The Centers for Disease Control has further eased COVID restrictions on cruise lines.
Last week they stopped asking cruise lines to report their positive Covid cases. The CDC no longer requires all travelers to take a Covid test less than two days before boarding cruise lines. They are allowing the cruise lines to police themselves when it comes to the health and safety of their customers.
Cruise lines now have the option to board passengers without Covid tests, which will not only speed up the boarding process but also give a sigh of relief to passengers. Passengers underwent a Covid test less than two days before they could board the cruise lines. If someone tested positive, they would not be allowed to board with the rest of the cruise line’s passengers, canceling or disrupting their vacations.
Please check with your specific cruise line for Covid testing requirements, as they may choose to continue to require tests.
Carnival Cruise
Cruise Lines’ Uphill Battle to Return to Normality
Even with the lifting of Covid restrictions on passengers, cruise lines still face labor shortages. The labor shortage is tenfold more difficult for cruise lines because of the requirements to be able to work on a cruise line in the first place.
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Requirements to work on any domestic cruise line include passing a criminal background check, experience in the field in which applicants want to work, being at least 21 years old, having a valid passport, vaccination against Covid, if English is not is the first language you must pass an English fluency requirement, a medical exam and if not a US or Canadian citizen, you will need a work visa.
All requests take time to process. One such requirement that the US has been able to restrict for cruise lines is the renewal of work visas for their international staff. Many workers have been able to return to work while their work visas are in the process of being renewed. This has helped many cruise line workers return to work after the pandemic.
Attractions, restaurants and programs on the cruise line have been cut due to staff shortages. These shortages not only come from the cruise line staffing and meeting these requirements, but also if any cruise line employee tests positive for Covid, they must quarantine until they test negative.
If employees test positive, they may not show signs or symptoms of Covid, but are capable of transmitting the virus. To maintain the best safety protocols for everyone on board, quarantine of cruise lines until a negative test is the best policy. Unfortunately, some people will test positive for longer than a 10-day period, a much longer period of days than most cruises. If enough staff test positive, restaurants or attractions will be forced to close due to understaffing.
Carnivals Bringing Ocean Camp
Camp Ocean, a kid’s favorite and a parent’s perk when traveling as a carnival (CCL) , is returning to a more normal schedule. The childcare program is offered to parents for children ages 2-11. This camp feeds, entertains and watches the kids while parents can go on their own cruise and experience more adult attractions without worrying about their kids, allowing the relaxation of the holidays to really happen.
Camp Ocean, included in the cost of cruise and camp tickets, is divided into three groups, Penguins are ages 2-5, Stingrays are 6-8 and Sharks are 9-11. There is a late night option called Night Owls open to ages 2-11. The later program has an additional cost if guests wish to take advantage of evening childcare. The Night Owl program is a quiet movie night designed to get kids to relax while watching a snack movie. That way, when the children are picked up by their parents, they are ready to go back to their rooms and sleep.
Parents can take advantage of a kid-free evening on the cruise, enjoying dinner, drinks and entertainment and providing a break from your kids while you’re on vacation, bringing Carnival Cruise Lines one step closer to getting back to normal. All attractions and programs are still subject to staffing and subject to change.
