Cruising With Unvaccinated Kids
Children may or may not be able to cruise, depending on the ship. Norwegian Cruise Line doesn’t allow children under the age of 5 to cruise, for example, because they can’t get vaccinated yet. In the specific event that you have a child turning 5 during the voyage, check in with your cruise line before buying a ticket.
Looking for a family cruise on Disney’s cruise line? Disney Cruise Line became the first cruise line to require passengers as young as 5 to be vaccinated for sailings starting Jan. 13.
While other cruise lines may not officially require vaccinations for kids that young yet, they may in the future. If you’re not comfortable vaccinating your child under 12, hold off on buying them a ticket or get confirmation on a timeline for requirements from your desired cruise line. Remember: Vaccine exemptions and refunds are not guaranteed.
The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health objectives.
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Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection
All guests on all sailings through the end of 2022 with Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection are required to be fully vaccinated. Booster shots might also be required for entry into the specific country of embarkation as well as the destinations along the itinerary.
Children who are not old enough to be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine must present a negative antigen or PCR test result taken within 72 hours of embarkation.
Which Cruise Lines Accept Passengers Who Havent Been Vaccinated
A-Rosa River Cruises* was the first line to relax the health measures for passengers. On June 7 the company removed the need for guests to provide proof of vaccination, recovery, or a certified negative test result before embarking on its fleet of European ships.
The line also removed the mask-wearing rule for passengers, and the requirement for rapid antigen testing before boarding the ship in May.
The only exception to the latest move will be for passengers sailing on A-Rosa ALVA on the Douro in Portugal. Due to regional regulations, passengers over the age of 12 continue to require proof of complete vaccination or recovery from Covid in order to join the cruise. Additionally, the requirement to wear face masks when moving around on the ship, and rapid antigen testing prior to boarding, remains in place.
Measures such as extended cleaning and disinfection protocols across the fleet will remain in place to ensure hygiene standards are upheld.
A spokesman for the line said: As always, the wellbeing and health of all guests and crew members remains a top priority and the care team will continue to monitor the situation and, if necessary, will adjust and adapt the protocols accordingly if required.
Several cruise lines, including Celebrity Cruises*, Cunard*, Disney Cruise Line, and Holland America Line*, will accept unvaccinated children. There is an age limit for this, which varies from line to line and port to port.
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Shore Excursions In Canada During The Cruise
- there is no arrival testing for passengers entering Canada for shore excursions
- you may be asked to show your ArriveCAN receipt from your initial embarkation
- you wont have to resubmit ArriveCAN
- if you arent fully vaccinated due to medical reasons, youre allowed to join a shore excursion. You must have proof of a valid medical contraindication and a valid ArriveCAN submission.
- if you arent fully vaccinated due to a sincerely-held religious belief, you arent allowed to disembark the ship in Canada except in a medical emergency.
All travellers are required to take a pre-embarkation COVID-19 test before embarking on a cruise in Canada, even if the cruise ship is not leaving Canadian waters
Travellers who are staying within Canada throughout their entire journey or who are leaving Canada and not returning dont have to complete ArriveCAN.
Msc Cruises Holland Carnival And More To Drop Vaccination Requirements For Select Sailings
Six major cruise lines are dropping their vaccination requirements for some sailings next month, the cruise lines said.
MSC Cruises will no longer require U.S. residents to be vaccinated on sailings from U.S. ports to the Bahamas and Caribbean as of Sept. 1. MSC still recommends those passengers be fully vaccinated and get tested for COVID-19 before their trip, the cruise line said in a news release.
Passengers 12 and older who are not U.S. residents must be fully vaccinated in order to board.
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Holland America Line will welcome all passengers regardless of vaccination status on sailings up to 15 nights beginning Sept. 6, the cruise line said. Currently, guests 12 and over must show proof of vaccination in order to board, according to its website, with limited exemptions.
The change does not apply to full Panama Canal transits and select other voyages and is subject to local requirements.
For its part, Carnival Cruise Line will no longer require unvaccinated guests to apply for an exemption in order to sail as of Sep. 6, according to a news release. That does not include voyages in Australia or trips that are 16 or more nights, and the changes are subject to local restrictions.
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Celebrity Cruises Eases Vaccine Requirement For Select Sailings
Celebrity Cruises announced updated protocols this past week in allowing all guests to sail on select sailings from September 5, 2022.
Alongside several other cruise lines, Celebrity Cruises announced new health and safety protocols for ships sailing from the United Kingdom and Europe and all sailings that depart from Los Angeles. All travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can cruise onboard Celebrity Cruise ships starting September 5.
While this is undoubtedly a move to return cruising to normal, the cruise line does caution guests that there are still several locations where stricter protocols are still in place.
Many Cruise Lines Have Rolled Back Testing Rules
Royal Caribbean Group, parent company of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity, also rolled back its testing requirements this month, following the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships. The company requires vaccinated passengers to take a test only on sailings six nights or longer, but testing is still required for unvaccinated passengers on all sailings.
Many other cruise line operators and brands made similar protocol changes, including Carnival Cruise Line and MSC Cruises.
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Can I Get The Shot The Day Before I Sail Or Just One Dose
No. Cruise lines make it clear that passengers must be fully vaccinated. That means having both doses of a two-dose shot 14 days before embarking on the ship. A single shot of the Johnson & Johnson dose is ok, but still requires receiving it well in advance of sailing.
In other words, this is not something you want to put off until the last minute.
Can I Go On A Cruise If I’m Not Vaccinated
The requirements depend on the cruise line. Here’s what to know about setting sail without a COVID-19 vaccination.
Jessica Rendall
Jessica is a Wellness News Writer who wants to help people stay informed about their health. She’s from the Midwest, studied investigative reporting at the Missouri School of Journalism and is now based in NYC.
Like many businesses attempting to regain shape as we close out year two of a global pandemic, cruise lines have started setting sail again — with some strict health measures in place. That’s because cruise ships, with their tight quarters, buffet-style living and international travel, can be a breeding ground for the coronavirus.
As is true for most travel restrictions these days, your ability to book a cruise may depend on your vaccination status. If you chose not to get a COVID-19 vaccine, can you still go on your favorite cruise vacation?
If you’re an adult in the US, the answer is probably not, unless you’re one of the few people with a medical or religious exemption .
Before you book — and especially if you’re looking at cruises months ahead — it’s important to consider the spread of COVID-19 in countries or ports where your ship will stop, and that’s regardless of your vaccination status. It’s also important to consider who’s coming with you. Children as young as age 5 are now able to get vaccinated, so your ability to cruise may depend on whether you’ve chosen to get your child vaccinated.
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Carnival Royal Caribbean And Celebrity Cruises Are The Latest To Relax Coronavirus Protocols
Three giant cruise companies are dropping vaccine requirements for some ships, following a wave of recent moves to ease pandemic-era restrictions that precluded some travelers from boarding.
Sister cruise lines Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises said on their websites that as of Sept. 5, everyone regardless of vaccination status would be able to sail on specific cruises as long as they met testing requirements.
For Celebrity, that means cruises leaving from Los Angeles, the United Kingdom and Europe . Royal Caribbean cruises that dont require vaccination include sailings that leave from European ports, Los Angeles, Galveston, Tex. and New Orleans.
Bahamas and Caribbean cruises that leave from Florida ports the busiest in the world still have vaccine rules in place.
Carnival Cruise also announced Friday that unvaccinated guests are welcome on board starting Sept. 6, though they will still need to provide a negative coranvirus test result taken three days before sailing. Proof of vaccination will remain required for cruises to Australia and voyages longer than 16 nights.
Vaccinated guests will no longer need to test, Carnival said, with the exception of sailings to Canada, Bermuda, Greece and Australia, per local guidelines, and on cruises longer than 16 nights.
What Does ‘fully Vaccinated’ Mean
It seems most cruise lines are following the CDC’s definition of fully vaccinated, which means two weeks have passed since your second shot of Pfizer or Moderna, or since your one-dose Johnson & Johnson shot. It’s possible a cruise line may accept one shot of a viral vector vaccine, such as AstraZeneca, and one shot of an mRNA vaccine, but this practice of mixing for a COVID-19 vaccine primary series isn’t authorized yet in the US.
Some cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, accept vaccines recommended or approved by the World Health Organization as well as the CDC. This includes vaccines such as AstraZeneca and Sinovac. See the full list of vaccines approved by the WHO here.
Bottom line: If you’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 outside of the US, check with your cruise line to make sure they accept your vaccine before putting any money down. It’s also important to know that while all adults in the US are now eligible for boosters, the definition of “fully vaccinated” hasn’t changed and you don’t need an extra shot to be considered fully vaccinated.
All guests, regardless of vaccination status, should expect to be tested for COVID-19 prior to boarding a cruise ship.
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Royal Caribbean Internationals Vaccine Policies
For cruises departing from any U.S. port, Royal Caribbean requires all guests 12 years of age and older to be fully vaccinated. Younger travelers , who are unvaccinated, can sail if they bring a negative PCR test result and test negative at boarding, and they must follow certain health and safety protocols.
Vaccine requirements are one of the multilayered measures that safeguard the well-being of our guests, our crew and the communities we visit. Additional health and safety measures include our fully vaccinated crew, testing, the robust onboard ventilation system and enhanced cleaning.
In collaboration with multiple national, state and local health and government authorities around the world, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our priority is to maintain everyones well-being while complying with federal, state and local laws as we always have. Royal Caribbean will continue to evaluate and update its health and safety measures as circumstances evolve.
Guests and travel advisors looking for information on our measures can visit the Royal Caribbean website. Our current vaccine policies, which are in line with local regulations, are the following:
*Until further notice for all sailings from the U.S.: Guests 2 and older regardless of their vaccination status must present negative test results when arriving to check in.
Cruise Lines Requiring Vaccine
At the moment there are five cruise lines that have issued a vaccine mandate for cruise passengers. However, America Queen Steamboat and Victory Cruise lines are essentially the same company.
Were seeing a growing number of lines issue the vaccine requirement as the rollout continues to be a success across the United States. More and more people are being vaccinated which can help bring the cruise industry back to life.
The situation in the U.S. remains at a pause, with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention not yet allowing cruise lines to resume operations. Cruise lines prepare for their return, guided by the CDCs framework on the Conditional Sailing Order. However, no sign of test sailings just yet, and cruise lines are awaiting further technical guidance on a safe return.
The Biden administration is looking at opening up limited international travel from mid-May, but that all depends on the vaccine rollout. How that could impact the CDC decision on cruises remains unknown.
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For now, cruise operators are planning how they can keep passengers and crew safe for when operations do resume, and a big part of that is now a vaccine requirement, as seen in the following list :
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Before You Go On A Cruise
If you decide to take a cruise, there are some important facts you should consider.
- Complete your COVID-19 vaccine series along with any additional doses as recommended in Canada, at least 14 days before your cruise begins to reduce the risk of developing severe disease from COVID-19 while you travel.
- Choose cruises and excursions that require proof of vaccination and cruises that have enhanced COVID-19 protocols.
- Buy travel health insurance before leaving and make sure you are covered for COVID-19-related medical expenses, trip cancellation, trip interruption, including if you test positive for COVID-19 prior to boarding a flight home. The Government of Canada is not responsible for changes to your travel plans.
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Lyan Sierra-Caro, a spokesperson for Royal Caribbean International, said the plans to require passengers be vaccinated that the company submitted to the CDC only applied to its test cruises. According to CDC rules, cruise ships that dont meet certain vaccination thresholds for passengers and crew must first do a successful test cruise before they can restart revenue cruises.
Our intention is to comply with all federal, state and local laws, she said via email.
On May 26, the cruise line updated its website to say that passengers 16 years old and older on its cruises from Seattle and The Bahamas are required to be vaccinated. Previously, the website said passengers 16 years old and older on all of the companys U.S. cruises had to meet the requirement.
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Major Cruise Line Drops Vaccine Requirement From Us Ports
- Publish date: Jul 22, 2022 5:26 PM EDT
As the cruise industry has made its way back from its covid-related March 2020 through July 2021 closure, a lot of people have put off cruising until it returned to “normal.” That’s a relative word, however, as your normal and my normal may not be the same.
Some people waited to cruise until masks were no longer required while others won’t step onboard until every covid-related protocol goes away. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control stopped tracking the presence of covid on ships and issued a new set of guidelines for the cruise industry. These included recommendations that ships continue to require pre-cruise testing and for passengers to be vaccinated.
Here’s what the CDC currently recommends when it comes to vaccines.
“CDC recommends all eligible travelers be up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines. In addition to the protection COVID-19 vaccines provide to individual travelers in preventing severe illness or death from COVID-19, having a high proportion of travelers on board who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines reduces the likelihood that cruise ships medical centers are overwhelmed by cases of COVID-19.”
The guidance also makes it clear that 90% is what a “high proportion” of travelers means. That number has come down from 95% and it was generally believed to be a number to account for kids too young to get vaccinated to be onboard.
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Entry Requirements Remain For Travel To Canada From Abroad
Canadian citizens and Canadian permanent residents returning from international destinations who do not qualify for the fully vaccinated traveller exemption continue to be required to provide a valid pre-entry test result, remain subject to Day 1 and Day 8 molecular testing, and quarantine for 14 days.
In addition, all travellers entering Canada are required to input their mandatory information in ArriveCAN within 72 hours before their arrival in Canada. Travellers who arrive without completing their ArriveCAN submission may be subject to Day 1, Day 8 molecular testing, quarantine for 14 days, and to fines or other enforcement actions, regardless of their vaccination status.
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