Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises are dropping their vaccination mandate for most US and European cruises starting Sept. 5.
This expanded what both lines earlier signaled. For example, the relaxed rules will newly apply to cruises from Florida.
Royal Caribbean specifics
For Royal Caribbean, unvaccinated travelers will be able to cruise with negative results from any commercially available test, including self-tests.
No testing for sailings under 10 nights
Vaccinated travelers won’t have to be tested for cruises of nine or fewer nights. On cruises of 10 or more nights, both unvaccinated and vaccinated travelers will have to provide a negative test taken within three days before their sailing date.
For all cruises, children 5 and younger will have no vaccine or testing requirements.
Exceptions: Austraila, Bermuda, Canada, Singapore
Sailings to or from Australia, Bermuda, Canada or Singapore still require vaccination.
Crew will continue to be monitored and vaccinated, keeping them up to date with boosters when they are eligible.
Royal Caribbean details are here.
Celebrity specifics
Celebrity Cruises, likewise, will welcome passengers regardless of vaccination status on most sailings from the US and Europe as long as they meet local testing requirements.
However, Canada, Australia and New Zealand require all passengers 12 and up to be fully vaccinated; for the Galápagos, that applies to ages 3 and up.
Testing
Fully vaccinated travelers no longer need to test for cruises from the US that are nine or fewer nights, excluding cruises that visit Canada and Bermuda.
Celebrity will also accept any commercially available test, including self-tests, formany destinations.Exceptions arecruises that visit Bermuda, Canada, Greece, Australia or New Zealand.
Children under 5 sailing from the US and those under 12 sailing from Europe do not need to test before embarking.
