Princess Cruises has just made a major announcement regarding their COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. As of September 6th, vaccinated guests on voyages of less than 16 days will no longer be required to take a pre-cruise test. They will only need to upload proof of their vaccination. Unvaccinated guests on these itineraries will need to take a self-test within three days of sailing and provide proof of a negative result before boarding.
These new guidelines apply to itineraries from all departure ports, with the exception of a few countries where government regulations and protocols may vary, such as Canada, Greece, and Australia.
Here are the key points of Princess’ updated CruiseHealth guidelines for embarkation:
- No pre-cruise testing for vaccinated guests on voyages of up to 15 nights (for guests 5 years and older), with the exception of full Panama Canal transits, trans-ocean, and other special itineraries. Unvaccinated guests must provide a negative self-test result taken within three days of embarkation (unvaccinated children under 5 years do not require pre-cruise testing).
- Guests sailing on voyages 16 nights or longer, or sailing on full Panama Canal transits, trans-ocean, and other specific itineraries, need to take a supervised test within three days of embarkation (for guests 5 years and older). These guests will be directly contacted by an Ocean Navigator to assist.
These updated guidelines reflect Princess Cruises’ ongoing commitment to providing a safe and healthy environment for all guests and crew. John Padgett, President of Princess Cruises, said, “These updated guidelines help ensure a Princess vacation is available to everyone. The Princess experience is truly one-of-a-kind and we encourage everyone to take a Princess vacation that offers amazing service at unmatched value.”
Please note that these updated guidelines are subject to the local regulations of the homeports and destinations.