No industry suffered like the cruise industry during the pandemic.
Yes, airlines, restaurants, theme parks, and hotels took major hits -- some even shutting down for a period -- but none had to stop operating from March 2020 through July 2021. And normal (or at least mostly normal) returned to every other travel industry much faster than it has for cruise lines.
In fact, no other industry requires proof of vaccination and covid tests on a widespread basis. Some individual locales or venues choose to have those protocols in place, but that's limited, not industrywide.
The cruise lines that sail from ports in the U.S., however, have trailed every other travel business when its comes to dropping covid protocols.
Right now, to get on a Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL), Royal Caribbean International (RCL). or Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) ship, you have to offer proof of vaccination and show a negative covid test taken no more than two days before your sailing leaves.
The testing part adds a layer of complexity to cruising that may have caused some people to opt for other typed of vacations. Now, one cruise line that sails from U.S., ports has decided to drop its covid testing requirement.
Image source: M. Dylan/Europa Press via Getty Images
Viking Cruises Drops Covid Testing Requirement
"The U.S. has announced that travelers who enter the U.S. by air no longer have to be covid tested prior to their departure. This will be effective as of Sunday, June 12. Therefore we at Viking will now stop our onboard testing procedures," said Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen in a Facebook post.
Viking handled covid testing differently than Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian did. It actually installed testing labs on its ships and tested passengers on embarkation day (the other cruise lines generally require you get yourself tested).
In March Hagen held a news conference at which he suggested testing requirements would soon be dropped based on the impact of covid falling.
"Our vaccine requirements for all guests and crew members remain in place and for the time being all crew members will continue testing and wear masks," he added.
“Today, let us celebrate the good news together,” Hagen said, noting that health protocols are always under review. “I hope to see you onboard again soon.”
Will Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian Drop Covid Testing Rules?
Hagen noted that his company's decision does not put it at odds with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's current voluntary program for cruise lines. The company also released the following statement, Cruise Hive reported.
“Viking highly recommends, but no longer requires, a predeparture covid-19 test—unless one is required by the destination. As of June 10, 2022, select ocean voyages on the Viking Orion and expedition voyages on the Viking Octantis in the United States and Canada will continue to require a predeparture COVID-19 test.”
This move does crack open the door for Royal Caribbean, Carnival, and Norwegian to follow, but those three companies are much larger and face a higher level of public (and perhaps CDC) scrutiny.
But if dropping precruise covid testing does not lead to a public relations outcry or a large increase in people getting sick, the rest of the industry seems likely to follow.
Only two of Viking's ships sail from U.S. ports.
