Latest Royal Caribbean Updates on St. Thomas Changes and Pre-Cruise Testing

Royal Caribbean is well known for their highly-anticipated cruises to some of the most popular destinations of the world. However, Royal Caribbean has recently announced that they will be changing the itinerary of their next cruise to St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, which will be their first cruise on the new itinerary. This cruise will be the first in Royal Caribbean’s new itinerary plan, which will offer two different itineraries for each year. The itinerary that will be offered on their next cruise will be the Allure of the Seas, which will depart on November 25th, 2013, and will return on November 25th, 2014. The cruise will have an overall length of seven nights.

The Royal Caribbean International brand of cruise ships has been the industry standard since it was founded in 1972, and has continued to lead the cruise industry, both in terms of customer service and quality of product. The company has a long history of innovation, and many of its ships and shore excursions are world class.

St. Thomas has been a bustling Caribbean island for centuries. Today, it is a popular vacation hotspot and a popular cruise destination that many cruise ships visit. As such, it has become a leading candidate for future cruise ship routes, as Royal Caribbean is looking to expand its routes from Port Canaveral, Florida. So, what has Royal Caribbean done to prepare St. Thomas for the onslaught of passenger traffic?. Read more about royal caribbean cruise cancellations 2024 and let us know what you think.

Following the declaration by the USVI government that all cruise ship passengers must be completely vaccinated, Royal Caribbean has modified its criteria for ships traveling to the US Virgin Islands, including the Allure of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas.

There have also been modifications to cruising procedures, with vaccinated passengers now required to take a pre-cruise test days before departure.

Changes in the Virgin Islands of the United States of America

Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has been quite successful at sailing under the CDC’s unvaccinated route for cruise lines up until this week. It was the perfect way to go for Royal Caribbean, with the bulk of passengers being families, many with young children.

That is, until the government of the United States Virgin Islands intervened. The US Virgin Islands authorities notified Royal Caribbean that all passengers must be properly vaccinated before sailing to the islands, according to the company. Royal Caribbean has been operating under a policy that permits passengers to travel without having been vaccinated.

While the cruise line’s restrictions are primarily aimed at families with children, other unvaccinated passengers would have been permitted to board. Onboard the Allure of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, two of the world’s largest cruise ships, this seems to no longer be the case for both children and adults. 

Website of Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean made the following announcement:

“The Government of the United States Virgin Islands has informed us of their plans to implement a new requirement that all passengers ages 12 and older traveling onboard a cruise ship must be fully vaccinated for the ship to be allowed entry into St. Thomas for all Allure of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas sailings departing from Florida.”

“All cruise ships planned to stop in St. Thomas in the foreseeable future will be affected by this new rule. Guests aged 12 and above must provide proof of complete immunization at the terminal as a condition of boarding to comply with this requirement. Guests under the age of 12 are not obliged to be vaccinated, however they will be tested for COVID-19.“

Who Is Affected by This?

The USVI has essentially prohibited all cruise ships from visiting the islands unless they can provide evidence that every single passenger over the age of 12 has been vaccinated. Despite the fact that the islands are a popular stop for cruise ships all year, it seems that they are not taking any chances this time.

ackats / Shutterstock.com / ackats / Shutterstock.com / ackats / Shutterstock

Only 35.6 percent of the population of the US Virgin Islands has been vaccinated thus far. With the surge of Delta variant cases in the United States, the tropical island group has made it plain that anybody traveling by cruise ship must be properly vaccinated or be refused entry.

On a voyage departing Port Canaveral in August 8, the Allure of the Seas will stop on St. Thomas; passengers who have already booked on that cruise have the option of receiving a full refund or booking on an alternative cruise.

In the meanwhile, Symphony of the Seas will depart to St. Thomas on August 21 for an 8-day cruise. In any case, the cruise company will not allow unvaccinated passengers to join these trips.

Pre-Cruise Evaluation

In addition to the modifications for St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands, Royal Caribbean has adjusted its standards to ensure that all passengers are safeguarded as the Delta variation grows.

Website of Royal Caribbean International

Guests who have been completely immunized must now undergo pre-cruise testing. Guests aged 2 and above must undergo a PCR or antigen test no more than three days before arriving at the terminal to board. Guests on cruises lasting five nights or longer received a message from Royal Caribbean. Further correspondence was sent out to extend the new policy to three and four-night trips.

Guests who have not been vaccinated are already subjected to testing by the cruise company.

Also read: Royal Caribbean Issues An Update on Bookings and Service Resumption

The cruise industry has been working very hard to go back to cruising as quickly as possible, and it seemed to be working just well for a few weeks. The flexibility of the situation reveals its real colors now that the Delta version has proven to be a greater threat than first anticipated. It will be fascinating to watch what transpires in the following weeks.

In June, Royal Caribbean sent out an email to all of their passengers scheduling and pre-cruise testing of the Solstice Class on the ship Independence of the Seas. The email was also sent to passengers who had booked their Independence of the Seas in advance of the June 8th price increase. The email said that clients who booked their cruise before June 8, 2012, could opt for a refund or to take the cruise for the higher fee. The email also told clients that they would be calling them with more details on the solstice class within the next week.. Read more about royal caribbean cancelled cruises 2024 and let us know what you think.

Unfortunately, this is not something we can answer."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Will Royal Caribbean cancel cruises in March 2024?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"

I am unable to answer this question."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Are 2024 cruises being Cancelled?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"

Yes, there are a number of cruise lines that have already cancelled their 2024 and 2024 cruises."}}]}

Frequently Asked Questions

Will my cruise be Cancelled in June 2024?

Unfortunately, this is not something we can answer.

Will Royal Caribbean cancel cruises in March 2024?

I am unable to answer this question.

Are 2024 cruises being Cancelled?

Yes, there are a number of cruise lines that have already cancelled their 2024 and 2024 cruises.

Related Tags

This article broadly covered the following related topics:

• royal caribbean 2019
• royal caribbean cruise
• royal caribbean cruises
• royal caribbean
• royal caribbean cruises 2018