We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. "Effective November 2, 2022, all travelers on U.S. sailings regardless of vaccination status will no longer require pre-departure testing (excludes sailings to Colombia, Haiti, & Honduras)." CDC will continue to publish guidance to help cruise ships continue to provide a safer and healthier environment for passengers, crew and communities going forward. Now, its not clear whether the unvaccinated half may be more or less likely to ride cruise ships. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. You're supposed to take a covid test two days before either at a testing center or with a proctored testing kit that they sell on their website and the test kit does have an app to show your results. $200 Uber Cash: Enjoy Uber VIP status and up to $200 in Uber savings on rides or eats orders in the US annually. No Covid test, proof of vaccination or quarantine is required. Most major cruise lines require proof of vaccination for all passengers age 12 and up, and some require them for kids as young as 5 years old (Pfizer's . Learn more. Vaccinated guests aged 12 and over will no longer have any pre-cruise COVID-19 related protocols. Receive full access to our market insights, commentary, newsletters, breaking news alerts, and more. The cruise line said that it would only "strongly". Starting with August 8, 2022 departures, these updates include: . Following August 1, this age requirement will fall to 12 years old or older. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. 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The tweet received at least 145 likes since it was first posted. This is one of many changes in Royal Caribbean's approach to Covid-19, which has steadily seen health protocols erode in order to be closer to other forms of leisure travel. Unfortunately, the announcement didn't come in time for this voyage. Those who are unvaccinated or unable to verify vaccination will be required to undergo testing and follow other protocols, which will be announced at a later date.. Testing Requirements: All guests 2 and older are required to submit a negative test regardless of vaccination status. Sign up for notifications from Insider! sailings.". Beginning December 1, 2022, the line will waive vaccination requirements for all passengers on Europe and Caribbean itineraries, except where required by local regulations. The Miami-based operator. From there, I went to the second floor to check in. The summer cruises announced by Royal Caribbean International Friday are still pending approval from the CDC after each ship successfully completes a test cruise with volunteer passengers. One of the world's biggest cruise companies says coronavirus vaccinations will be needed to get on its ships. COVID-19 vaccines no longer will be required for Celebrity sailings from European countries with the exception of Iceland and sailings from . Thats starts on October 1st, and you would be permitted to board the ship on MAGAs are starting to boycott Royal Caribbean because they are requiring vaccinations for adult passengers and crew members when they start sailing again in June. [TRENDING: Is it illegal in Florida to back into a parking space? Vaccines, however, have clearly helped limit the number of severe cases onboard, and showing vaccination cards is a much smaller ask of passengers than requiring them to get tested no more than two days before their cruises. After all, enormous amounts of open space may not be the first thing that you think of when it comes to cruise ships. They waved me through to security, where my carry-on was screened. Well, heres what Dolven tweeted: Apparently, Dolven is referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signing into law a ban on Covid-19 vaccine passports. That means, as of July 1, the Florida state government could fine a cruise ship operator $5,000 each and every time the cruise ship operator requires proof of vaccination to use their services. Joe Raedle / Getty . Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. The vaccine is not perfect. Lyan Sierra-Caro, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean International, said the plans to require passengers be vaccinated that the company submitted to the CDC only applied to its test cruises. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have removed the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships as of Monday. Since then, more itineraries opened up to unvaccinated cruisers. While Americans filled arenas for concerts and sporting events, theme parks operated without any restrictions, and pretty much every business returned to normal, the CDC kept its thumb on the cruise industry. Enrollment required. Earn 80,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $6,000 on purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. The Royal Caribbean cruise line plans to drop its COVID-19 testing requirement for some guests starting on Aug. 8, according to a statement on its website. As part of the Australian Federal and State Government protocols all "The combination of the vaccines and testing and contact tracing, all these kinds of protocols really helps us reach our objective, which is to make cruising safer than in your home community," Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean's CEO, told the BBC. All guests aged 4 and older are required to have a negative COVID-19 test before boarding. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. 2 shots of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, etc., or 1 shot of Johnson & Johnson). Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. Guests can take advantage of in-person, telehealth, and self-swab tests. Prior to this change, unvaccinated guests had to take a Covid-19 test before their cruise. Our intention is to comply with all federal, state and local laws, she said via email. If they are more likely, then you could easily end up on a ship where less than half of the passengers are fully vaccinated. Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and Carnival cruise lines are easing their pandemic-era protocol by allowing unvaccinated travelers on more sailings, as well as accepting at-home COVID-19 tests for boarding. However, it shied away from creating a blanket COVID-19 vaccine mandate for guests, although the cruise line previously said it would expect crew members to be vaccinated before sailings return. Royal Caribbean International will no longer require its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to. Charleston. This site does not include all credit card companies or all available credit card offers. After 14 days pass, you can get onboard on Day 15. When you strongly recommend that proper clothing be worn to a business meeting, technically that slingshot mankini is still fair game. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Royal Caribbean has updated its healthy sail protocols. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images), Royal Caribbean International has announced. Some destinations may also require testing, so no change in policy is likely to be absolute, but the CDC's decision does seem to pave the way for the cruise lines to mostly drop the testing requirement. Before joining the News 6 team, Samantha was a political reporter for The Villages Daily Sun and has had freelance work featured in the Evansville Courier-Press and The Community Paper. But all the major cruise lines that sailed from the U.S. opted into the CDC program. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Of all the new health protocols and changes, perhaps no single rule is as hotly debated right now as if cruise lines, Norwegian Cruise Line announced on Tuesday it will extend its cruise cancellations through the end of September (minus, Two crew members from Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas were evacuated off Oasis of the Seas in Port Everglades on, If you own Royal Caribbean stock, today is a great start to your portfolio for the week.Royal Caribbean, and the entire, Royal Caribbean's recent filingwith the SEC indicates it has taken advantageof$3.48 billion in backup financing, Taking a test for COVID-19 before you get on a Royal Caribbean cruise might be one of the many steps the cruise line. Royal Caribbean announced Thursday its no longer requiring vaccinated guests to take a COVID-19 test prior to embarking on cruises six nights or less. Hawaii. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! All cruisers -- regardless of vaccination status -- had to wear masks in indoor spaces unless they were explicitly designated for vaccinated cruisers. Additionally, Celebrity Cruises will allow unvaccinated travelers starting Sept. 5 on all cruises that depart from a U.S. or European port, excluding cruises that visit Canada, according to the company. as well as other partner offers and accept our. Royal Caribbean wont require passengers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on select sailings beginning in September. It will be a requirement that cruise lines will happily comply with as most already require a vaccine mandate and . In a press release Friday announcing . In a statement, Royal Caribbean said that while all crew members will be vaccinated against COVID-19, guests are "strongly . When I learned that the line would be creating some separate spaces and mandating masks, I wondered if the rules would be enforced and, if so, how strictly. Instead, Odyssey will begin her inaugural season out of a new homeport, Haifa, Israel from June to October 2021. The cruise company's new sailings from the Bahamas will require all adult guests "to be . I saw a couple of crew members nicely ask passengers to pull their masks up over their noses in public spaces (and they complied). That's exactly the case with the Amex Platinum card. Crew members were also positioned at the entrances to restaurants, the theater and even at the Freestyle soda machines to push the buttons for passengers. Starting July 2, Royal Caribbean ships will not be requiring passengers to have covid vaccines for sailings from the U.S. TRAVEL + LEISURE is a registered trademark of Travel + Leisure Co., registered in the United States and other countries. Maarten.". Related: Cruise hack: 6 ways to turn a voyage on a mass-market ship into a luxury experience. Cruises from Australia are also not included in this policy change. Unvaccinated adults and vaccine exemptions. | Become a News 6 Insider (its free!)]. Passengers no longer have to wear masks onboard while they are indoors, and while capacities have not returned to 100% . "We want you to be more comfortable walking onboard a ship than walking down Main Street.". News 6 is Getting Results. Please complete the short form below. "Boosters can be received any time prior to embarkation. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, An aerial view of Royal Caribbeans Navigator of the Sea cruise ship docked in Miami, Florida on March 2. The order was most recently extended on September 30 last year but on October 30, "a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order" was issued by the CDC. Royal Caribbean Cruises This includes more contagious variants that now have sorority and fraternity sounding names, as I recently covered for Forbes. Oh ship. About half of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated, which means plenty of people still have not been vaccinated. NOTE: All Royal Caribbean guests aged 12 and older must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose of their vaccine administered at least 14 days before sailing. Please review this document and acknowledge acceptance via the tick Reminders going from indoors to outdoors and vice-versa were especially helpful. Travel + Leisure magazine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Royal Caribbean up for a skirmish with Florida, arnival and Royal Caribbean salaries revealed: From $32,000 to $383,000, here's how much the cruise industry's power players pay some of their employees, announcing select "fully vaccinated" cruises, resulted in boycott demands in late March across Facebook and Twitter. Once you are on a cruise ship how can you then tell who should be following additional precautions such as wearing face masks and staying at least six feet or one Denzel (because Denzel Washington is about six feet tall) away from others? This protocol will go into place starting Aug. 8. Unfortunately, the announcement didn't come in time for this voyage. Essentially, while the CDC set parameters, the cruise lines have been policing themselves for months. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. Royal Caribbean extended the suspension of sailings for its global fleet through May 31 (excluding cruises aboard the Quantum, Spectrum, Voyager and Odyssey of the Seas cruise ships) "in order to allow additional time for our return to service preparations," the company said in a statement on March 19. Related: Will I need a COVID-19 vaccine to cruise? While vaccination is not required for guests under 12, we kindly ask that you fill out their status below. TRAVEL + LEISURE is a registered trademark of Travel + Leisure Co., registered in the United States and other countries. The new order outlined detailed guidelines for resuming cruise operations in U.S. waters. Vaccinated travelers will not be required to get tested for cruises that are 9 nights or less. Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand. Apr 12, 2022 10:20 AM EDT. Get tested again after cruise travel. That was about three weeks ago (June 28) and the CDC ruling suggests that the testing requirement could change in August, but almost certainly will by September. Up until now, only unvaccinated guests under the age of 12 have been allowed on Royal Caribbean ships. As Taylor Doven reported for the Miami Herald, Royal Carribean issued a statement on Friday that said, Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible. Regardless of the port location, guests will have to show proof of full vaccination, completed at least 14 days before the cruise departs. decision to sail less than 95% vaccinated, areas and services unvaccinated passengers can access, Will I need a COVID-19 vaccine to cruise? Find the right card for you. The CDC has dropped its voluntary program to monitor cruise ships. Seldom travelers may not get enough value to warrant the cost. "We have followed the science and used our learnings about COVID-19 to develop comprehensive health and safety protocols to make cruising safer by preventing and mitigating the spread of infectious diseases, in general, and of COVID-19, in particular. Wristbands were also diligently checked in spaces intended for vaccinated cruisers. updated guidance from the major cruise line. On Friday, Royal Caribbean announced new seven-night cruises aboard the Adventure of the Seas cruise ship that will depart from Nassau in the Bahamas starting in June. Both crew members and guests over 16 years old will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to sail on the . Gee, what could possibly go wrong? All rights reserved. Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPGs editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. Of course, nothing is foolproof: Royal Caribbean recently canceled the first sailings of its newest ship, Odyssey of the Seas, after eight crew members tested positive for Covid; six were. Guests under the age of 12 do not have any testing requirements. Under the current voluntary CDC guidelines, 95% of passengers must be vaccinated. The cruise line will still require unvaccinated guests and vaccinated guests embarking on cruises six nights or longer, to take a COVID-19 test within three days of their departure date. Caribbean. If your cruise line does not have a specific testing requirement, get tested as close to time of cruise departure as possible (no more than 3 days before you travel). A guest is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the required number of doses in their vaccine series have been fully administered (e.g. Now, abruptly, the CDC has dropped its voluntary program and has stopped regulating or tracking covid on cruise ships. Going forward, the cruise line will make pre-departure. "We are continuing to adapt our protocols to align more closely with how the rest of society and other travel and leisure businesses are operating. The cruise line's vaccine mandate will apply to guests who are at least 16 years old aboard ships sailing from the US or the Bahamas, according to Royal Caribbean's frequently asked questions page. The line's decision to sail less than 95% vaccinated (which requires each ship sailing from the U.S. to complete test voyages under the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's supervision) means that there are restrictions on board. Guests under this age requirement who haven't been vaccinated will instead have to be tested for the virus. The venue was open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers. This card comes with a long list of benefits, including access to Centurion Lounges, complimentary elite status with Hilton and Marriott, at least $500 in assorted annual statement credits and so much more. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. According to CDC rules, cruise ships that dont meet certain vaccination thresholds for passengers and crew must first do a successful test cruise before they can restart revenue cruises. Hmm in my country there are no physical vaccination cards. Stay up to date with what you want to know. This app allowed us to check in for the voyage, set up an onboard account, fill out a pre-boarding health questionnaire and complete the e-muster drill (which replaces traditional muster drills where people gather in large groups). I will be boycotting the company instead. Follow her adventures on Instagram. The first to set sail will be the Freedom of the Seas ship out of Miami, Florida, on July 2. Royal Caribbean no longer says Florida cruise passengers must receive the coronavirus vaccine, instead noting the shots are "strongly recommended." The reversal comes as Gov. October 15th or later. Carnival, Royal Caribbean cruises loosen coronavirus testing rules Norwegian's moves to loosen pandemic-era protocols follow similar decisions by industry leaders Carnival and Royal. Action Alerts PLUS is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. This includes 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.