As additional Caribbean destinations continue to adjust their own health and safety protocols for travelers, Royal Caribbean International has updated their requirements for upcoming sailings. This is a welcome simplification for many travelers, and permits more guests to set sail with the world’s largest cruise line.
Protocols Adjusted
In a simplification to its COVID-19 health and safety protocols, Royal Caribbean International has announced that beginning on Monday, September 5, 2022, all travelers – regardless of vaccination status – will be welcomed aboard a greater variety of itineraries.
The available itineraries include:
- All sailings from Florida homeports
- All sailings from Los Angeles, California; Galveston, Texas; and New Orleans, Louisiana
- All Oasis of the Seas sailings from Cape Liberty, New Jersey
- All sailings from any European homeports
Some testing guidelines do remain in effect for Royal Caribbean travelers. For European cruises that call on ports in Greece or Spain, for example, any travelers who are not considered “up to date” according to guidelines from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), must take a test onboard their ship prior to debarking.
The EMA defines “up to date” vaccination as having had either the final dose in a primary approved vaccine series or a booster does no more than nine months (270 days) prior to sailing. Guests who do not meet that standard will be required to take the onboard tests before visiting Greece or Spain.
Testing Changes
In addition to more opening of cruise itineraries to a greater range of passengers, Royal Caribbean International has also made its pre-cruise testing requirements even simpler.
As of September 5, 2022, fully vaccinated guests will no longer need a negative pre-cruise test result for any sailing 9 nights or shorter, unless visiting a port of call in Bermuda or Canada.
Unvaccinated guests age 5 and older must still test before sailing, but can do so up to three days prior to embarkation, regardless of cruise length. Self-tests will be accepted for this pre-cruise testing.
All guests, regardless of vaccination status, must continue to test before any cruises of 10 nights or longer, no matter where they may be sailing.
Similarly, sailings to or from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, or Singapore still require guests to be vaccinated in accordance with local regulations, no matter what the passengers’ vaccination status, the cruise destination, or the cruise length.
