Tag Archives: Fully Vaccinated

Royal Caribbean to Ditch Covid Testing on Short Sailings.

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Independence of the Seas in Southampton, Photo Credit Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean Group will ditch pre-embarkation testing for fully vaccinated guests on sailings of five days or less from 8 August, president and chief executive Jason Liberty has confirmed.

Speaking during Royal’s second quarterly results call on Thursday (July 28), Liberty said the change in policy would be “subject to local destination requirements” and unvaccinated passengers would still be tested.

“We also anticipate in the not-too-distant future that pre-embarkation testing for longer-duration voyages will be reduced,” he added.

Asked on the call when testing requirements for longer cruises might be lifted, Liberty predicted further easing could follow soon but did not rule out reintroducing measures if needed.

“So we’re starting off here by doing the five days or less and we’re going to look at that. But I think our expectation here, call it, in the next 45 days or so. And of course, following local requirements, which will somewhat dictate in some of our destinations, what those testing requirements will be that the majority of the testing requirements will be lifted, especially around the majority of our deployment,” he said.

“We might, depending on where the ships are going, take some additional protocols and of course, we’re going to continue to follow where Covid is in society and take the necessary actions.”

The update came as Royal announced a return to “positive operating cash flow” with the group’s entire fleet now back in service.

Average second-quarter (three months to 30 June) load factors ran to 82% and to nearly 90% in June, while the group expects third-quarter (three months to 30 September) load factors to average around 95% before “increasing to triple digits” by the end of the year.

Royal’s positivity came despite posting a US $500 million Q2 net loss, one the group said “exceeded the company’s expectations” and was “driven by better revenue and cost performance”.

In its trading update, the company revealed that second-quarter bookings for sailings departing in the second half of the year remained “significantly higher” than those received in Q2 2019 for the latter half of 2019.

Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has removed the requirement for guests to wear a face-covering onboard its vessels.

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It comes as part of a phased relaxation in the line’s Covid-19 protocols. Pre-embarkation testing, as well as the requirement to be fully vaccinated, remain in place.
 
Guests will still be asked to pack a face mask, as some destinations still require their use and crew members will continue to wear the coverings for the time being.
 
Balmoral is the first of Fred Olsen’s fleet to sail without a face mask requirement, having departed Newcastle under the new measures on Wednesday (18 May). The new guidance will apply to Bolette’s next departure from Southampton on 22 May and Borealis’s departure from Liverpool on 25 May.

Peter Deer, managing director of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, said: “We have been regularly reviewing our onboard procedures, and know this move will be well received among our guests. Of course, we understand that some guests may prefer to continue wearing a face mask as they move around the ship, and this will be entirely at their discretion.
 
“The health and wellbeing of our guests and crew remain our utmost priority, and as such we will be operating a phased reduction in our onboard protocols. These measures help us to ensure our ships remain a safe and enjoyable way to explore the world.”

Barbados Simplifies Cruise Protocols

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The Port of Barbados sign with the Grandeur of the Seas and P&O Britannia in Port, Photo credit Spacejunkie2

The island of Barbados has announced new port entry protocols that are meant to simplify destination exploration in a safe and responsible way through tours and shore excursions beyond the cruise ship.

In keeping with updated guidelines put forth by Barbados’ Ministry of Health and Wellness, the following protocols have been established and shared, according to Barbados’ official tourism marketing organization, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc:

Embarkation: The Barbados Ministry of Health and Wellness requires each cruise line to conduct health assessments of travellers prior to embarkation, which includes questions to identify symptoms that indicate a traveller’s health status.

Transit Calls and Shore Excursions: Guests with a standard or rapid PCR test was taken within 48 hours of arrival will be permitted to disembark and take free shore leave, explore independently and engage in shore excursions and tours. Guests arriving without a standard or rapid PCR test taken within 48 hours will be permitted to take “bubble excursions” or supervised shore excursions through authorized vendors, including:

• Tours approved for sale by tour operators as authorized by cruise lines.
• Tours approved for sale by independent tour operators and taxi operators as authorized by the government of Barbados following the appropriate health and security requirements.

Those wishing to engage in a tour must have a pre-booked tour confirmed by email from an approved tour operator for pick-up in the Bridgetown Port or take approved taxis dispatched from secure designated taxi facilities within the Bridgetown Port. Tours and excursions can be booked either on arrival at the port or directly with independent tour operators.

Transit calls refer to ports of call where passengers disembark to sightsee, then return to the ship, which then departs for its next destination.

Disembarkation (Island Stays): Guests disembarking and staying on-island for a post-cruise stay will be required to present a negative standard or rapid PCR test before unrestricted access to the destination is permitted. Post-cruise guests may be swabbed onboard their cruise ship or at the Bridgetown Port and may then proceed to their accommodations to await test results. If available, guests may proceed directly to their accommodations to be tested there and await the results.

Vaccination Status: Travellers will be considered fully vaccinated if they have completed a full regimen of vaccines for any of the Ministry of Health and Wellness approved COVID-19 vaccinations, at least 14 days prior to travel to Barbados. Approved vaccines are AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, Johnson & Johnson, Sinopharm, Sinovac, Sputnik V.

According to the press release, Barbados welcomes approximately 800,000 cruise visitors annually and welcomes more than 25 cruise lines including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises and Princess Cruises.

Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc said that it was excited for the new, simplified process that will give travel advisors “yet another reason to recommend the island to their clients, providing yet another safe, unforgettable vacation destination that helps drive leads, bookings and revenue in the new year.”

Travel advisors are encouraged to brief clients on these protocols during the booking process.