Royal Caribbean just announced a new collection of seven-night summer cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico, but don’t consider booking a spot unless you plan on being fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The mega cruise line has recently been dabbling with vaccine mandates. In February, a Royal Caribbean spokesperson told Insider that it will expect to require its crew members to receive the vaccine before sailings return. And earlier this month, the company expanded on this requirement by announcing its first ‘fully vaccinated’ – crew and guests – cruises setting sail from Israel.
Now, Royal Caribbean is enforcing this same protocol on its newly announced summer sailings collection: all adult passengers must be vaccinated against COVID-19, while guests under 18-years-old must test negative for the virus.
“The vaccines are clearly a game changer for all of us, and with the number of vaccinations and their impact growing rapidly, we believe starting with cruises for vaccinated adult guests and crew is the right choice,” Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International, said in the press release. “As we move forward, we expect this requirement and other measures will inevitably evolve over time.”
This new series of ‘fully vaccinated’ trips will sail on the Adventure of the Seas ship beginning June 12 from the cruise line’s new homeport in Nassau, Bahamas. The cruise will then hit islands like the Grand Bahama, Cozumel, Mexico, and Royal Caribbean’s Perfect Day at CocoCay island. The latter is filled with hot weather amenities like a water park, beach club, and freshwater lagoon, all of which will be operated by a vaccinated crew.
“I am especially pleased that Royal Caribbean … selected the Bahamas as a homeport when sailing resumes,” Hubert Minnis, prime minister of The Bahamas, said in the press release. “Cruising is a vital part of The Bahamas’ economy and having Royal Caribbean and their guests return to our shores will contribute greatly to restoring and reactivating tourism.”
Guests will also have to adhere to the country’s travel requirements, which include presenting a negative PCR test before traveling and testing again after arriving.
Royal Caribbean is just one of several cruise lines that have made COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for guests, crew, or both. Most recently on Wednesday, P&O cruises – owned by Carnival Corp – similarly announced a summertime cruise collection that will sail along the UK coast, available only to UK residents who’ve been vaccinated.
Source: Business Insider
