On July 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the elimination of its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships sailing in U.S. waters, a first-of-its-kind move that would allow each individual cruise line to manage its own COVID-19 mitigation programs.
“The news about the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)] removing the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships is the most positive indication yet that we are moving further away from the pandemic,” said Brad Tolkin, co-chairman and CEO for World Travel Holdings.
(Note: Since the initial announcement, the CDC has released new guidance for cruise ships on the mitigation and management of the virus.)
This announcement is the most significant to date, and is another step to greater consumer confidence in travel.
“This announcement is the most significant to date, and is another step to greater consumer confidence in travel,” Tolkin said. "We are already experiencing an increase in calls and bookings due to the pent-up demand for cruise, and we expect to see another uptick as a result of this latest announcement.”
Will Lines Still Require a Pre-Cruise COVID-19 Test Before a Cruise?
As any client who has cruised recently knows, the logistics of requiring COVID-19 testing before, during or right after a trip can be daunting. Many cruisers have been hours away from boarding without confirmation of negative results, adding undue stress to what should be a vacation full of rest and relaxation.
Given this realization, and how vocal some potential customers and cruise lines have been about such remaining restrictions, cruise lines were already starting to lift testing requirements even before the aforementioned CDC news. Azamara, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Viking were among the first to do so, where permitted.
Now, the official termination of the CDC program is only accelerating the elimination of testing among other lines.
"I'm very glad that it has ended,” said Adam Martindale, owner of a Cruise Planners franchise in San Diego, Calif. “There are no other leisure industries as regulated as cruise lines are. The cruise lines are already set up to self-manage with all protocols necessary to keep their guests in the safest environment possible, as they always have been.”
There are no other leisure industries as regulated as cruise lines are. The cruise lines are already set up to self-manage with all protocols necessary to keep their guests in the safest environment possible, as they always have been.
In response to the CDC program ending, Margaritaville at Sea and Virgin Voyages have also ended their pre-cruise testing, doing so even for U.S.-based cruises.
“With the CDC’s removal of the pre-embarkation testing requirement, we are hopeful and pleased that the travel and cruising industries are sailing toward a new normal,” said Oneil Khosa, CEO of Margaritaville at Sea. “Margaritaville at Sea’s vaccinated guests will no longer be required to undergo testing prior to boarding, making it quicker and easier than ever to escape to paradise.”
As for Martindale’s agency, business is booming. Clients are booking now and into the future, and he believes the cruise lines are mostly getting back to normal operations and looking at long-term planning. His expectation is that more companies will soon remove pre-cruise COVID-19 testing, as local regulations allow.
However, Azamara still lists Miami as a port requiring COVID-19 tests, and Viking has yet to remove its testing in the U.S.
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. — parent to the Norwegian, Oceania and Regent brands — also confirmed that they would keep health and safety protocols in place for ships operating in U.S. waters with the following statement:
“We welcome the decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to end the CDC COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships operating in U.S. waters. At this time, no changes have been made to our health and safety protocols for voyages originating in the U.S. as we look forward to reviewing the details of the CDC’s planned guidelines for public health operations on cruise ships.”
The CDC’s latest updated guidance for cruise ships now only recommends, and no longer mandates, pre-cruise testing in the U.S.
At this point, only Margaritaville and Virgin have revised their policies accordingly, but it’s very likely others will soon follow.
Will Cruises Lift Vaccine Mandates? What Cruise Line Does Not Require a COVID-19 Vaccine?
For the time being, cruise lines are mostly holding strong to their vaccine mandates, but another subset of travelers is hoping those will eventually go away, too.
"The booster vaccine is causing the most challenges for my agency as far as clients not wanting to get an additional booster shot in order to sail in some parts of the world requiring this,” Martindale said.
The options available to unvaccinated guests continue to expand.
As of July 14, Princess Cruises is beginning to more openly welcome unvaccinated passengers.
"At Princess, we want to make your vacation as easy, hassle-free and safe as possible. We respect that every guest has choices, and regardless of your vaccination status, we have amazing vacations for you to enjoy,” reads the line’s CruiseHealth page.
Princess is now permitting up to 10% of its guests to be unvaccinated. The policy is true on most sailings on a first-come, first-served basis without the need for exemptions or vaccine status justifications.
"The options available to unvaccinated guests continue to expand,” according to Princess.
Virgin Voyages has also modified its vaccine policy to also allow 10% of guests to be unvaccinated.
Martindale expects vaccine requirements will predominantly remain in place until at least the end of 2022, something that “the majority of my clients are very much in favor of,” he said.
