Updated Cruise Line COVID-19 Vaccination, Booster, & Testing Requirements

In response to changing policies around the world, including the CDC ending its cruise ship monitoring program, several cruise lines have changed their COVID-19 policies including opening up some sailings to unvaccinated cruisers and dropping pre-cruise testing requirements for vaccinated guests. Others that offer more itineraries in Europe have started requiring boosters to comply with local regulations.

To help travel advisors keep track of what is and is not required, we’ve compiled a list of up-to-date COVID-19 policies for ocean and river cruise lines. Policies are valid as of March 7, 2023, and are subject to change. Advisors and their clients should check the individual requirements for each country on a cruise itinerary as some countries have separate protocols, which we may not have listed below.

AmaWaterways
Vaccinations: Not required, starting January 1, 2023.

Boosters: Not required. All guests are responsible for ensuring they meet the travel entry requirements for each country they plan to visit before, during or after their river cruise. 

Testing: Not required. All guests are responsible for ensuring they meet the travel entry requirements for each country they plan to visit before, during or after their river cruise. 

American Cruise Lines
Vaccinations: Not required.

Boosters: Not required.

Testing: Not required.

American Queen Voyages
Vaccinations: Not required.

Boosters: Not required.

Testing: Not required.

Atlas Ocean Voyages
Vaccinations: Required for all guests.

Boosters: Not required. 

Testing: All guests must present a negative molecular PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior to embarkation or a negative antigen test taken no more than 24 hours prior to embarkation.

Avalon Waterways
Vaccinations: Required for all guests through March 1, 2023. Starting on March 1, 2023, vaccinations will no longer be required. 

Boosters: Not required, unless by destination.

Testing: Not required, unless by destination. 

Azamara
Vaccinations: Not required for sailings starting and ending in the U.S. or sailings starting and ending in Europe. All other sailings require proof of vaccination and booster until further notice.

Boosters: Not required for sailings starting and ending in the U.S. or sailings starting and ending in Europe. All other sailings require proof of booster until further notice.

Testing: Not required, except when visiting ports where pre-travel testing is still required.  

Carnival Cruise Line
Vaccinations:  Not required, except on cruises of 16 nights more. Unvaccinated guests may apply for a vaccine exemption on these cruises. (Proof of vaccination is required for any cruise that visits Grand Turk and/or Cartagena, Colombia; without proof guest must stay on ship while in those ports.)

Boosters: Required on cruises of 16 nights or more if vaccinated guest is more than 6 months past the last dose of their initial vaccine series. 

Testing: Not required on any sailing for fully vaccinated guests except on voyages of 16 nights and longer. 

All unvaccinated guests (or anyone who does not show proof of vaccination) must provide proof via the VeriFly app of a negative lab-administered or proctored self-administered COVID-19 test taken within three days before embarkation. (Unsupervised self-tests are not accepted.)

Children younger than 5 are exempt from vaccination and testing requirements in the U.S. 

Celebrity Cruises
Vaccinations: All travelers, regardless of vaccination status, are welcome onboard all Celebrity cruises except on transatlantic/transpacific crossings or those that sail to or from ports in Turks & Caicos (ages 18 and older must be vaccinated), Australia and New Zealand.

Boosters: Not required.

Testing: Required for cruises that visit Brazil and Chile (unvaccinated guests ages 5 and older for both), Colombia (unvaccinated guests ages 2 and older), Australia and New Zealand (all guests ages 2 and older). 

Celestyal Cruises
Vaccinations: Proof of vaccination not required. 

Boosters: Proof of vaccination not required. 

Testing: All guests ages 6 and older must present a negative supervised COVID-19 antigen test taken within 48 hours prior to embarkation or a negative supervised PCR test taken up to 72 hours before embarkation. Self-tests in any form are not accepted. 

Starting March 2, 2023, pre-departure testing will no longer be required. 

Cunard Line
Vaccinations: For voyages on Queen Mary 2 departing up to and including March 21, 2023 and on Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth departing up to and including March 1, 2023: Vaccinations are required for all guests ages 18 and older.

Guests, ages 12 to 17, also need to be vaccinated on any sailing designated as non-standard (see website for list of applicable sailings).

Boosters: For voyages departing from January 1, 2023 onwards a booster is no longer mandatory, excpet on specific sailings. 

Testing: Required for all guests (all ages) only on "non-standard" sailings (see website for list of applicable sailings). 

Disney Cruise Line
Vaccinations: Not required.

Boosters: Not required for U.S.-based cruises, but may be required on some European itineraries.

Testing: Not required. 

Emerald Cruises
Vaccination: Required for all guests through February 28, 2023. Not required on sailings departing on or after March 1, 2023. 

Booster: Not required, except on itineraries visiting countries where a booster dose is mandatory.

Testing: No testing is required for Emerald’s river cruises. Guests sailing on Emerald Azzurra may be required to take a rapid antigen test upon embarkation.

Holland America Line
Vaccinations: All guests regardless of vaccination status are welcome onboard most sailings except when sailing to destinations where mandates are still in place or on cruises sailing outside of "standard protocol." 

Children under 5 are automatically exempt from any vaccination requirement.

Booster: Not required. 

Testing: Not required, except on cruises sailing outside of "standard protocol." Advisors can look up requirements for specific sailings. 

Lindblad Expeditions
Vaccinations: Required for all cruisers, ages 5 years and older. 

Boosters: Not required, except on some Antarctica itineraries. 

Testing: Pre-cruise testing is no longer required to board, unless required by destination(s) visited. 

Margaritaville at Sea
Vaccinations: Not required. 

Boosters: Not required.

Testing: Not required.

MSC Cruises
Vaccinations: Not required for most cruises.

Boosters: Not required.

Testing: Unvaccinated guests, ages 5 years old and older are required to submit a negative test at embarkation for cruises that include a stop in Cartagena (Colombia). Unvaccinated guests, of any age, on cruises sailing out of non-U.S. ports are required to submit a negative test at embarkation.

Norwegian Cruise Line
Vaccinations: Only required on sailings that visit destinations that require them. The only exception is for passengers who have visited mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau within 10 days of boarding their cruise, or who hold passports from those countries who cannot provide proof that they have not visited the regions in the past 10 days. For such passengers, full vaccination with booster is required.

Boosters: Not required, unless mandated by destination visited during cruise, except for passengers who have visited mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau within 10 days of boarding their cruise, or who hold passports from those countries who cannot provide proof that they have not visited the regions in the past 10 days. 

Testing: Pre-cruise testing is only required on sailings that visit destinations that require them.

The only exception is passengers who have visited mainland China, Hong Kong, or Macau within 10 days of boarding their cruise, or who hold passports from those countries who cannot provide proof that they have not visited the regions in the past 10 days. These guests must submit a medically-supervised, negative test result taken within 48 of boarding. Additionally, these guests will be required to take a medically-supervised PCR test at the embarkation port within eight hours of boarding. Further tests will be administred every 48 hours (at the guest's expense) onboard until 10 days have passed since the guest's last time in these three countries. 

Oceania Cruises
Vaccinations: Not required, unless by destination visited on itinerary. 

Boosters: Not required. 

Testing: As a general rule, unvaccinated travelers may embark by providing proof of a negative Antigen or PCR test not more than 72 hours old. 

Travelers aged 11 and under are not subject to any vaccination requirements or testing protocols. 

Princess Cruises
Vaccinations: Not required except on voyages that visit countries where mandates are still in place, such as Australia and Japan.  

Boosters: Not required except on voyages that visit countries where boosters are required. 

Testing: Not required except on voyages that visit countries where testing mandates are still in place.  

Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Vaccinations: Not required except on itineraries that visit countries that require it. Proof of vaccination is required. 

Boosters: Only required on itineraries visiting destinations where boosters are included in definition of "fully vaccinated."

Testing: Not required for vaccinated guests, except in destinations that have mandates. Unvaccinated guests, aged 12 and older, or those who cannot or decline to provide proof of vaccination, will need to present a negative medically administered PCR or Antigen COVID-19 test taken within three days of boarding.

Royal Caribbean International
Vaccinations: Not required, except on transatlantic cruises (ages 5 and older must be vaccinated) and cruises from Australia  (ages 12 and older must be vaccinated). 

Booster: Not required, unless by destination(s) visited. 

Testing: Not required excpet for sailings with stops in Colombia, as well as for transatlantic crusies and cruises in Australia.

For sailings visiting Colombia, unvaccinated guests ages 12 and up must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within three days of embarkation (two days for antigen test). 

For transatlantic cruises, all guests ages 5 and older must bring a negative test result for a COVID-19 test taken within 2 days before boarding day.

Scenic
Vaccinations: Required for all guests through February 28, 2023. Not required on sailings departing on or after March 1, 2023. 

Boosters: Not required, except on itineraries visiting countries where a booster dose is mandatory.

Testing: Not required.

Seabourn
Vaccinations: Vaccinations are not required except when sailing to destinations where mandates are still in place or for cruises sailing outside of "standard protocol." 

Boosters: Not required. 

Testing: Not required, except on cruises sailing outside of "standard protocol." Advisors can look up requirements for specific sailings. 

Silversea
Vaccinations: All travelers are welcome on board regardless of vaccination status where local regulations allow.

Boosters: Not required, except in destinations where boosters are included in the definition of fully vaccinated. 

Testing: Where local regulations allow, vaccinated travelers are not required to take a COVID-19 test prior to embarkation. Unvaccinated travelers must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to embarkation.

Tauck
Vaccinations: Required for all guests ages 12 and older. (Sailings onboard Windstar ships require all guests to be vaccinated regardless of age (through the end of May 2023.)

Boosters: At least one booster dose or proof of recovery from COVID-19 is required.  

Testing: Generally not required. Unvaccinated children under 12 must present a negative result from either a PCR or antigen test taken within three days of embarkation. (If a child age 11 or under is vaccinated but not boosted, they must also present a negative test prior to their trip.)

All guests sailing with Tauck onboard a Ponant ship to Antarctica must present a negative antigen test taken 24 hours before boarding. 

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Vaccinations: Required for all guests through December 31, 2022. 

Boosters: May be required based on destinations visited.

Testing: Not required for sailing, but may be required depending on destinations visited.

Viking Cruises
Vaccinations: Required for all guests.

Boosters: May be required by come countries visited during a cruise.

Testing: When required by a destination visited, a PCR test will be required the day of embarkation for all guests. 

Virgin Voyages
Vaccinations: Not required. 

Boosters: Not required.

Testing: Not required.

Windstar Cruises
Vaccinations: Required for all guests through the end of May 2023. 

Boosters: Not required except when sailing to or from a destination in which a booster is included in the definition of fully vaccinated. 

Testing: Not required except when visiting countries where testing is still required.