On the heels of Royal Caribbean Group (RCL) announcing that it is dropping pre-cruise testing on shorter sailings next month, Carnival Cruise Line is following in the same footsteps.
In a press release today, Carnival said that it is “pleased to announce that we are adjusting certain protocols to reflect the lifting of CDC requirements for the U.S. cruise industry.”
“We remain, as always, committed to the health and safety of our guests, crew and the communities we serve. These changes will be made in phases, with the first of these updates effective on Thursday, August 4, 2022 and focused on short cruise itineraries of 5 nights or less. More changes will be announced shortly.”
Effective for embarkations starting August 4, here are the new protocols involving COVID-19 testing:
- No pre-cruise testing for fully vaccinated guests booked on cruises with itineraries that are five nights or shorter
- Pre-cruise testing for sailings 6 nights or longer may be taken three days before departure.
- There will be no in-terminal testing for unvaccinated passengers on embarkation day, but all unvaccinated guests 2 and older must provide proof of a negative antigen test result taken within three days before embarkation.
All of these adjustments are subject to any requirements of destinations on the itinerary.
Two other Carnival Corporation brands — Holland America and P&O Cruises — dropped the pre-cruise testing requirement for select cruises this summer to Norway.
Along with Royal Caribbean Group’s cruise brands, a number of other cruise lines have also eliminated testing for some or all of their sailings.
Last week, Virgin Voyages and Margaritaville at Sea dropped testing requirements for all of their cruises.
Azamara, Viking, and Norwegian Cruise Line also dropped testing for all of their voyages, except when sailing to/from destinations that continue to require it.
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