So if we're going to someplace we're going to honor whatever that destination's rules are. If you are taking a cruise and still need a rapid Covid-19 antigen test, try Azova for a inexpensive effective option. Fortunately, the CDC has also indicated that it is evaluating the situation, which may lead to welcome changes for cruise travelers. Informa Markets, a trading division of Informa PLC. We will always have to be in compliance with the destinations. Princess Cruises, which sails out of the Port of Los Angeles, also announced similar changes to their vaccination guidelines on Friday. Starting October 14, Disney Cruise Line will drop the vaccine . Vaccinated travelers on cruises six nights or longer must present a negative supervised test taken within three days before embarking. The announcement came just weeks after Celebrity Cruises' unveiled its resumption of sailing plans aboard the Celebrity Edge. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. Subscribe to Apple News. Now that is being further expanded as cruise lines try to return to normal. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Covid-19 guidance will soon become optional for many cruise ship lines. If unvaccinated guests have recently recovered from COVID and can provide appropriate documentation, they will also be exempt from the testing requirement. From Sept. 5, Royal Caribbean International will no longer require COVID-19 vaccination for cruises from California, Louisiana, Texas and Europe. Find out when the conditional sailing order expires. Cruise travel's CDC status has come a long way in the past few months. We finally got to a place that brings us much closer to where the rest of society is in terms of freedom to operate responsibly," the CEO said, according to a Travel Weekly article. it was clearly supposed to reward people for getting vaccinated, but there's no mechanism to know if people are vaccinated, so everyone could go without masks without immediate consequence. - All other cruises still require proof of initial vaccination and a booster until further notice. The changes are nuanced, depending on embarkation ports and destinations and, in some cases, by cruise length, and vary by cruise line. Be Safe. 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. (Note: This . But Gottlieb does have a timetable in which he expects the agency to act. 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. 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.. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on all voyages, except for itineraries that feature destinations that continue to require vaccinations. The . Check with Seabourn for protocols on your specific sailing. CRUISE HIVE LTD 2008-2023. 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. Registered in England and Wales. Unvaccinated guests are welcome on most voyages, except for those that visit destinations where local regulations vary, including Australia. "All unvaccinated travelers ages 2 and older will be required to obtain a negative COVID-19 test either a negative RT-PCR test or a Rapid Antigen test taken no more than three days (72 hours) prior to travel and present the negative test results at check-in before travel to The Bahamas.". All Rights Reserved. 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 . Cruise ships will be allowed to lift COVID-19 restrictions from mid-January, the CDC said Monday. As for Martindales agency, business is booming. In late July the CDC relaxed Covid requirements for the cruise industry. Royal Caribbean said, We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. See more stories on Insider's business page. We want to ensure a great experience going ashore at these ports, for guests of any vaccination status, while meeting local health regulations.. Editor in Chief Instead, the cruise line will introduce these on a rolling basis across the fleet. This now means that regardless of vaccination status, guests can cruise on the select sailings, as long as they meet any testing requirements. Unvaccinated passengers or those who do not provide proof of vaccination must present the results of a negative PCR or antigen test taken within three days of embarkation, the company announced. As of July 14, Princess Cruises is beginning to more openly welcome unvaccinated passengers. Articles are of a general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances. ), This announcement is the most significant to date, and is another step to greater consumer confidence in travel, Tolkin said. 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. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, how vocal some potential customers and cruise lines, Margaritaville at Sea Gears Up With Travel Advisors in Mind, Its a Summer of Record-Breaking Cruise Sales. 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. All rights reserved. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has lowered the travel advisory for cruise ships, indicating the agency thinks conditions have slightly improved from late last year. The test may be a medically observed antigen test, rapid or lab-based PCR test, or Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT). 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. All rights reserved. "In addition to eliminating the mandatory Bahamas Travel Health Visa, the Government of The Bahamas announced today that fully vaccinated travelers will no longer be required to submit to pre-travel COVID-19 testing to enter the country," the Bahamas Ministry of tourism shared in a press release. The vaccination policy for Cunard passengers remains the same. The CDC's new opt-in cruise program reduced isolation/quarantine times for highly vaccinated ships. You can keep up with her on Instagram at @IAmSarahJaneB. 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. These new requirements apply to voyages from all ports except those in Canada, Bermuda, Greece and Australia, where government regulations still require vaccinations. Just because the CDC has stopped paying attention does not mean Carnival, Royal Caribbean International (RCL) - Get Free Report, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) - Get Free Report, and other cruise lines that sail from the U.S. will drop pre-cruise covid testing and vaccine requirements. Children 5 and under are not . This takes effect Sept. 6. Subscribe to the Long Beach Post's daily eALERT and get the best local news in the city delivered to your inbox. Gottlieb surmised US public health officials may take a decision on vaccination mandatesin springtime 2023,after the country gets through another fall and winter to see if COVID enters the endemic phase. 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. Carnival Cruises. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Then theyll make decisions about whether or not they continue to require vaccines in certain settings," he added. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Requests are not guaranteed and will be processed after the booking is paid in full, in sailing date order, and once we have finalized the estimated vaccinated guest count. Under the new rules, Unvaccinated passengers ages 12 and older must still present a medically supervised negative PCR or antigen test taken no more than 72 hoursbefore sailing. Unvaccinated passengers ages 12 and older must present a medically supervised negative PCR or antigen test taken no more than 72 hoursbefore sailing. This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. The new guidelines effect NCL, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas. Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically. Keep in mind the world is one world but not one place. Unvaccinated guests are welcome to sail on most voyages, except for itineraries that feature destinations with local regulations that may continue to require vaccination including Australia. Please be aware that health and safety measures may change at any time. COVID-19 cruise cover varies depending on the provider. The cruise line has dropped all pre-cruise testing for sailings less than 6 nights. "At Princess, we want to make your vacation as easy, hassle-free and safe as possible. That includes having proof of vaccination, getting tested before your trip, and wearing masks indoors. "The U.S. consumer is sitting on $2 trillion of savings," Liberty said. Cruise Hive was established back in 2008 and among the earliest blogs in the industry. And one month later, the state passed a law to ban vaccine passports starting July 1. 'One-way masking works,' Gottlieb said, provided it's a high-quality mask like an N95. Especially if you are unvaccinated. The unvaccinated cruise is now back. 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. 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. 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