Overview Of The Fleet
With the completion of Norwegian Prima in August 2022, and Norwegian Viva in 2023, NCL will have 19 ships in its fleet. With the addition of these new ships, Norwegian is debuting its newest class of ship, the Prima Class.
The company has placed six ships on order from 2022 to 2027. The new class will build upon the brands legacy of freedom and flexibility found across its fleet and feature a host of cutting-edge designs that will further elevate its already award-winning guest experience, states Norwegian Cruise Line about its new Prima Class.
Norwegian Cruise Line consists of mostly large scale cruise ships. With the smallest of NCLs ships, the Norwegian Sun, capable of providing for 1,936 guests. The largest of NCLs ships, the Norwegian Escape is capable of hosting 4,266 guests. Norwegian Cruise Line has been successful at refurbishing several of its older ships, and continues to make upgrades to older ships in order to keep them up to date and equipped with the latest technology and amenities. NCLs oldest ship is the Norwegian Spirit which was built in 1998, and recently completed its refurbishment in 2020.
Norwegian Cruise Lines fleet categories consists of the Breakaway Class, Dawn Class, Epic Class, Breakaway Plus Class, Jewel Class, Sun Class, and the soon to be Prima Class. The Classes consist of the following ships:
Breakaway Class
- Norwegian Prima
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Where they sail: Regent Seven Seas offers all-inclusive luxury cruises around the globe, which include perks like free airfare, free excursions, and complimentary unlimited drinks on board.
Who needs the vaccine: All guests are now welcome. Unvaccinated passengers will be required to test 3-days before embarkation.
What other safety measures are in place: Pre-departure testing may not be necessary depending on the port. Currently cruises leaving from Bermuda, Canada, and Greece will require a test.
Cruise Lines That Dont Require A Covid
Cruise lines have begun to get rid of their COVID-19 vaccine requirement that they have mandated over the past 15 months since cruises have restarted.
MSC Cruises As of September 1, 2022, MSC Cruises no longer requires U.S. citizens to be vaccinated. MSC currently offers cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas from Florida. View Best Prices on MSC
Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line was the first major cruise line to announce the elimination of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. This new policy goes into effect today, September 3, 2022. View Best Prices on NCL
Royal Caribbean Starting on September 5, 2022, guests who are not vaccinated will be able to sail on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the worlds largest cruise line. View Best Prices on Royal Caribbean
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Carnival Cruise Line For cruises that depart on or after September 6, 2022, Carnival Cruise Line will allow all guests to once again sail on their Fun Ships. View Best Prices on Carnival
Princess Cruises Effective for cruises that depart from the U.S., United Kingdom, and Europe on or after September 6, 2022, vaccination will no longer be required. View Best Prices on Princess
Celebrity Cruises Starting on Monday, September 5, 2022, all guests will be able to sail on Celebrity cruise ships, even if not vaccinated. View Best Prices on Celebrity
Regent Seven Seas Cruises Starting today, September 3, 2022, Regent has opened up their sailings to everyone. View Best Prices on Regent
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If You Get Sick Early In Your Trip Its Going To Be A Long And Miserable Trip Dr Preeti Malani Infectious Diseases Physician At The University Of Michigan
If you get sick early in your trip, its going to be a long and miserable, Dr. Preeti Malani, an infectious diseases physician at the University of Michigan and a fellow of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, told MarketWatch. Weve come so far in vaccines and treatments. The idea of going on a cruise two years ago? It felt like it would never happen. You couldnt even imagine getting back to restaurants.
Malani doesnt rule out taking a cruise, but advises caution. Being vaccinated gives high protection against poor outcomes, but it does not protect you against infection, she said. On the cruise, you can control how much exposure you have, but if you go with a family you cant control what they do. If your family isnt careful and youre hanging out together, you could get exposed.
Make sure you have an insurance plan, preferably one that covers being transported to a hospital if necessary. Get travel insurance, especially if you have pre-existing conditions, Malani said. COVID isnt the only threat to your health. You can eat in outdoor dining areas. It doesnt mean the risk is zero. If you are in a crowded indoor space in one of their bars, youre probably going to get exposed to people.
The pandemic is at a point where we can move forward and do all the things we think are important, Malani added. COVID today is completely different to COVID two years ago.
Read more:
Will I Need A Covid
Editors note: This post has been updated with new information.
When the first cruises allowing Americans restarted in spring 2021, all major lines were sailing with at least 90% of passengers vaccinated against COVID-19. That meant they required just about everyone on board to have their shots, with few exceptions allowed for young children and people who cant be vaccinated due to medical conditions or religious beliefs.
But now, little more than a year later, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has withdrawn its opt-in guidance for cruise lines, and many are now allowing more unvaccinated passengers to sail.
So, will you need a vaccine to cruise? Click on your favorite cruise line below to find out.
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Note: In order to be considered “fully vaccinated,” passengers must have received their final shot at least 15 days prior to embarkation. Most lines only accept vaccines recognized and approved by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Generally, proof of inoculation must include your name, the type of vaccine you received and the dates on which you received all required doses.
Check out our recap of youth immunization policies for details on cruise vaccination requirements for kids. For general information on testing, please refer to our article on cruise testing requirements.
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Cruise Lines That Will No Longer Require Vaccinations To Board A Ship
Cruise lines have begun to get rid of their COVID-19 vaccine requirement that they have mandated over the past 15 months since cruises have restarted. Here is a current list of cruise line that have, or will eliminate the vaccine requirement to sail on one of their cruise ships. Note: Some destinations still require it and cruises that visit these countries will still have the COVID-19 vaccination requirement due to local laws. Also, most longer cruises will still require a vaccination.
MSC Cruises As of September 1, 2022, MSC Cruises no longer requires U.S. citizens to be vaccinated. MSC currently offers cruises to the Caribbean and Bahamas from Florida. View Best Prices on MSC
Norwegian Cruise Line Norwegian Cruise Line was the first major cruise line to announce the elimination of a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. This new polic went into effect yesterday, September 3, 2022. View Best Prices on NCL
Royal Caribbean Starting on September 5, 2022, guests who are not vaccinated will be able to sail on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the worlds largest cruise line. View Best Prices on Royal Caribbean
Carnival Cruise Line For cruises that depart on or after September 6, 2022, Carnival Cruise Line will allow all guests to once again sail on their Fun Ships. View Best Prices on Carnival
Celebrity Cruises Starting on Monday, September 5, 2022, all guests will be able to sail on Celebrity cruise ships, even if not vaccinated. View Best Prices on Celebrity
Unvaccinated Adults And Vaccine Exemptions
Most major cruise lines require proof of vaccination for all passengers age 12 and up, and some require them for kids as young as 5 years old . Last week, Disney Cruise Line became the first cruise line to require passengers as young as 5 to be vaccinated for sailings starting Jan. 13.
While some cruise lines state they’ll accept medical exemptions, others do not, and it also might depend on the port. Carnival, for example, says it’ll accept some vaccine exemptions from those ages 12 and younger, as well as adults who have “” that they can’t be vaccinated — but only at their Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Maryland, South Carolina and Alabama ports until the end of March 2022. COVID-19 vaccine exemptions at Carnival’s Long Beach, California port will only be accepted for kids under age 12 and when “required by US federal law” due to religious beliefs or medical reasons.
How long will the vaccine requirement be in place for cruise passengers? That’s hard to say because it depends on the state of the pandemic at any given time. It also varies based on different rules for cruise ships or territories, and evolving guidance from the CDC.
The testing and masking requirement specifics may differ by cruise or length of sail, but everyone age 2 and older should be prepared to be tested for COVID-19 before boarding, or during the journey when applicable, regardless of vaccination status.
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Three Aussie States Review Cruise Health Rules As They Are Abandoned Around The World
NSW, Queensland and the Victorian Governments the three states first to allow foreign-flagged cruise vessels in March are reviewing the strict regulations that currently govern the vaccination status of passengers on board.
The news comes as countries that have lifted vaccination requirements on cruise lines report a boom in bookings for ocean holidays.
Many of the major cruise lines like Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean in America have announced they will drop their vaccination requirements for sailings, which saw passengers tested before boarding and the need to demonstrate vaccination status.
In a statement to Cruise Passenger, a NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet spokesperson said, In early 2022, the NSW, Queensland and Victorian Governments, worked in partnership with the cruise industry to develop a set of common protocols for the resumption of cruising on the Eastern Seaboard. The Eastern Seaboard Cruise Protocols outline a range of public health measures designed to mitigate health risks to passengers and crew on board, and ensure that cruising does not place an unreasonable burden on the health system on shore.
The Eastern Seaboard Cruise Protocols require all passengers over the age of 12 to be fully vaccinated to board domestic and international cruises. Unvaccinated children, and individuals with a medical exemption to the vaccine, are permitted to travel, however must make up no more than 5% of the passengers.
How Cruise Lines Covid Vaccination And Testing Rules Have Changed
When cruise lines restarted operations in summer 2021, after being banned by the CDC from operating for 15 months due to COVID-19-related safety concerns, it was with strict CDC-imposed regulations. They included vaccination requirements for anyone age 12 and up , precruise testing requirements, mandatory masking in public areas, social distancing, and other measures the CDC said would help contain the spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships.
After two years of first banning and then advising against cruising due to pandemic-related health and safety risks, in late March 2022, the CDC dropped its warning to travelers about the health risks of cruising during the COVID pandemic.
In May, the CDC scaled back slightly on its tough restrictions for cruise lines by allowing ships to declare themselves as highly vaccinated if 90 percent of passengers and at least 95 percent of crew were vaccinated. Previously, the number was 95 percent for passengers. The change allowed more unvaccinated children who didnt yet qualify for a vaccine or had not obtained a vaccine to come onboard during the summer.
The agency provided the cruise lines with greater leeway to set and monitor their own policies. Consequently, most cruise lines opted to make masks optional. But the CDC still maintained a close watch, publishing a color-coded chart of ship outbreaks that it updated regularly.
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Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line requires all guests 12 and older to be fully vaccinated and present proof of vaccination.
Cruisers ages 3 through 11 must provide negative Covid test results from a PCR test taken within 72 hours of sailing and take an antigen test at the cruise terminal on embarkation day at their family’s expense. The cost is $75 per person for this test at the terminal.
If guests are unable to provide a PCR test, one can be done at the port. The cost of this is $150 per person non-refundable and will be charged to their onboard account.
Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line’s original policy was that unvaccinated travelers should get tested at least three days before their trip, as well as after. The cruise line recommends all unvaccinated travelers self quarantine for a week after travel.
In addition, the Bahamas requires Cruise & Stay and one-way travelers to Freeport to present a Bahamas Health Travel Visa.
The Worst Cruise Ship Cabins To Avoid
Would you be shocked if I told you the worst cruise ship cabin that I ever had was also the biggest and nicest cabin?
Yup. The worst cruise cabin Ive had while cruising was a 2 bedroom suite onboard Norwegian’s Pride of America. Our cabin was massive, and a huge cry from the interior cabins we usually book. While sailing the Hawaiian islands was absolutely stunning, we didnt expect the very choppy waters while sailing from one island to the next.
Unfortunately, our massive cabin was at the very front of the ship, and our large balcony was basically right next to the bridge. My dad commented that he would absolutely never book another room that far in front of the ship.
Lessons were learned from our perfect Hawaiian storm. Being at the very front and top of the cruise ship while sailing choppy Pacific waters left us all seasick for multiple nights. Luckily, we had 2 overnight stays that had us grateful for motionless sleep.
Weve also been unlucky to have staterooms too close to the elevator, directly under the pool deck, and too close to the theater.
Choosing the best stateroom on a cruise ship can require more research than simply booking a hotel room. Everyone has different preferences when it comes to what they look for in a stateroom.
Here are some of the worst cruise ship cabins to avoid when booking your next cruise.
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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.
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Things To Keep In Mind
The relaxed public health rules and requirements are for cruises leaving U.S. ports. Check with your cruise line, if youre departing on a trip from another country.
All of the changes to vaccination and test mandates are subject to local regulations, so cruise lines recommend passengers bring vaccination cards with them. That means the testing and inoculation requirements in the ports of call that your cruise will visit remain in effect. For example, certain popular ports of call are keeping a proof of vaccination rule for passengers, including Canada, Bermuda, Australia and Greece.
Review your respective cruise lines policies about what happens, if you test positive for COVID-19 while traveling on a ship. Some companies will cover your hotel and return travel, if you need to quarantine at the home port after a cruise, but others dont.
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Cruise Lines That Dont Require Pre
If you’re going on a cruise these days, you’ll probably need to get a pre-departure negative Covid-19 test.
Some cruise lines have dropped the requirement to get a negative test, but most still require one to ensure everyone boarding the ship likely doesn’t have an active infection.
U.S.-based cruise lines are required by the CDC to ensure all of its cruise ship passengers get a negative Covid test before embarkation. Some lines operating in Europe have begun to drop the pre-cruise test, but this is the exception.
It remains uncertain if pre-cruise testing will go entirely away, or if a change will happen sooner or later. The cruise industry has less clout within government than other forms of leisure travel that enjoy a great deal more public pressure on their side.
Covid protocols have been changing since cruise ships restarted cruises, which has steadily seen primarily protocols eroding away in conjunction with falling Covid cases counts and less fatal variants.
Heres the current list of cruise lines that do not require a pre-cruise Covid test to sail.
American Queen Steamboat Company
Who Needs to Be Vaccinated: All passengers, no exceptions, need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Are Any Unvaccinated Passengers Able to Sail? No.
Is A Pre-Arrival COVID-19 Test Required? All passengers will undergo a complimentary COVID-19 test during the pre-cruise hotel stay prior to embarkation.
Is A Pierside, Pre-Embarkation COVID-19 Test Required? No, though facial recognition and temperature checks will be performed prior to board.
Masks and Physical Distancing Requirements: Masks are not required.
Crew Vaccinated?: Yes — American Queen is even vaccinating its shoreside employees.
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