The journey into the post-pandemic world has included the constant navigation of COVID-19 demands for vaccination, testing and masking. As someone who loves to travel, the effort to jump through these hoops is definitely worth it – even though the protocols seem to change all the time.
One of the most difficult aspects of sailing since the pandemic resumed has been keeping up with testing and vaccine requirements. Each cruise line has taken a slightly different approach to COVID-19 protocols. Additionally, some cruise lines change requirements simultaneously, while some cruise lines take longer to make any changes.
Cruise lines have also taken an extremely cautious approach to their return to service and have been scrutinized more than any other travel sector. For most of the past year, I’ve felt safer traveling with people who were recently vaccinated and tested for COVID-10 than visiting my local supermarket.
I’ve had good and bad luck with COVID-19 protocols since navigating the post-pandemic world. My maiden voyage in July 2021 required no testing for vaccinated passengers, while the route departing immediately after us had implemented mandatory testing.
In February, during the Omicron ramp-up, it was announced that masks would become optional on board. We were halfway through our cruise and the new protocols wouldn’t go into effect until the next cruise started. In June, the United States lifted their re-entry testing requirements while we were traveling in Europe – a huge win for us!
Carnival testing change
Recently, I booked a last minute cruise on Carnival Cruise Line. This weekend’s cruise was only 4 nights and sailed from Mobile, Alabama on Carnival Ecstasy. At the time of booking, we were still required to bring proof of a negative COVID-19 test for the cruise.
Although I don’t mind the pre-cruise test, the test itself can be expensive as it requires care. As someone who has traveled and traveled a lot in the last year, I’ve probably spent more money than I care to count on COVID-19 tests.
Just days before our voyage, Carnival announced that guests on short-night cruises did not need to bring proof of a negative test for COVID-19. In essence, this change makes sense, as the constant turnover of passengers on short-night cruises means there is less chance of long community spread.
Pre-sailing test value
As I mentioned, I’ve been cruising throughout the pandemic. That means I’ve been through my fair share of COVID-19 requirements and changing protocols.
When I was sailing on the cruise restart, I felt like I was protected in this bubble that was free of any COVID-19 virus. Those first cruises after the industry shutdown were showing the tremendous effectiveness of the vaccine when only a few people were testing positive for COVID-19 during the cruises.
Honestly, I had no qualms about sailing during this time (the pre-Delta variant), as the odds of us getting sick were seemingly low. This break was long overdue and we felt completely relaxed on board.
By the time I sailed again in February 2022, I was sailing with fresh antibodies from a recent Christmas infection with the Omicron variant. Masks were still required on board and tests were required to board, but I felt invincible again as I had just had a recent infection.
When I sailed in April 2022, I noticed a lot more coughing on board my two cruises. In particular, my Alaska cruise at the end of April seemed to have a symphony of coughs on the last night of the cruise. Masks were no longer required, but everyone needed a negative test to board.
It seemed like the testing requirement offered a false sense of security at this point – especially given the exposure that could occur during the port journey and all the interactions that occur at each port. With a testing window of 3 days, only so much can happen before people board their cruise.
In June, my husband and I sailed on a 12-night European cruise. As we entered the second half of the cruise, we noticed again that there were a lot of people coughing and sniffling. According to the cruise’s Facebook page, there were quite a few people who got sick on this cruise. We never got sick, luckily, and were ecstatic to be back in the States without tests.
At this point in my pandemic cruise, it seemed like the testing requirement was pretty much a no-brainer given the prevalence of COVID-19 spreading everywhere.
New carnival procedure
Since I hadn’t sailed with the new test requirements for short night cruises, I was interested to see how I would feel aboard Carnival Ecstasy for my 4-night cruise to Cozumel.
In all honesty, the spread of COVID-19 this summer has done little to deter me from my travels. I have accepted the risk of infection when boarding an airplane or cruise ship. In my opinion, it seems like people are just as likely to get infected living their normal lives as they are when traveling or sailing.
It is also important to note that the prevalence of COVID-19 on cruise ships mimics the same trends we see on land. As our cruise date approached, it seemed like more people we knew were getting COVID-19 — even those who had an infection around the same time we did in January.
This made us both a little uneasy; not to mention my sister recently traveled with a group in July and at least 10 people came back with COVID-19.
During the boarding process, our vaccine cards were scanned and we were asked a series of questions about any symptoms we had. I always wonder if someone actually says, “Yes, I’ve had a stuffy nose for the past 2 weeks” or “Yes, I had a headache the other day!”
They ask about so many symptoms that I can’t understand people not lying on those questions.
It was strange not to show the negative result of COVID-19, since this has been the norm for so long. I thought to myself that it was nice not to spend another $30 on a careful eMed test!
I also noticed more people than I expected wearing masks in line, which was noticeable.
Experience on board
After we boarded, I was curious to see what the COVID-19 atmosphere would be like. I also wondered if the lack of testing would make me feel more concerned or if we would see more illnesses on board.
It’s hard not to feel triggered when you hear someone hack or cough next to you. Let’s be real, no one wants to get sick on vacation even though we all know we’re taking risks by sailing. Nothing is worse than spending your time and money to go on vacation… only to get sick.
We continued to notice that several people on board were wearing masks – certainly more than I expected. I would argue that I saw more people wearing optional masks on this Carnival cruise than I did on my last few Caribbean cruises.
We also didn’t notice a large number of people coughing, hacking or sniffling during the 4 nights we sailed on Carnival Ecstasy.
I was thankful that people seemed to be healthy on this cruise, especially since Carnival Ecstasy is a very old ship with very few outdoor areas.
The crew aboard the Carnival Ecstasy were working tirelessly to keep the ship clean. Even though the cruise ship was so old, it was well maintained and kept very clean.
We noticed that they did not have any sanitation staff to encourage sanitizing before entering the dining areas – this is certainly different from Royal Caribbean’s ‘rinse-wash’ protocols. Luckily, we always had sanitizer with us or found some at the entrance.
Most importantly, when we returned from our cruise, we remained healthy and COVID-free! Although we were exhausted from all the fun we had on board, a quick nap when we got back made us feel good as new.
Final Thoughts
Preparing for a cruise can already be a little stressful, and the added stress of getting a negative COVID-19 test on the plane doesn’t seem to add value anymore when you’re sailing. This is especially true for people who need to fly into their cruise port. Packing home tests can also take up valuable suitcase space.
Given the cost of testing and the somewhat false sense of security that testing provides these days, we both agree that short term cruises do not need testing requirements. We felt completely safe on this cruise and knowing that people tested negative within 3 days of the cruise would not have changed how we felt.
