At least one Carnival Journeys voyage now requires all guests to be entirely up to date with all their vaccinations, including any booster shots if eligible.
Carnival Cruise Line sent out a letter this week to guests booked onboard the April 17 departure sailing between Miami in Florida, and Seattle in Washington, onboard Carnival Spirit.Â
It is the first time that Carnival Cruise Line has stated that guests must be up-to-date with their vaccinations if they are to sail. Carnival also says that any guests who are not planning to get their booster shots will not be able to sail.
Carnival Cruise Line Requires Guests to Get Booster Shot
In the past months, Carnival Cruise Line has always said that a requirement for a booster would possibly be coming for future voyages. This is now the case with at least one voyage. The Carnival Journeys sailing on April 17 is accessible only for guests who are fully up-to-date with all of their vaccinations, including any booster shots if eligible.
The move has been made due to the voyage length, which is 16 nights in length and includes long stretches where the ship will be at sea. In a letter sent to guests booked on this sailing, Carnival Cruise Line states the following:
“Due to the length of this voyage, all guests will be required to be fully vaccinated and up to date with their vaccines. This means vaccination records must indicate a guest received their final dose of an authorized COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to the sailing date (not counting embarkation day). If a guest is eligible for a booster, their vaccination record must also indicate proof of having received a COVID-19 booster.”
Cruisers Will Have Three Days To Get Tested
As the cruise is accessible to up-to-date guests, the testing requirement for the cruise is somewhat more lenient. Instead of two days before the cruise, guests can now get tested three days before sailing.
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Those guests who do not intend to get their booster shots will be denied boarding and have their cruise canceled:
“If you are eligible for a booster, and do not plan to receive your booster dose in time for your cruise, please contact our Guest Services department at I-BOO-CARNIVAL by March 25, 2022, so we can cancel your reservation and process a full refund. Guests without proper proof of vaccination (including a booster shot for those who are eligible) or testing will be denied boarding and no refund will be issued.”
The cruise line has not announced whether the booster requirement will be needed on any other sailings in the future or if the requirement is solely a one-off for this specific cruise.
Carnival Spirit To Spend Summer In Alaska
Carnival Spirit’s ‘Carnival Journeys’ sails on April 17 and will position the ship for her upcoming season in Alaska, where she will stay from May through mid-September. Carnival Spirit is scheduled to call in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, on April 19, Cartagena, Colombia on April 21, and sailing through the Panama Canal on April 22.
After a day at sea, the ship will arrive in Punta Arenas, Costa Rica, on April 24, followed by three days at sea and a call to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, on April 28. From there, the ship will sail north to her new homeport, Seattle, Washington, where the cruise ship will arrive on May 3.
The first Alaska cruise for Carnival Spirit, which was supposed to sail in Australia this summer, will begin on May 4, a 7-day cruise with calls to Tracy Arm Fjord, Skagway, Juneau, Ketchikan, and Victoria BC, Canada.Â
