This week Royal Caribbean Group announced several exciting news updates about the restart of their cruise ships this summer. With the latest news about the Jewel of the Seas restart from Limassol, Cyprus. Starting July 10, Royal Caribbean International will operate 5 ships sailing with guests. Celebrity Cruises also announced the return to cruising with Celebrity Millennium sailing out of St. Maarten starting June 5, and the brand-new Celebrity Apex, which will debut in Greece this summer beginning June 19.

The cruise ships will sail with all crew and guests above the age of 18 vaccinated against COVID-19, and those under the age of 18 with negative PCR test results.

In February Royal Caribbean Group announced that the company will require all crew to be vaccinated against Covid-19, but since then there was no information how are they going to get crews vaccinated prior to starting up. Among the crew community, there was a huge interest how and where they can get the vaccine as well as which of the vaccine certificates will be approved by the company. The latest crew newsletter from Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises sheds some light regarding the crew vaccination and the latest requirements.

Royal Caribbean Group said regardless of which vaccine you receive, as long as you get the two doses you are good to go. At this moment there is a short supply of vaccines, especially in most of the countries crew members come from, so vaccine manufacturer is not the key issue, what is most important is for the crew to be fully vaccinated. Now, this is easier said than done because in most countries the crew members don’t have priority in the vaccination process. But things are going in the right direction with the vaccine rollout and they will be available in the coming months, especially in the countries where the crews are designated as keyworkers. The company also has a Plan B, which will include vaccination of the crew onboard the cruise ships, but this will most probably be in the later stage as they are working on the details. For now, the crew members are urged to get vaccinated in their home countries, if the vaccine is available, as soon as possible. 

There’s no doubt that the Vaccines are “game-changer” and will play a key role in return to service plans so let’s see what Royal Caribbean International Group said in the crew newsletter.

 “We should all do our part in ending the pandemic and keeping ourselves, our loved ones and everyone around safe. We urge you to get vaccinated if you are eligible and a vaccine is available to you.  Regardless of which vaccine you receive, you should make sure that your vaccination certificate includes legible basic information. Most Covid-19 vaccines require two doses. If the one available to you does, be sure to get that second dose before your travel.”

The crew members need to make sure that the vaccination certificate against Covid-19 includes the following information:

• - Complete first and last name
• - Date of birth
• - Name of the vaccine administrated and the lot number
• - Number of doses administrated with the date that each injection was given
• - Name of organization, hospital, or clinic that provided the vaccine

Will the company administer the vaccine on the ship and is it free?

One of the frequently asked questions from the crew was the option of receiving the vaccine onboard the ship. This will be possible in near future, but at this time there are no details on how this plan will be executed.

“We are working on the details of this plan for those crew members at home, on ships, or at our private destinations and will provide an update as soon as the information becomes available. We will also cover the cost of vaccinations administrated onboard our ships and any delivered on land through agreements with local governments. We will not cover costs if you are vaccinated on your own outside of these opportunities.” said the cruise line.