More Cruise Lines Announce COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements to Sail
by Daniel McCarthy
American Queen Steamboat Company will require COVID-19 vaccinations for all guests starting July 1. Photo: Debbie Ann Powell/Shutterstock.com.
After U.K.-based Saga Cruises announced that it would make COVID-19 vaccination a requirement for sailing, the first cruise line to do so, two more cruise lines announced the requirement this week.
On Tuesday, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines, two sister-brands, announced that they would both require a COVID-19 vaccination for all guests and crewmembers beginning on July 1, 2021, the first two U.S.-based cruise lines to do so.
No guest or crewmember who has not received both doses of their COVID-19 vaccine (if they are getting the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines) will be able to board after July 1.
“This latest protective measure expands upon the enhanced health and safety measures announced in 2020, which include, but are not limited to, pre-cruise COVID-19 testing of all guests and crew and mask mandate in all public areas where social distancing is not possible,” American Queen and Victory wrote in the note.
According to the cruise lines, the requirement will remain in place “following July 1 and until the CDC recommends otherwise.”
“Additionally, AQSC and VCL are continuing to work with leading health advisors, including a partnership with VIKAND Medical Solutions, and under the discretion of the CDC on evolving guidelines to protect guests, crew and the communities our boats visit.”
Those who are unable to receive the vaccine in time, or choose not to, should contact the reservation department, the cruise lines said.
Some lines have said that they expect vaccinations to be a requirement for crew members, including Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, whose CEO Frank Del Rio told John Lovell of Travel Leaders Group last year that lawyers are also “looking into” a “vaccination mandate” for its guests but right now its “too early to tell.” However, the news this week from Victory and American Queen is the first time that a cruise line in the U.S. have committed to the requirement.
Cruise lines that have been able to successfully restart sailings in the Mediterranean haven’t required vaccinations for their guests. Their protocols largely follow guidance over mask wearing onboard, social distancing, and other changes to prevent a potential COVID-19 spread, protocols that American Queen and Victory expect to continue to implement even with the vaccination requirement.
