It was a long 2 years before our family could finally cruise again and we are so thankful the seas are open once again. Let’s take a quick step back to 2020 when COVID began. We all saw the toll it took on the travel industry and it was quite the ripple effect. The cruise lines were no exception. Imagine hundreds of ships with hundreds (sometimes thousands of workers) from hundreds of countries and there was no way to get them home. If you follow me you know I love to cruise and am an advocate of the cruise line industry. I was happy to see that they came together to postpone sailings, a decision that they came to, not something forced upon them by government.
What we needed to do to cruise again
So, cruising halted for no one knew how long. Days, months…..years. Fast forward to December, 2021 and our family was finally able to cruise. We re-booked three times! We still had hoops to jump through that were nerve wracking. If families planned to travel you had two options: rigorous testing pre and during the cruise or vaccinations. The pre-boarding tests were done via a testing facility or with a proctor online.
Our kids received their vaccinations in time and even with those we all did a negative covid test prior to embarking. We purchased our tests through e-med at the time and that was a quick and easy process and the most cost effective. We made sure though to have backup tests with us and to this day we continue to carry them when traveling.
Time to open again
As I type this we are almost a year since that particular cruise and have cruised since. Testing is still something we did for those cruises. It was nerve wracking. There was a part of me that waited to pack for our trip until we had the negative tests. Alas, many restrictions have eased and we are here to let you know the basics as you plan for your vacations in the New Year! The following are some of the major cruise lines for families. When looking into your cruise line always go direct to the source for confirmation. As with COVID-19 we know things can change in an instant.
Carnival Cruise Line: No requirements necessary to sail on cruises 15 nights or less. Cruises 16 nights or more guests 18 and older must show proof of vaccination and testing requirements are in place.
Disney Cruise Line: No requirements necessary to sail effective November 14, 2022.
Norwegian Cruise Line: No requirements necessary to sail globally effective October, 2022.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line: No requirements necessary to sail, with a few exceptions. At this time (12/12/22) only the following sailings have requirements: cruises from the US and Caribbean that visit Colombia, Transatlantic Cruises and Cruises from Australia.
Happy sailing in 2023! To make sure you are up to date on all policies always go direct to the source before sailing.
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