Bowman’s Travel Brief: Vaccine Mandates for Cruises?

It’s a topic many in the travel industry appear divided on – should cruise lines require passengers get the vaccine before boarding?

First it was UK company Saga in January, then river cruise sister companies American Queen Steamboat Co. and Victory Cruise Lines announced their decision in early February and just last week Crystal Cruises became the latest cruise line to make the vaccine a must for passengers.

With yet another big name in the industry making this mandate, it does make one wonder – will this be an industry-wide requirement?

Is there added pressure on the big names like Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian to follow suit?

The major ocean lines have mirrored each other a bit over the last year with continued cancellations of operations. When one announces another push back, the others have followed with the same date push back.

Currently, Norwegian Cruise Line brands are the only ones pushed back through May 31, but my gut says Royal Caribbean and Carnival will announce the same soon.

However, while Norwegian and Royal Caribbean have said their crew will be vaccinated, none of the big 3 brands have fully committed to a requirement for passengers.

It's a different story on the river cruise scene. Vaccination requirement applies to all shipboard crew members and non-shipboard employees across all seven vessels in the AQSC and VCL fleets in addition to requirements for passengers.

We do know that there will be several new rules to follow once cruising does return.

Many ships are likely to have contact tracing wearable devices and every ship will require masks onboard and COVID testing prior to boarding. That’s another story that has received mixed reviews among travel advisors.

As for vaccines in order to board though, if it helps the industry get back, it’s a go for me. Cruise ships have been sailing without guests for far too long.

Do you think all cruise lines will make the vaccine a requirement for passengers? Let me know on Twitter and Instagram: @EricBowman_

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