As more people get COVID-vaccinated, there might be some barriers for vacationers when it comes to cruising.
Some of the major cruise companies already don't accept international travelers who have mixed and matched COVID-19 vaccinations. Mixed vaccination protocols won't be accepted on NCL-Norwegian Cruise Lines embarking/disembarking at US ports.
For Princess Cruises, passengers who have received a single dose of AstraZeneca and a single dose of an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna) won't be considered fully vaccinated.
On its website, Princess says that mixing mRNAs is acceptable, but a combination including AstraZeneca is not:
“Guests who have received one single dose of a vector vaccine (e.g. AstraZeneca) and one single dose of a mRNA vaccine (e.g. Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna) will not be considered fully vaccinated. Guests who have received two single doses of mixed vaccines that are the same type (e.g., mRNA) will be considered fully vaccinated and will be permitted to sail, so long as the final dose is received at least 14 days prior to the beginning of the cruise.”
Norwegian will also not accept mixing any vaccines:
“For ships embarking or disembarking at U.S. ports, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and/or World Health Organization (WHO) authorized single brand vaccination protocol will be accepted. Including, J&J Janssen, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford. Mixed vaccination protocol will not be accepted (i.e. Pfizer + Moderna or AstraZeneca + Pfizer, etc).”
The statement adds that all other ships departing from non-U.S. ports “will accept any U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), or World Health Organization (WHO) authorized single brand vaccination protocol. Or a mixed vaccination protocol of only AstraZeneca-SK Bio, Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna combinations.”
Cruises resumed in the USA last month for the first time since March 2020.