Will vaccine and testing requirements go away?  What about other regulations that cruise lines have had to follow?  These are questions many are asking after the US CDC announced today that they're eliminating their COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships, effective immediately...

After two years of warning US citizens against cruising, the CDC has changed it's tone.  The announcement dissolving the Cruise Travel Health Notice came as a surprise to many.  It doesn't, however, mean that all guidance and restrictions will be dropped....

This week the US Centers for Disease Control issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice (THN) for cruise ship travelers - an improvement over recent guidance.  Still, as has been the case for a long time, the CDC’s guidance lacks context in a way that may be problematic for those choosing NOT to cruise...

Since the resumption of cruising, there has been a lot of talk about the types of rules and restrictions that have been put in place.  The nuances of these can vary by ship and sailing, but there are three main components that are semi-consistent: masks, testing, and vaccines.  As we change how we live with COVID on land, there are expectations that the rules for cruising will loosen up soon.  Will they?  Well, maybe…

Most cruises require that guests wear masks when indoors, but what kind of mask you choose for your cruise can not only add a layer of safety, but have other benefits as well...

Since the restart of cruising in North America, Celebrity Cruises has sailed with at a minimum, 95% of guests fully vaccinated against COVID-19.  This was made all the more strict months ago when the US Virgin Islands and then The Bahamas required that for ships to dock, all persons able to be vaccinated must be vaccinated, or the vessels would be denied berthing.  Now, itinerary adjustments being sent to travel advisors suggest they're shoring up this policy.

While cruise lines are making it relatively clear how get what you need in order to sail, companies providing these services don't always speak the same language as the cruise lines.  This has lead to many asking about one particular COVID test option from Walgreens...

Today in near Singapore, a case of COVID-19 was reported on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas, the first ship in the fleet to return to cruising since March.  The presence of this case though isn't necessarily indicative of a failure.  With advanced contact tracing and transmission measures in place, the coming days will demonstrate whether or not this exercise was actually a success in preventing spread, or an opportunity to update protocols...

While most cruise lines have continued their suspensions of service since mid-March this year, there are some lines that have started sailing again.  These sailings have taken place primarily in Europe and the challenges and ways lines have dealt with them have varied.  We’ll look at what some major lines are doing to return to service...

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, two of the three largest cruise companies in the world, have brought together an impressive group of cross-disciplinary experts on public health, epidemiology, maritime operations, hospitality, and more.  Their goal?  Combine all of the best science and experience to identify a science-backed plan for a healthy return to service that ensures the wellbeing of guests, crew, and communities that lines visit.  In a time we should all be coming together, these competitors are doing just that.