The cruise industry has been the most dramatically affected travel sector when it comes to COVID-19 rules and regulations. Cruise ships were the sites of some of the first breakouts and were required to shut down completely until the summer of 2021.

It was good news when cruising returned in 2021, especially for Disney cruises, but the CDC added several restrictions. Cruise lines needed to limit capacity, require vaccination checks, and install various testing regiments. Finally, cruisers can rejoice! As of July 18, 2022, the COVID-19 program for cruise ships is no longer in effect, essentially turning health protocols back over to the ships to manage.

 

Technically, this means that cruise lines no longer require proof of vaccinations, testing, or other health and safety measures beyond what they were doing pre-pandemic. However, since the news broke we've seen cruise lines approach health guidelines in different ways. Here's what you can expect at the most popular cruises in 2023:

  • Carnival Cruises, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and MSC Cruises do not require testing for vaccinated travelers on cruises lasting five days or less, but testing is required for cruises more than five days. Testing is required for unvaccinated guests on all voyages.
  • Norwegian Cruise Lines does not require testing for anyone on any sailing voyage.
  • Disney Cruise Lines requires testing two days in advance of cruises for vaccinated guests. PCR tests are required three days in advance for unvaccinated guests under four years old. Unvaccinated adults are ineligible to cruise.
  • Cunard, Holland America, and Princess require guests over the age of two to provide an antigen or PCR test prior to boarding.

Is Sailing on Carnival Worth The Savings?

As you can see, we're still not out of the woods yet in terms of confusing changes to pandemic guidelines, but hopefully soon we'll be able to ‘sail away’ from the looming fear of the virus.

With high travel costs elsewhere, cruises remain one of the best values for family travel. If you were on the fence about cruising because of the stressful testing requirements, it's time to reconsider. The industry still offers strong pricing on cruise packages. Check out the best travel deals on Brad's Deals!