Royal Caribbean drops age for mandatory COVID-19 vaccines to 12 for some cruises
Royal Caribbean is starting to go broader with its vaccine mandate.
The world's largest cruise line on Friday said all U.S. passengers ages 12 and older will need to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to cruise with the line in Alaska starting on Aug. 1.
Even before Aug. 1, only fully vaccinated passengers over the age of 16 will be allowed to sail on Royal Caribbean voyages in Alaska.
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Both of the age cut-offs are lower than the line had previously announced for sailings starting up soon in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean.
On those voyages, the line had announced that all passengers ages 18 and older would need to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to cruise.
It's not clear whether the new age cut-offs just apply to upcoming Alaska sailings or the Caribbean and Mediterranean sailings, too. A spokesperson for Royal Caribbean did not immediately respond to questions about the topic from TPG.
As of late Friday, Royal Caribbean's website still listed 18 as the cut-off age for a vaccine requirement on Royal Caribbean sailings.
The new age cut-offs for Royal Caribbean sailings in Alaska were disclosed as part of an announcement Friday that the line and sister brand Celebrity Cruises planned to restart cruises to Alaska in July. The announcement was made by Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company of both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.
The same age cut-offs announced for Royal Caribbean cruises in Alaska also will apply to Celebrity sailings in Alaska, the announcement said.
Celebrity already had dropped its age cut-off for mandatory vaccines for summer cruises last week from 18 to 16.
A growing number of cruise lines have announced they will require all or most passengers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine to cruise on at least some of their ships in the coming months.
In some cases, cruise lines are requiring all passengers to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. In other cases, cruise lines only are requiring adults to be fully vaccinated.
Cruise lines that have announced a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for all or at least some upcoming cruises include Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Line, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, Princess Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Silversea, Virgin Voyages and Windstar Cruises.
Lines that are restarting operations without requiring passengers to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine include MSC Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, and German lines TUI Cruises and Hapag-Lloyd Cruises.
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Build your loyalty to Delta by applying for the carrier's mid-tier card option, the Delta SkyMiles Platinum card. The annual fee is quickly recouped by the card's travel perks, such as an application credit to Global Entry or TSA Precheck, annual companion certificate and so much more. Plus you can fast-track to elite status simply through card spend.Pros
- Earn bonus Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) and an Medallion Qualifying Dollar (MQD) waiver when you hit specific spending thresholds with your card within a calendar year
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year
- Statement credit for TSA PreCheck/Global Entry fee (up to $100)
- First checked bag free
Cons
- Doesn't make sense if you don't fly Delta
- SkyMiles aren't the most valuable airline currency
- Earn 90,000 bonus miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months.
- Receive a Domestic Main Cabin round-trip companion certificate each year upon renewal of your Card. Payment of the government imposed taxes and fees of no more than $80 for roundtrip domestic flights (for itineraries with up to four flight segments) is required. Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. See terms and conditions for details.
- Enjoy your first checked bag free on Delta flights. Plus enjoy Main Cabin 1 Priority Boarding and settle into your seat sooner.
- New: Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and purchases made directly with hotels.
- Earn 2X Miles at restaurants worldwide including takeout and delivery in the U.S., and at U.S. supermarkets.
- Earn 1X Mile on all other eligible purchases.
- Enjoy a per-visit rate of $50 per person for Card Members and up to two guests to enter the Delta Sky Club when traveling on a Delta flight.
- Fee Credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® after you apply through any Authorized Enrollment Provider. If approved for Global Entry, at no additional charge, you will receive access to TSA PreCheck.
- Earn up to 20,000 Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs) with Status Boost® per year. After you spend $25,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year, you can earn 10,000 MQMs up to two times per year, getting you closer to Medallion® Status. MQMs are used to determine Medallion® Status and are different than miles you earn toward flights.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- $250 Annual Fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees