In another sign that the cruise industry is transitioning to a post-COVID operating model, Royal Caribbean Group and Carnival Cruise Line, the industry's two largest cruise lines, announced last week they will loosen testing requirements for vaccinated passengers.
Beginning August 4, vaccinated passengers on Carnival company sailings that last less than six days will no longer be required to provide a negative PCR or antigen test result before boarding vessels. A similar policy will take effect on Royal Caribbean company sailings on August 8. In a Facebook post, Royal Caribbean CEO Michael Bayley also shared that unvaccinated guests who have recovered from COVID in the last 90 days will be allowed to sail with the company, marking a departure from existing policies, which had barred most unvaccinated people from going on cruises. This major decision from the industry's main cruise companies comes as smaller cruise lines, including MSC Cruises, Azamara Cruises, and others, have abandoned testing and vaccination requirements altogether (if not required by ports).
