Current Vaccine & Testing Requirements
Learn about relaxed global protocols, making it easier for guests to return to sea!
Check out the cruise lines below to learn about the current vaccine and testing requirements for each of the most popular cruise lines. All excerpts below are pulled directly from the links provided for your convenience. For the most up-to-day information regarding cruise line updates and restrictions due to the illness, please visit the cruise line travel alerts listed below.
It should be noted that while we are providing links from the cruise lines since these bookings were made on CruiseDirect, the cruise line will not be able to handle issues or concerns with the bookings that were made through CruiseDirect.com. If there is still a concern about your booking, please feel free to reach out to our concierge team via Live Chat available on our website or by calling (888) 407-2784 for more information.
Cruise lines (Alphabetical Order)
- AmaWaterways
- Azamara
- Carnival
- Celebrity
- Costa
- Cunard
- Disney
- Holland America
- MSC
- Norwegian
- Princess
- Royal Caribbean
- Seabourn
- Viking
- Virgin
AmaWaterways
Updated: May 18, 2023
https://www.amawaterways.com/travel-entry-requirements
For river cruises in 2023 and 2024, AmaWaterways is not requiring proof of Covid-19 vaccination to board our ships. All guests traveling with AmaWaterways remain responsible for ensuring they meet the travel entry requirements for each country they plan to visit before, during or after their river cruise. These requirements, as mandated by airlines and individual countries or regions, may change without notice and cancellation fees will apply should guests no longer meet the country entry requirements for their cruise or land program.
Itinerary Requirements Summary:
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For African Safari & Wildlife cruises: guests are required to be fully vaccinated with an EMA* or other** approved vaccine (Based on current requirements of Zimbabwe). Travelers that do not meet Zimbabwe’s Covid-19 vaccination requirement must provide proof of a negative PCR test.
*European Medicine Agency (EMA): double doses - BioNTech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Covishield, Covaxin, Covovax, Moderna, Nuvaxovid (Novavax). Johnson & Johnson (single dose).
**For guests with a non-EMA Covid-19 vaccine please ensure the validity of your vaccine(s) with all countries you will be visiting.
Azamara
Updated: August 31, 2023
https://www.azamara.com/booked-guests/before-you-board/explore-well-at-sea
Health & Safety Protocols
You can be confident embarking on any of our ships knowing we have advanced protocols in place to protect the health and safety of our guests and crew. As public health situations change, we continuously update, monitor, and add information on travel requirements. We encourage guests to check applicable government websites for the countries we visit. If there are any specific travel requirements, we will inform booked guests prior to sailing.
Carnival
Updated: July 18, 2023
Cruising with Carnival is easy! Vaccines and testing are not required for most U.S. and European departures.*
Guests sailing to and from Australia must visit the Australia Have Fun. Be Safe. page for protocols specific to those cruises.
VACCINATION & TESTING
Although vaccines are not required, we encourage all guests, 5 years of age and older, to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines, when eligible, and carry proof of vaccination. Testing is not required for either vaccinated or unvaccinated guests. However, we encourage all guests, 5 years and older, to take a pre-cruise COVID-19 test within three days of their cruise.
*Carnival Luminosa - 9/14/2023: This Carnival Journeys Transpacific voyage will be calling on certain destinations (including Australia) which are still observing COVID-19 protocols. Below are more details regarding vaccination and testing requirements for this voyage:
- Guests, aged 12 years and older, must be fully vaccinated to sail. Additionally, we strongly recommend that guests get a booster, if eligible.
- All guests, aged two years and above, regardless of vaccination status, are required to take a self-administered Rapid-Antigen Test (RAT) within 24 hours of boarding or a PCR test within 48 hours prior to boarding. Evidence of a negative result is required to cruise.
- Vaccine exemptions are required for guests, aged 12 years and older, with medical conditions preventing vaccination. If you, or a member of your party, meet the criteria for a vaccine exemption, you may apply here.
Full details regarding vaccination and testing requirements and FAQs are available on the Australia Have Fun. Be Safe. page.
Celebrity
Updated: August 31, 2023
https://www.celebritycruises.com/health-and-safety
HEALTHY AT SEA
Creating the best cruise experience possible means prioritizing the well-being of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit. With the guidance of health officials around the globe and the counsel of our dedicated shoreside and shipboard medical teams, we continually update our health and safety protocols to align with global best practices.
If you’re currently booked on a cruise vacation with us and have provided an email address, you will be advised of the latest health and safety guidance leading up to departure. Be sure to update your guest account so that we may reach you.
Costa
Updated: July 18, 2023
https://www.costacruises.com/cruising-soon-again/safety-above-all.html
Your Cruise Free from protocols
Finally back to traveling with freedom: no more worrying about vaccination requirements or pre-boarding tests! The only preparation you will need for your next cruise will be to pack your suitcase! The Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the United Arab Emirates, and Northern Europe await you with a full dose of sun, sea, history, nature and fun!
Cunard
Updated: May 10, 2023
There are currently no vaccination or pre-cruise testing requirements for any voyages outside of Australia and New Zealand.
This policy is currently under review for our Australia and New Zealand voyages, due to recommence in Autumn 2023. If you are sailing on one of these voyages, please ensure you check these pages nearer to your sailing date for the most up to date information.
While Covid-19 vaccinations are no longer required for Cunard voyages, we still highly recommend that all guests travelling on our ships are up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations and boosters if eligible and where available.
If you're displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 or feel unwell in the days leading up to your voyage, we highly recommend that you take a Covid-19 test before you travel and only travel to the ship if this is negative. If you’re symptomatic on the day of embarkation, we ask that you declare this to terminal or check-in staff. Guests who test positive within 7 days of sailing will not be allowed to embark.
Our vaccination and testing policy and on board protocols are reviewed on a regular basis and may be changed at any time. Where there are changes to the requirements for a voyage, impacted guests will be contacted directly in advance of travel. Also, at the time of travel, some ports of call may stipulate specific vaccine or testing policies for guests going ashore that differ from the Cunard vaccination and testing policy; refer to our Destination entry requirements guide for details.
During your voyage it is your responsibility to meet all entry requirements for that country at the time of sailing. Please check the government website of the country you are travelling to and ensure you are aware of the most up-to-date country requirements, as we can’t accept responsibility if you are denied entry to a country because you don’t meet its entry requirements.
Disney
Updated: December 29, 2022
https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/guest-services/advisory/
Our Approach to Health and Safety
Our focus remains on operating our ships in a responsible way that continues to create magic for all on board. We are resuming sailing in a gradual, phased approach that emphasizes multiple layers of health and safety measures, developed in consideration of guidance from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other medical experts. Visit Know Before You Go to learn more about COVID-19 protocols and sailing requirements.
Holland America
Updated: May 18, 2023
https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/news/coronavirus-travel-advisory.html
CDC Travel Advisories
We welcome the CDC’s decision to end its current program in favor of a set of guidelines for public health operations on cruise ships. This change is a testament to the effectiveness of protocols we put in place following the resumption of sailing, with cruising being among the safest forms of travel today.
We will review the newest guidelines, but there are no immediate changes to current COVID-19 protocols for Holland America Line itineraries. Guests can continue to use our Travel Well webpage and the guest notices they receive as a guide for upcoming voyages.
MSC
Updated: July 18, 2023
https://www.msccruisesusa.com/health-and-safety-measures/caribbean-cruises
Thanks to the recent relaxation of travel restrictions worldwide, we are glad to welcome all guests back on board our ships without any testing requirements or concerns about their vaccination status.
Please remember that it is the responsibility of each guest to ensure they meet the requirements of any country they may be traveling through before, during, and after the cruise.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Updated: May 18, 2023
With the relaxation of travel requirements around the world, we’re thrilled to welcome all guests back on our ships to cruise freely to the places they’ve been dreaming of – regardless of vaccination status and with no testing requirements.
Destination specific requirements will still need to be met. For specific country requirements, please visit Cruise Travel Requirements by Country.
Princess
Updated: June 22, 2023
Current Health Protocols for Cruises Visiting Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific Countries
Vaccinations
- Guests must have received their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before the beginning of the cruise and provide acceptable proof at terminal check-in.
- Boosters are highly recommended for those eligible at least seven days before cruising.
Testing
- At terminal check-in, guests must attest to a negative viral COVID-19 test (PCR or rapid antigen) taken before embarkation.
Royal Caribbean
Updated: July 18, 2023
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-vaccines-are-required-to-travel-on-a-cruise
All guests must ensure that they are medically and physically fit for travel. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) provide guidelines as to which vaccinations are required in each country. In many cases inoculations are recommended, but in some circumstances, they are required by the country from which your cruise departs or countries we visit. We recommend that you check with your health care professional or a Travel Medicine Specialist certified by the WHO for guidance. Other informational resources can be accessed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention traveler's health website or by calling toll-free (877) FYI-TRIP.
COVID-19 Vaccination is no longer required to sail, with a few exceptions. At this time, only the following sailings have COVID-19 vaccination requirements:
Guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to sail:
- Cruises from Australia Learn more about cruising from Australia
- Transpacific Sailings ending in Australia
Vaccines that are fully approved or authorized for emergency use by the World Health Organization (with the exception of CanSino), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA), will be accepted by the ports we sail to. For guests sailing from Australia, vaccines must be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
To be considered fully vaccinated by the countries we visit:
A guest is considered fully vaccinated 14 days after the required number of doses in their vaccine series have been fully administered (e.g. 2 shots of Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, etc., or 1 shot of Johnson & Johnson). Vaccines must be approved for use by the country they are sailing from.
We strongly recommend that fully vaccinated guests also get a booster dose when they become eligible to do so.
Seabourn
Updated: February 27, 2022
https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/health-safety.html
We have relaxed our global protocols and travel requirements for most cruises. Before you cruise, check our Protocol Lookup and FAQs to find out if your voyage requires additional health regulation requirements.
Viking
Updated: June 5, 2023
https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/my-trip/current-sailings/index.html
In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) ended its global health emergency declaration for COVID-19, and the U.S. government lifted many of its remaining COVID-19 requirements. Most countries around the world, including the U.S., have now lifted their vaccine requirements for foreign travelers. In alignment with these recent developments, Viking will not require COVID-19 vaccination for departures beginning on or after November 1, 2023. Viking will continue to require that all guests be vaccinated against COVID-19 if they are departing on a Viking voyage on or before October 31, 2023. Experts agree that vaccination continues to be an integral part in protecting against illness. Viking recommends that guests stay up to date with all relevant vaccines, in accordance with their healthcare provider.
Virgin
Updated: October 26, 2022
https://www.virginvoyages.com/voyage-well#general-information
In keeping in line with the rest of the travel industry, we have removed all vaccine and testing requirements beginning 10/30/22 on Valiant Lady and 10/28/22 on Scarlet Lady.
While all Sailors no longer require COVID-19 testing prior to their embarkation date, should a Sailor exhibit signs or symptoms of an illness during check-in (or during their voyage), Virgin Voyages reserves the right to test that Sailor and their traveling companion(s) for COVID-19 at the terminal (or on board), and will cover the testing fees.
We want our Sailors to be reassured that we have the strongest protocols in place to keep you and our Crew well — including special air filtration and rigorous cleaning, and still require that all Crew members are fully vaccinated and receive booster shots when applicable.
Based on local regulations, masks may be required during embark and disembarkation in terminal buildings, and while on shuttle buses.
*Last modified August 31, 2023. Subject to change.