Vaccinated guests aged 12 and over will no longer have any pre-cruise COVID-19 related protocols. Travel agents and guests were notified of the change in policy. 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. 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. Previously, certain areas onboard. All cruisers -- regardless of vaccination status -- had to wear masks in indoor spaces unless they were explicitly designated for vaccinated cruisers. 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. Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Additionally -- following the first departure of Adventure of the Seas two weeks ago when two teenagers tested positive and were flown home at Royal Caribbean's expense -- unvaccinated cruisers had to purchase special travel insurance. 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. Ron DeSantis, who has insisted that there will be no exception made for cruise companies to a newly passed Florida law that fines companies $5,000 each time they ask a patron to provide proof of vaccination. Credit ranges are a variation of FICO Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application. Meanwhile, Hawaii is set to abolish inter-island travel restrictions, but . Unvaccinated guests will be allowed to use the results of a self-administered test if taken within three days of sailing. Strongly recommended is certainly different from required. 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. 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. 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. According to Viking's COVID-19 protocol, select at-home tests will meet Viking's travel requirement, provided they include a laboratory-certified proof of result. Gee, what could possibly go wrong? However, the cruise ship company has now done an a boat face, so to speak. Unvaccinated passengers can cruise with negative results from any commercially available test, including self-tests. Guests are also required to wear masks in all indoor public areas, in terminals, and during shore excursions, and take a COVID-19 rapid antigen test before boarding. #CancelCulture. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images), Florida Gov. box below. Rather, we focus on discussions related to local stories by our own staff. On CocoCay, everyone was allowed to go ashore on their own and no masks were required. 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. Many cruise fans and potential passengers may expect that this CDC decision means that vaccine requirements and precruise testing may soon go away. If you need help with the Public File, call 407-291-6000. Both crew members and guests over 16 years old will have to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to sail on the . The post has had over 7,200 likes since it was first shared on Monday. 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. Follow her adventures on Instagram. The CDC dropped its cruise covid-19 reporting program last month, prompting cruise lines to announce they would loosen testing requirements for vaccinated passengers and in most cases . if you received your final dose on October 1st, your 14 day countdown But against the context of everything we've seen, [that's] truly been a remarkable success.". With few exceptions, Royal Caribbean has dropped its pre-cruise testing requirements across the board. Reminders going from indoors to outdoors and vice-versa were especially helpful. All of this have prompted a fair number of tweets to use the words petri dish. For example: Think back to February 2020 right before the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak officially became a pandemic. Her favorite cities include London; Amsterdam; Krakow, Poland; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Dawson City, Yukon; and anywhere known for outstanding pizza and theater. The only guests who will need to test . "We're making it easier for more guests to sail with Royal Caribbean. Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. That's because testing two days before is at best imperfect and it may not have done much to stop covid from spreading. Staff would later identify these passengers by holes punched in their SeaPass cards. These restrictions include wearing a mask in most public spaces and limitations on areas and services unvaccinated passengers can access. All rights reserved. Silversea also provides complimentary rapid antigen tests for all disembarking passengers. Royal Caribbean Group CEO Jason Liberty spoke about the change during an earnings call with investors earlier this year and said the change is a move to be more like other forms of leisure travel, such as theme parks, casinos, or air travel. 2023 TheStreet, Inc. All rights reserved. Cruise giant Royal Caribbean International on Friday announced plans to bring back six more ships including some of its largest for U.S. sailings starting July 2. 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. When you strongly recommend that proper clothing be worn to a business meeting, technically that slingshot mankini is still fair game. To find out more about the new guidelines issued, click here. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. In the U.S., kids younger than 5 are exempt from testing and vaccination requirements. as well as other partner offers and accept our. In the testing area, they were each given an on-site rapid antigen test. 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. 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. 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. 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. But there is an important difference between wearing a slingshot mankini and being fully vaccinated. "We want you to be more comfortable walking on board a ship than walking down Main Street," Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean's CEO, told the BBC. "I'm skeptical that's going to change in the real short term. TPG values it at $1,600. In order to board these ships, all adults, including the crew, will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination. And that could be a real ship storm, so to speak. Twitter user @patriottakes wrote: "MAGAs [Make America Great Again, Donald Trump's campaign slogan] are starting to boycott Royal Caribbean because they are requiring vaccinations for adult passengers and crew members when they start sailing again in June. guests must review and accept the Instead, Odyssey will begin her inaugural season out of a new homeport, Haifa, Israel from June to October 2021. Carnival will follow with the same at-home test allowance on Sept. 6. 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. Previously, the website said passengers 16 years old and older on all of the companys U.S. cruises had to meet the requirement. That's likely only partly true because Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian, and the rest of the industry must also be protective of optics -- they want the easiest, most inclusive rules, but they also want customers to feel safe. Royal Caribbean has updated its healthy sail protocols. And when the federal agency lifted the ban, it severely restricted the industry, limiting capacity on ships, requiring masks, mandating vaccinations for anyone ages 12 and over, and insisting on precruise testing and monitoring crew positive tests. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. Guests age 12 and up who are not fully vaccinated have 3 days to take a test before their cruise, regardless the duration of the cruise. Hawaii. "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. "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 industry-wide trend comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially ended its pandemic-era program for cruise ships last month. All Guests, All Aboard," Royal Caribbean's President and CEO Michael Bayley wrote on Facebook. Watch News 6 as they cover breaking local, regional, and national news, plus the latest updates on weather, traffic and sports. This will continue to evolve as new research and technology becomes available," the spokesperson added. Guests can take advantage of in-person, telehealth, and self-swab tests. This includes more contagious variants that now have sorority and fraternity sounding names, as I recently covered for Forbes. 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. 2 shots of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, etc., or 1 shot of Johnson & Johnson). No Covid test, proof of vaccination or quarantine is required. Sign up for notifications from Insider! Guests under this age requirement who haven't been vaccinated will instead have to be tested for the virus. Starting with August 8, 2022 departures, these updates include: . User @FunTimeFred1 wrote: "I'm 100% with you, Simone Any company that make this a requirement will go bust," in a reply to the message by @drsimonegold. 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. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. updated guidance from the major cruise line. For customers looking to board Lindblad for an adventure cruise, they will need to abide by the new regulations in place. Azamara does not require negative test results in order to board unless mandated by local governments in the ports where the line's ships sail. Changes involve the cruise line eliminating the vaccinated and unvaccinated areas onboard its ships. As summer travelers prepare to sail, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is lowering its threshold for cruise ships to meet a highly vaccinated status. Starting Thursday, Carnival Cruise Line announced, fully vaccinated passengers will not need to take a test before boarding if the trip is . Royal Caribbean will require vaccinated guests 5 and older to take a pre-cruise test on sailings from the U.S . The 14 day time period starts the day you get your last dose. starts on October 1st, and you would be permitted to board the ship on The SARS-CoV2 is still actively spreading in the U.S. and throughout different parts of the world. The company said all crew members will be vaccinated. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. Our opinions are our own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by our advertising partners.