Carnival Cruise Line has confirmed plans to restart guest operations from the Port of Galveston on 3 July with Carnival Vista, followed by Carnival Breeze on 15 July.

These sailings are only available for guests who have received their final dose of a CDC-approved Covid-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise and have proof of vaccination.

The other ship and port identified for a July restart is Carnival Horizon from PortMiami.

In a statement, Carnival said it continues to work with “the State of Florida and the CDC for Carnival Horizon sailings and plans to provide an update by Friday [11 June] concerning protocols specific to these sailings to all booked guests”.

In an earlier release, the line added that Port Canaveral has also been identified as a restart priority in the near future.

President Christine Duffy said: “We appreciate the progress and support for our US restart from the CDC and other key federal agencies.

“However, the current CDC requirements for cruising with a guest base that is unvaccinated will make it very difficult to deliver the experience our guests expect, especially given the large number of families with younger children who sail with us. As a result, our alternative is to operate our ships from the US during the month of July with vaccinated guests.”

The line’s statement also acknowledged “the strong support of both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, as well as other state officials, in making vaccinations available to cruise line personnel”.

Carnival said it will be advising guests and travel agents about its plans for August sailings over the coming days.

The line recently welcomed new ship Mardi Gras to Port Canaveral. The ship docked at Cruise Terminal 3, which has been specifically built for the LNG-powered vessel.