The first cruise ship in more than 18 months arrived in Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday.
The Carnival Panorama brought 2,450 passengers - 70 percent of its full capacity. All but two percent of those aboard the ship were fully vaccinated, according to Carnival Cruise Lines. The disembarking tourists all had to show negative PRC or antigen Covid tests before they were allowed to set foot in Vallarta, the Jalisco Tourism Department said.
The importance of cruises to the PV economy cannot be understated. In 2019, 482,335 cruise line passengers disembarked in the port. The Panorama will continue on to Mazatlan, before heading back to Long Beach, California.