Cruise Ship Vaccinations: More Lines Say They’ll Require COVID-19 Vaccines for All Passengers

The cruise industry is ready to resume sailing as early as this summer, and individual cruise lines are showing signs of confidence by announcing vaccination requirements for guests. In the last week alone, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and UnCruise Adventures announced vaccine mandates; they joined Crystal Cruises, Virgin Voyages, American Queen Steamboat Company, and Victory Cruise Lines in instituting them. The requirements apply to sailings that could begin as early as May, following a pause in operations that has lasted more than a year due to the coronavirus.

“We are moving to what we consider the safest possible place we can be,” said Dan Blanchard, owner and CEO of UnCruise Adventures, in a press conference on March 22. “With the availability of vaccines across the U.S., it would be negligent to my crew if I didn’t make this decision.”

UnCruise requires all crew and passengers to be fully vaccinated in order to sail on its Summer 2021 Alaska departures and beyond. Its first Alaskan cruise departs on May 10, and six ships will sail there this season. The vaccination requirement applies to its upcoming Pacific Northwest departures, too.

Last week, Celebrity Cruises announced that the cruise line will return to sailing with Caribbean departures starting June 5, while Crystal Cruises and Virgin Voyages plan to resume cruising in July. Just as all other large cruise lines, they’re awaiting final determination from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as to when large ship cruising will return.

The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the leading industry trade group, this week called on the CDC to begin plans for a resumption in cruising by the beginning of July—a time frame in line with President Biden’s forecast for when the U.S. will be “closer to normal” based the projected vaccination rollout. For its part, CLIA says the industry is ready to resume sailings because of its own efforts to implement new standards that demonstrate cruise lines can operate safely for guests and crew.

“Over the past eight months, a highly controlled resumption of cruising has continued in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific—with nearly 400,000 passengers sailing to date in more than 10 major cruise markets,” said Kelly Craighead, CLIA’s President and CEO in a statement. “These voyages were successfully completed with industry-leading protocols that have effectively mitigated the spread of COVID-19. Additional sailings are planned in the Mediterranean and Caribbean later this spring and summer.”

Last November, the CDC relaxed its no-sail ban on cruises, revising its position to say it would take “a phased approach” in reopening the industry, requiring cruise lines to meet a series of requirements in order to resume. This includes, in the first phase, implementing tests and other safeguards for crew members while building the capacity to test hundreds of future passengers; later phases include simulated voyages where cruise lines must demonstrate their ability to effectively mitigate the spread of COVID-19—should a case make it on board—and other certifications for ships. This order remains in effect, though the CDC told Fox 35 Orlando that details on tackling the next phase of reopening are “currently under interagency review.”

Requiring cruise passengers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 aligns with a plan that Federal Maritime Commission Commissioner Luis Sola announced last week. The plan, dubbed “Cruising Forward,” would allow only vaccinated passengers and crews to sail on large cruise ships.

When asked how the cruise lines will verify COVID-19 vaccinations among its guests, a Celebrity Cruises spokesperson said that adult guests over the age of 18 will be asked at boarding to show the original, standard verification document that is issued by their home countries’ governing health authority, such as the hard copy of the COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card issued to U.S. residents. UnCruise Adventures will require the same documentation, and Crystal Cruises also requires guests to sign a form acknowledging these requirements before they’ll issue tickets.

Additionally, guests over 18 who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and traveling with Celebrity, Crystal, UnCruise, Virgin Voyages, American Queen Steamboat Company, and Victory Cruise Lines will also be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result prior to boarding.

Passengers under 18 can sail with a negative PCR test result within 72 hours of embarkation on Celebrity Cruises and UnCruise Adventures. Crystal Cruises, American Queen Steamboat Company, and Victory Cruise Lines (on sailings after July 1) will not accommodate non-vaccinated passengers, regardless of age, and Virgin Voyages only sails with adults over the age of 21.

“We’re really encouraged by the latest rollout plans in the May time frame from the new administration, and we know the future is about vaccinations,” said Virgin Voyages CEO Tom McAlpin in a statement. “Our business makes us uniquely set up to do this with testing and vaccine travel requirements. There’s a huge pent-up demand for travel and Virgin Voyages will be ready to welcome you aboard soon.”

We’re reporting on how COVID-19 impacts travel on a daily basis. Find our latest coronavirus coverage here, or visit our complete guide to COVID-19 and travel.