would both require a COVID-19 vaccination for all guests and crewmembers beginning on July 1, 2021, the first two U.S.-based cruise lines to do so.
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What happened
Cruise line stocks, which broadly popped Thursday on no particular news, are closing the week on a down note Friday afternoon. As of 2:50 p.m. EST, shares of