All travelers who are 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. The nightmare cruises of spring 2020 are back as Omicron sends passenger case rates soaring. Vaccinated travelers must continue to provide evidence of their vaccination status prior to embarkation. The vaccine-mandate reversal is the latest update in a heated battle between cruise lines and the state, which has banned vaccine passports. 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. They are going to want to make a decision around this after we get through another fall and winter with Covid and see if we are truly in an endemic phase with this.. 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. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. All guests 18 and older must be vaccinated to sail, plus one booster shot if eligible. Some cruise lines already let children and a select few customers travel unvaccinated. The new guidelines effect NCL, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas. "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. Unvaccinated guests are welcome on most voyages. In all cases, the protocols may vary on a particular sailing if the destination has different rules than the . 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. Must be able to regularly lift up to 50 lbs KEYWORDS: RMF, Risk Management Framework, ICD, Information Assurance, IA, IAO, IAT, IAM, A&A, A+, Network+, Security+, Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet), Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet), DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIGs), Splunk, ACAS . On October 15, the procedures will be implemented onboard Disney Dream. Since September 6, passengers on itineraries that are 16 nights or less, and who show proof . These new requirements apply to voyages from all ports except those in Canada, Bermuda, Greece and Australia, where government regulations still require vaccinations. And, even when that ban was lifted, the cruise lines had to operate under a strict set of rules that no other industry had to follow. In the case of European cruises, some destinations require travelers to be 'up to date' with their vacines to go ashore, Royal Caribbean said, andpassengersmay be subject to testing onboard in order to visit certain ports. 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. Departing from Miami, she will visit the Cayman Islands and Castaway Cay on a 5-night Halloween On The High Seas western Caribbean cruise. Clients are booking now and into the future, and he believes the cruise lines are mostly getting back to normal operations and looking at long-term planning. This positivity rate is still a small fraction of what it is in society at large, and nearly all cases on board were asymptomatic or had mild symptoms.". Royal Caribbean released a further update to its protocols on Wednesday, which will go into effect in September 2022. Registered in England and Wales. Eric Boehm | 2.7.2023 5:15 PM. 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. If thats the case, then everyone on the cruise will need to meet the vaccine requirements. More travelers will soon be able to book a cruise when Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. becomes the first cruise company to drop vaccination requirements starting Sept. 3, 2022. "All unvaccinated travelers ages 2 and older will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test either a negative RT-PCR test or a Rapid Antigen test taken no more than three days (72 hours) prior to travel and present the negative test results at check-in before travel to The Bahamas.". Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian all require anyone 12 and older sailing on their ships to be fully vaccinated. Disney Cruise Line becomes one of the final major lines to remove the vaccine mandate, along with relaxing testing requirements. Passengers who are not fully vaccinated will need to bring a negative COVID-19 test result taken withinthree days before embarking. 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. Guests will still need to follow the pre-cruise testing requirements. Royal Caribbean Vaccine Requirement Update. Commercially available tests will be accepted, including self tests. 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 CDC will now classify ships with a 90% or higher vaccination rate as "highly vaccinated". CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. Though . Royal Caribbean said in a letter to travel agents, Here at Royal Caribbean, you can trust we will continue to prioritize the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit. Some people are upset at the way iPhones charge. But like Celebrity, this mandate was rolled back in early June for all cruises sailing out of Florida and Texas. 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. The same date applies for Disney Fantasy, sailing from Port Canaveral, visiting Tortola, St Thomas, and Castaway Cay. "We're going to announce very . Also starting Sept. 5,Celebrity Cruises will discontinue its vaccination mandate for sailings from Los Angeles, the UK and Europe (but not Iceland). 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. This . 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. 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. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages. That includes having proof of vaccination, getting tested before your trip, and wearing masks indoors. Now that is being further expanded as cruise lines try to return to normal. 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. Disney Cruise Line becomes one of the final major lines to remove the vaccine mandate, along with relaxing testing requirements. They can take a PCR test 72 hours prior to sailing, or an antigen test two days prior to sailing. The new guidelines allow cruise ships operating in U.S. waters to choose to participate in the CDC's COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships, which requires participating cruise lines to report the . He also predicted a quiet spring and summer 2022 since many people have been vaccinated or infected so immunity in the US is high. The rules will vary by port, but an awful lot of sailings would be covered simply by adopting this rule change. With the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ending its cruise ship program on July 18, 2022, multiple cruise lines have already announced updated protocols to allow more unvaccinated guests to sail and to reduce pre-cruise testing. The unvaccinated cruise is now back. Cruising still requires either a covid-19 test and vaccination in most situations. The protocol changes come right on time for unvaccinated guests to experience the ever-popular Halloween on the High Seas cruises onboard the Disney ships in October. Children 11 and under are no longer required to be vaccinated. Carnival, the largest cruise operator in the world, operates three vessels out of Long Beach. The cruise lines have dropped mask requirements but still require proof of vaccination. An update is coming August 14. Ron DeSantis' office called the cruise line's vaccine mandate "discriminatory. Given this realization, and how vocal some potential customers and cruise lines have been about such remaining restrictions, cruise lines were already starting to lift testing requirements even before the aforementioned CDC news. Norwegian Cruise shares tumble about 6% after the company's adjusted loss per share and adjusted Ebitda loss were worse than analysts expected in the fourth quarter. Despite passenger numbers rebounding post-pandemic, the company posted an annual net loss of $2.27 billion. 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 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. Azamara. Vaccine exemptions are limited to a small number of guests who are over age 5. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. The unvaccinated cruise is now back. CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. 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. Carnival Cruises. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. 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. Now, the end of vaccination requirements on cruises could be closer than most people expected. Number 8860726. 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. Today, he considers his company's vaccine mandate a competitive advantage. Cruises visiting Greece require a supervised test. 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. Copyright 2023. Its important to note if the cruise line has a limit of unvaccinated guests. The line said it still strongly recommends vaccination. The short answer to the question is: I think this is kind of a springtime thing from a CDC policy standpoint. webpage. Three months ago, on December 30, it was moved to the agency's highest-risk Level 4 category of travel advisories as the . Carnival Cruise Line removed testing for vaccinated passengers on sailings less than 16 nights, and eliminated the exemption request process for unvaccinated travelers, who will only need to show a negative test result at embarkation. When it comes to the select European cruises, unvaccinated guests will have to take a test onboard to be allowed ashore in Greece or Spain. Fully-vaccinated . - As of July 25, 2022, the line no longer requires pre-cruise testing unless . 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. But when the sailing was announced as "fully vaccinated" in May, Gov. Under the current voluntary CDC guidelines, 95% of passengers must be vaccinated. 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 . The cruise line has announced a further easing of its protocols by dropping the vaccine requirements on select sailings from September 5, 2022. I think CDC is going to want to see what [that] looks like. Guests who have not been fully vaccinated will be required to provide a COVID-19 test taken one or two days before the sail date. Before boarding all three . Two major cruise lines, Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line, have announced plans to ease onboard . Only those sailing on longer, more complex itineraries will be required to have an observed or in-person test prior to departure. First and foremost, it's . but the consequences are here now. The Adults only cruise lines allow for 10% of passengers to travel unvaccinated. The cruise line has dropped all pre-cruise testing for sailings less than 6 nights. All Rights Reserved. The cruise line is working with the ports and says it will share information to travel agents and guests as it becomes available. Whats notably missing are Eastern Caribbean cruises, such as those that sail to the Bahamas. This easing applies to certain departures out of Los Angeles in California, Galveston in Texas, New Orleans in Louisiana, and cruises in Europe. the White House is fighting efforts to lift lingering and nonsensical COVID rules. Cruise travel's CDC status has come a long way in the past few months. Anthony Pignataro is an investigative reporter and editor for the Long Beach Post. Well hopefully get our first glimpse of that this year. 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. We know you like itthats why youre here. This content has not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Vaccination for sailings starting and ending in the U.S. is not required. Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises will soon lift vaccination mandates for many cruises and ease testing, while Cunard is easing testing. And one month later, the state passed a law to ban vaccine passports starting July 1. 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. Below are the current requirements, as August 9, 2022 by cruise line. Booster shots are not required. In short, Gottlieb sees a transition from government-imposed rules on isolation/quarantine to the expectation that people take personal responsibility. On shorter cruises that . Carnivals 50th anniversary sailabration kicks off in Long Beach. The new protocols will be introduced on a rolling basis, starting with Disney Wish, and concluding with Disney Magic on November 7. Gottlieb noted that the CDC would make the ultimate decision and that the agency needed more data first. 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 . Reason Magazine's archive of articles filed under Vaccine mandates. For cruises from Barcelona, both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers have to present a negative test taking within one day before embarking. Yet the CDC is poised to loosen the industry's Covid leash, saying cruise lines are now positioned to . Disney Magic will be the last ship to make changes on November 7, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. 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. Copyright 2023. They say it has made it all but impossible to find enough willing workers, and the resulting staff shortages have forced . That's a surprising move but it's one that outgoing Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Arnold Donald thinks rights a wrong. For allsailings 6 nights or longer, vaccinated guests must present a digital or physical copy of a supervised and negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken within 3 days prior to sailing. 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. It will also . Cruise-specific travel insurance is recommended on both Australian domestic cruises and international cruises. He joined the Post in May 2021. Unvaccinated guests are permitted to sail on most MSC voyages. April 5, 2021. On 5 April, the proposal was amended to lift the age threshold to 60 years. Fortunately, the CDC has also indicated that it is evaluating the situation, which may lead to welcome changes for cruise travelers. Getty Images. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Im talking more about CDC and the policy environment. As for Martindales agency, business is booming. Earlier this week, Carnival and Norwegian cruise lines relaxed their mask rules as well. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for itineraries that feature destinations that continue to require vaccinations. 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. The ship is set to sail this Saturday from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and will be the first revenue cruise to depart from a US port in over a year. No matter how healthy you are, we strongly . 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. This site is for entertainment purposes only. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. When it comes to cruises that are six nights or more, all guests aged 2 and over must present a negative test result taken within three days before departure. What to Know About Riding on the Alaska Railroad, Katmandu Park Punta Cana Is Opening March 15, 14 of the Best New Cruise Ships Launching in 2023, The Top Hotels in Mexico for a Romantic Getaway. Follow the pre-cruise testing requirements s vaccine mandate `` discriminatory the world, three! Way in the world, operates three vessels out of Florida and Texas, and concluding with Disney Wish and! Has also indicated that it is evaluating the situation, which may lead to welcome changes for cruise travelers make. Of articles filed under vaccine mandates to make changes will cruise lines lift vaccine mandate November 7 find enough willing,! Passengers must be vaccinated a 5-night Halloween on the High Seas western Caribbean cruise passengers are. 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