- Royal Caribbean has just announced a new series of seven-night cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico.
- Summer cruises will depart from Royal Caribbean’s new home port in the Bahamas from June to August.
- All adult passengers and crew must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
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Royal Caribbean has just announced a new collection of seven-night summer cruises to the Bahamas and Mexico, but don’t consider booking a place unless you plan to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The mega cruise line recently became involved with vaccine mandates. In February, a Royal Caribbean spokesman told Insider that she hopes to require her crew members to receive the vaccine before returning from travel. And earlier this month, the company expanded that requirement by announcing its first ‘fully vaccinated’ cruises – crew and guests – departing from Israel.
Royal Caribbean is now applying this same protocol to its recently announced summer cruise collection: all adult passengers must be vaccinated against COVID-19, while passengers under 18 must be tested negative for the virus.
“Vaccines are clearly a game changer for all of us, and with the number of vaccinations and their impact growing rapidly, we believe that starting with cruises for vaccinated adult passengers and crew is the right choice,” Michael Bayley, President and CEO, Royal Caribbean International said in the press release. “As we move forward, we expect that requirement and other measures will inevitably evolve over time.”
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Royal Caribbean’s Adventure of the Seas ship.
Royal Caribbean International
This new series of ‘fully vaccinated’ voyages will depart on the Adventure of the Seas ship starting June 12 from the new home port of the cruise line in Nassau, Bahamas. The cruise will reach islands like Grand Bahama, Cozumel, Mexico and Royal Caribbean’s perfect day on CocoCay Island. The latter is full of amenities for the warm climate, such as a water park, beach club and freshwater lagoon, all operated by a vaccinated team.
“I am especially pleased that Royal Caribbean (…) chose the Bahamas as a port of origin when shipping is resumed,” Hubert Minnis, Prime Minister of the Bahamas, said in a press release. “Cruises are a vital part of the Bahamas economy and the return of Royal Caribbean and its guests to our shores will go a long way towards restoring and reactivating tourism.”
Royal Caribbean’s perfect day on CocoCay Island.
Royal Caribbean International
Guests are also required to comply with the country’s travel requirements, which include having a negative PCR test before traveling and taking the test again after arrival.
Royal Caribbean is just one of several cruise lines that have made the COVID-19 vaccination mandatory for guests, crew or both. More recently, on Wednesday, P&O cruises – owned by Carnival Corp – similarly announced a collection of summer cruises that will sail along the UK coast, available only to UK residents who have been vaccinated.