Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is extending its passenger vaccine mandate "indefinitely," the company's CEO said on Wednesday. Copyright 2023. That's a surprising move but it's one that outgoing Carnival Cruise Lines CEO Arnold Donald thinks rights a wrong. In all cases, the protocols may vary on a particular sailing if the destination has different rules than the . Some cruise lines already let children and a select few customers travel unvaccinated. Before boarding all three . "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.. Disney Cruise Line is one of the last cruise lines to make these changes. The unvaccinated cruise is now back. CDC drops risk advisory for cruise ship travel, 2 years into the COVID pandemic : Coronavirus Updates While the agency has lifted its travel health notice two years after putting it in place . Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. 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. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Children 11 and under are no longer required to be vaccinated. However, with cruises providing notoriously great value for money, there's little worry from the cruise lines. This takes effect Sept. 6. Apr 12, 2022 10:20 AM EDT. (That mandate does not include a booster shot.) Please view our privacy policy for details about the information we share with our partners. Starting March 11, 2023, proof of vaccination for sailings to or from Europe will no longer be required. Disney Magic will be the last ship to make changes on November 7, sailing from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Guests will still need to follow the pre-cruise testing requirements. "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 . These 3 major cruise lines are set to lift mask mandates as COVID cases drop. Three months ago, on December 30, it was moved to the agency's highest-risk Level 4 category of travel advisories as the . They can take a PCR test 72 hours prior to sailing, or an antigen test two days prior to sailing. 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. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. Passengers who are not fully vaccinated will need to bring a negative COVID-19 test result taken withinthree days before embarking. The big question is, what cruise lines allow unvaccinated guests to sail? In short, Gottlieb sees a transition from government-imposed rules on isolation/quarantine to the expectation that people take personal responsibility. Making travel easier for all guests. Subscribe to the Long Beach Post's daily eALERT and get the best local news in the city delivered to your inbox. Norwegian Cruise lines is just a one cruise lines which has updated their requirements for cruises this fall. Check the cruise lines websites for the most up-to-date information.). 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. 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. Cruises visiting Greece require a supervised test. 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 . Each sailing is unvaxxed capacity-controlled based on the total number of vaccinated guests projected to be on board. "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. Frank Del Rio has no regrets. The cruise line has announced a further easing of its protocols by dropping the vaccine requirements on select sailings from September 5, 2022. Copyright 2023. On a recent communication to travel agents, Royal Caribbean President Michael Bayley recently said,For those clientsbookedafter August 14, 2022,please await the specific protocol details from us related to those sailings. I expect that RCI will be dropping the vaccination requirements. . The Uniglobe travel agency says most cruise lines are making the same call: to keep the guidelines. Carnival, the largest cruise operator in the world, operates three vessels out of Long Beach. Copyright 2023. READ NEXT: 18 Most Unique Cruise Ship Bars in 2022. 32. He became the CEO at Norwegian in 2015 after it brought a cruise line Del Rio founded in 2002. Royal Caribbean, back in February, made masks optional for fully vaccinated passengers. Children under 5 (from the US) and under 12 (from Australia) are exempt from vaccination and testing requirements. Starting October 14, Disney Cruise Line will drop the vaccine mandate for all guests and introduce relaxed testing requirements for fully vaccinated guests. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. 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. Looking at 2022, it's likely that cruise lines will continue to require crew to be vaccinated. Royal Caribbean released a further update to its protocols on Wednesday, which will go into effect in September 2022. abruptly stopped any covid-related regulation. 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. News Florida Disney. This means any company that violates this proof-of-vaccination ban could be fined $5,000 for each customer. 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. But Gottlieb does have a timetable in which he expects the agency to act. Royal Caribbean Vaccine Requirement Update. 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. Close to home: Climate change in Long Beach. Check with Carnival for specific cruise requirements. "We're going to announce very . So if we're going to someplace we're going to honor whatever that destination's rules are. The vaccine-mandate reversal is the latest update in a heated battle between cruise lines and the state, which has banned vaccine passports. I think that the public-health officials -- CDC -- is going to want to see what the epidemiology of this disease is when it gets to a quote, unquote, normal state.". Voyages 16 nights and longer will continue to have vaccination and testing requirements that are specific to the itinerary. All Rights Reserved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its definition of what it means to be a highly . Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 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. Guests of . And one month later, the state passed a law to ban vaccine passports starting July 1. 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. "CDC continues to evaluate the latest science and state of . but the consequences are here now. 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. I think that its likely to be a requirement that is in place through this fall and winter, Gottlieb said, according to a Cruzely report. When will vaccination no longer be required to cruise? Also starting Sept. 5,Celebrity Cruises will discontinue its vaccination mandate for sailings from Los Angeles, the UK and Europe (but not Iceland). Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. 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. Rocky started blogging on his own website When Doublewides Fly to share information about flying around the world on a dime. 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. Most Americans have a strong opinion on vaccines -- strong to the point that the topic has caused family rifts and led friends to stop speaking to each other. Topline. 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. 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. The vaccine-mandate reversal is the latest update in a heated battle between cruise lines and the state, which has banned vaccine passports. Disney Cruise Line has not chosen to pick one date to implement the new procedures onboard its ships. We know you like itthats why youre here. Now, the official termination of the CDC program is only accelerating the elimination of testing among other lines. 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. Action Alerts PLUS is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. Is a Hiring Slowdown a Bad Corporate Omen? Royal Caribbean said, We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. As any client who has cruised recently knows, the logistics of requiring COVID-19 testing before, during or right after a trip can be daunting. 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. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Learn to how to find the cheapest awards. Now that is being further expanded as cruise lines try to return to normal. That's likely only partly true because Royal . "I'm very glad that it has ended, said Adam Martindale, owner of a Cruise Planners franchise in San Diego, Calif. There are no other leisure industries as regulated as cruise lines are. The policy is true on most sailings on a first-come, first-served basis without the need for exemptions or vaccine status justifications. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for those to or from Australia and on transatlantic and transpacific cruises. 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. Number 8860726. Here Are the Updated COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Each Major Cruise Line For many, testing and vaccination requirements have made cruising more confusing than ever Testing is still required for some cruises. 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. Passengers on cruises 16 nights or longer, or sailing on full Panama Canal transits, trans-ocean and other specific itineraries, need to take a supervised test within three days before embarking. Children ages four and younger do not need to be vaccinated, nor do they need to provide a negative test result. Carnivals 50th anniversary sailabration kicks off in Long Beach. 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. Seatrade Cruise News is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC. Unvaccinated guests are welcome on most voyages. But that's what travel in general is, and people are used to that. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. 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. The CDC's mask mandate for public transportation runs untilMarch 18, and Gottlieb thinks the agency will extend it by two or three weeks but give a definitive end date. The new guidelines effect NCL, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas. Starting September 3, 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line Parent company is adjusting the required pre-cruise testing and vaccination protocols for all cruises, with the new guidelines taking effect September 3, 2022. honestly, we should have never gotten rid of mask mandates in the first place. scott@travelcodex.com, For updates: Since September 6, passengers on itineraries that are 16 nights or less, and who show proof . 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. 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. 50Th anniversary sailabration kicks off in Long Beach Post 's daily eALERT and get best... ) and under 12 ( from Australia ) are exempt from vaccination and testing requirements antigen test two prior... 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