I just got off a Royal Caribbean ship last Friday sailing out of Port Canaveral. It was Independence of the Seas, a Freedom class ship which is the second largest class.
The protocols for sailing are (copied from Royal Caribbean’s web site):
All Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination, with the final dose of their vaccine administered at least 14 days before sailing. Kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the protocols for vaccinated guests.
Each guest’s regimen must include at least two doses of vaccine unless the guest received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This guidance is per the U.S. CDC, and no exceptions will be made, even if the guest’s resident country has authorized a single-shot regimen for a two dose vaccine.
Before boarding day, you’ll need to take a COVID-19 test on your own, at your own expense.
Vaccinated guests must show a negative COVID-19 test result for a PCR or antigen test taken no more than 2 days before boarding day. NOTE: Kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the testing protocols for vaccinated guests.
Unvaccinated kids age 2 to 11 must show a negative test result for a PCR test (not antigen) taken no more than 3 days before boarding day.
Unvaccinated kids’ pre-cruise test cannot be taken on boarding day, because that may affect the sample taken during the kids’ test at the terminal.
Learn more about how to calculate which days you can take your test.
Guests under 2 years of age do not need to complete a pre-cruise test.
Proof of vaccination can be uploaded through their Android or Iphone app prior to boarding, but if you wait until boarding day, the vaccination card will be examined and verified before boarding is allowed.
Before boarding, you are given a colored wrist band showing vaccination status.
On board, masks are required in public areas inside the ship. Outside (pool areas, etc.) masks are not required. During entertainment shows, some shows are for vaccinated guests only and other shows that span multiple decks (Studio B for example) vaccinated guests are on one level, no masks required, no social distancing required. Groups with children are on their own decks with masks and social distancing required.
If you accidently find yourself without a mask in an area that requires one, a staff member will remind you and give you one.
We never heard of any guests with symptoms on this sailing. I sailed in November, December and will again in January.
If anyone has any questions about the experience, please ask. I’ve seen a lot of conjecture and fear mongering on some of these threads and thought some people might want to hear from someone who has actually cruised recently.
Sounds dreadful. Needle rape mandatory with status in cyberspace. Identifying wrist bands. Masks. Fascist crew. Glad you didn’t visit the port, “Ovens”.