Read more: Carnival 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. Royal Caribbean has announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for guests. A line-by-line guide. Prior to this sweeping vaccine mandate, Royal Caribbean had been announcing select "fully vaccinated" cruises. With few exceptions, Royal Caribbean has dropped its pre-cruise testing requirements across the board. The 14 day time period starts the day you get your last dose. In order to board these ships, all adults, including the crew, will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. An attendant who was monitoring the entrance told me they were passengers waiting for their test results. Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian all require anyone 12 and older sailing on their ships to be fully. It felt normal in many ways, but compared to two other recent cruises I took, it was a bit more controlled. ", "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.". Please complete the short form below. Royal Caribbean made headlines a week ago when it announced that it would begin sailing from Florida in early July with ships where vaccinations would be recommended but not required. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. For example, The cruise company's new sailings from the Bahamas will require all adult guests "to be . They waved me through to security, where my carry-on was screened. 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. Travel + Leisure magazine may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. The about-face is an apparent submission to Gov. On the other hand, a single Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak can end up costing a cruise ship company a whole lot, including reputational damage. That appears to no longer be the case as the federal agency has shown: As of July 18, 2022, CDCs COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is no longer in effect. Cruises from Australia are also not included in this policy change. Since then, more itineraries opened up to unvaccinated cruisers. In a press release Friday announcing . "And the number of people who died from COVID who'd sailed on ships over the past year was two," Royal Caribbean Blog reported. 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. Enrollment required. The venue was open to both vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers. For customers looking to board Lindblad for an adventure cruise, they will need to abide by the new regulations in place. Richard Fain, chief executive of Royal Caribbean, told . Under the law, which takes effect on July 1, businesses can be fined up to $5,000 per violation. The answer rhymes with Tom Cruise lips, kangaroos hips, and too much booze slips. Yes, cruise ships, as Victoria Forster described for Forbes in March 2020. User @HardLinesBlog tweeted: "I'm saying goodbye to all venues moving to this requirement," in response to the tweet by @drsimonegold. In addition to having more rules in place than some other cruise lines, Royal Caribbean also enforced those protocols more strictly, with crew checking for wristbands in vaccinated-only venues and checking for masks in indoor places accessible to everyone. If anyone on our team wouldnt recommend it to a friend or a family member, we wouldnt recommend it on The Points Guy either. Currently, the company requires all guests to "be fully vaccinated at least 14 days before sailing with all required COVID-19 vaccine doses" and "strongly" recommends guests receive the booster shot. These Countries Require It for Entry, Where Can Americans Travel Right Now? Starting Sept. 5, Royal Caribbean will welcome both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers of all ages, according to the cruise line. So, is the Florida government essentially not allowing businesses to do something that would help keep their customers and staff safer? Instead, Odyssey will begin her inaugural season out of a new homeport, Haifa, Israel from June to October 2021. Royal Caribbean has made it a practice to provide periodic . 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. Previously, the website said passengers 16 years old and older on all of the companys U.S. cruises had to meet the requirement. Apparently, Dolven is referring to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signing into law a ban on Covid-19 "vaccine passports.". Gee, what could possibly go wrong? Caribbean. Essentially, while the CDC set parameters, the cruise lines have been policing themselves for months. 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 CDC has dropped its voluntary program to monitor cruise ships. Royal Caribbean Updates to Testing Protocols. Unfortunately, the announcement didn't come in time for this voyage. Following August 1, this age requirement will fall to 12 years old or older. 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. Eager cruisers looking to resume sailing with Royal Caribbean will now have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to updated guidance from the major cruise line. Starting September 5, 2022, all guests can sail with Royal Caribbean, regardless of vaccination status. On May 26, the cruise line updated its website to say that passengers 16 years old and older on its cruises from Seattle and The Bahamas are required to be vaccinated. These Major Cruise Lines Just Dropped COVID-19 Testing Requirements for Shorter Sailings What to Know, Norwegian Cruises to Allow Unvaccinated Passengers Starting in September, Uniworld to Become One of the First River Cruises to Drop Vaccine Requirements next Year, More Cruise Lines to Start Allowing Unvaccinated Passengers on Board, Every Cruise Line's Requirements for COVID Vaccines, Testing, These Cruise Lines Will Accept At-home Covid Tests for Unvaccinated Passengers, Will I Need a Booster Shot to Travel? 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. 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. A line-by-line guide, 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise, Cruise hack: 6 ways to turn a voyage on a mass-market ship into a luxury experience, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Follow her adventures on Instagram. 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. guests must review and accept the #CancelCulture. 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. Thats The SARS-CoV2 is still actively spreading in the U.S. and throughout different parts of the world. | Become a News 6 Insider (its free!)]. With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! The graphic below, produced by Statista, illustrates the spread of COVID-19 in the U.S. Newsweek, in partnership with NewsGuard, is dedicated to providing accurate and verifiable vaccine and health information. In a statement CEO Michael Bayley thanked DeSantis and other elected officials for their support of the industry, which has been paralyzed since it was forced to shut down in March 2020 after COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths on several ships. You can follow her daily exploits, both at sea and on land, on Instagram or Twitter @slyjabroni. "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)." Lindblad, Silversea, Azamara cruise lines will require the additional COVID-19 vaccine dose for those eligible starting March 1. The agency currently recommends all travelers are "up to date" with their COVID-19 vaccines before boarding a cruise. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention kept Royal Caribbean (RCL) - Get Free Report, Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) - Get Free Report, Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) - Get Free Report and every other cruise line from sailing from ports in the U.S. from March 2020 through July 2021. Enrollment required. The CDC has so far approved nine cruise ships, including Freedom of the Seas, Carnival Horizon and MSC Meraviglia from PortMiami, for test cruises, meaning the ships wont meet a CDC threshold of 95% of passengers and 98% of crew be vaccinated, and two ships Celebrity Edge and Celebrity Equinox from Port Everglades for revenue cruises. says. Royal Caribbean As with so many cruises around the world, requirements will vary by itinerary, but new policies that went into effect earlier this month eliminated vaccination. Related: 15 ways that cruising newbies waste money on their first cruise. Stay up to date with what you want to know. I noticed that the areas reserved for vaccinated passengers were rarely, if ever, crowded. For more information on protocols specific to your sailing, visitGetting Ready To Cruise. On my way, I passed lots of hand sanitizer dispensers and signs reminding people about social distancing and masks. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Guests under this age requirement who haven't been vaccinated will instead have to be tested for the virus. Under the current voluntary CDC guidelines, 95% of passengers must be vaccinated. Therefore, the chances of someone bringing the virus on board a cruise ship is still quite high. This decision seems shocking only because the CDC, at least during the period where the cruise industry was shut down from U.S. ports, seemed to have an adversarial relationship with the companies it regulated. The vaccine is not perfect. Currently the CDC recommends that "all people avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, because the risk of COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high. Changes involve the cruise line eliminating the vaccinated and unvaccinated areas onboard its ships. 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. It is especially important that people with an increased risk of severe illness avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises.". 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. Wristbands were also diligently checked in spaces intended for vaccinated cruisers. Royal Caribbean wont require passengers to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 on select sailings beginning in September. While vaccination is not required for guests under 12, we kindly ask that you fill out their status below. 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.. After 14 days pass, you can get onboard on Day 15. Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Symphony of the Seas, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention removed, voluntary COVID-19 reporting program for cruise ships. #BoycottRC." Ron DeSantis bars businesses, schools and government entities across Florida from asking anyone to provide proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. 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. If your Royal Caribbean cruise visits Labadee, Roatan, or somewhere in Colombia, then unvaccinated will still need to test. Currently, Celebrity requires all guests 12 and older to be fully vaccinated to sail. Royal Caribbean expects to require its crew members to receive the vaccine before sailings return, a spokesperson told Insider. Royal Caribbean has announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for guests. This includes unsupervised testing. I will not do business with anyone requiring a vaccine," in a post that received over 130 likes since it was first shared. Royal Caribbean International has announced updated protocols for the United States, Puerto Rico, and Barbados-based cruises through March 31, 2022. I will be boycotting the company instead. Royal Caribbean has updated its healthy sail protocols. Passengers who didn't voluntarily show proof of vaccination, either because they weren't vaccinated (primarily children, according to Royal Caribbean executives) or didn't have their vaccine cards, were directed to a testing area. Carnival Cruise Line All Guests, All Aboard," Royal Caribbean's President and CEO Michael Bayley wrote on Facebook. . Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. The current welcome offer on this card is quite lucrative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have removed the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships as of Monday. Get tested again after cruise travel.