Royal Caribbean Group Ditches Pre-Cruise Testing
Royal Caribbean Group has announced it’s lifting pre-cruise testing for vaccinated guests on cruises five nights and shorter starting August 8th, except in destinations that still require it.
The company owns Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises.
On cruises six nights or longer, testing will continue to be required for all passengers regardless of whether they’re vaccinated. The company is planning to drop testing for all voyages in the near future.
Other cruise lines that have also dropped testing for many or all of their ships include Virgin, Azamara, Viking, and Norwegian Cruise Line.
STORY: Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises Lift COVID-19 Testing on Sailings 5 Nights or Less
Royal Caribbean Group is Cash Flow Positive
Despite a net loss of $500 million, Royal Caribbean Group said that the second quarter of 2022 brought every ship back online and has the company in positive operating cash flow.
Some of the factors driving the income are the majority of the countries lifting testing requirements, cruising interest being back to 2019 levels, and bookings doubling over the first part of the year.
Also noted was that 60 percent of guests are now pre-booking experiences like dining and drink packages before stepping foot on the ship, allowing them to have more discretionary spending come cruise week.
The company revealed that cruisers are spending 70¢ out of every dollar before boarding the ship.
Even with headwinds like inflation prices over fuel and food, the line is still expecting to generate a net a three-quarter billion dollar profit in Q3.
Princess Cruises Reveals 2023-2024 Americas Schedule
Princess Cruises has announced its Americas schedule for the 2023 to 24 season, with 47 itineraries from seven North America homeports.
The schedule includes Discovery Princess’ first time to Hawaii, as the new ship operates two 15-day Hawaii cruises with overnights in Honolulu.
There will be 18 unique itineraries on multiple ships in the Caribbean, ranging from five to 21 days sailing from Port Everglades and Galveston.
Three ships will offer five different Mexican Riviera cruises out of Los Angeles and San Francisco, including a special Solar Eclipse cruise on Discovery Princess in April 2024.
STORY: Princess Cruises Reveals 2023-24 Americas Season, Including New Departures to Hawaii
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