Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruises Drop Pre-Cruise Testing for Sailings of Five Nights & Less
by Dori Saltzman
Vaccinated cruisers on short Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises no longer need to test for COVID-19 before sailing. Photo: Royal Caribbean
Starting August 8, vaccinated cruisers sailing on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises sailings of five days or less will no longer have to get a pre-cruise COVID-19 test. All unvaccinated guests over the age of 2 are still required to test for cruises of any length.
“Since our return to service last year, we have seen more than 3 million guests enjoy cruise vacations responsibly, under an evolving operating environment,” said Jason Liberty, president, and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.
“Last week, the CDC ended its COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. Based on this change, we are continuing to adapt our protocols to align more closely with how the rest of society and other travel and leisure businesses are operating. This means we’re transitioning to the point where everyone will be able to vacation with us while working with our destination partners to meet their regulations.”
The company continues to require all cruisers, ages 12 and up to be fully vaccinated.
Other cruise lines that have dropped pre-cruise testing include Virgin Voyages and Azamara, both of which no longer require pre-cruise testing for any cruisers.
