Which Major Cruise Lines Have COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements?

Few commercial sectors have been battered by COVID-19 as badly as the cruise industry, which came to a screeching halt at roughly this time one year ago. The CDC first signed its No-Sail Order on March 14, 2020, and cruise ships around the globe, already in mid-voyage, scrambled for somewhere they could safely put into port.

Throughout the news cycle, stories swirled about passengers and crew being stranded at sea, and (if there was reason to suspect infection onboard), confined to their cabins for days, even weeks, on end. Soon, ships were being turned away for fear that they might carry the COVID-19 virus, even in the absence of any evidence.

There was simply no precedent or playbook for dealing with such scenarios, the thought of being stuck aboard a cruise ship as this uncontrolled contagion was spreading around the world soon became everyone's worst vacation nightmare.

While other parts of the travel industry-on air and land-have been able to continue or restart their operations to some degree, with so much on the line, neither authorities nor operators have been willing to test the waters when it came to relaunching large-scale cruising.

At the end of October 2020, the CDC replaced its No-Sail Order with a new Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, outlining the new parameters under which cruise lines must operate before being cleared to start sailing again.

Now, at last, with COVID-19 vaccination distribution accelerating every day, cruise lines are getting ready to roll out their next-level standards and restart operations. Knowing that one false step could set them well back, especially in terms of public perception, several major cruise lines have chosen to require their guests to be fully vaccinated prior to boarding.

Ahead, let's take a look at a handful of major American cruise companies that have made their vaccination policies public thus far...

American Cruise Lines, which restarted sailings as of March 13, announced a COVID-19 vaccination requirement rather last-minute. All passengers must be fully vaccinated in order to board its initial springtime sailings through April 30. Full refunds or future cruise credits will be issued to unvaccinated customers who had already booked voyages within this timeframe.

-The cruise line also requires proof of a negative PCR or molecular COVID-19 test result taken within four days of sailing.

As part of the Globus family of brands, Avalon Waterways, is accepting a few different verifications-including proof of COVID-19 vaccines, negative test results or viral immunity.

The river cruise line and vacation package provider requires that passengers provide either printed or digital proof that they've been fully immunized (i.e., received the second dose of a two-part vaccine series or just one single-dose vaccine) at least 14 days prior to boarding.

Alternatively, they can provide negative results of a COVID-19 test (NAAT, PCR or antigen) administered within 72 hours of travel, or documented proof of having recovered from a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis within the 90-day period preceding their departure.

Carnival Cruise Line has not yet come to a decision about possible vaccination requirements, but President Christine Duffy recently said that she's hopeful that cruising in the U.S. will restart by summer.

Celebrity Cruises will require all of its guests over the age of 18, to be fully vaccinated before they can board and crew members will likewise be obliged to get immunized.

Passengers under the age of 18 will instead be required to present proof of a negative PCR test administered within 72 hours of embarkation.

Beginning June 5, Celebrity Millennium will homeport in St. Maarten and offer two new seven-night Caribbean itineraries, with departures available through August. The line's newest ship, Celebrity Apex, will begin homeporting in Athens from June 19, sailing two seven-night roundtrip itineraries.

Crystal Cruises require proof from all of its guests that they have been fully immunized (meaning they've received both doses of a two-part vaccination series or a one-dose vaccine) at least 14 days prior to their cruise departure.

Crystal's crew members, who come from countries all over the world, will be also be expected to get vaccinated, though not all of them may be able to do so straight away, depending upon their eligibility status or vaccines' availability in their home country.

Disney CEO Bob Chapek told attendees of the company's annual shareholder's meeting in Mid-March that, while Disney Cruise Line sailings are canceled through May, "maybe by this fall we might be able to have some limited operations of our cruise ships." According to the Orlando Sentinel, he also noted, "But, that's all going to depend on the incidents of the virus and the vaccination of the general public."

There has not yet been any word as to whether COVID-19 vaccinations will be required of crew members or passengers when operations eventually resume, but it's fair to say that it be characteristic of Disney to err on the side of caution.

MSC Cruises just announced that it will restart operations by launching its newbuild flagship, the MSC Virtuosa, to the U.K. to sail domestic voyages that are open to both vaccinated and non-vaccinated British residents only. The first three- and four-night "mini-cruises" will begin on May 20, with seven-night itineraries starting June 12 from three embarkation ports in England and Scotland. There has been no word on any vaccination rules that might apply with the resumption of MSC's U.S. sailings following the pause through April 30.

NCLH brands Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises will require vaccines of all passengers and crew. At this time, NCLH has submitted a plan to the CDC to resume cruising from US ports by July 4.

The Carnival Corporation-owned Princess Cruises brand in the U.K. is limiting some regional sailings to U.K. residents (including those under 18) who are fully COVID-19 vaccinated, given the severity of the country's outbreak of a highly-contagious variant of the virus. But, for Princess Cruises in the Americas, no such restrictions have yet been announced.

When it restarts sailings along European waterways, Riviera River Cruises will require all passengers to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or to produce a negative test result prior to boarding their cruise. Guests going with the first option will need to have received all doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine protocol, with the final inoculation administered a minimum of seven days prior to their departure. Unvaccinated guests will receive a complimentary COVID-19 test prior to boarding. Any guests who test positive will be able to transfer their departure to a different date without penalty.

Royal Caribbean is requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccinations for adults (substituting testing requirements for minors) before boarding its new cruises from Nassau in The Bahamas and from Bermuda and, which are scheduled to begin on June 12 and June 26, respectively. The cruise line has not set any mandate yet for whenever cruises will be allowed to sail out of U.S. ports.

Ultra-luxury line Silversea Cruises has announced its planned protocol for return to service, which includes requiring all crew and guests to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding its ships. The rule is set to apply to all Silversea voyages across the globe, with only the exception of cruises departing from Australia, for which protocol is yet to be determined. "Vaccinations will play a critical role in ensuring the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, which we prioritize above all else," Roberto Martinoli, President and CEO of Silversea Cruises, said in a statement.

All adult guests and all crew members are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to boarding UnCruise's vessels (except on Galapagos itineraries). Its pre-trip testing protocols will also remain in place, requiring that passengers provide proof of negative results from a PCR test taken within four days of their departure. With both guests and crew verifiably vaccinated, UnCruise is free to call upon Port Angeles, Washington, and the Alaskan towns of Ketchikan and Sitka.

Sister companies Victory Cruise Lines (VCL) and American Queen Steamboat Company (AQSC) in early February became the first U.S. cruise lines to announce that they would require passengers and crew members to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The new rule takes effect on July 1, by which time, the carrier expects, most of its guests will have access to the inoculations. The carriers will actually restart their departures along America's waterways as early as April, using their current set of safety measures.

Virgin Voyages announced this month that it will require all passengers and crew members to be fully immunized before they're allowed to board. Referencing President Joe Biden's timeline that suggests the COVID-19 vaccine will become available to all American adults by May, Virgin Voyages' President and CEO Tom McAlpin said that Virgin is an adults-only cruise business so that it makes sense to introduce vaccination requirements before its ships start sailing out of Miami on July 1.

Small-ship cruise company Windstar Cruises has just announced that it will require all guests to provide proof of current COVID-19 vaccination prior to boarding when it restarts operations in June. The phased return to service will begin with two ships, Star Breeze and Wind Star, which will sail in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, respectively, starting June 19.