Expressing some frustration with the pace of resumption of cruising in the United States, Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation, said on the company’s first quarter business update call that 400,000 Europeans had cruised in Europe since the pandemic started.

He also noted that passengers are currently sailing in Europe on ships with health protocols without being vaccinated and without major incidents.

“Today,” he said, “you (referring to Americans) can fly and cruise in Europe and return home without being vaccinated. But even if you are vaccinated you cannot cruise out of the United States.

“We are standing by the CDC, but we want to be treated similarly to other travel industries, tourism and entertainment.”

When the CDC gives the go ahead, the biggest restraint Donald said, will be to ramp up and train crew, which he estimated could take 60 to 90 days per ship.

Meanwhile, Carnival Corporation brands have announced start ups by nine ships in Europe this summer out of the UK, Italy and Greece. Costa has already been sailing out of Italy and AIDA in the Canary Islands.