Celebrity Cruises Announces New Protocols for Sailing

Celebrity Cruises today announced new protocols for guests sailing from U.S. and European ports by dropping vaccination requirements and simplifying testing guidelines.

Beginning September 5, 2022, all guests, regardless of vaccination status, departing on most sailings from the U.S. and Europe can now cruise as long as they meet local testing requirements to board. Celebrity Cruises will also now accept any commercially available test, including unsupervised self-tests, in many destinations. 

“A new world is waiting and I’m thrilled to now more closely align our operations with the rest of the travel industry and open up opportunities for everyone to explore, once again,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO of Celebrity Cruises. “Travel is making its grand comeback and we’re looking forward to the continued momentum from consumers around the world.” 

New pre-boarding testing requirements for the U.S. and Europe include:

  • Fully vaccinated guests no longer need to test to board sailings from the U.S. that are nine nights or less (excluding sailings that visit Canada and Bermuda). 
  • A negative test result from a simple, unsupervised and self-administered test will be accepted for all sailings (excluding sailings that visit Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Greece or New Zealand).
  • Children under 5 years of age sailing from the U.S. and guests under 12 years of age sailing from Europe do not need to test prior to boarding. 

Requirements in Other Regions

While Celebrity Cruises has dropped vaccination requirements, sailings to and from ports in Canada, Australia and New Zealand require all guests ages 12 and up to be fully vaccinated to sail in keeping with country requirements. Galapagos cruises require guests ages 3 and older to be vaccinated.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Drops Pre-Cruise COVID-19 Testing

Norwegian Bliss in Ponta Delgada Azores, photo credit Spacejunkie2

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings today announced it will no longer require guests to complete pre-cruise COVID-19 testing unless required by local regulations, according to a press release.

This policy will go into effect across Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises beginning August 1, 2022, the company said.

The pre-embarkation testing requirement will remain in place for guests currently travelling on voyages departing from destinations with local testing regulations, including but not limited to the U.S., Canada, Greece and Bermuda.

Norwegian said that the relaxation of the testing policy is in line with the rest of the travel, leisure and hospitality industry worldwide as society continues to adapt and return to a state of normalcy. The company added that it continues to strongly recommend all guests be up to date on vaccination protocols and test at their convenience prior to travel.

Norwegian Cancels Viva’s Inaugural Cruises

Norwegian Cruise Line is cancelling the first and second sailings of the new Norwegian Viva.

Citing construction delays, the company said the 3,215-guest ship won’t be ready in time for the cruises, which were set to depart on June 15 and June 24, 2023.

In a statement sent to booked guests, Norwegian informed that the cancellations were a result of “global supply chain constraints impacting industries worldwide and the related downstream construction delays at the shipyard.”

According to the company, impacted passengers will receive a full refund to the original form of payment, with no further actions required on their part.

“We are committed to always putting our guests first. This includes providing information regarding any changes to voyages with as much notice as possible,” Norwegian added.

Opening up the ship’s inaugural summer in the Mediterranean, the cancelled cruises included visits to several countries in Europe.

A one-way, nine-night voyage, the inaugural sailing was set to depart Portugal, calling in various destinations in Spain and France before arriving in Italy.

An open-jaw itinerary as well, the second cruise was set to sail between two Italian ports: Civitavecchia and Trieste.

The nine-night voyage also featured visits to other ports in the country, in addition to popular destinations in Croatia, Greece, Malta and Slovenia.

The Norwegian Viva is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Marghera, Italy. Second, in a series of six ships known as the Prima Class, the vessel will be a sister of the new Norwegian Prima.

Set to debut this year, the 142,000-ton vessel is also entering service later than initially planned due to supply chain issues. Norwegian informed guests booked on the ship’s inaugural voyage that their cruise was no longer going ahead.

Also being built in Marghera, the Prima was set to depart on August 17, 2022. Ahead of a christening ceremony in Reykjavik, the vessel was offering an eight-night cruise from the Netherlands to Iceland.