will cruise lines lift vaccine mandate

This news comes as the cruise industry starts to relax its protocols and aligns with other travel sectors, such as flights. Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Free Report, Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) - Get Free Report, and Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) - Get Free Report find their companies in the middle of this debate. Voyages that are 16 nights and longer will continue to have vaccination and testing requirements that are specific to the itinerary for all passengers aged five and older, Carnival announced. That's likely only partly true because Royal . These new requirements apply to voyages from all ports except those in Canada, Bermuda, Greece and Australia, where government regulations still require vaccinations. That includes having proof of vaccination, getting tested before your trip, and wearing masks indoors. Children under five are not required to apply for a vaccine exemption. Now, the end of vaccination requirements on cruises could be closer than most people expected. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. The vaccination policy for Cunard passengers remains the same. Cruises 6 days or more: All guests are required to take an official COVID-19 test before boarding. Only those sailing on longer, more complex itineraries will be required to have an observed or in-person test prior to departure. 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. Check the cruise lines websites for the most up-to-date information.). There's one common reason for these reversals of vaccine mandates: the ban on vaccine passports in states like Florida and Texas, which has created a heated standoff between cruise lines and the states. Ron DeSantis' office called the cruise line's vaccine mandate "discriminatory. "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. All rights reserved. READ NEXT: 18 Most Unique Cruise Ship Bars in 2022. Princess is now permitting up to 10% of its guests to be unvaccinated. 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, Allowed HTML tags:


. Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, a physician who serves as chairman of Norwegian Cruise Line's SailSAFE Council, on March 3 spoke on the possibility of cruise lines being able to drop vaccination requirements. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. For all sailings 5 nights or less, no testing is required for vaccinated guests. These cruises feature spooky character encounters and enchanted pumpkin trees. What Is It Like to Travel to Saudi Arabia. This content has not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Also starting Sept. 5,Celebrity Cruises will discontinue its vaccination mandate for sailings from Los Angeles, the UK and Europe (but not Iceland). 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. On July 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the elimination of its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships sailing in U.S. waters, a first-of-its-kind move that would allow each individual cruise line to manage its own COVID-19 mitigation programs. (Note: This . We shall see this expanded for future cruises. That could change. Before boarding all three cruise lines, passengers must show their original vaccination cards. What other safety measures are in place: Ocean Cruise guests will be required to get tested for COVID-19 in the terminal. abruptly stopped any covid-related regulation. 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. So if we're going to someplace we're going to honor whatever that destination's rules are. And every destination has its own thing. Vaccination Requirements: While all guests 12 and up are required to be fully vaccinated, children ages 5-11 may be unvaccinated with approval from the cruise line. Under the current voluntary CDC guidelines, 95% of passengers must be vaccinated. The following voyages require guests, age 12 and older, to be fully vaccinated. 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.. Royal Caribbean is finalizing the testing for departures out of New Orleans. This also includes cruise line private islands, such as Royal Caribbeans Perfect Day at CocoCay. If unvaccinated guests have recently recovered from COVID and can provide appropriate documentation, they will also be exempt from the testing requirement. 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. Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. Unvaccinated passengers ages 12 and older must present a medically supervised negative PCR or antigen test taken no more than 72 hoursbefore sailing. Currently, the island nation requires all cruise ship passengers 12 and over to be fully vaccinated to enter the port. Norwegian Cruise lines is just a one cruise lines which has updated their requirements for cruises this fall. 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. 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. "We would object to it," DeSantis said in response to a question from a reporter about such mandates. Copyright 2023. 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. The cruise industry has been bending over backward to show the public that cruises are a safe vacation opportunity. It will also . Reason is an American libertarian monthly magazine published by the Reason Foundation. However, they must still follow requirements for unvaccinated guests, including pre-cruise and onboard testing. 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. Norwegian Cruise Line requires all its passengers and crew to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and has been fighting in court to continue its mandate. And one month later, the state passed a law to ban vaccine passports starting July 1. Guests without vaccination will be provided a test by Disney Cruise Line. Vaccinated passengers still must present a medically supervised negative covid antigen or rapid pcr test before sailing. (Note: Since the initial announcement, the CDC has released new guidance for cruise ships on the mitigation and management of the virus. by Rocky HoranLast updated October 26, 2022. For those who are unvaccinated, pre-embarkation testing is required. - All other cruises still require proof of initial vaccination and a booster until further notice. Although cruises from the US may not require covid vaccination, a port on the cruise may. Number 8860726. This takes effect Sept. 6. 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. 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.. 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. Therapeutics will play an important role, too, and Gottlieb thinks they'll become widely availableand continue to evolve and become more effective. The changes are nuanced, depending on embarkation ports and destinations and, in some cases, by cruise length, and vary by cruise line. Be Safe. 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. 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. Children under 5 (from the US) and under 12 (from Australia) are exempt from vaccination and testing requirements. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. 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. 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. 'One-way masking works,' Gottlieb said, provided it's a high-quality mask like an N95. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Covid-19 guidance will soon become optional for many cruise ship lines. The Miami-based cruise line also announced that starting Sept. 6, vaccinated passengers sailing on voyages of less than 16 days will no longer have to test before boarding. 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. 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. (Note: This information is accurate as of February 7, 2023. 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. However, sailings visiting Greece require a supervised COVID test prior to embarking. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. 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. Starting October 14, Disney Cruise Line will drop the vaccine mandate for all guests and introduce relaxed testing requirements for fully vaccinated guests. 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. Two major cruise lines, Royal Caribbean International and Carnival Cruise Line, have announced plans to ease onboard . 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. Its important to note if the cruise line has a limit of unvaccinated guests. These 3 major cruise lines are set to lift mask mandates as COVID cases drop. Virgin Voyages also was the first to end pre-departure COVID testing. 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. the White House is fighting efforts to lift lingering and nonsensical COVID rules. Those requirements are spelled out in more detail at the companys Have Fun. Unvaccinated passengers will face onboard restrictions, COVID-19 tests, and extra costs. Copyright 2023. Royal Caribbean drops the vaccine requirement from select U.S. homeports on departures from September 5, 2022. Disney Magic will be the last ship to make changes on November 7, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Then theyll make decisions about whether or not they continue to require vaccines in certain settings," he added. Other fun experiences include a Mickey Mouse-querade Party, a family costume party where kids can meet their favorite Disney characters, Halloween-themed movies, and even ghostly ship announcements. This means any company that violates this proof-of-vaccination ban could be fined $5,000 for each customer. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved.

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