Royal Caribbean Slows Early January Bookings

Royal Caribbean International has stopped new bookings on some early January cruises so the ships will continue to operate at a reduced capacity as part of the company’s health and safety protocols.

“Cruises departing through early January 2022 are unavailable to new reservations because our ships will continue sailing with a limited capacity to accommodate physical distancing,” a Royal Caribbean spokesperson said in a statement. “These sailings were removed from our website as we’ve done with previous cruises in 2021.”

Royal Caribbean’s additional measures include vaccination requirements for guests and crew, a facemask policy, pre-cruise testing for all guests, and weekly testing for every crew member.

The move comes as some cruise ships have experienced small outbreaks on board as the Omicron variant is spreading through the U.S. Royal Caribbean and other cruise lines also tightened mask policies to require them indoors except when eating and drinking.