Sign Up for Our Monthly Cruise Newsletter. We respect that every guest has choices, and regardless of your vaccination status, we have amazing vacations for you to enjoy, reads the lines CruiseHealth page. As you heard me say, we have carried approximately 1.3 million guests since the restart, with about 2,500 guests testing positive for Covid-19, a positivity rate of 0.19%. Cruise ships will be allowed to lift COVID-19 restrictions from mid-January, the CDC said Monday. Royal Caribbean Vaccine Requirement Update. Disney Cruise Line is one of the last cruise lines to make these changes. Eventually, those rules were loosened and the CDC's program became voluntary, and now, the federal agency has abruptly stopped any covid-related regulation or tracking of the cruise industry. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. This news comes as the cruise industry starts to relax its protocols and aligns with other travel sectors, such as flights. As for Martindales agency, business is booming. Shes been on 10 cruises and counting, and her favorite onboard activities include trying out the water slides, spending time in the spas thermal suite, eating lots of food, and attending the love & marriage show. "The booster vaccine is causing the most challenges for my agency as far as clients not wanting to get an additional booster shot in order to sail in some parts of the world requiring this, Martindale said. At the end of May, Celebrity Cruises' sibling brand Royal Caribbean announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all guests. Do note, that some countries still require covid-19 testing for sailing. Passengers no longer have to wear masks onboard while they are indoors, and while capacities have not returned to 100% . Because cruise lines sail nearly all of their ships from United States ports under foreign flags, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) had much more control over the cruise industry than any other travel or entertainment business. Sarah has been writing about the cruise industry since 2015. For those who are unvaccinated, pre-embarkation testing is required. That means three pillars of the government's made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine procurement strategy have failed or could soon fail. The industry is still recovering and working under a patchwork of regulations. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Unvaccinated passengers are welcome to sail on all cruises departing from Europe and the U.S. Vaccination continues to be required on voyages to or from Australia, New Zealand, and the Galapagos Islands. Earlier this week, Carnival and Norwegian cruise lines relaxed their mask rules as well. The CDC's mask mandate for public transportation runs untilMarch 18, and Gottlieb thinks the agency will extend it by two or three weeks but give a definitive end date. Currently, guests with a certificate of recovery within 90 days of travel are welcome to cruise. In response to the CDC program ending, Margaritaville at Sea and Virgin Voyages have also ended their pre-cruise testing, doing so even for U.S.-based cruises. Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. There will be no pre-cruise testing for vaccinated travelers on cruisesup to 15 nights, with the exception of full Panama Canal transits, trans-ocean and other special itineraries. Disney Cruise Line will be changing its vaccine and testing requirements beginning September 2 for all cruises departing from ports in the United States and Canada. - As of Dec. 1, 2022, guests traveling with Azamara no longer need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on sailings starting and ending in the U.S. or Europe. The establishment failed to implement vaccine mandates and passports in the west, but that does not mean they have given up on the agenda in other parts of the world . The vaccination policy for Cunard passengers remains the same. Our ships have been sailing very full all summer, but there is still room for more of our loyal guests, and these guidelines will make it a simpler process, and make cruising accessible for those who were not able to meet the protocols we were required to follow for much of the past 14 months, said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. Since the CDC Voluntary Program for U.S. Based Cruise Ships ended in July, Carnival Cruise Line joined the list of cruise lines that have removed some testing requirements. The policy is true on most sailings on a first-come, first-served basis without the need for exemptions or vaccine status justifications. The unvaccinated, or those who do not provide proof of vaccination, must present a negative test taken within three days before embarking. However, sailings visiting Greece require a supervised COVID test prior to embarking. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed its "cruise ship travel health notice" after two years of warning travellers about COVID-19 infections linked to boarding a cruise ship. Carnival, the largest cruise operator in the world, operates three vessels out of Long Beach. At long last, cruise lines are finally starting to drop their vaccine mandates and allow all passengers inoculated or not to sail on their ships. Children under 12 will not have to present negative Covid-19 tests. No business wants to make a choice -- or in this case have choices made for them by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- that alienates potential customers. Yet the CDC is poised to loosen the industry's Covid leash, saying cruise lines are now positioned to . All guests must be vaccinated to sail with Viking. Two major cruise lines, Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line, have announced plans to ease onboard . Unvaccinated passengers will face onboard restrictions, COVID-19 tests, and extra costs. Registered in England and Wales. but the consequences are here now. He became the CEO at Norwegian in 2015 after it brought a cruise line Del Rio founded in 2002. Currently, vaccinated guests departing on cruises from . Despite passenger numbers rebounding post-pandemic, the company posted an annual net loss of $2.27 billion. Passengers on cruises 16 nights or longer, or sailing on full Panama Canal transits, trans-ocean and other specific itineraries, need to take a supervised test within three days before embarking. The following voyages require guests, age 12 and older, to be fully vaccinated. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. The announcement came just weeks after Celebrity Cruises' unveiled its resumption of sailing plans aboard the Celebrity Edge. Anne Kalosh | Aug 12, 2022. But Gottlieb does have a timetable in which he expects the agency to act. But like Celebrity, this mandate was rolled back in early June for all cruises sailing out of Florida and Texas. Royal Caribbean, back in February, made masks optional for fully vaccinated passengers. New Details Released. This easing applies to certain departures out of Los Angeles in California, Galveston in Texas, New Orleans in Louisiana, and cruises in Europe. All travelers who are 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. Instead, the cruise line will introduce these on a rolling basis across the fleet. The three major cruise lines sailing from U.S. ports -- Royal Caribbean International ( RCL) - Get Free Report, Carnival Cruise Lines CCL, and Norwegian Cruise Line NCLH -- still require pre . Keep in mind the world is one world but not one place. The cruise line has dropped all pre-cruise testing for sailings less than 6 nights. The CDC will now classify ships with a 90% or higher vaccination rate as "highly vaccinated". No matter how healthy you are, we strongly . That's a policy some havegrudginglycomplied with, while others have skipped cruising because of it. Part of this may also depend on whether the vaccines get reformulated to become highly effective against any transmission, which is very valuable for congregate settings like cruising. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. That's a surprising move but it's one that outgoing Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Arnold Donald thinks rights a wrong. honestly, we should have never gotten rid of mask mandates in the first place. That could change. Those 16 and older must be vaccinated. Cruise travel's CDC status has come a long way in the past few months. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered the travel advisory for cruise ships, indicating the agency thinks conditions have slightly improved from late last year. "We're going to announce very . Find out when the conditional sailing order expires. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Royal Caribbean International has announced updated protocols for the United States, Puerto Rico, and Barbados-based cruises through March 31, 2022. What You Need to Know About Norwegian Cruise Lines Premium+ Drink Package, 12 Things to Know Before Sailing Royal Caribbean, Carnival Drops Pre-Cruise Testing & Vaccination Requirements, NCLH Drops COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements, Welcomes Everyone to Sail, Cruise News Recap | Week of February 5, 2023, Philippines Welcomes First International Cruise Ship in Three Years, Pre-Cruise Entertainment Reservations Now Available on Norwegian Cruise Line. Cunard testing changes, but not vaccination mandate. The cruise industry is also being affected by the change in requirements as ship passengers will no longer need to have pre-boarding COVID tests, be vaccinated, or use ArriveCAN, the agency said. Starting on October 14, guests boarding Disney Wish for the 3-night Bahamas cruise from Port Canaveral will be the first group to take advantage of the new protocols. For cruises from Barcelona, both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers have to present a negative test taking within one day before embarking. For sailings from Southampton, Ravenna and Civitavecchia, and Amsterdam, vaccinated travelers must present a negative COVID test taken within two days before embarking, while unvaccinated travelers must test negative within one day of sailing. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. The vaccine-mandate reversal is the latest update in a heated battle between cruise lines and the state, which has banned vaccine passports. From Sept. 5, Royal Caribbean International will no longer require COVID-19 vaccination for cruises from California, Louisiana, Texas and Europe. This now means that regardless of vaccination status, guests can cruise on the select sailings, as long as they meet any testing requirements. Many cruisers have been hours away from boarding without confirmation of negative results, adding undue stress to what should be a vacation full of rest and relaxation. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. Ron DeSantis' office called the cruise line's vaccine mandate "discriminatory. Currently, the island nation requires all cruise ship passengers 12 and over to be fully vaccinated to enter the port. The outgoing executive also took some measured shots at the federal agency as he explained when Carnival (and likely Royal Caribbean and Norwegian) will make a change. This doesnt apply to select destinations where local regulations vary, including Australia. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess drop vax mandate for many cruises, Cunard eases testing. Eric Boehm | 2.7.2023 5:15 PM. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian all require anyone 12 and older sailing on their ships to be fully vaccinated. Hyperlocal news is an essential force in our democracy, but it costs money to keep an organization like this one alive, and we cant rely on advertiser support alone. They can take a PCR test 72 hours prior to sailing, or an antigen test two days prior to sailing. For the time being, cruise lines are mostly holding strong to their vaccine mandates, but another subset of travelers is hoping those will eventually go away, too. Cruise lines . Disney Cruise Line has not chosen to pick one date to implement the new procedures onboard its ships. An update is coming August 14. There's no indication that consumers are "shying away from taking cruise vacations," its CEO said. Virgin Voyages also was the first to end pre-departure COVID testing. The short answer to the question is: I think this is kind of a springtime thing from a CDC policy standpoint. Gottlieb surmised US public health officials may take a decision on vaccination mandatesin springtime 2023,after the country gets through another fall and winter to see if COVID enters the endemic phase. The CDC will likely recommend COVID-19 vaccination for congregate settings like cruises through this fall and winter, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, advisor to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said Thursday. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. So if we're going to someplace we're going to honor whatever that destination's rules are. Children 11 and under are no longer required to be vaccinated. Each sailing is unvaxxed capacity-controlled based on the total number of vaccinated guests projected to be on board. Royal Caribbean is finalizing the testing for departures out of New Orleans. However, Azamara still lists Miami as a port requiring COVID-19 tests, and Viking has yet to remove its testing in the U.S. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. parent to the Norwegian, Oceania and Regent brands also confirmed that they would keep health and safety protocols in place for ships operating in U.S. waters with the following statement: We welcome the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end the CDC COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships operating in U.S. waters. Then theyll make decisions about whether or not they continue to require vaccines in certain settings," he added. The nightmare cruises of spring 2020 are back as Omicron sends passenger case rates soaring. What Is It Like to Travel to Saudi Arabia. This means $178 worth of COVID-19 tests, strict mask requirements, seating restrictions in areas like theaters and casinos, and the possibility of not being able to go ashore, depending on local restrictions. Currently, all three major U.S. cruise lines require all passengers to provide proof of a negative covid test taken no more than two days before their cruise and all passengers ages 12 and over must also be vaccinated. For cruises out of Galveston and New Orleans that visit Grand Cayman, only passengers that show a valid vaccination record can go ashore. Fortunately, the CDC has also indicated that it is evaluating the situation, which may lead to welcome changes for cruise travelers. RELATED: Carnival Drops Pre-Cruise Testing & Vaccination Requirements. You'll start to see us move into what society is doing at large. Royal Caribbean drops the vaccine requirement from select U.S. homeports on departures from September 5, 2022. Published on November 4, 2021. The cruise lines are already set up to self-manage with all protocols necessary to keep their guests in the safest environment possible, as they always have been. Princess is now permitting up to 10% of its guests to be unvaccinated. These protocols include that fully vaccinated guests do not need to provide proof of a negative test result. Children 5 and under are not . That's likely only partly true because Royal . Here are some of the latest cruise lines that are pulling back on pandemic measures. THURSDAY, March 31, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A two-year advisory that warned Americans against going on cruises has been dropped by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pre-cruise testing is no longer required, except for cruises to Canada, Bermuda, Greece and Australia (per local guidelines), and on voyages 16 nights or longer. . That includes having proof of vaccination, getting tested before your trip, and wearing masks indoors. Saga was the first major cruise line to implement this vaccination policy. But there's a catch: Unvaccinated passengers - or those unwilling to show proof of the vaccine - will face onboard restrictions, extra COVID-19 tests, and additional costs, according to the cruise line. (Note: This . Articles are of a general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. The CDC used that power to stop all cruises from U.S. ports from March 2020 through July 2021. Thats why were asking readers like you to support our independent, fact-based journalism. Paragliders record never-before-seen footage of world's second-tallest mountain, Elizabeth Holmes has 2nd child as prison sentence looms, Dozens of sharks swarm fishing boat in feeding frenzy off Louisiana coast, video shows, Death of man found near stores on Ladys Island Tuesday ruled suicide, Oneil Cruz hits first homer but Pirates walked off by Tigers, Why coyote confrontations are up in Hudson Valley, and what to do if you're approached, Bryan Kohberger's Pennsylvania warrants unsealed. "[Cruises] still trade, unfortunately, at a significant discount to land-based vacations. For departures five nights or less out of Los Angeles and Galveston, unvaccinated guests aged 2 and over must show a negative test result to sail. Check with Cunard for information on your specific sailing. But that's what travel in general is, and people are used to that. The options available to unvaccinated guests continue to expand. He also predicted a quiet spring and summer 2022 since many people have been vaccinated or infected so immunity in the US . Unvaccinated passengers or those who do not provide proof of vaccination must present the results of a negative PCR or antigen test taken within three days of embarkation . The mass market of Unvaccinated cruises are not back yet. Starting September 3, Norwegian Cruise Line will experience a major change in health and safety . Looking at 2022, it's likely that cruise lines will continue to require crew to be vaccinated. To date, the biggest group to confirm it will likely extend its 100 percent vaccination policy into . Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. If so, vaccination may be a tool to keep around, like annual flu shots. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. "We would object to it," DeSantis said in response to a question from a reporter about such mandates. Cruise planners call for Baltic 'reimagining,' sustainability support, Natalya Leahy succeeds Josh Leibowitz as Seabourn president, Carnival Corp. & plc arranges new forward starting $2.1b credit facility, Former Genting Hong Kong ship World Dream reported sold to Cruise Saudi, Port Canaveral overtook Miami as world's busiest cruise port in 2022 (updated), NCLH issues $250m 9.75% notes, amended Apollo deal has option for up to $650m notes, Court temporarily blocks Crystal/A&K from employing Lira, using Silversea info, reduced isolation/quarantine times for highly vaccinated ships, Allowed HTML tags: . If guests are sailing on back-to-back cruises, they will not be required to be tested in between cruises, as long as they are fully vaccinated. The federal Liberal government's COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing policy is facing yet another challenge after Maryland-based Novavax announced late Tuesday it may not have enough cash in a year's time to stay in business. "In addition to eliminating the mandatory Bahamas Travel Health Visa, the Government of The Bahamas announced today that fully vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to submit to pre-travel COVID-19 testing to enter the country," the Bahamas Ministry of tourism shared in a press release. Children under five are not required to apply for a vaccine exemption. Before boarding all three . Under the current voluntary CDC guidelines, 95% of passengers must be vaccinated. Disney Cruise Line does still recommend that all guests get tested before sailing. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. His expectation is that more companies will soon remove pre-cruise COVID-19 testing, as local regulations allow. These 3 major cruise lines are set to lift mask mandates as COVID cases drop. Its good to be knowledgeable about maritime law before booking a cruise trip. By maximizing miles and points, cheap deals, sales, backpacking, and couchsurfing Rocky has traveled to 75 countries and still counting. For the next 12 months, he believes a lot of people are likely to get a booster to take them through the fall and winter. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone:(201) 902-2000. We'll send you a weekly newsletter to your inbox. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for those to or from Australia and on transatlantic and transpacific cruises. Starting Sept. 6, vaccinated travelers on cruises under16 days will no longer have to test before embarking and only need to upload proof of vaccination while getting OceanReady. Subscribe to RSS If this is the case, you still need a negative test or be vaccinated. (Note: This information is accurate as of February 7, 2023. RELATED: NCLH Drops COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements, Welcomes Everyone to Sail. Im talking more about CDC and the policy environment. As of now, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have not made any major covid rule changes on their namesake brands sailing from the U.S. That could change when the cruise lines release their August protocols. Vaccinated travelers on cruises six nights or longer must present a negative supervised test taken within three days before embarking. Commercially available tests will be accepted, including self tests. "Since we resumed operations, our goal has been to making cruising one of the safest vacations anywhere in the world while providing an exceptional guest experience,"he said. We finally got to a place that brings us much closer to where the rest of society is in terms of freedom to operate responsibly," the CEO said, according to a Travel Weekly article. None of them want to be. The cruise line also noted that children under 5 will not need to receive a vaccine exemption to sail under the new COVID-19 program, and passengers can expect "additional flexibility" in pre . He acknowledged some people don't want mask mandates lifted and predictedmany will still wear masks in congregate settings, particularly in winter when flu and COVID circulate. Check the cruise lines websites for the most up-to-date information.). We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. That's what the three major cruise lines had to do. As any client who has cruised recently knows, the logistics of requiring COVID-19 testing before, during or right after a trip can be daunting. Its another step to normality and follows other recently relaxed requirements. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages except for those in Australia or some that are 16 nights or longer. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. As of August 8, 2022 only children under 12 are welcome as unvaccinated guests on Celebrity cruise lines when leaving the United States. On May 5, 2022, the CDC reevaluated and lowered the cruise ship vaccination status thresholds from 95 percent to 90 percent of passengers under the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. "The U.S. consumer is sitting on $2 trillion of savings," Liberty said. Oct 26, 2021, 4:08 AM. But when the sailing was announced as "fully vaccinated" in May, Gov. Del Rio asked where this policy may be heading? ), This announcement is the most significant to date, and is another step to greater consumer confidence in travel, Tolkin said. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. These cruises feature spooky character encounters and enchanted pumpkin trees. As of now, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have not made any major covid . In all cases, the protocols may vary on a particular sailing if the destination has different rules than the . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. In April, DeSantis issued an executive order in Florida banning vaccine passports and prohibiting local business - including cruise lines - from requiring them. Martindale expects vaccine requirements will predominantly remain in place until at least the end of 2022, something that the majority of my clients are very much in favor of, he said. If unvaccinated guests have recently recovered from COVID and can provide appropriate documentation, they will also be exempt from the testing requirement. The CDC will likely recommend COVID-19 vaccination for congregate settings like cruises through this fall and winter, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, advisor to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said Thursday. Passengers who are not fully vaccinated will need to bring a negative COVID-19 test result taken withinthree days before embarking. The agency . And one month later, the state passed a law to ban vaccine passports starting July 1. it was clearly supposed to reward people for getting vaccinated, but there's no mechanism to know if people are vaccinated, so everyone could go without masks without immediate consequence. Some cruise lines already let children and a select few customers travel unvaccinated. The cruise line has announced a further easing of its protocols by dropping the vaccine requirements on select sailings from September 5, 2022. These include a number of sailings of 16 nights or longerand other specific voyages. Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. Starting October 14, Disney Cruise Line will drop the vaccine mandate for all guests and introduce relaxed testing requirements for fully vaccinated guests. "The booster vaccine is causing the most challenges for my agency as far as clients not wanting to get an additional booster shot in order to sail in some parts of the world . The CDC has allowed cruise ships to operate with conditions since October 2020, requiring masks onboard and vaccinations or testing of passengers and crew, among other safety precautions. Unvaccinated passengers ages 12 and older must present a medically supervised negative PCR or antigen test taken no more than 72 hoursbefore sailing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its definition of what it means to be a highly . Cruise Lines Relax COVID Testing and Vaccination Policies For trips shorter than six days, vaccinated passengers will no longer need to obtain a negative test result before boarding. If thats the case, then everyone on the cruise will need to meet the vaccine requirements. Children ages four and younger do not need to be vaccinated, nor do they need to provide a negative test result. Copyright 2023. Antibody tests are not accepted. Cruising still requires either a covid-19 test and vaccination in most situations. Disney Cruise Line expanded its Covid-19 vaccination requirement Wednesday to include children ages five to 11 for cruises starting in January, one of the first major cases of vaccine . We will always have to be in compliance with the destinations.