Bowman’s Travel Brief: Should All Cruise Ships Make COVID-19 Vaccines for Passengers Mandatory?

This past week the Global Tourism Crisis Committee called for a vaccine passport.

One cruise company, Saga, is already making it a requirement for passengers to have received the COVID-19 vaccine in order to sail with them.

UK-based tour operator Saga has voyages for customers that are 50 years and older. That makes perfect sense.

However, I don’t think all cruise ships need to make this their full requirement for all passengers.

The major ocean lines won’t be sailing until May. The hope of course is that the vaccine is readily available to those who want to take it by then.

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By making it mandatory for all to board, cruise lines would be making themselves unavailable to a number of potential customers because the reality is that some people are going to get it and others will not.

Cruise lines should continue forward with their plans for testing and rigorous on-boarding in addition to extensive health and safety protocols for the duration of the voyage.

Let the cruise lines have their chance to showcase these protocols they took months in planning.

With over 20 new ships expected to enter service in 2021, the cruise industry desperately needs to sail again this year.

It will be interesting to see how the industry handles things moving forward.

What say you, should they mandate passengers be vaccinated? And when do you plan to go on a cruise ship next? Let me know on Twitter and Instagram: @EricBowman_

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