The Miami-based operator will not require passengers to be vaccinated. The reality is even if you booked a cruise with the assumption you were going to be on a ship where everyone is vaccinated and tested, that may no longer be the case. When people are in a small space, keeping distance from one another is more difficult. Destination specific requirements will still need to be met. If a guest follows health and safety protocols and tests positive during their cruise, the Cruise Line will help coordinate necessary onboard COVID-19-related medical consultation, standard/common prescription drugs, and required land-based quarantine. If you're not comfortable vaccinating your child under 12, hold off on buying them a ticket or get confirmation on a timeline for requirements from your desired cruise line. Viking strongly recommends passengers receive a booster dose before departing. Before you book -- and especially if you're looking at cruises months ahead -- it's important to consider the spread of COVID-19 in countries or ports where your ship will stop, and that's regardless of your vaccination status. 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Which Cruise Lines Require COVID-19 Vaccinations? The cruise lines join Saga Cruises, a company catering to passengers 50 and older, which said last month it would require all guests to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before boarding. All guests must be vaccinated to sail with Viking. It's also important to consider who's coming with you. Guests aged three and older may embark without testing or vaccination, if providing documentation that he/she has recovered from COVID-19 between ten to 90 days prior to the departure date. Norwegian Cruise Line, which has not been approved to restart, has said it will initially require everyone on board to be vaccinated. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also called a "bivalent" booster, the updated booster became available for people aged 511 on October 12, 2022. In addition to staying up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccines, the CDC recommends that people who plan to cruise do the following: Most major cruise lines do not require guests to be vaccinated unless they're traveling from or to a destination that requires it. The CDC also has detailed recommendations for travel during the pandemic, both for vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers as well as for cruise travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has kept cruise lines from U.S. sailings since March 2020, has recommended that passengers, crew and port workers be vaccinated. The European Union's Digital COVID Certificate, for example, includes certification of recovery from COVID-19. Guests are strongly recommended to set sail fully vaccinated, if they are eligible, the cruise line said in a news release. Depending on the cruise line, fully vaccinated can mean having received the original series at least 14 days prior to your cruise, or the original series plus a booster shot. With Sail Safe, our industry leading Health & Safety Program, we will continue to put our guests and our crew members first by keeping everyone safe and healthy on board our ships and in the communities we visit. Purchasing in-home testing kits is simple. The new protocols do not apply to itineraries for countries where local regulations may vary, such as Canada, Australia, and Greece. You can keep up with her on Instagram at @IAmSarahJaneB. Onboard medical centres are also abundantly stocked with common prescription medications and remedies. Do You Need To Be Vaccinated To Go on a Cruise? The world has been reopening quickly and once more, we are pleased to welcome all travelers, of all ages, to safely explore the world with comfort and ease aboard the small, luxurious ships of Oceania Cruises.. The agency said that after working closely with the cruise industry for two years, it believed cruise lines had access to the necessary tools to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 onboard., While cruising poses some risk of COVID-19 transmission, consumers can make their own decisions as they would in any other setting, the agency said in a statement. We encourage all guests to file a claim with their travel insurance carrier for reimbursement inquiries. Otherwise, vaccines are required for passengers age 12 and up. We strongly recommend that fully vaccinated guests . See the full list of vaccines approved by the WHO here. But as noted above, some lines make exceptions to vaccination rules for young children. Fee is also hopeful that the remainder of cruise lines will follow suit soon. Requirements may differ for guests traveling on voyages departing from or visiting destinations with specific local regulations, such as Canada, Greece, and Bermuda. COVID-19 vaccine exemptions at Carnival's Long Beach, California port will only be accepted for kids under age 12 and when "required by US federal law" due to religious beliefs or medical reasons. Medical centers will be equipped to test for COVID-19 onboard and if a positive case is identified, contact tracing for that individual will begin immediately and occur at the same time as treatment. All departures from the U.S. that are nine nights or less dont require any testing, unless they stop in Canada or Bermuda. In May, the CDC scaled back slightly on its tough restrictions for cruise lines by allowing ships to declare themselves as highly vaccinated if 90 percent of passengers and at least 95 percent of crew were vaccinated. While much of the travel industry has returned to a pre-pandemic state, cruising has been slower to rebound from some of the tightest restrictions over the last two and a half years. They're also easing rules for pre-boarding testing, making it easier for cruise-goers to sail the seas. Our Health Screening Measures (listed in section 2 below) promote health and safety onboard and help minimise the likelihood of spreading COVID-19. And you may have to be vaccinated or not. Celebritys Healthy at Sea page makes it easy to track the specific requirements based on your cruises itinerary. Completed health questionnaire (prior to embarkation); Standard travel documents, including passport or any visas as required. 301 Route 17 N, Suite 1150, Rutherford, NJ 07070 USA | Telephone:(201) 902-2000. Carnival Cruise Line: For cruises that are 15 days or less, the cruise line does not require vaccination and pre-board testing.Still, the cruise line encourages guests 5 and up to do both. At long last, cruise lines are finally starting to drop their vaccine mandates and allow all passengers inoculated or not to sail on their ships. So far, the CDC has approved nine ships for test cruises, operated by Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line and MSC Cruises. Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, accept vaccines recommended or approved by the World Health Organization as well as the CDC. It's also important to know that while all adults in the US are now eligible for boosters, the definition of "fully vaccinated" hasn't changed and you don't need an extra shot to be considered fully vaccinated. Can You Get Omicron and Delta COVID-19 Variants at the Same Time? Unable to cruise. International travel requirements and restrictions continue to evolve. No documentation is required to board, but disclosure is required in advance, and those who are not vaccinated do still need to show a negative result on an antigen or PCR test within three days of departure. Unvaccinated passengers are welcome to sail on all cruises departing from Europe and the U.S. Vaccination continues to be required on voyages to or from Australia, New Zealand, and the Galapagos Islands. It also allows you to search by test type PCR or Antigen. All rights reserved. Royal Caribbean will require vaccinations for some. Carnival Cruise Line was very upfront about its motivations in announcing its decision to let anyone, vaccinated or not, to come onboard most of its sailings. The pandemic after the pandemic: Long covid haunts millions of people. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. New Details Released, What to Know About Riding on the Alaska Railroad, 14 of the Best New Cruise Ships Launching in 2023, Katmandu Park Punta Cana Is Opening March 15, The Top Hotels in Mexico for a Romantic Getaway. In addition, guests will be required to agree to abide by all of the cruise line's health and safety protocols and acknowledge the risks associated with COVID-19 during their voyage and shoreside experiences. Remember: Vaccine exemptions and refunds are not guaranteed. American Queen VoyagesOn this lines river, ocean, Great Lakes and expedition ships, all passengers are required to be vaccinated. We will comply with all local regulations at all destinations we visit. And the CDC also recommends testing before boarding a cruise ship. Holland America LineAs of September 6, on most voyages of 15 nights or less, vaccinated guests age 5 and up do not need to be tested prior to cruising. Cond Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The protocols do not apply to itineraries for countries where local regulations may vary, including Canada, Australia, and Greece. Cruise ship travel. And documented guests ages 12 and older who are fully vaccinated (according to the destination they are embarking and/or traveling to) no longer need to be tested for the coronavirus prior to sailing. Some countries issue "certificates of recovery" if someone has been infected with COVID-19 and recovered, issuing a certificate that proves a positive COVID-19 test and recovery, instead of vaccination as someone's proof of immunity. On August 8, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, parent company of Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, announced it was also loosening vaccine requirements. Please refer to. I will have a better idea at the end of this week.. We have also enhanced our onboard medical capabilities with additional staffing and enhanced facilities. Dont Delay, Wait Times Have Climbed, American Is Cutting 50,000 Summer Flights From These U.S. Starting with departures from October 8, 2022, guests who are vaccinated will no longer have to take a pre-boarding antigen test 48 hours before departure, if the itinerary starts in South America, the Caribbean, the United Arab Emirates, and the Mediterranean (with the exception of Greece). Unvaccinated guests are welcome with a medically supervised or self-test within three days of sailing. People . All guests should assess their individual risk level and consult with their doctor if needed prior to sailing. Shes been on 10 cruises and counting, and her favorite onboard activities include trying out the water slides, spending time in the spas thermal suite, eating lots of food, and attending the love & marriage show. Chances are if you're unvaccinated, you'll need to book a specific tour with the cruise line, such as Carnival's "bubble tour" for unvaccinated guests, which is mostly families with children who are too young to be vaccinated. 2023 Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. 11-Reasons to Cruise to Alaska this Summer | NCL Travel Blog, 14-Day Authentic Alaska - Northbound Cruise Tour | Norwegian Cruise Line, 14-Day Authentic Alaska - Southbound Cruise Tour | Deck Plans | Norwegian Cruise Line, 20-Day Transpacific from Tokyo (Yokohama) & Alaska | Norwegian Cruise Line, 11 Reasons to Cruise to Alaska this Summer | NCL Travel Blog. To find out more, please. For those departing Europe or for longer U.S. itineraries, self-administered tests will be accepted (with the exception of those that stop in Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Greece or New Zealand). Its pre-boarding tests requirements have also been scaled back. Can I buy travel insurance through Norwegian Cruise Line? Our long-awaited revisions to our testing and vaccination requirements bring us closer in line with the rest of society, which has learned to adapt and live with COVID-19, and makes it simpler and easier for our loyal guests to cruise on our three best-in-class brands, said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of NCLH. Crystal Cruises. How Safe Is It to Travel With Unvaccinated Children? Our guests have been excited to return to cruising, and these changes will make it easier for more guests to explore the world in a safe and enjoyable environment, said Gus Antorcha, president of Holland America Line, in announcing that the cruise line would be dropping its vaccine requirements as of September 6, 2022.