Crystal Cruises has updated its health and safety protocols, and in an all-out effort to ensure the safety of cruise passengers, will now require all guests to be fully inoculated against COVID-19 at least 14 days prior to their cruise.
The cruise company has paused operations until the end of May for its river fleet, into June for its ocean ships, to August 1 for its luxury yacht, Crystal Esprit and until August for its polar class expedition vessel, Crystal Endeavor. This should allow most travellers sufficient time to be fully vaccinated before the cruise line resumed sailings.
Guests must provide proof of vaccination before embarkation and have received both doses of the vaccine if recommended by the manufacturer.
Crystal’s crew will also be expected to be vaccinated. However, until vaccines are widely available, if vaccination is not viable (given the crew member’s age or the availability of vaccines in their home country), crew members will be tested prior to leaving their home location to join the ship and must receive a negative result. They then take a COVID-19 test at embarkation, quarantine for seven days upon arrival, are then tested again and must receive a negative result before beginning their duties, said the company in a statement.
