Four major cruise lines are reducing vaccination requirements for some sailings next month, the cruise lines said.
Carnival Cruise Line will no longer require unvaccinated guests to apply for an exemption to sail starting in September. 6 according to the news. This does not include journeys within Australia or journeys of 16 or more nights and changes are subject to local restrictions.
Princess Cruises will also remove vaccination requirements “on most voyages of less than 16 days so that everyone can cruise” from September. 6, according to a report on Friday. The Princess currently requires unvaccinated guests to be exempt from vaccinations to sail. Website.
Similarly, Royal Caribbean will welcome all travelers regardless of vaccination status, including on sailings from Los Angeles, New Orleans, Galveston, Texas and Europe beginning September 1. 5 “as long as testing requirements are met,” a spokeswoman told USA TODAY via email Thursday.
“We are working with local governments across the Caribbean to adapt vaccination requirements for additional routes,” the spokesperson said.
Royal Caribbean currently requires proof of vaccination for guests 12 and older before departure from North America. Website.
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From the same date, Celebrity Cruises will welcome all passengers who comply with the test rules on sailings from Los Angeles, the UK and Europe (excluding Iceland). Website.
Changes are made after Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. announced plans to also adjust COVID-19 regulations, allowing all passengers to board.
Many cruise lines have withdrawn their testing regulations
Royal Caribbean Group is also the parent company of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity rolled back Testing requirements this month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships ends. The company only requires vaccinated passengers to be tested on sailings of six nights or longer, but still requires testing for unvaccinated passengers on all sailings.
Many other cruise line operators and brands have made similar protocol changes, including Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises.
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When do cruise lines still require COVID-19 testing?
► Carnival Cruise Line will require testing for vaccinated passengers only on voyages of 16 nights or longer or where required by local regulations, such as sailings to Canada and Bermuda beginning in September. 6, the press release said.
Passengers who are unvaccinated or have no proof of vaccination must still “submit negative PCR or antigen test results within three days of arrival.” Children under 5 years of age are exempt from vaccination and testing requirements in the United States
► Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. Starting in September, it will waive all cruise requirements for passengers age 12 and older to be vaccinated. According to the 3rd news.
Guests 12 and older who have not been vaccinated or who do not show proof of vaccination must still be tested within 72 hours of boarding. The company said it “continues to strongly advise all guests to be aware of vaccination protocols and to be tested at their own convenience prior to travel.” Changes are subject to local requirements.
► On sailings from the United States, MSC Cruises requires testing for fully vaccinated passengers sailing on voyages of six nights or longer and for all unvaccinated passengers age 2 and older, regardless of voyage length. The tests must be done within three days of boarding. The cruise line recommends that guests test within a day of the trip if possible.
► Princess Cruises will require passengers traveling 16 nights or longer to “pass a supervised test within three days of boarding (guests 5 and older)” starting September 1. 6, as well as those on full Panama Canal transits and certain other flights.
Unvaccinated passengers must return a negative self-test within three days of sailing of 15 nights or less, although unvaccinated children under 5 are exempt.
► Holland America Line requires all guests age 2 and older to be tested prior to travel. According to the cruise line’s website, all guests 12 and older must be vaccinated. Passengers between the ages of 5 and 11 can also be vaccinated, but they will need an exemption.
Guests who are up-to-date on their vaccinations and have received a booster when appropriate may be tested within three days prior to sailing. If they have been vaccinated but not up to date, they will need to be tested within two days.
