Thats why were asking readers like you to support our independent, fact-based journalism. Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. The cruise line is working with the ports and says it will share information to travel agents and guests as it becomes available. An update is coming August 14. The rules will vary by port, but an awful lot of sailings would be covered simply by adopting this rule change. Guests of . 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 . "We would object to it," DeSantis said in response to a question from a reporter about such mandates. That's why Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian will likely let the CDC make the call on vaccinations even if they technically could decide to drop the vaccine requirement on their own. Rocky started blogging on his own website When Doublewides Fly to share information about flying around the world on a dime. Royal Caribbean said, We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. That's likely only partly true because Royal . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. All rights reserved. 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. 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. But that's what travel in general is, and people are used to that. They say it has made it all but impossible to find enough willing workers, and the resulting staff shortages have forced . Be sure to double check or work with a travel agent to ensure youre meeting the requirements of the cruise you are considering. Royal Caribbean released a further update to its protocols on Wednesday, which will go into effect in September 2022. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is extending its passenger vaccine mandate "indefinitely," the company's CEO said on Wednesday. Gottlieb,a former FDA commissioner and Pfizer board member, who also co-chaired the Healthy Sail Panel, spoke in an NCLH briefing for travel partners and media. In all cases, the protocols may vary on a particular sailing if the destination has different rules than the . - As of July 25, 2022, the line no longer requires pre-cruise testing unless . Azamara, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Viking were among the first to do so, where permitted. ", "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. Now, the official termination of the CDC program is only accelerating the elimination of testing among other lines. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. 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 . Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages except for those in Australia or some that are 16 nights or longer. Norwegian Cruise lines is just a one cruise lines which has updated their requirements for cruises this fall. 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. Fortunately, the CDC has also indicated that it is evaluating the situation, which may lead to welcome changes for cruise travelers. At the end of May, Celebrity Cruises' sibling brand Royal Caribbean announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for all guests. The CDC's new opt-in cruise program reduced isolation/quarantine times for highly vaccinated ships. Royal Caribbean Vaccine Requirement Update. 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. If thats the case, then everyone on the cruise will need to meet the vaccine requirements. We know you like itthats why youre here. 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. 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. Cruising still requires either a covid-19 test and vaccination in most situations. "Cruise lines, the all-inclusives in the Caribbean everyone has a set of protocols. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian all require anyone 12 and older sailing on their ships to be fully vaccinated. Check with Cunard for information on your specific sailing. 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. The Adults only cruise lines allow for 10% of passengers to travel unvaccinated. Do note, that some countries still require covid-19 testing for sailing. Vacation cruising has nearly returned to normal. (That mandate does not include a booster shot.). Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Unvaccinated travelers still need to apply for an exemption to cruise in Australia or on voyages 16 nights and longer. Copyright 2023. Sign Up for Our Monthly Cruise Newsletter. That's what the three major cruise lines had to do. Cruises visiting Greece require a supervised test. We'll send you a weekly newsletter to your inbox. 'One-way masking works,' Gottlieb said, provided it's a high-quality mask like an N95. Eric Boehm | 2.7.2023 5:15 PM. Unvaccinated children under 5 do not require pre-cruise testing. For cruises of five or fewer nights from Los Angeles, vaccinated passengers won't need to test for COVID. Princess Cruises, which sails out of the Port of Los Angeles, also announced similar changes to their vaccination guidelines on Friday. With the CDCs removal of the pre-embarkation testing requirement, we are hopeful and pleased that the travel and cruising industries are sailing toward a new normal, said Oneil Khosa, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea. . "We are already experiencing an increase in calls and bookings due to the pent-up demand for cruise, andwe expect to see another uptick as a result of this latest announcement.. I think CDC is going to want to see what [that] looks like. 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. Royal Caribbean International has announced updated protocols for the United States, Puerto Rico, and Barbados-based cruises through March 31, 2022. Some people embraced the vaccines early, others waited, and some got vaccinated only when they absolutely had to. The new guidelines effect NCL, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas. Whats notably missing are Eastern Caribbean cruises, such as those that sail to the Bahamas. Cruise lines have adopted very strong Covid protocols partly because of the CDC and partly because of the optics of an outbreak on a cruise. Then theyll make decisions about whether or not they continue to require vaccines in certain settings," he added. Getty Images. Royal Caribbean drops the vaccine requirement from select U.S. homeports on departures from September 5, 2022. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. 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. As mentioned, the first vessel where Disney implements the new procedures is Disney Wish on October 14, a 3-day Bahamas cruise to Nassau and Castaway Cay, sailing from Port Canaveral. 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 . The test may be a medically observed antigen test, rapid or lab-based PCR test, or Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). If you are taking a cruise and still need a rapid Covid-19 antigen test, try Azova for a inexpensive effective option. 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. If this is the case, you still need a negative test or be vaccinated. 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. Some cruise lines already let children and a select few customers travel unvaccinated. Copyright 2023. - All other cruises still require proof of initial vaccination and a booster until further notice. 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. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for those to or from Australia and on transatlantic and transpacific cruises. Passengers who are not fully vaccinated will need to bring a negative COVID-19 test result taken withinthree days before embarking. "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. There's no indication that consumers are "shying away from taking cruise vacations," its CEO said. honestly, we should have never gotten rid of mask mandates in the first place. Youll find expert advice for experienced and first-time cruisers, as well as port and destination guides. Passengers no longer have to wear masks onboard while they are indoors, and while capacities have not returned to 100% . I'm looking forward to cruising again,' he said. 32. Starting March 11, 2023, proof of vaccination for sailings to or from Europe will no longer be required. The CDC will now classify ships with a 90% or higher vaccination rate as "highly vaccinated". 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 . (That mandate does not include a booster shot.) These new guidelines apply to itineraries from all departure ports except where government regulations and protocols may vary like Canada, Greece and Australia. But like Celebrity, this mandate was rolled back in early June for all cruises sailing out of Florida and Texas. Articles are of a general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. The following voyages require guests, age 12 and older, to be fully vaccinated. 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. 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