. It can be confusing to keep track of which lines require what, and in which regions unvaccinated guests can sail if there are still destination limitations. That includes having proof of vaccination, getting tested before your trip, and wearing masks indoors. Check the cruise lines websites for the most up-to-date information.). The cruise line is working with the ports and says it will share information to travel agents and guests as it becomes available. That's a policy some havegrudginglycomplied with, while others have skipped cruising because of it. Under the new rules, Unvaccinated passengers ages 12 and older must still present a medically supervised negative PCR or antigen test taken no more than 72 hoursbefore sailing. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for those to or from Australia and on transatlantic and transpacific cruises. As of July 14, Princess Cruises is beginning to more openly welcome unvaccinated passengers. The new protocols will be introduced on a rolling basis, starting with Disney Wish, and concluding with Disney Magic on November 7. April 5, 2021. Carnival Cruise Line will require testing for vaccinated passengers only on trips 16 nights or longer or where local rules mandate it, such as on sailings to Canada and Bermuda, starting on Sept . Requests are not guaranteed and will be processed after the booking is paid in full, in sailing date order, and once we have finalized the estimated vaccinated guest count. No matter how healthy you are, we strongly . The options available to unvaccinated guests continue to expand. These include a number of sailings of 16 nights or longerand other specific voyages. Departing from Miami, she will visit the Cayman Islands and Castaway Cay on a 5-night Halloween On The High Seas western Caribbean cruise. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. The cruise line has dropped all pre-cruise testing for sailings less than 6 nights. Before boarding all three . Unvaccinated children under 5 do not require pre-cruise testing. The Bahamas, for example recently changed its covid testing rules opening up the possibility that many Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian cruises that stop there could change the rules for those sailings. The CDCs latest updated guidance for cruise ships now only recommends, and no longer mandates, pre-cruise testing in the U.S. At this point, only Margaritaville and Virgin have revised their policies accordingly, but its very likely others will soon follow. Disney Magic will be the last ship to make changes on November 7, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since September 6, passengers on itineraries that are 16 nights or less, and who show proof . 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. "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 . For cruises out of Galveston and New Orleans that visit Grand Cayman, only passengers that show a valid vaccination record can go ashore. Help us keep hyperlocal news alive in Long Beach. Virgin Voyages also was the first to end pre-departure COVID testing. For all sailings 5 nights or less, no testing is required for vaccinated guests. So if we're going to someplace we're going to honor whatever that destination's rules are. I think CDC is going to want to see what [that] looks like. Share. None of them want to be. Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. Celebrity'highly recommended' vaccination although it won't be required for these trips. Disney Cruise Line has announced a significant change to its COVID-19 protocols, introducing relaxed measures that will allow guests who have not been fully vaccinated to step onboard the Disney cruise ships once again. Cruise travel's CDC status has come a long way in the past few months. Children under five are not required to apply for a vaccine exemption. Passengers no longer have to wear masks onboard while they are indoors, and while capacities have not returned to 100% . News Florida Disney. Carnival Cruises no longer requires that passengers get vaccinated against COVID-19 for most voyages of less than 16 days, the company announced on Friday. An update is coming August 14. Royal Caribbean Group's Celebrity Cruises has rolled back its COVID-19-vaccine mandate for cruises sailing out of Florida ports, according to a June 17 update on Celebrity's website. There are no other leisure industries as regulated as cruise lines are. These new requirements apply to voyages from all ports except those in Canada, Bermuda, Greece and Australia, where government regulations still require vaccinations. Copyright 2023. 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.. But like Celebrity, this mandate was rolled back in early June for all cruises sailing out of Florida and Texas. A cruise ship in Florida. Free expert cruise tips and news from Cruise Hive! Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. If you are unvaccinated and looking to cruise, be sure to work with a travel partner, such as Scott & Thomas, who is familiar with the individual cruise lines policy. Do note, that some countries still require covid-19 testing for sailing. - All other cruises still require proof of initial vaccination and a booster until further notice. He has close to three decades of experience in journalism leading numerous investigations and long-form journalism projects for the OC Weekly and other publications. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. All unvaccinated guests ages 2 and older are required to receive a lab-administered PCR or antigen test up to 3 days before sailing. 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. Vaccination for sailings starting and ending in the U.S. is not required. . DeSantis has stated many times that allowing private businesses to require 'vaccine passports' for Floridians taking part in everyday life - attending sporting events, dining at restaurants, or even going on cruises - would create two unequal classes of citizens based on vaccination status," Pushaw wrote in her statement to Insider. Virgin Voyages has also modified its vaccine policy to also allow 10% of guests to be unvaccinated. "The U.S. consumer is sitting on $2 trillion of savings," Liberty said. The CDC will now classify ships with a 90% or higher vaccination rate as "highly vaccinated". His expectation is that more companies will soon remove pre-cruise COVID-19 testing, as local regulations allow. Del Rio asked where this policy may be heading? However, they must still follow requirements for unvaccinated guests, including pre-cruise and onboard testing. All new vaccination and testing policies remainsubject to local destination regulations, according to the company. The announcement came just weeks after Celebrity Cruises' unveiled its resumption of sailing plans aboard the Celebrity Edge. Making travel easier for all guests. Vaccinated passengers still must present a medically supervised negative covid antigen or rapid pcr test before sailing. Coronavirus. "We would object to it," DeSantis said in response to a question from a reporter about such mandates. Gottlieb noted that the CDC would make the ultimate decision and that the agency needed more data first. 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:
. Should thevaccines remain primarily a prevention from people from becoming very sick, that has less relevance to congregate settings and becomes more of a personal choice for protection, Gottlieb said. Some cruise lines already let children and a select few customers travel unvaccinated. Youll find expert advice for experienced and first-time cruisers, as well as port and destination guides. Since 2009, Cruise Radio has provided the latest cruise news and industry analysis through informative articles, videos, and weekly podcasts. Unvaccinated travelers, or those who do not provide proof of vaccination, will need to self-test within three days before embarking and upload proof of a negative test. You'll start to see us move into what society is doing at large. Now, the cruise lines could drop those rules -- the CDC has essentially left them to their own devices -- but the U.S. government is not the sole authority here. 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. Carnival allows unvaccinated guests to return to sailing. 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. Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity mentioned herein. Carnivals 50th anniversary sailabration kicks off in Long Beach. Unvaccinated passengers will face onboard restrictions, COVID-19 tests, and extra costs. Although cruises from the US may not require covid vaccination, a port on the cruise may. Then theyll make decisions about whether or not they continue to require vaccines in certain settings," he added. To be exempt from testing requirements, fully vaccinated guests should still upload their proof of vaccination to the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight before embarkation day. Cruise lines . Before boarding all three cruise lines, passengers must show their original vaccination cards. The NCL covid rules are among the most flexible for unvaccinated passengers on cruises leaving the United States. Guests without vaccination will be provided a test by Disney Cruise Line. 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. Cruises visiting Greece require a supervised test. Disney Cruise Line has not chosen to pick one date to implement the new procedures onboard its ships. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. Cruise ships will be allowed to lift COVID-19 restrictions from mid-January, the CDC said Monday. (That mandate does not include a booster shot.). All Contents Copyright 2022 Cruise Radio, Inc. | Website Designed by Insider Perks, Inc. Get the real facts delivered straight to your inbox, with trustworthy cruise related news. ", "Companies doing business in Florida, including Celebrity Cruises, should immediately cease to impose such discriminatory policies upon individuals," Christina Pushaw, DeSantis' press secretary, told Insider in an email in May. Starting October 14, Disney Cruise Line will drop the vaccine mandate for all guests and introduce relaxed testing requirements for fully vaccinated guests. 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 company announced. 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. RELATED: Carnival Drops Pre-Cruise Testing & Vaccination Requirements. Otherwise all guests must be fully vaccinated 14 days before departure. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. See more stories on Insider's business page. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages. Here's why. Anne Kalosh | Mar 03, 2022. Now that is being further expanded as cruise lines try to return to normal. Vaccinated travelers must continue to provide evidence of their vaccination status prior to embarkation. The big question is, what cruise lines allow unvaccinated guests to sail? Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian all require anyone 12 and older sailing on their ships to be fully vaccinated. Two Summer Itineraries Modified for Disney Cruise Ship, Passenger Accused of Using Stolen Credit Cards for Royal Caribbean Cruise, Royal Caribbean Makes Major Updates for Loyal Guests, Holland America Line Gears Up For Alaska Travel Expo. The cruise line has announced a further easing of its protocols by dropping the vaccine requirements on select sailings from September 5, 2022. The agency . This announcement is the most significant to date, and is another step to greater consumer confidence in travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its definition of what it means to be a highly . Sign Up for Our Monthly Cruise Newsletter. The mass market of Unvaccinated cruises are not back yet. "CDC continues to evaluate the latest science and state of . In addition, all guests, age 18 and older, who are more than 6 months past the last dose of their initial vaccine series must be boosted (if eligible) in order to sail: Other cruises have limited space for vaccine exempt guests through December 2022. 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. The . On October 16, it is Disney Wonders turn to implement the new protocols, sailing from San Diego on a 5-night Baja California cruise. Reason Magazine's archive of articles filed under Vaccine mandates. 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. Anne Kalosh | Aug 12, 2022. Today, he considers his company's vaccine mandate a competitive advantage. 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. The unvaccinated, or those who do not provide proof of vaccination, must present a negative test taken within three days before embarking. 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. What other safety measures are in place: Ocean Cruise guests will be required to get tested for COVID-19 in the terminal. The cruise line will drop the vaccine requirement on select sailings from the U.S. and Europe. But that's what travel in general is, and people are used to that. The cruise lines have dropped mask requirements but still require proof of vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued long-awaited technical guidance for cruise lines on Friday, bringing them one step closer to sailing again in United States . Copyright 2023. The Disney Cruise Line announced Wednesday that it will require all passengers ages five and older to be fully COVID-19 vaccinated in order to be granted entry onto the ship . Now nursing homes are pushing to lift the vaccination mandate altogether. 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. The policy is true on most sailings on a first-come, first-served basis without the need for exemptions or vaccine status justifications. Action Alerts PLUS is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. Is a Hiring Slowdown a Bad Corporate Omen? Cruise-specific travel insurance is recommended on both Australian domestic cruises and international cruises. Children 5 and under are not . Children under 12 will not have to present negative Covid-19 tests, regardless of vaccination status. Unvaccinated guests are permitted to sail on most MSC voyages. 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