Two of the largest cruise ship operators in the U.S. announced they’ve relaxed COVID-19 rules, coming weeks after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rescinded its mandatory testing guidelines.
Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Group both announced in separate statements that they will remove some testing requirements for vaccinated customers.
Vaccinated passengers on Carnival cruises and Carnival-owned cruise lines will no longer have to present a negative PCR or rapid antigen test result before getting on board trips that last fewer than six days, according to the company. The policy went into effect on Thursday.
“Carnival is pleased to announce that we are adjusting certain protocols to reflect the lifting of CDC requirements for the U.S. cruise industry. These changes will be made in phases, with the first taking effect on Thursday, August 4, 2022, and focused on short cruise itineraries of 5 nights or less. All changes are subject to any requirements of destinations on the itinerary. We are waiting to hear back from certain destinations and these protocols will continue to evolve,” said the company in a statement….