Sailing on Adventure of the Seas to Bermuda, my family of 10—like most customers—has been confused over the testing requirements. We were at first relieved to hear that Royal Caribbean no longer requires pre-trip Covid testing. But then we received an email noting that Bermuda does require it, and so we must test before boarding. Then we filled out our Bermuda Travel Authorization forms, which clearly stated at the time that pre-cruise testing was required within four days of departure (and required $40). When my daughter tested for our Saturday cruise on Wednesday, though, we said RCCL still requires testing within 48 hours. So she and the kids tested again. (Today, meanwhile, I see that the Travel Authorization form has been changed; it now says testing is required within two days for vaccinated travelers. And vaccines are no longer required, though unvaccinated travelers must test within four days. Applying for a Bermuda Travel Authorization | Government of Bermuda (www.gov.bm).)
I share my story just to underscore what we all know: the steady beat of changes to the Health and Safety policies is a major source of confusion to customers—and, therefore, a good thing for the travel advisor community.
To help you out even more, last week, major cruise lines including Norwegian, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity announced they will be relaxing vaccination protocols in September for many departure ports in the United States and Europe.
Like for our cruise to Bermuda though, there are many fine points and exceptions. Celebrity cruises from Iceland still require vaccination; Royal Caribbean passengers who are not “up to date on their vaccination, per EMA standards, will need to take a test on board in order to get off the ship in Greece and Spain.” For the Bahamas, Royal Caribbean is “working with local governments in the Eastern Caribbean to align on vaccination requirements for more itineraries. We want to ensure a great experience going ashore at these ports, for guests of any vaccination status, while meeting local health regulations.”
Meanwhile, the cruise lines already have seen new business since the change was announced.
At Royal Caribbean, SVP Vicki Freed said the line is “seeing volume come in from unvaccinated adults (many who have waited a long time to use their Future Cruise Credits) who want to book their much-missed Royal Caribbean cruises.”
Carnival Cruise Line, too, reported that its booking activity for Monday, August 15, was nearly double the level for the equivalent day in 2019. “Our guests are booking the remaining 2022 inventory, and getting a head start planning for 2023,” said president Christine Duffy. “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.”
Travel advisors applaud. Or not.
For travel advisors, the changing regulations are both a blessing and a curse.
Vince Yeck said he is “so excited my book of business is opening up further for the cruise industry, and busier than I have ever been for the past year and a half with clients both jabbed and unjabbed.”
And he advised that travel advisors “might want to look at travel insurance that treats COVID as an illness instead of policies classifying it separately with limited terms and coverages that ultimately open an agent to a higher degree of liability. Quite simply know your job as well as your risks.”
In Katy, TX, Nancy Leos, too, is looking forward to seeing her cruise business grow to what it once was. “In the past, I sold a lot of Galveston cruises for summer family vacation. But here in Texas, there is a big resistance to vaccinating children and I found that most of my clients were not at all interested in cruising due to that,” she says. “For the past two years, it’s been easier to sell vacations to countries without vaccine requirements and I have not promoted cruises. I don’t want to book families and then find out a month before the cruise that they didn’t make the cut. But Galveston is a home port near me and one of my biggest sellers. I’m eager to get back into the cruise business after more than two years.”
At Susan Shure Travel in Wesley Chapel, NC, Shure is concerned about just the opposite effect. “I already have clients that refuse to cruise right now and this is just going to make it worse,” she says. “I think it is the wrong decision.”
“Asking for trouble,” says Susan Aft of Discount Travel and Cruise in Atlanta.
“I can’t imagine how they are going to manage this,” said Helen Prochilo at Promal Vacations in Long Beach, NY.
And indeed, for the nervous traveler, cruises are far from the only option, notes Ethel Davey at Uniglobe Enterprise Travel Ltd. in Toronto. “It’s the wrong decision, in my opinion,” she says. “My clients are researching the protocols at resorts very thoroughly and I get no cruise enquires. Caution, please. This isn’t over.”
Whether your clients are vaxxed or unvaxxed, though, “it’s good for business because it’s more complicated,” says Wendy Montebello at Dream Vacations in Rancho Santa Margarita. “Not every destination is created equal and the more complex, the more you need a travel advisor.”
“It’s good news for our franchise,” agrees Angie Gonzalez a DreamVacations in Pembroke Pines, FL. “It’s a perfect example of how vital a travel advisor is right now. We follow the updates closely, as many clients have questions and do not understand all the changes. We have many unvaccinated clients just waiting to sail. Many have reached out, others we have stayed in close touch. It will increase our business, which we are ready for! And we will continue to be cautious before booking, to make certain all ports allow unvaccinated travelers. Everyone definitely needs a travel advisor to navigate these waters.”
Rita Perez, at RitaVentures LLC in Orlando, has already heard from two clients “who have been impatiently waiting” to sail again.
And onboard Adventure of the Seas, our fellow passenger Larry Green said while he would “prefer if everyone was vaccinated, it’s not a deal breaker”—and he will sail again in any case.
But Sande Bloom reports that, while she has booked some unvaccinated customers she is still “encountering resistance. Not only do they not want to vax—they also don’t want to test.”
Cheryl’s 40-year career in journalism is bookended by roles in the travel industry, including Executive Editor of Business Travel News in the 1990s, and recently, Editor in Chief of Travel Market Report and admin of Cheryl Rosen’s Group for Travel Professionals, a news and support group on Facebook. As an independent contractor since retiring from the 9-to-5 to travel more, she has written regular articles about the life and business of travel agents for Luxury Travel Advisor, Travel Agent, and Insider Travel Report. She also writes and edits for professional publications in the financial services, business, and technology sectors.
