Dondra Ritzenthaler, the Senior Vice President of Sales for Celebrity Cruises, announced several relaxed measures for the sailings onboard the vessels in the Caribbean, UK, and Greece.
The measures include relaxed measures for masks and going ashore and more. Ritzenthaler also announced Celebrity will only sail with vaccinated guests, which will need to show proof, or will need to show proof they cannot be vaccinated.
Significant developments coming from Celebrity Cruises. include the line has now said masks are not needed inside or outside the ship, as long as guests can maintain a safe distance to others on board, and they are vaccinated.
Rules for guests that are not vaccinated have also been relaxed, though, as the cruise line now says that guests only have to wear masks while in transit (i.e., from the room to the bar, restaurant, etc.), when guests are seated, they do not need to wear a mask, nor do guests need to wear a mask when they are outdoors.
The CDC’s announcement last week that masks should be worn at all times, even in between bites during meals, caused a stir but for vaccinated passengers that guidance was relaxed. The news from Celebrity will undoubtedly be welcome news for many and in line with CDC for vaccinated guests.
The second important announcement comes as Celebrity has now done away with the mandatory tours in ports of call for fully vaccinated guests. However, they should still follow local guidelines that may require otherwise. It means guests are no longer restricted in ports of call and can likely walk around town in the places ships visit.
Lastly, the cruise line is now also enabling guests to book back-to-back cruises onboard the ships. Which, due to the rules and regulations, was not possible before. Guests can now stay on board the ship for two or even more cruises as long as they pass a rapid antigen test.
It looks like Celebrity Cruises will be working towards an all-vaccinated cruise experience, although there will be room for non-vaccinated individuals and minors. This is in direct conflict with Florida Governor DeSantis position that no business can require customers to be vaccinated.