Virgin Voyages Updated Protcols

Virgin Voyages has updated their vaccination and testing protocols.

Statement

In keeping in line with the rest of the travel industry, we've updated our guidelines to make all voyages open to everyone — including Sailors who are unvaccinated. We will continue to create the safest environment at sea and in our terminal, including implementing top cleaning procedures before, during, and after every voyage. With the onset of these latest developments, we’re excited to welcome more of your Sailors who have been eagerly waiting to Set Sail The Virgin Way. 

What You Need to Know

Vaccination Updates:

• All Sailors (no matter their vaccination status) are welcome on board.
  • Policy updates begin on 09/18/22 for all Valiant Lady voyages.
    
    
    
    
  • Policy updates begin on 09/21/22 for all Scarlet Lady voyages.

Testing Update:

• Unvaccinated Sailors are required to bring a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72-hours, or at the terminal for a fee of $30 on their embarkation date

Resources

• Before You Sail

 

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Royal Caribbean Protocol Updates

Updated August 30, 2022

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have announced that they are welcoming all guest, regardless of vaccination status, beginning with sailings departing on September 5, 2022, from any U.S. homeport (excluding sailings visiting Bermuda or Canada).  Please make note of not only the changes to vaccination status for U.S. departures, but also testing requirements for some of our European itineraries. 

What You Need To Know

All U.S. Departures beginning September 5^th (excluding Canada, Bermuda, and Transpacific sailings)

Vaccination:

• If eligible, we recommend that guests be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19. While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
• Grand Cayman will now allow unvaccinated guests to disembark in port

Pre-Cruise Testing:

• Sailings 9 nights or less:
  • Unvaccinated guests ages 5 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no earlier than 3 days prior to sailing.
  • Fully vaccinated guests do not need to test for these sailings.
  • Accepted tests are FDA‐approved PCR or antigen tests, which now includes self-tests. (Yes, the unsupervised ones!)
    • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of the self-test result, or the actual self-test in hand.
• Sailings 10 nights or more:
  • All guests ages 5 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no earlier than 3 days prior to sailing.
  • Accepted tests are FDA‐approved PCR or antigen tests, which now includes self-tests. (Yes, the unsupervised ones!)
    • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of the self-test result, or the actual self-test in hand.

U.S. Departures visiting Bermuda beginning September 5^th

• While requirements for sailing have changed for some destinations, most of Bermuda’s local regulations and requirements are still in place.
• This means vaccination and pre-cruise testing requirements remain unchanged.
• We’ve removed the boarding day test requirement.

Sailings beginning September 5^th that begin, end, or stop in Canada

• While requirements for sailing have changed for some destinations, Canada’s local regulations and requirements are still in place.
• The vaccination requirement and the pre-cruise & embarkation testing requirement (2 days prior for vaccinated guests | 3 days prior for unvaccinated + boarding day test) remain in place.

All European & UK Departures beginning September 5^th (excluding Transatlantic sailings)

Vaccination:

• All European and UK Itineraries (excluding Transatlantic sailings)
  • We recommend that guests be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19 and up to-date, when eligible.
  • While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask you disclose your status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.

Pre-cruise Testing (check departure port for info):

Sailings departing from Amsterdam, Barcelona, and the U.K.

• Sailings 9 nights or less:
  • Guests ages 12 years and older who are unvaccinated or not up-to-date must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no earlier than:
    • 24 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
    • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
  • Up-to-date guests do not need to test for these sailings.
  • Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests, which now includes self-tests. (Yes, the unsupervised ones!)
    • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand.
• Sailings 10 nights or more:
  • All guests ages 12 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result.
  • Up-to-date guests must present a negative COVID-19 test taken no earlier than 3 days prior to boarding day.
  • Unvaccinated or not up-to date guests must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no earlier than:
    • 24 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
    • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
  • Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests, which now includes self-tests. (Yes, the unsupervised ones!)
    • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand.

Sailings departing from Athens, Greece

• All guests ages 12 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken no earlier than:
  • 48 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
  • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
• Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person.
  • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results.
  • Telehealth and unsupervised self-testing are not accepted for sailings departing from Greece

Sailings departing from Tarragona, Spain

• All guests ages 12 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken no earlier than:
  • 48 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
  • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
• Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person or supervised virtually.
  • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results.
  • Unsupervised self-testing is not accepted for sailings visiting Greece

Sailings departing from Haifa, Israel

• All guests ages 12 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken no earlier than:
  • 48 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
  • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
• Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person or supervised virtually.
  • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results.
  • Unsupervised self-testing is not accepted for sailings visiting Greece

Sailings departing from Italy visiting Greece

• If the sailing departs from any Italian port and makes at least one (1) stop in Greece, the following testing is required.
  • All guests ages 12 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result from a test taken no earlier than:
    • 48 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
    • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
  • Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests taken in person or supervised virtually.
    • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results.
    • Unsupervised self-testing is not accepted for sailings visiting Greece

Sailings departing from Italy not visiting Greece

Vaccination:

• Guests ages 12 years and older who are unvaccinated or not up-to-date must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken no earlier than:
  • 24 hours before boarding day if taking an antigen test
  • 72 hours before boarding day if taking a PCR test
• Up-to-date guests do not need to test for these sailings.
  • Accepted tests are PCR or antigen tests, which now includes self-tests. (Yes, the unsupervised ones!)
  • Proof of a negative test can be the printed or digital results, a clear photo of your self-test result, or your actual self-test in hand.

Onboard Testing:

• Any sailing visiting Greece
  • Guests ages 12 years and older who are unvaccinated or not up-to-date will require additional testing to be completed onboard at their own expense, in order to go ashore.
• Any sailing ending in Spain
  • Guests ages 12 years and older who are unvaccinated or not up-to-date will require additional testing to be completed prior to debarking in Spain at their own expense.

Resources

• Royal Caribbean Healthy Sail Center
• Royal Caribbean Healthy Sail Center FAQs
• Celebrity Healthy at Sea
• Celebrity Country Travel Requirements

 

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Disney Joins Cruise Lines Adjusting Protocols

Disney Cruise Line

Updated September 27, 2022

Disney Cruise Line has updated its health & safety requirements.

 Statement

Beginning Oct. 14, 2022, for Disney Wonder, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish sailings and Nov. 7, 2022 for Disney Magic sailings, Disney Cruise Line will no longer require Guests to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing, however, it is highly recommended. All Guests ages 5 years and older who are not fully vaccinated (Unvaccinated Guests) will need to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 1-2 days before the sail date. Guests ages 4 years of age and younger do not require testing.

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Today, August 15, Disney Cruise Line announced an update to our Health and Safety Protocols regarding vaccination requirements.

What You Need To Know

• Beginning September 2, 2022, for sailings departing US and Canadian ports, Disney Cruise Line will require Guests ages 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing, as defined by the CDC. (previously 5 and older)
• Testing Requirements – Fully Vaccinated Guests
  • Departing US and Canadian ports:
    • Must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by the Guest) taken one to 2 days before setting sail to be exempt from embarkation testing at the terminal.
    • A NAAT, PCR, and Antigen tests accepted.
      • Antigen tests must be completed using a proctored in-person or telehealth service and come with digital results that can be uploaded to the Safe Passage website. 
    • Proof of Vaccination and pre-trip test results must be uploaded into the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day.
      • Fully vaccinated Guests who upload their pre-trip test results to the Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day will be exempt from embarkation testing.
      • Fully vaccinated Guests who do not upload test results by midnight prior to embarkation day must be tested at the terminal on embarkation day before boarding the ship and will be charged for the cost of the test.
      • A parent or legal guardian will need to use their own account to provide this information on behalf of minors.
    • Guests with positive COVID-19 test results are required to complete a second confirmatory test.
      • Guests with confirmed positive test results—as well as those sharing the same stateroom and other close contacts—will be denied boarding.
• Testing Requirements – Not Fully Vaccinated Guests
  • Must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken one to 3 days before the sail date.
    • The test should be a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), a rapid PCR test or a lab-based PCR test. 
    • Rapid antigen tests are not accepted. 
    • Two tests will be required for Guests not fully vaccinated. The second test will be conducted at the terminal on embarkation day (paid for by Disney Cruise Line).
      • Guests with positive COVID-19 test results are required to undergo a second confirmatory test.
      • Guests with confirmed positive test results—as well as those sharing the same stateroom and other close contacts—will be denied boarding.
    • Must upload their negative COVID-19 test results on the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day. 
      • A parent or legal guardian will need to use their own account to provide this information on behalf of minors.
• Testing Costs
  • The cost of embarkation tests for fully vaccinated Guests will be $74.00 (USD) plus tax for the initial antigen test,
    • If a confirmatory PCR test is needed the cost will be $125.00 (USD) plus tax.
  • For Canada sailings, the cost of embarkation tests for fully vaccinated Guests will be $95.00 (CAD) plus GST for the initial antigen test
    • If a confirmatory PCR test is needed the cost will be$160.00 (CAD) plus GST.
• Back-to-Back Sailings: All Guests on consecutive, back-to-back sailings, regardless of age and vaccination status, will be required to complete a COVID-19 test between sailings, paid for by Disney Cruise Line.
• Guests Recently Recovered from COVID-19: In some cases, people who have recently recovered from COVID-19 may still test positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
  • If Guests have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 within 11 to 90 days of their sail date, they may qualify to be considered as “90-Day-Recovered.”
  • With the appropriate documentation and subsequent approval, Guests considered “90-Day-Recovered” are not required to participate in COVID-19 testing during the Pre-Sail, Embarkation or Debarkation phases of their voyage.

Resource

• Know Before You Sail
• Learn more about sailings arriving to and departing from Europe.
• Learn more about sailings arriving to and departing from Canada.

 

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Royal and Celebrity Announce Protocol Updates

Celebrity Cruises & Royal Caribbean

Updated August 22, 2022

Beginning with sailings departing on September 5, 2022, Royal Caribbean is thrilled to welcome ALL GUESTS, regardless of vaccination status, on cruises from any U.S. homeport (excluding sailings visiting Bermuda or Canada).

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have shared vaccination and pre-cruise testing updates for cruises departing from Los Angeles, Galveston, New Orleans, and European ports. Please review the below carefully.

Royal Caribbean

What You Need to Know

 Eligible Itineraries

Please note that any itinerary not listed below will continue to follow the published protocols, until further notice.  Please continue to reference the Healthy Cruising Hub for the latest information.

• Cruises departing from Los Angeles, California 
• Cruises departing from Galveston, Texas 
• Cruises departing from New Orleans, Louisiana
• Cruises departing from a European homeport 

Protocol Updates

Effective on select itineraries, beginning September 5, 2022

LAX & GAL Departures

• Vaccination
• We recommend that our guests be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19, if eligible.
• While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
• IMPORTANT Sailings that visit Grand Cayman: unvaccinated guests 12 years and older can join our sailing; however, they’ll need to stay onboard when we arrive in Grand Cayman.
• Pre-cruise Testing
  Accepted tests are FDA‐approved PCR or antigen tests supervised in person or supervised by a telehealth professional.
• Sailings 5 nights or less –
• Unvaccinated guests ages 2 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 3 days of the sail date.
• Fully vaccinated guests do not need to test for these sailings.
• Sailings 6 nights or more –
• All guests ages 2 years and older must present a negative COVID-19 test result taken within 3 days of the sail date.

New Orleans Season (November 1, 2022 – January 31, 2023)

• Vaccination
• We recommend that our guests be fully vaccinated against COVID‐19, if eligible.
• While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
• IMPORTANT Sailings that visit Grand Cayman: unvaccinated guests 12 years and older can join our sailing however, they’ll need to stay onboard when we arrive in Grand Cayman.
• Pre-cruise Testing
• Testing for these sailings is still being finalized
• We will contact booked guests and travel partners directly with more information.

 

All EU departures

 

• Vaccination
• We recommend that our guests be fully vaccinated and up to date against COVID‐19, if eligible.
• While vaccination is not required, we kindly ask that guests disclose their status during check-in to ensure we maintain a highly vaccinated onboard population.
• Guests who are 12 years and older who are considered unvaccinated or who are not up to date with their vaccination will require additional testing.
• Pre-cruise Testing
• Testing will remain the same for EU departures.
• Guests that are not “up to date” on their vaccination per EMA standards will need to take a test onboard in order to get off the ship in Greece and Spain

 

Other Homeports & Destinations

We are working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. We want to ensure a great experience going ashore at these ports, for guests of any vaccination status, while meeting local health regulations. We’ll share information as it becomes available to both you and your clients.  We continue to maintain additional layers of protection that far exceed any other vacation experience - This includes vaccination of all crew and keeping them up to date with boosters when eligible, routine surveillance of all crew, enhanced testing, and treatment capabilities in our onboard medical centers, and much more. 

 

Effective September 5, 2022
	LAX & GAL Sailing 5 nights or less	LAX & GAL Sailing 6 nights or more	New Orleans	Europe	Other Homeports
Vaccinated	Vaccination Recommended No Testing Required	Vaccination Recommended Testing Required (3 days)	Vaccination Recommended Testing To Be Determined	Vaccination Recommended (additional testing may be required for those not up to date) Testing Varies – see details	Vaccination Required - see details Testing Varies – see details
Unvaccinated	Vaccination Recommended* Testing Required (3 days)	Vaccination Recommended* Testing Required (3 days)	Vaccination Recommended* Testing To Be Determined	Vaccination Recommended Testing Required – see details	Vaccination Required for 12+  – see details Testing Required – see details
*Unvaccinated guests cannot disembark in Grand Cayman

Resources

• Royal Caribbean Healthy Sail Center
• Royal Caribbean Getting Ready to Cruise  

Celebrity

 What You Need to Know 

• Vaccination
• Beginning September 5th, 2022, all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, can now cruise on the following itineraries as long as they meet any testing requirements to board:
• All sailings departing from the UK and Europe (with the exception of Iceland)
• All sailings departing from Los Angeles 
• For all other sailings, please visit the Country Travel Requirements page for the country of embarkation for your sailing for more information regarding vaccination age requirements.
• Testing
• Testing and timing of requirements may vary by homeport country and port of embarkation. We continually evaluate and update country travel requirements to sail here. Booked guests will also be advised of the latest requirements.

 

Resources

• Celebrity Healthy at Sea
• Celebrity Country Travel Requirements

 

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I recently completed extensive training and have become Travel Safety Verified. As your dedicated Travel Advisor, your safety is our priority, and it's our job to ensure you have the necessary information you need to give you confidence and peace of mind when making your future travel plans. Click the link to review our Travel Safety program with valuable resources that will answer many of your questions.

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