The Centers for Disease Control have lightened the covid restrictions on cruise lines even further.
Last week they stopped requiring cruise lines to report their covid positive cases. The CDC is no longer requiring all travelers to take a covid test less than two days before boarding the cruise lines. They are allowing the cruise lines to police themselves when it comes to the health and safety of their patrons.
Cruise lines like Carnival (CCL) now are able to board passengers without covid tests, which will not only speed up the boarding process, but also give a sigh of relief for travelers. Travelers were subjected to passing a covid test less than 2 days before being able to board the cruise lines. If someone tested positive, they wouldn’t be allowed to embark with the rest of the cruise line passengers, canceling or ruining their vacations.
Carnival Cruise
Cruise Lines' Uphill Battle to Get Back to Normal
Even with covid restrictions lifted for passengers, cruise lines still must face a labor shortage. The labor shortage is harder for cruise lines ten-fold because of the requirements to be able to work on a cruise line to begin with.
Requirements to work on any domestic cruise line include passing a criminal background check, experience in the field of which applicants want to work, be at least 21 years old, have a valid passport, covid vaccination, if English is not the first language you must pass an English fluency requirement, a medical examination, and if not a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you will need a work visa.
All of the requirements take time to obtain. One such requirement that the U.S. has been able to curtail for cruise lines is the renewing of work visas for their international staff. Many employees have been able to return to work while their work visas are in the renewal process. This has helped bring many cruise line workers back to work post pandemic.
Attractions, restaurants and programs on the cruise line have been cut back because of staffing shortages. These shortages are not just from getting the cruise line staffed and meeting those requirements, but also if any cruise line employee test positive for covid, they must quarantine until they test negative.
If employees test positive, they may show no signs or symptoms of covid but are able to transmit the virus. To maintain the best safety protocols for all those aboard, cruise lines quarantining until a negative test is the best policy. Unfortunately, some people will test positive longer than a 10-day period, a much longer span of days than most cruises. If enough staff test positive, restaurants or attractions will be forced to close due to staffing shortages.
Carnival Bringing Back Camp Ocean
Camp Ocean, a kid favorite and a parent perk when traveling on Carnival, is being brought back to a more normal schedule. The kid care program has been offered to parents for kids ages 2-11. This camp feeds, entertains and watches over the kids, while parents can go about their cruise and experience more adult attractions without worrying about their kids, letting the vacation relaxation really happen.
Camp Ocean, included in the cost of the cruise tickets and the camps, is broken into three groups, the Penguins are ages 2-5, Stingrays are 6-8, and Sharks are 9-11. There is a late-night option called Night Owls open to ages 2-11. The later program does have an extra cost if guests would like to take advantage of the evening childcare. The Night Owl program is a laid-back movie night designed to have kids resting while watching a movie with snacks. This way when kids get picked up by their parents, they are ready to go back to their rooms and go to sleep.
Parents get to take advantage of a kid-free evening on the cruise, enjoying dinner, drinks and entertainment and providing a vacation from your kids while you are on vacation, which brings Carnival Cruise Lines steps closer to being back to normal. All attractions and programs are still subject to staffing and could change.
