Ron DeSantis maintains a threat of fines under an executive order banning "vaccine passports." Overall, the sailing was pleasant and it was great to be back on board a sailing from Florida. 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. The credit card offers that appear on the website are from credit card companies from which ThePointsGuy.com receives compensation. Starting Sept. 5, Royal Caribbean will welcome both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers of all ages, according to the cruise line. No, you need to bring the card. Signage was almost over-the-top prevalent to remind passengers to stay socially distant, sanitize their hands and wear a mask. While vaccination is not required, they kindly ask passengers to disclose their vaccine status during check-in. Several people on social media have made calls to boycott cruises with Royal Caribbean after the company announced its new sailings from the Bahamas will require adult guests to be "fully vaccinated against COVID-19" in a statement on Friday. You can still get Covid-19 after being fully vaccinated, albeit your chances are much lower compared to those who have not been vaccinated. During one performance, I went to the theater's upper level (where anyone, including unvaccinated passengers, was able to sit) to see what it was like. Check directly with your cruise line about their COVID-19 testing or vaccination protocols before travel. 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 September 5, 2022, all guests can sail with Royal Caribbean, regardless of vaccination status. All cruisers -- regardless of vaccination status -- had to wear masks in indoor spaces unless they were explicitly designated for vaccinated cruisers. 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. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit. On the other hand, a single Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak can end up costing a cruise ship company a whole lot, including reputational damage. -10. 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. Royal Caribbean International has announced it won't require US passengers to get vaccinated to go on several ships set to sail this summer. ", The cruise industry came to a halt last year amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Unvaccinated passengers can cruise with negative results from any commercially available test, including self-tests. 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? In a statement, Royal Caribbean said that while all crew members will be vaccinated against COVID-19, guests are "strongly . The Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas (left) prepares to set sail from PortMiami during the first U.S. trial cruise testing Covid-19 protocols on June 20, 2021 in Miami. Prior to this change, unvaccinated guests had to take a Covid-19 test before their cruise. Carnival will follow with the same at-home test allowance on Sept. 6. Before the tracking system was removed, basically every ship in the program was at the "orange" level, which in theory triggered a CDC investigation. 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. Offers may be subject to change without notice. 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. Royal Caribbean has announced a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for guests. Up until now, only unvaccinated guests under the age of 12 have been allowed on Royal Caribbean ships. It will be a requirement that cruise lines will happily comply with as most already require a vaccine mandate and . In recent weeks, several cruise lines have been forced to cancel sailings (and some have implemented stronger mask policies) amid the emergence of the omicron variant. Royal Caribbean recommends guests be fully vaccinated and boostered against Covid19. The change comes just over a week after Royal Caribbean first eased vaccine requirements for cruises departing from Los Angeles, Galveston, New Orleans, and any European homeport as well as weeks after Royal Caribbean eliminated testing for vaccinated passengers on shorter sailings. The new order outlined detailed guidelines for resuming cruise operations in U.S. waters. As part of the Australian Federal and State Government protocols all This bracelet allowed me to access areas of the ship reserved for vaccinated passengers. Stay up to date with what you want to know. Assuming that you have hundreds or even thousands of people on your cruise ships, a quick calculation with your fingers and toes will show that defying this order from the Florida state government could quickly put you out of business. Royal Caribbean International has announced updated protocols for the United States, Puerto Rico, and Barbados-based cruises through March 31, 2022. About half of the U.S. population is now fully vaccinated, which means plenty of people still have not been vaccinated. The first to set sail will be the Freedom of the Seas ship out of Miami, Florida, on July 2. Guests under this age requirement who haven't been vaccinated will instead have to be tested for the virus. 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. One can download it through The app or from browser on The phone, and there is this QR-code to "check" it. Royal Caribbean will now require all guests to get tested for COVID-19 for certain cruises, regardless of their vaccination status. 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. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. . 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. as well as other partner offers and accept our. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) - Royal Caribbean clarified its vaccine policy this week, stating that it will require certain guests to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 on cruises departing. Richard Fain, chief executive of Royal Caribbean, told . WOW: @RoyalCaribbean cruises is now requiring you to get an experimental vaccine to book a cruise with them. 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. And that could be a real ship storm, so to speak. Or do we need the physical card? 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. A Country-by-country Guide, Every Cruise Line's Requirements for COVID Vaccines, Testing, Uniworld to Become One of the First River Cruises to Drop Vaccine Requirements next Year, Carnival Cruise Line to Lift Mask Requirement on Board Starting March 1, Every Caribbean Island's COVID-19 Travel Policies and What You Need to Know to Plan Your Trip, Royal Caribbean Launches Hotel Booking Platform for One-stop Trip Planning, These Caribbean Destinations Just Dropped the Pre-arrival Testing Requirement for Vaccinated Travelers, eliminated testing for vaccinated passengers, officially ended its pandemic-era program for cruise ships. No Covid test, proof of vaccination or quarantine is required. See what a point or mile is worth with our appraisals of a loyalty programs currency, based on redemption values. Charleston. I will be boycotting the company instead. Required testing can be completed using any type of PCR or antigen COVID-19 test. 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. A Country-by-country Guide, Carnival Cruise Line to Lift Mask Requirement on Board Starting March 1, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Will No Longer Require Face Masks, Spain Now Requires Booster Shot For Travelers What To Know, Every Caribbean Island's COVID-19 Travel Policies and What You Need to Know to Plan Your Trip, Anguilla Becomes Latest Caribbean Island to Ease Entry Protocols for Vaccinated Visitors, Traveling to Italy Just Got Easier With Easing of COVID-19 Testing Requirements, Countries That Are Open to COVID-19 Vaccinated Travelers, A Country-by-country Guide to COVID-19 Entry Requirements in Europe, made its guidance optional for cruise lines. 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. Those with the vaccine were able to go anywhere onboard, and areas specially allotted for passengers who had their shots had no mask-wearing rules. On March 1, the cruise line also announced its first "fully vaccinated" cruise aboard the Odyssey of the Seas, which will be sailing in May from Israel. A positive test would preclude them from embarking on the cruise. 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 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 . Please complete the short form below. Our intention is to comply with all federal, state and local laws, she said via email. Royal Caribbean's vaccine policies out of U.S. and Caribbean ports are remarkably consistent: For cruises from Seattle, guests who are 16 years of age or older must be fully vaccinated. Related: Cruise hack: 6 ways to turn a voyage on a mass-market ship into a luxury experience. 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. The high annual fee is only worth it if youre taking full advantage of the cards benefits. Royal Caribbean International will no longer require its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to. Ron DeSantis recently signed into law, a ban on "vaccine passports" that would find businesses $5,000 each time they required proof of Covid-19 vaccination to use their services. So, is the Florida government essentially not allowing businesses to do something that would help keep their customers and staff safer? 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. Travel + Leisure is published by Meredith Corporation under license from Travel + Leisure Co. Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. Sign up for notifications from Insider! 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. Further, unvaccinated guests may embark with a negative . I noticed that the areas reserved for vaccinated passengers were rarely, if ever, crowded. A line-by-line guide. Plus, while the Covid-19 vaccine does offer strong protection against Covid-19, it is not like a concrete full body condom (which, by the way, is not great to wear during sex.) 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. As on most ships these days, there were also Purell hand sanitizer dispensers at the entrances to all restaurants, bars, lounges and other public areas, as well as in stairwells and elevator alcoves. More Cruise Lines to Start Allowing Unvaccinated Passengers on Board, 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, Anguilla Just Dropped Its Pre-arrival Testing for Vaccinated Travelers What to Know, 10 of the Best Mediterranean Cruises for Every Type of Traveler, New Zealand Eliminates Vaccine, Testing Requirements for Travel What to Know, The CDC Will No Longer Report COVID-19 Cases on Cruises to the Public. COVID-19 vaccines no longer will be required for Celebrity sailings from European countries with the exception of Iceland and sailings from . Therefore, the chances of someone bringing the virus on board a cruise ship is still quite high. While vaccination is not required for guests under 12, we kindly ask that you fill out their status below. If you are sailing on a cruise that departs on or before April 30, 2023, you will receive: 100% cruise fare refund for you and your Travelling Party, if any of you test positive for COVID-19 within 10 days prior to the cruise or at the terminal. "I'm skeptical that's going to change in the real short term. 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. This card is also incredibly rewarding for travel purchases, helping you rack up a ton of Membership Rewards points for your next award trip. Guests under the age of 12 do not have any testing requirements. Under the law, which takes effect on July 1, businesses can be fined up to $5,000 per violation. Image source: Dukas/Universal Images Group via Getty Images. 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.. 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. 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. 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. Royal Caribbean sent out an update on Wednesday with new protocols that have removed the need to conduct a pre-cruise Covid-19 test, even if you are unvaccinated. 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. Crew will be tested regularly while on board. Does that mean covid-testing requirements and vaccine mandates will be dropped? Do you know about when you'd like to sail? But there is an important difference between wearing a slingshot mankini and being fully vaccinated. 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. In a press release Friday announcing . Under the current voluntary CDC guidelines, 95% of passengers must be vaccinated. After all, enormous amounts of open space may not be the first thing that you think of when it comes to cruise ships. This includes more contagious variants that now have sorority and fraternity sounding names, as I recently covered for Forbes. TPG values it at $1,600. 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. 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. Vaccinated travelers will be exempt from testing on cruises that are shorter than 10 nights, while unvaccinated travelers 5 and older will have to show proof of a negative test taken within three days of embarking on a sailing. We would appreciate if you could take a moment to provide your COVID-19 vaccination status ahead of your cruise. Previously, certain areas onboard. Airplanes, theme parks, casinos, and hotels no longer require any such Covid protocols and have not had any requirements for months. We'll run a soft credit check to find special offers, but it wont affect your credit score. Travel agents and guests were notified of the change in policy. Royal Caribbean just announced a new collection of seven-night summer cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico, but don't consider booking a spot unless you plan on being fully vaccinated against. ", Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. I just disembarked Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, the line's first cruise ship to sail from a U.S. port in more than 15 months. Your sailing is fast approaching, and we're looking forward to welcoming you onboard. Each person sailing was required to download the Royal Caribbean app. "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. While vaccination is not required, they kindly ask passengers to disclose their vaccine status during check-in. Samantha started at WKMG-TV in September 2020. Who else is with me? The post has had over 7,200 likes since it was first shared on Monday. Unvaccinated guests will be allowed to use the results of a self-administered test if taken within three days of sailing. Please view our advertising policy page for more information. The only guests who will need to test . But keeping track of which places were which on this voyage made my head spin. 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. "Silversea will continue to work closely with relevant governing bodies and health authorities to evolve its health and safety procedures, as new health recommendations are issued and as the fluid situation advances.". These Countries Require It for Entry, Where Can Americans Travel Right Now? There are even more places your Platinum Card can get you complimentary entry and exclusive perks. Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley shared some numbers the CDC had given to him, during his remarks to passengers on the 2022 President's Cruise, Royal Caribbean Blog first reported. How do you count the 14 days for full vaccination, exactly? In Nassau, vaccinated passengers were allowed to explore however they wished, but unvaccinated cruisers were required to take ship-sponsored excursions to leave the ship. Thats what you may see as soon as next month with the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic still a public health emergency. Viking Cruises already has the booster requirement in place. News 6 is Getting Results. Where was one of the first places that SARS-CoV2 outbreaks were being noticed? Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian all require anyone 12 and older sailing on their ships to be fully. says. The major cruise line previously mandated the covid vaccine for crew members only. Royal Caribbean International's sister brand Celebrity Cruises (both owned by Royal Caribbean Group) is still requiring all passengers 16 years old or older be vaccinated on its seven-night. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images), Florida Gov. 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. The post received nearly 100 likes since it was first tweeted.