In an email sent to guests, Carnival Cruise Line laid out the requirements for European cruises onboard Carnival Pride this summer. Guests will need to be fully up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines and provide a negative test result from a test taken no more than three days before sailing.
Although the email intended to clarify the procedures and protocols that guests should adhere to, it did raise some concerns regarding the booster requirements. However, Carnival’s Brand Ambassador John Heald was quick to address the issue on his Facebook page.
Carnival Pride Updates Health Requirements For Europe
Carnival has updated guests on the health requirements for European cruises onboard Carnival Pride this summer. An email distributed to guests booked onboard the cruise line clarified the requirements that guests must adhere to, to be able to sail.
The cruise line says in the letter that was sent to guests on Wednesday says, “This email contains very important information regarding requirements for your sailing, so please read it in its entirety.”
“While we will do our best to provide you with as much information as possible, it is your responsibility to ensure you understand and comply with the requirements for traveling from your home country to the destinations you plan to visit (including air travel policies).”
“Some countries may require entry forms, additional COVID-19 testing, etc., in advance of your arrival whether embarking, in-transit port of call, or disembarking.”
All guests age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated, and up to date with any booster shots they are eligible for. Proof of vaccination is required when boarding the ship, if guests cannot show they are up to date they will be denied boarding.
One requirement which is has changed from previous reports is the pre-cruise testing requirement. Guests are now required to be tested no later than three days before the start of the voyage. Guests who have recovered from COVID do not need to test but do need to show a certificate of recovery.
Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Provides Update on Bermuda Requirement
Unvaccinated guests will need to show a negative PCR test result, taken between 72 and 24 hours before the voyage, and they will be tested again before embarkation.
Those guests who are returning to the U.S. post-cruise will need a negative COVID-19 test taken within 24 hours of their flight. They should look into making an appointment for a COVID test at their departure airport or consider using one of the self-administered telehealth viral antigen tests.
While the letter does explain the current procedures, protocols, and requirements, some confusion did arise over the booster requirements.
Confusion Over Carnival’s Booster Requirements For Europe Cruises
Several guests booked onboard the Carnival Pride sailings in Europe this summer expressed their concern after Carnival Cruise Line sent out an email with the health requirements and protocols in place before and during the cruises. The concerns arose over a sentence in the email stating:
“All guests 12 years and older who are fully vaccinated and are more than six months past the date of the last dose of their initial vaccine series, will need to show proof of having received a booster in order to sail. This means getting an mRNA booster dose (Pfizer or Moderna) before entry into Europe and no later than six months from the last dose in your primary series.”
This led guests to believe they would need to be boosted again if they had received it more than six months prior to their European cruise onboard Carnival Pride. The concern was quickly picked up by Brand Ambassador John Heald, who promised to determine the actual requirements.
Heald delivered on his promise a short while later, stating: “I want to clarify in the simplest of terms that if you have received your full vaccination and have had a booster shot, regardless of when you had that booster shot you are cleared to travel and clear to cruise with us.”
The switch to European cruises is causing all cruise lines to re-evaluate their protocols and implement new procedures and rules, and in many cases, showing that even for major companies the rules are not always that easy to explain.
Carnival Pride First Ship To Sail From A Non-US Homeport
Carnival Pride is the first Carnival Cruise ship to sail from a non-US homeport since the cruise line resumed operations in July of last year. Her first voyage sailed on May 8 from Barcelona.
The vessel departs on her second voyage in Europe today, a 10-night Europe cruise with calls to the spectacular Kotor in Montenegro; Corfu, Greece; Naples, Civitavecchia, and Livorno, Italy; and Toulon, France, before Carnival Pride arrives back in Barcelona on May 29.
Through October, Carnival Pride will be making a full tour of Europe. The vessel will be sailing cruises around the United Kingdom, to the fjords in Norway, the Baltic, around the Mediterranean, and visiting the Capitals of Western Europe.
This winter, Carnival Pride will return to the United States, from where she will be sailing cruises to the Western Caribbean from Tampa, Florida.
