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. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is extending its passenger vaccine mandate "indefinitely," the company's CEO said on Wednesday. Cruise-specific travel insurance is recommended on both Australian domestic cruises and international cruises. 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. And there may be places around the world that still require certain things, certain testing, certain vaccinations, so if we choose to go to those places, then we're going to respect that, and guests will be informed ahead of time and know what they have to do. This is like a transition year. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Princess drop vax mandate for many cruises, Cunard eases testing. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. Reason Magazine's archive of articles filed under Vaccine mandates. Well hopefully get our first glimpse of that this year. Vaccinated guests, regardless of age, no longer need to test for the shorter sailings. Youll find expert advice for experienced and first-time cruisers, as well as port and destination guides. All rights reserved. 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. The cruise line has dropped all pre-cruise testing for sailings less than 6 nights. In all cases, the protocols may vary on a particular sailing if the destination has different rules than the . Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. 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 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. From Sept. 5, Royal Caribbean International will no longer require COVID-19 vaccination for cruises from California, Louisiana, Texas and Europe. I think CDC is going to want to see what [that] looks like. 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. During a press conference on Thursday, the Florida governor suggested the state might fight efforts to impose COVID-19 vaccine mandates on cruise passengers -- something that is at the core of comeback plans at a growing number of cruise lines. The CDC's new opt-in cruise program reduced isolation/quarantine times for highly vaccinated ships. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. That means three pillars of the government's made-in-Canada COVID-19 vaccine procurement strategy have failed or could soon fail. All unvaccinated guests ages 2 and older are required to receive a lab-administered PCR or antigen test up to 3 days before sailing. 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. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. 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. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. Be sure to familiarize your self, or reach out and Im happy to help find you a cruise that meets you and your family needs. Editor in Chief 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. That's a policy some havegrudginglycomplied with, while others have skipped cruising because of it. 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. 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. An order imposing restrictions on . If this is the case, you still need a negative test or be vaccinated. The CDC will now classify ships with a 90% or higher vaccination rate as "highly vaccinated". 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. This site is for entertainment purposes only. 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. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. The cruise line has announced a further easing of its protocols by dropping the vaccine requirements on select sailings from September 5, 2022. However, with cruises providing notoriously great value for money, there's little worry from the cruise lines. All rights reserved. "The fact is we were being held, and we felt unfairly, to a different standard: a zero-risk standard relative to the rest of the travel and leisure sector and the rest of society. 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. April 5, 2021. Apr 12, 2022 10:20 AM EDT. 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. - As of July 25, 2022, the line no longer requires pre-cruise testing unless . "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.. 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. Carnival Cruises. 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. 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. 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. The changes are nuanced, depending on embarkation ports and destinations and, in some cases, by cruise length, and vary by cruise line. Free expert cruise tips and news from Cruise Hive! News Florida Disney. Registered in England and Wales. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. 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. Anthony Pignataro is an investigative reporter and editor for the Long Beach Post. Before boarding all three cruise lines, passengers must show their original vaccination cards. Unvaccinated children under 5 do not require pre-cruise testing. But the cruise line still "strongly recommends" that its eligible guests be vaccinated, a spokesperson told Insider in an emailed statement. 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. Azamara, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Viking were among the first to do so, where permitted. Frank Del Rio has no regrets. 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. Virgin Voyages has also modified its vaccine policy to also allow 10% of guests to be unvaccinated. Copyright 2023. 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. Help us keep hyperlocal news alive in Long Beach. Despite passenger numbers rebounding post-pandemic, the company posted an annual net loss of $2.27 billion. 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. Norwegian Cruise lines is just a one cruise lines which has updated their requirements for cruises this fall. For those who are unvaccinated, pre-embarkation testing is required. Currently, the island nation requires all cruise ship passengers 12 and over to be fully vaccinated to enter the port. 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. Passengers who are not fully vaccinated will need to bring a negative COVID-19 test result taken withinthree days before embarking. Royal Caribbean Chief Executive Jason Liberty,during his company's fourth-quarter earnings call,pointed out how well those protocols have been working. Do note, that some countries still require covid-19 testing for sailing. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 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