Royal Caribbean to Ditch Covid Testing on Short Sailings.

Royal Caribbean to Ditch Covid Testing on Short Sailings.

Independence of the Seas in Southampton, Photo Credit Spacejunkie2

Royal Caribbean Group will ditch pre-embarkation testing for fully vaccinated guests on sailings of five days or less from 8 August, president and chief executive Jason Liberty has confirmed.

Speaking during Royal’s second quarterly results call on Thursday (July 28), Liberty said the change in policy would be “subject to local destination requirements” and unvaccinated passengers would still be tested.

 

“We also anticipate in the not-too-distant future that pre-embarkation testing for longer-duration voyages will be reduced,” he added.

 

Asked on the call when testing requirements for longer cruises might be lifted, Liberty predicted further easing could follow soon but did not rule out reintroducing measures if needed.

 

“So we’re starting off here by doing the five days or less and we’re going to look at that. But I think our expectation here, call it, in the next 45 days or so. And of course, following local requirements, which will somewhat dictate in some of our destinations, what those testing requirements will be that the majority of the testing requirements will be lifted, especially around the majority of our deployment,” he said.

“We might, depending on where the ships are going, take some additional protocols and of course, we’re going to continue to follow where Covid is in society and take the necessary actions.”

 

The update came as Royal announced a return to "positive operating cash flow" with the group’s entire fleet now back in service.

 

Average second-quarter (three months to 30 June) load factors ran to 82% and to nearly 90% in June, while the group expects third-quarter (three months to 30 September) load factors to average around 95% before "increasing to triple digits" by the end of the year.

 

Royal’s positivity came despite posting a US $500 million Q2 net loss, one the group said "exceeded the company’s expectations" and was "driven by better revenue and cost performance".

 

In its trading update, the company revealed that second-quarter bookings for sailings departing in the second half of the year remained "significantly higher" than those received in Q2 2019 for the latter half of 2019.

Virgin Voyages Eliminates Pre-Embarkation COVID-19 Testing for Cruises

Virgin Voyages Eliminates Pre-Embarkation COVID-19 Testing for Cruises

Virgin Voyages will remove the requirements for pre-embarkation testing, according to a press release.

Virgin Voyages has responded immediately to the CDC’s decision to discontinue their voluntary COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships and will mirror the rest of the travel industry in removing pre-embarkation testing for sailings from July 24 on EU sailings, and from July 27 on US sailings.

Vaccine requirements will remain in place for both Scarlet Lady, operating out of the US, and Valiant Lady in the EU. Virgin Voyages is currently evaluating this policy and will announce further updates in the near future, the company said. 

Passenger and crew well-being is the major focus and they continue to follow the advice of their expert medical team. To clarify these updates:

• From the dates mentioned above, passengers will no longer be required to complete a pre-embarkation COVID test, applicable across the fleet, including US and EU operations. 
• For US sailings, passenger vaccination requirements will now be marked at 90%. This opens the opportunity for passengers who are not vaccinated to contact Virgin Voyages' Sailor Services to book a sailing if these thresholds are met. 
• Ship crew on all US and EU sailings will maintain their fully vaccinated status.  

Clia ocean cruise members commit to ‘100% pre-embarkation testing’

Ocean cruise line members of Clia have agreed to conduct Covid-19 testing of every passenger and crew member prior to embarkation in what the association described as a “travel industry first”.

Under the agreement, all lines operating vessels with a capacity of more than 250 will carry out testing with a requirement for a negative test before embarkation.

Clia said the commitment was a core element of the resumption of cruising globally.

A statement said: “Clia ocean cruise line members worldwide have agreed to conduct 100% testing of passengers and crew on all ships with a capacity to carry 250 or more persons – with a negative test required for any embarkation.

“This is a travel industry first and an example of the cruise industry leading the way.  We see testing as an important initial step to a multi-layered approach that we believe validates the industry’s commitment to making health, safety, and the well-being of the passengers, the crew, and the communities we visit our top priority.”

Last week, the UK Chamber of Shipping and Clia published a framework for the resumption of cruising when Foreign Office advice against ocean journeys is lifted.