", "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. Similarly, Royal Caribbean will welcome all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, as well on sailings from Los Angeles, New Orleans, Galveston, Texas, and Europe beginning Sept. 5 as long as testing requirements are met, a spokesperson told USA TODAY via email Thursday. Royal Caribbean and Carnival join cruises dropping some vaccine rules Is the cruise industry coming back? Starting September 5, unvaccinated guests can cruise with a negative result from any commercially available COVID-19 test, including self-tests. First published on August 4, 2022 / 8:55 PM. "Virgin Voyages has responded immediately to the CDCs decision to discontinue their voluntary COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships and will mirror the rest of the travel industry in removing pre-embarkation testing for sailings from July 24 on EU sailings, and from July 27 on U.S. sailings," the cruise line said in a news release. Testing is not required for fully vaccinated guests on itineraries of 9 nights or fewer. Editors note: This post has been updated with new information. In these ports, guests who provided certificates would not be allowed to disembark. Kids under 5 sailing from the U.S. and kids under 12 sailing from Europe do not need to test prior to boarding. 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. Fully vaccinated guests, regardless of age, Vaccinated guests must present a negative COVID-19 test result (PCR or antigen)taken within, Unvaccinated guests aged 2-11 must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than. The change in policy is rooted primarily in a change in policy by the U.S. government. Guests under 2 do not have to wear a mask at any time. Royal Caribbean to Welcome Unvaccinated Travelers, Ease Testing For all sailings, guests ages 5 and younger have no vaccine or testing requirements. That policy did not seem to be consistent, but it appeared that there was at least some level of verification . This revision does not apply to guests whose itinerary visits Canada or Bermuda. 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.". In the U.S., kidsyounger than 5are exempt from testing and vaccination requirements. 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. Royal Caribbean will require vaccinated guests 5 and olderto take a pre-cruisetestonsailings from the U.S. that are 10 nights or longerstarting Sept. 5, according to itswebsite. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! Results come back much quicker, so there is no need to worry about not receiving the results in time. Accepted Tests: Any FDAapproved PCR or antigen test supervised in person or by a telehealth professional meet this requirement. On sailings 10 night or longer, fully vaccinated guests age 5 and up must bring a negative test result for a COVID-19 antigen or PCR test taken within the 3 days before boarding day. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Tests come in packs of 2-6, and it is recommended to order more than you need in case of any discrepancies within the tests (missing items, invalid result, etc.). While it is encouraging that more vaccination and pre-cruise testing requirements are continuing to be eased in many popular cruise destinations, travelers should always be aware that requirements could change. Fully handwritten doctors notes (such as those written on a prescription pad) will not be accepted. Unvaccinated children ages 2 to 11 years must take a PCR test no more than 3 days prior to sailing. Several ships routinely visit Labadee each week. No testing is required for vaccinated guests sailing on cruises that are nine nights or less. Dont Miss: What Is The Best Cruise Out Of Galveston. Royal Caribbean released a further update to its protocols on Wednesday, which will go into effect in September 2022. Effective on 3- & 4-night itineraries departing August 13 30, 2021, short cruises sailing from U.S. homeports will now requireallguests over the age of 2 years (regardless of vaccine status) to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, administered no more than three days prior to the sail date. "MSC Cruises will continue to monitor pandemic conditions and port requirements outside of the U.S., with a goal to relax testing and vaccination protocols to open cruising to all guests, while prioritizing the health and safety of its guests, crew and destinations," MSC said in the release. That is key to remember. Following, While many cruise fans would love to get back on a cruise ship, a majority feel certain factors need to occur first to, Royal Caribbean will help with the financial burden of international visitors that need a Covid-19 test to return home, Royal Caribbean announced it has extended its voluntary suspension of cruises an additional 30 days due to coronavirus.. __CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"f3080":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1},"f2bba":{"name":"Main Light 10","parent":"f3080"},"trewq":{"name":"Main Light 30","parent":"f3080"},"poiuy":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"f83d7":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"},"frty6":{"name":"Main Light 45","parent":"f3080"},"flktr":{"name":"Main Light 80","parent":"f3080"}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgb(23, 23, 22)"},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"l":0.09,"s":0.02}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"f3080":{"val":"rgb(23, 23, 22)","hsl":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09}},"f2bba":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.5)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.5}},"trewq":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.7)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.7}},"poiuy":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.35)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.35}},"f83d7":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.4)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.4}},"frty6":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.2)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.2}},"flktr":{"val":"rgba(23, 23, 22, 0.8)","hsl_parent_dependency":{"h":60,"s":0.02,"l":0.09,"a":0.8}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__, __CONFIG_colors_palette__{"active_palette":0,"config":{"colors":{"c65f1":{"name":"Main Accent","parent":-1}},"gradients":[]},"palettes":[{"name":"Default","value":{"colors":{"c65f1":{"val":"var(--tcb-skin-color-4)","hsl":{"h":206,"s":0.2727,"l":0.01,"a":1}}},"gradients":[]},"original":{"colors":{"c65f1":{"val":"rgb(57, 163, 209)","hsl":{"h":198,"s":0.62,"l":0.52,"a":1}}},"gradients":[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__. Required fields are marked *. to follow PAX on Facebook. Like what you see? For example, if you are scheduled to board at 12PM on Friday, your test must be taken after 11:59AM on Tuesday. What to know before your cruise from Singapore. And, not that you'll want to, but you can unsubscribe at any time and *poof* just like that, you won't hear from me again. So, will you need a vaccine to cruise? Four major cruise lines are dropping their vaccination requirements for some sailings next month, the cruise lines said. This also includes cruise line private islands, such as Royal Caribbeans Perfect Day at CocoCay. Here's what passengers can expect. Will these changes disrupt the cruise experience enough to outweigh the positive cruise experience or is it a matter of adjusting expectations and continuing with the vacation as planned? Princess said it will allow up to 10% of unvaccinated guests on most sailings without exemptions or vaccine status justification. Instead, he focused on how business has returned to strong levels. After more than 2 years under a COVID cloud, the answer is yes. For guests who dont want to follow these protocols, Royal Caribbean will provide a refund or move guests to a future sailing when circumstances may have evolved. All guests for these sailings must submit a negative result from a pre-cruise COVID-19 test. 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. First Major Cruise Line Drops Covid Tests From U.S. Ports Starting with September 5th departures guests regardless of their vaccination status, can cruise on the following itineraries, as long as they meet any testing requirements to board: Vaccination requirements remain in place until further notice for any homeport that is not mentioned above. Check out our recap of youth immunization policies for details on cruise vaccination requirements for kids. Unvaccinated children will still need to show a test result to board all sailings, regardless of length. READ MORE:Norwegian, Regent, Oceania will drop vaccine mandate on Sept. 3. NCL's rule change is subject to certain local guidelines, so cruises visiting Canada, Bermuda, or Greece will still require adults to be vaccinated. Royal Caribbean drops its vaccine requirement for some cruises starting with September 5th departures, not including FL sailings. Research what is offered in your local area far in advance to ensure you do not run into any surprises when trying to schedule a Covid test. Testing: Testing requirements remain the same; guests two years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result.