The Uniglobe travel agency says most cruise lines are making the same call: to keep the guidelines. Currently, guests with a certificate of recovery within 90 days of travel are welcome to cruise. Unvaccinated guests are permitted to sail on most MSC voyages. That's likely only partly true because Royal . 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. Subscribe to the Long Beach Post's daily eALERT and get the best local news in the city delivered to your inbox. (That mandate does not include a booster shot.). For four out of five ships in the fleet, the changes come right on time for the popular Halloween cruises. Cruise Lines Relax COVID Testing and Vaccination Policies For trips shorter than six days, vaccinated passengers will no longer need to obtain a negative test result before boarding. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for those to or from Australia and on transatlantic and transpacific cruises. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. 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. 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. Please view our privacy policy for details about the information we share with our partners. An update is coming August 14. April 5, 2021. Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. 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. That's what the three major cruise lines had to do. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. 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. On October 15, the procedures will be implemented onboard Disney Dream. Royal Caribbean said, We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. Carnival Cruises. There are also excursion rules and limited capacity. 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. Cruise lines and Florida have been in a heated standoff over vaccine passports. 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. honestly, we should have never gotten rid of mask mandates in the first place. Carnival allows unvaccinated guests to return to sailing. All rights reserved. Eric Boehm | 2.7.2023 5:15 PM. 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. 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. The unvaccinated, or those who do not provide proof of vaccination, must present a negative test taken within three days before embarking. Help us keep hyperlocal news alive in Long Beach. Topline. "At Princess, we want to make your vacation as easy, hassle-free and safe as possible. 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. Royal Caribbean is finalizing the testing for departures out of New Orleans. All travelers who are 12 and older must be fully vaccinated. Guests without vaccination will be provided a test by Disney Cruise Line. 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. Do note, that some countries still require covid-19 testing for sailing. For Cunard, from Sept. 6, self-testing prior to travel will change from 'mandatory' to 'highly recommended' for vaccinated passengers on the vast majority of voyages. Share. "The options available to unvaccinated guests continue to expand, according to Princess. Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Oct 26, 2021, 4:08 AM. Millions of travelers rely on Cruise Hive in the United States, Europe, Australia, and around the world. (Note: Since the initial announcement, the CDC has released new guidance for cruise ships on the mitigation and management of the virus. 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. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. We know you like itthats why youre here. Subscribe to RSS 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. 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. 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. The changes are nuanced, depending on embarkation ports and destinations and, in some cases, by cruise length, and vary by cruise line. Now nursing homes are pushing to lift the vaccination mandate altogether. The big question is, what cruise lines allow unvaccinated guests to sail? Registered in England and Wales. 'One-way masking works,' Gottlieb said, provided it's a high-quality mask like an N95. This announcement is the most significant to date, and is another step to greater consumer confidence in travel. ", "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. 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. However, sailings visiting Greece require a supervised COVID test prior to embarking. The unvaccinated cruise is now back. He became the CEO at Norwegian in 2015 after it brought a cruise line Del Rio founded in 2002. 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 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. Those 16 and older must be vaccinated. These 3 major cruise lines are set to lift mask mandates as COVID cases drop. 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. For all sailings 5 nights or less, no testing is required for vaccinated guests. The rules will vary by port, but an awful lot of sailings would be covered simply by adopting this rule change. Anne Kalosh | Mar 03, 2022. The rules will vary by port, but an awful lot of sailings would be covered simply by adopting this rule change. 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 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 White House is fighting efforts to lift lingering and nonsensical COVID rules. Each sailing is unvaxxed capacity-controlled based on the total number of vaccinated guests projected to be on board. However, they must still follow requirements for unvaccinated guests, including pre-cruise and onboard testing. 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.. After a 1-0 loss to Lincoln in the 2021 CCS Division II championship game, Sequoia girls' soccer head coach Melissa Schmidt told a team of mostly freshmen and sophomores that Children under 12 will not have to present negative Covid-19 tests. Starting Sept 3, 2022, Unvaccinated Guests are welcome to cruise with no capacity limits. 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. Its important to note if the cruise line has a limit of unvaccinated guests. 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 . READ NEXT: 18 Most Unique Cruise Ship Bars in 2022. That's a surprising move but it's one that outgoing Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Arnold Donald thinks rights a wrong. Check the cruise lines websites for the most up-to-date information.). Travel insurance. 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. Some cruise lines are still limiting the number of unvaccinated guests onboard. Before boarding all three . The cruise line has dropped all pre-cruise testing for sailings less than 6 nights. Check with Cunard for information on your specific sailing. That includes having proof of vaccination, getting tested before your trip, and wearing masks indoors. Guests of . Especially if you are unvaccinated. Check with Carnival for specific cruise requirements. As of August 8, 2022 only children under 12 are welcome as unvaccinated guests on Celebrity cruise lines when leaving the United States. Carnival, the largest cruise operator in the world, operates three vessels out of Long Beach. Coronavirus. 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. Disney Magic will be the last ship to make changes on November 7, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. 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. 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. Though . 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. 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. Anthony Pignataro is an investigative reporter and editor for the Long Beach Post. 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. For cruises out of Galveston and New Orleans that visit Grand Cayman, only passengers that show a valid vaccination record can go ashore. Celebrity will accept any commercially available tests, including self tests that are not monitored or proctored. 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. The vaccine-mandate reversal is the latest update in a heated battle between cruise lines and the state, which has banned vaccine passports. Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. 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. "We would object to it," DeSantis said in response to a question from a reporter about such mandates. "[Cruises] still trade, unfortunately, at a significant discount to land-based vacations. All rights reserved. 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 . 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 . Guests will still need to follow the pre-cruise testing requirements. I'm looking forward to cruising again,' he said. Some people embraced the vaccines early, others waited, and some got vaccinated only when they absolutely had to. Some safety measures will stay in place, which Transport Canada noted was in line with U.S. requirements. 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. 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: . NCL's last two Prima Plus ships will accommodate green methanol, Moving forward on multiple sustainability fronts: Insights from NAPA. 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. 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. Subscribe to Apple News. That could change. As you heard me say, we have carried approximately 1.3 million guests since the restart, with about 2,500 guests testing positive for Covid-19, a positivity rate of 0.19%. CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. 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 . Disney Cruise Line does still recommend that all guests get tested before sailing. In short, Gottlieb sees a transition from government-imposed rules on isolation/quarantine to the expectation that people take personal responsibility. Since then, cruise lines can make their own rules and manage the monitoring of Covid-19 on cruise ships on their own. Apr 12, 2022 10:20 AM EDT. We will always have to be in compliance with the destinations. Im talking more about CDC and the policy environment. These new guidelines apply to all Cunard cruises from Southampton and all other departure points, with the exception of countries where government regulations and protocols vary including Canada and Australia. The policy is true on most sailings on a first-come, first-served basis without the need for exemptions or vaccine status justifications. Well hopefully get our first glimpse of that this year. See more stories on Insider's business page. Keep in mind the world is one world but not one place. He also predicted a quiet spring and summer 2022 since many people have been vaccinated or infected so immunity in the US is high. For cruises from Barcelona, both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers have to present a negative test taking within one day before embarking. 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. Rocky started blogging on his own website When Doublewides Fly to share information about flying around the world on a dime. Here's why. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. This takes effect Sept. 6. Celebrity'highly recommended' vaccination although it won't be required for these trips. All guests must be vaccinated to sail with Viking. The vaccine-mandate reversal is the latest update in a heated battle between cruise lines and the state, which has banned vaccine passports. His expectation is that more companies will soon remove pre-cruise COVID-19 testing, as local regulations allow. 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. Passengers who are not fully vaccinated will need to bring a negative COVID-19 test result taken withinthree days before embarking. (Note: This information is accurate as of February 7, 2023. Cruising still requires either a covid-19 test and vaccination in most situations. Which Cruise Lines Require COVID-19 Vaccinations? Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity mentioned herein. RELATED: NCLH Drops COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements, Welcomes Everyone to Sail. Lines and paragraphs break automatically.