AmaWaterways has announced that it will require all guests to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding its cruise ships.
Taking effect immediately, the decision comes after some European countries began requiring up to a 10-day quarantine period for unvaccinated travelers upon entry and restricting access to some venues.
"COVID-related protocols and country entry regulations continue to evolve. Recent changes in certain European countries now mandate up to a 10-day quarantine period for unvaccinated travelers upon entry. Many countries have also implemented procedures that strongly encourage travelers to be vaccinated and, in some cases, restrict access to certain venues unless they are vaccinated or can provide a negative test result valid for 24 hours," the company stated in a recent travel advisory. "As a result, effective immediately, AmaWaterways will only be welcoming fully vaccinated guests on board its ships. Guests affected by this decision should contact their travel advisor for options to reschedule their river cruise."
To be considered fully vaccinated guests must have received a complete series of Pfizer, Moderna or AstraZeneca shots 14 days prior to their sailing date or 28 days for Johnson & Johnson.
AmaWaterways is also recommending that all guests take a PCR test within 72 hours prior to departure and bring documentation of a negative result with them on their sailing as a precaution.
"AmaWaterways acknowledges that vaccination is an important tool in mitigating the health risks associated with COVID-19 worldwide," said AmaWaterways President and Co-founder Rudi Schreiner. "In order to support this effort and safeguard the onboard experience, we will now only be allowing vaccinated guests on board our ships. The vast majority of our guests are already vaccinated and they, along with our travel advisor partners, have expressed support of this new policy as an added layer of protection to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests and crew on board."
A spokeswoman for AmaWaterways said Canadians and others with mixed vaccine doses will be allowed to board, but that individual countries on AmaWaterways cruises might bar mixed-dose travellers from entering.
Visit AmaWaterways.com/travel-updates for the most up to date information.
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