Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises will require crew members to receive the COVID-19 vaccine prior to boarding and resuming work on its ships. While the decision to require guests to be vaccinated continues, the crew will be required to receive the vaccine. Royal Caribbean crew members received a letter from the company which reads:

“We have been working hard, in collaboration with government entities, scientists and experts to continue to develop our plan to keep our guests, crew and communities we visit safe. The new COVID-19 vaccines present a new opportunity to do just that. The vaccines are a way to build protection for you, your loved ones and our guests.

So far, several vaccines have shown to be effective at preventing both mild and severe symptoms of COVID-19, and we intend to make them a key component of our healthy return to service. Therefore, we expect vaccinations will be required for our crew as part of our plan for your return to working on our ships"

Royal Caribbean Group is still working on the details and doesn't have all the answers at this moment about how, when and where the crew may get the vaccine. The vaccination process may be different depending on the country of residence, the timing of the next contract and whether the crew is already on board or traveling. Royal Caribbean Group will keep updating the crew and asked for patience as the company is working through these details.

Whether or not guests will be required to get the vaccine in order to board the ships remains to be seen. However with the announcements from Saga Cruises and two US river cruise lines, American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines, that they will require passengers to be fully vaccinated before boarding, it seems like things are going in this direction.