These Cruise Lines Are Planning to Have Vaccine Restrictions

There are a few cruise lines out there that are currently planning on having vaccine-related restrictions when they get back into service. These restrictions vary based on the cruise line. Some of them are going to require only their crew members to be vaccinated. Other companies will require all of their guests to have vaccine immunity. Here are the cruise lines that have currently announced their plans to have some level of vaccine restriction on their ships.

Swan Hellenic

Swan Hellenic announced their plans to revive the brand back in the summer of 2020. They have now announced that they will be requiring their crew members to be vaccinated once they get back into service. They haven’t said anything about whether guests will need to be vaccinated. They have, however, said that their ships will be equipped with UV sanitization and other pieces of anti-COVID technology.

Royal Caribbean Group

All cruise lines owned by Royal Caribbean Group – Royal Caribbean, Silversea, and Celebrity – will require their staff to be vaccinated as they phase back into activity. Details about this have not yet been released, but they are expected to alert their employees about it soon.

Saga Cruises

Saga Cruises announced in January that all guests on their ships would be required to be vaccinated. They were the first cruise line to reveal such restrictions. While it’s unclear how they will be verifying whether their guests are vaccinated or not, they have said that vaccination will need to have taken place at least two weeks before the cruise departs.

American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines

These two small river cruise lines announced that they would also be requiring their guests to get vaccinations before departing on a cruise with them. In an interview with Cruise Critic, the CEO of American Queen guessed that vaccine restrictions would be in the future for most cruise lines. He said, “If you had the ability to cruise on a boat knowing that everyone was fully vaccinated or that only 90% of the people were vaccinated, which would you chose?”

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, much like Royal Caribbean Group, announced that their cruise lines would also be requiring their crew members to get vaccinated before returning to work. This includes Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

The question that is likely on everyone’s minds right now is whether or not more cruise lines will require vaccinations. It’s impossible to say now, but we are guessing that is will become an industry standard as we move forward. If smaller cruises are already adopting policies that require travelers to be vaccinated, we expect to see this slowly move up to the biggest cruise lines. Everyone wants to feel as safe as possible, and there are few downsides to requiring this once vaccines are more widespread. Regardless, we will have to wait and see!