UnCruise Adventures announced that it will mandate adults be fully vaccinated to sail with the company this summer in Alaska.
In a statement, Dan Blanchard, CEO of UnCruise Adventures, said their decision to move to fully vaccinated cruises would help "guests and crew experience Alaska in the safest way possible."
"My prime concern is the safety of my crew, who work on our vessels for weeks or months at a time. Vaccinations, combined with testing, take us to an entirely new level of safety compared to testing alone. I would be neglectful in my duties, as the owner of UnCruise Adventures, to not require vaccinations onboard our vessels."
Blanchard added that the move enabled the company to safely call on the Alaska port towns of Sitka and Ketchikan.
Travellers will also have to show a negative pre-cruise molecular test within 4 days of boarding. Kids 17 and under will be tested but are not required to be vaccinated. According to Uncruise, the number of minors on its cruise ships was capped at "a low percentage of people onboard."
UnCruise Adventures is among a handful of U.S.-flagged small-ship operators that will be able to sail this summer in Alaska whether or not the Canadian cruise ship ban suspends the big-ship Alaska season.