Royal Caribbean to Welcome Unvaccinated Travelers, Ease Testing Requirements

Royal Caribbean International announced new coronavirus-related protocols to align the company with the broader travel industry standards.

Starting on September 5, the cruise line will welcome both unvaccinated and vaccinated travelers aboard its ships, as long as all passengers follow the updated rules and requirements.

The new guidelines include unvaccinated guests being required to show a negative COVID-19 test rest before their voyage. Vaccinated travelers will not be required to take a coronavirus test on sailings of nine nights or less.

Royal Caribbean also revealed guests five years old and younger have no vaccine or testing requirements for all sailings. Passengers on voyages of 10-plus nights will be required to provide a negative test within three days of their sailing date, regardless of their vaccination status.

Local restrictions still remain in place, so the company confirmed that sailings to or from Australia, Bermuda, Canada and Singapore would require guests to be vaccinated.

The cruise line continues to practice health and safety measures, including the routine monitoring and vaccination of all crew members and keeping them up to date with boosters when they are eligible, enhanced testing and care capabilities in every onboard medical center and more.

In July, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new set of recommendations for the cruise industry, just days after ending the COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships.

As a result, many cruise lines have made amendments to their vaccination and testing requirements, including easing bans on unvaccinated travelers and lifting stringent testing protocols before voyages.

While many cruise lines have started to welcome the unvaccinated again following the CDC’s decision, Disney Cruise Line revealed all guests 12 and older need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to sail from ports in the United States and Canada.