Allowing unvaccinated guests back on at least some ships is a major shift in policy from the last two years. They will still need to follow our current testing protocols until further notice. Heidi is a physical therapist by profession, cruise enthusiast at heart, and Princess all the time! Guests booked on any cruise line should stay in close communication for updates as their sailing date approaches, to be sure they are in compliance with any protocol or requirement changes that could impact their cruise. Royal Caribbean published updates to its testing requirements, NCLH announced revisions to its SailSAFE health and safety protocols, vaccination requirements for certain cruises, Carnival Processes 1M Guests Utilizing VeriFLY Digital Travel App, Carnival Further Updates Testing and Vaccine Requirements, Royal Caribbean Cancels Cruises Due to Omicron, Royal Caribbean Group Cancels Most June Cruises, How to Cruise for Cheap: Top Tips and Advice, Complete Guide to Drink Packages on Celebrity Cruises (2023), Everything You Need to Know About Norwegian's Free at Sea in 2023, Complete Guide to Princess Cruises Drink Packages, Complete Guide to Drink Packages on Carnival (2023), Complete Guide to Drink Packages on MSC Cruises. Testing is not required for fully vaccinated guests on itineraries of 9 nights or fewer. Royal Caribbean has emailed guests booked on upcoming sailings with the updated health and safety protocols. Stretch Your Vacation Budget: 9 Strategies That Will Save You Thousands. Understanding Covid test requirements needed for a Royal Caribbean cruise can be a bit confusing. Guests who are fully vaccinated and up-to-date on their vaccination, including . Royal Caribbean updates COVID protocols, opens more sailings to - WJXT Royal Caribbean Removes Pre-Cruise Testing Requirements for Most However, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas cruises, was the first to update its vaccination requirements in addition to testing requirements. These tests are free. Families traveling with unvaccinated kids are required to purchase a tour through Royal Caribbean to go ashore with the exception of private destinations such as Perfect Day at CocoCayandLabadee. The cruise line indicated that these protocols better aligned with the travel and hospitality sector and met destination regulations. It also comes in handy after the CDC recently updated its requirements for passengers to . In Honduras, Roatan island is a favorite port of call, visited by several cruise lines. A certified medical health certificate from a doctor stating that the guest has fully recovered from Covid-19, and must adhere to the following requirements: Official letterhead from a healthcare provider, public health official or telehealth provider showing: Confirmation of your recovery and completion of isolation, Must be typed(not handwritten)and signed by the provider, Must confirm the sample collection date of the positive PCR test, which must be a minimum of 11 days and a maximum of 90 days before the departure date of your cruise, Date of validity must extend throughout the duration of your cruise. Royal Caribbean said, We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. As reported in September of 2021, Royal Caribbean had previously allowed guests who had recovered from Covid-19, to submit recovery letters for departures outside of the United States. As with any rapidly changing scenario like this one, laws, and regulations change at a rapid pace, and this often affects your cruise vaccination requirements as well. Carnival, Royal Caribbean cruises ease covid testing rules - The Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty spoke about the change during an earnings call with investors a few weeks ago and said the change is a move to be more like other forms of leisure travel, such as theme parks, casinos, or air travel. In addition to Royal Caribbean ships, Carnival Cruise Line, Virgin Voyages, Viking Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and other lines also visit the port. The CDC issued new COVID-19 guidancefor cruise ships on July 20, with updated health and safetyrecommendations. What You Need To Know About Royal Caribbean Testing Requirements. All crew will continue to be fully vaccinated and boosted when eligible, and tested regularly. We make sure cruisers are fully prepared for their cruise vacation with tips on ships and ports. Specifically, all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can now cruise on the following itineraries as long as they meet any testing requirements to board: What do you think of the news that Royal Caribbean drops its vaccine requirement for some cruises? After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ended its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Shipslast month, cruise lines have announced changes to their health and safety protocols. You May Like: What Is The Best Alaskan Cruise For Families. Tests may be taken up to three days prior to embarkation, and can be any type of PCR or antigen test, professionally proctored or self-administered at home without supervision. Guests sailing from the United States homeports (excluding itineraries visiting Canada or Bermuda) should adhere to the following guidelines: Testing requirement on all cruises regardless of length: Note: PCR tests for unvaccinated children are the only test to adhere to an hour requirement as opposed to days. The new guidelines include unvaccinated guests being required to show a negative COVID-19 test rest before their voyage. Royal Caribbean Group announced it would no longer require vaccinated passengers to take a coronavirus test before boarding voyages of six nights or less. Missing from this list are cruises that visit destinations in The Bahamas or Eastern Caribbean. For example, if you are scheduled to board at 12PM on Friday, your test must be taken after 11:59AM on Tuesday. Princess said it will allow up to 10% of unvaccinated guests on most sailings without exemptions or vaccine status justification. Travelersin the same age groupwho are unvaccinated or who do not provide proof of vaccination will still need to take a "medically administeredPCR or Antigen COVID-19 test" within 72 hours before boarding, according to a news release. Norwegian Cruise Line made headlines when it announced it would end its vaccine requirement. Note: Do not use the regular Abbot BinaxNow test sold over the counter, as it does not have a proctor watching you take the test. Results come back much quicker, so there is no need to worry about not receiving the results in time. Royal Caribbean will accept certificate of covid recovery instead of Guests under 2 do not have to wear a mask at any time. The CDC has discontinued thecruise shipcolor status page on its website, but the agency said in the Frequently Asked Questions section thatcustomers can reach out to cruise linesabout outbreaks on their ship. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached, or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Royal Caribbean Blog. All ports should have the same right as the ones that were lifted. For all sailings, kids 5 years and younger have no vaccine or testing requirements. Its understandable why many voyagers can get muddled on what they need to do in relation to COVID-19 vaccination requirements for their next cruise. ", "This means that we're transitioning to the point where everyone will be able to vacation with us while always working with our destination partners to meet their regulations. Required testing for all guests, regardless of vaccination status, can be completed using any type of PCR or antigen COVID-19 test. Those who are unvaccinated ordo not show proof of vaccination still haveto "present the results of a negative PCR or antigen test taken within three days of embarkation." The only exception are on sailings to or from Canada, Bermuda, Australia and Singapore. Vaccinated guests ages 12 years and over must take a PCR or antigen test no more than 2 days prior to sailing. Royal Caribbean drops pre-cruise testing requirement for almost all Cunard Line said in a news release thatself-testing beforesailing will be "highly recommended," rather than required, for vaccinated passengers on most trips beginning Sept. 6. the organization will continue to monitor and offer guidelines to ships. Earlier this year, the CDC moved to a voluntaryCOVID-19 programfor cruise ships. Resources, laws. Here is what they said: Fully vaccinated guests will only have to show a test result at boarding if the sailing is 6 nights or longer. Before you sail away on your next adventure, we at Cruise Guru strongly recommend you check that youve met all cruise vaccine requirements well before the voyage. Carnival Cruise Line willonly require pre-cruisetesting for vaccinated passengerson trips 16 nights or more, or where local rules mandate it, startingSept. 6, according to a press release. Registration details will be provided onboard. That is key to remember. Sailings longer than 10 nights may have additional onboard testing requirements. It only took 10s of thousands of lives to be lost for them to do it though. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. Effective November 9, 2022, all travelers on U.S. sailings regardless of vaccination status will no longer require pre-departure testing ,the email read. Its another step to normality and follows other recently relaxed requirements. Royal Caribbean drops vaccine requirement for certain cruise ship Many popular cruise lines have eliminated the vaccine and pre-embarkation test as the industry is beginning to shift away from mandatory vaccines and testing. Just a few weeks ago, when I boarded Royal Caribbeans Celebrity Summit, the person checking in asked to see my vaccination card. 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Royal Caribbean has updated its COVID-19 protocols to allow more people to sail on their ships, according to the RoyalCaribbeanblog. Royal Caribbean also revealed guests five years old and younger have no vaccine or testing requirements for all sailings. Just the same, well let you know if any requirements are reduced or eliminated. So, will you need a vaccine to cruise? In the U.S., kids younger than 5 are exempt from testing and vaccination requirements. These tours follow Royal Caribbeans health guidance and are available at a variety of prices. A little more than a week after dropping vaccination requirements on some cruises, Royal Caribbean has opened up most of its sailings to unvaccinated cruisers. Royal Caribbean wont require passengers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on select sailings beginning in September. Additionally, they said they are continuing to work with their destination partners to evolve and finalize other travel protocols. Masks are required for all children aged 2 and older while at the Adventure Ocean youth program. We took our first cruise vacation together 13 years ago and have been hooked ever since. We strongly recommend that fully vaccinated guests . Here are the specific requirements for each cruise line: Due to local regulations, sailings to or from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, and Singapore still require that guests be vaccinated. They made people sicker and killed many people. This revision does not apply to guests whose itinerary visits Canada or Bermuda. Children under 12 will have no testing or vaccination requirements. to follow PAX on Facebook. According to ClickOrlando.com, Royal Caribbean officials said the decision would go into effect on August 8 and all voyages before that date must still follow existing COVID-19 testing . Unvaccinated guests 5 and older have to take atest within threedays of their trip, no matter the sailing's length. Unvaccinated passengers2 years and up musttest within three days of embarkation for all sailings from U.S. ports. 'More than I hoped for': This is what it's like cruising with a disability right now. See testing r. Some people chose not to get vaccinated, others couldnt get vaccinated, and some people dId not want to cruise until all rules were dropped. Celebrity Cruises willrequire vaccinated passengers to test onlyon voyages that are 10 nights or morewithin three days of their tripbeginning Sept. 5, where local regulations allow,according to itswebsite. Beginning September 5, Royal Caribbean will allow guests on U.S. cruises the choice of taking a home test or a test professionally administered by a health professional. Crown & Anchor Society. But MSC still recommendstesting within three days of embarkation. Royal Caribbean International | Travel Requirements & Safety Protocols (Or you could go buy it on Amazon. Search for appointments near you prior to the cruise to ensure you can get one booked. The cruise line has updated its health protocols for sailings from March 11, 2022, onward to better accommodate them. Required testing for all guests can be completed . The changes began shortly after the CDC ended a pandemic-era policy of publicly displaying COVID-19 cases onboard, different cruise lines to the public in July 2022. / CBS Miami, MIAMI - Royal Caribbean announced Thursday that starting with August 8 departures, "we will revise our testing requirement for most U.S. All rights reserved. The change in policy is rooted primarily in a change in policy by the U.S. government. ended its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty told USA TODAY in a July interview that the company would monitor the situation and "modify protocols as needed.". Get free advice, information, and assistance with your next getaway. Thisincludes vaccination of all crew and keeping them up to date with boosters when eligible, routine surveillance of all crew, enhanced testing and treatment capabilities in our onboard medical centers, and much more.". Royal Caribbean International is dropping pre-cruise test requirements for visits to Haiti and Honduras, welcome news for cruises to Labadee. Before you can board a Royal Caribbean ship you must answer whether you have been vaccinated, whether you have had your vaccine booster, and whether you have any symptoms of illness. Onboard: For sailings that are 5 nights or longer, unvaccinated guests ages 2 to 11 will take a complimentary antigen test prior to debarkation. Minimal handwritten components (such as a check mark on a positive box) are acceptable as long as the other required information is printed on the document.