Carnival Cruise Line saw bookings double yesterday after lifting their vaccine mandate and easing the testing requirement for their cruise ships.
Carnival Cruise Line said that their booking activity for Monday, August 15 was nearly double the level for the equivalent day in 2019.
Carnival Cruise Line announced simplified protocols last Friday that eliminated pre-cruise testing requirements for vaccinated guests, and eliminated the exemption request process for unvaccinated guests. Unvaccinated guests now will only need to show a negative test result at embarkation – effective for cruises departing on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 or later on cruises less than 16 nights.
“We have previously disclosed strong occupancy projections for the summer, and our bookings through the end of 2022 have also been very solid,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “With the further alignment of protocols to other vacation choices, our guests are booking the remaining 2022 inventory, and getting a head start planning for 2023. Mid-August is typically not a busy month for cruise bookings, but it’s clear that pent-up demand for Carnival has not been satisfied and guests are responding very favorably to our updated protocols.”
Duffy reiterated that Carnival remains committed to the health and safety of guests, crew, and the communities it visits, and will continue to work with medical experts and public health officials to refine its protocols responsibly.