CCL-Carnival Cruise Line is giving guests booked on sailings between now and January 14, 2022, an opportunity to reschedule/cancel their voyage without paying cancellation fees.
Impacted passengers received a letter from Carnival president Christine Duffy. The communication goes into detail regarding current protocols.
“We are carefully monitoring the situation with the Omicron variant and have taken steps to strengthen our protocols.”
The letter outlines exactly what is being done onboard, as well as what is expected of passengers. Clearly, the cruise line wants to make sure those who wish to sail are aware of what life onboard will look like.
“As a reminder, all our crew wear masks at all times, are fully vaccinated, and are receiving booster shots when eligible.”
The letter adds that “nearly all” guests are vaccinated, and anyone 2+ must present a negative COVID test prior to boarding.
Passengers are "required to wear masks indoors at all times” unless in their cabin or “actively” eating/drinking.
Carnival recommends “guests use higher-grade masks indoors… that have two or more layers, completely cover the nose and mouth, fit snugly against the sides of the face and have a nose wire.”
Despite the stringent protocols, the letter acknowledges it is possible they would have some positive cases onboard.
“Should that happen, we are prepared to actively manage the situation, protect guest and crew health, and operate your cruise.”
One thing the company has limited control over is cruise port availability.
“We want you to know that we may encounter a decision by local authorities at a destination to limit or deny the ship from entering the port,” the missive explains. Should a port deny entry, Carnival says they will “do our best to find an alternative destination.”
If they wind up having to spend the day at sea as opposed to calling at a port, “there will be no compensation for a missed port.”
Shore excursions pre-purchased through Carnival will be refunded.
Should any guest want to consider sailing at a different time, Carnival will work with passengers to rebook their voyage or process a full refund.
No cancellation fees will be charged during this period.