NEWS UPDATE: Carnival Aus COVID Protocols, CDC Changes US Cruising, Pacific Encounter Here Soon!

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Buy the tee: https://thecruiseandtravelguy.myshopify.com Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Carnival will resume local cruise operations from Sydney in October, and this week they confirmed their COVID policies. Their aptly named, Have Fun Be Safe COVID Guest Protocols, outline the requirements that guests need to meet in order to step onboard a Carnival ship. These are generally in line with company stablemates, P&O and Princess, starting with a negative COVID test and self-reporting of that result being required before boarding. All guests over the age of 12 must be fully vaccinated. There are limited places onboard for unvaccinated guests who will need to meet certain criteria in order to apply for a vaccination exemption. These will be processed on a first come first serve basis and applications will open online from August 15th for sailings through until the end of the year. Mask policies echo those of P&O and Princess, being required onboard where social distancing isn’t possible, during embarkation and disembarkation and onboard the ship’s tenders. Carnival will also require all guests to complete online checkin and select a boarding arrival time. Unvaccinated guests over the age of 12 won’t be able to undertake independent shore excursions, and will only be permitted to debark in Australian ports if they are on a scheduled Carnival tour. Though I don’t suggest the risk of COVID or other diseases is not real, it’s clear that our national approach to the issue is inconsistent at best, and that locally, the cruise industry continues to lag behind others in getting back to normal business. This was highlighted earlier this week when the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced that it was completely ending it’s COVID-19 program for the cruise industry. The now defunct program had followed on from the Conditional Sailing Order and is ultimately what allowed cruise lines to recommence sailing from the US. Those orders paved the way for the industry to get off the ground and contributed to Australia’s own cruise restart policies. The ending of the program means that the CDC will no longer track cases onboard ships or use a colour coded system to denote recent cases onboard vessels. In its place, the CDC will announce a new set of recommendations that cruise lines will not be required to follow. It’s unlikely that cruise lines will change their onboard policies, however some cruise lines have already announced the cessation of pre-boarding testing. Virgin Voyages and Azamara both confirmed in separate statements that pre cruise COVID testing will no longer be required in order to board their ships. Some ports will still require embarkation testing in accordance with country regulations. Princess Cruises announced that on cruises from the US, it would now allow up to 10% of its guests to be unvaccinated without an exemption - though spaces are still only available on a first come, first served basis. The end of the CDC program means that, despite the recent Australian media circus around COVID cases onboard ships, the world is well and truly moving on and returning to something normal - whatever that means anymore. Personally, I view this change as progress and believe that it paves the way for Australia to eventually follow suit in 2023. This isn’t so much about removing health protocols, but instead taking the same approach to the cruise industry that the country has with other modes of transport and types of tourism. Princess Cruises announced another itinerary change to one of its upcoming cruises. The Coral Princess was set to depart on two short cruises in August, a 3 and 4 night cruise from Sydney departing on August 22nd and 25th respectively. Due to availability issues at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal, Princess has combined both cruises into one 7 night voyage departing on August 22nd. Affected guests will be automatically moved to the new, longer voyage, with cruise fares and promotions protected. For those that can take the extra time off, it’s a bit of a win. A full refund or future cruise credit has been offered for guests who’d prefer not to sail on the extended voyage. As I mentioned in a previous video, P&O have confirmed that Pacific Encounter is en route to Sydney. She is scheduled to arrive in the harbour city on August 2nd. She will then embark on a 2 night activation cruise on August 18th that will see her sail to Brisbane, ready to commence guest service on August 20th. Thanks for watching!