Peter, if you are cruising with Carnival, read my previous post (# 3). Outside of the current welcome bonus, youre only earning higher rewards on specific airfare and hotel purchases, so its not a great card for other spending categories. Cruises embark out of New Orleans days after CDC warning, La. See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Opens in a new window. 0:18. Opens in a new window. It is what it is. On Dec. 30, the CDC added cruise ships to its list of "Level 4" destinations you should avoid visiting for now due to high levels of COVID-19. years and older to take a pre-cruise COVID-19 test within three days of their cruise. The cruise ship industry has been hard hit by the pandemic as it relies on full boats, plenty of trips and passengers are usually in crowded areas - all of which are problems with COVID restrictions. The cost . If you are an American cruising overseas, you also won't be able to return to the U.S. until you have tested negative for COVID-19 (or until you recover from the illness and are cleared in writing to travel by a licensed healthcare provider or a public health official). NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people not to travel on cruise ships because of a surge of COVID-19 cases aboard the ships. The guest should first consider the size of the luggage and whether it can safely be maneuvered . Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Cruises departing from New Orleans remain suspended through August. While these $10 tests are only available for short cruises on Carnival Radiance, Carnival Liberty, and Carnival Conquest, Carnival Cruise Line has also arranged in-terminal testing for additional ships departing out of Baltimore, Galveston, Long Beach, New Orleans, Miami, Port Canaveral, and Tampa. The decision by the CDC to raise the travel level for cruise is particularly perplexing considering that cases identified on cruise ships consistently make up a very slim minority of the total population onboard far fewer than on land and the majority of those cases are asymptomatic or mild in nature, posing little to no burden on medical resources onboard or onshore, the main trade group for the industry, the Cruise Lines International Association, said in a statement to TPG. Opens in a new window. Carnival Glory returns to the Port of New Orleans before embarking on week-long cruise to the Bahamas. Regardless of the type of pre-cruise test guests take or where they take it, proper documentation must be presented at embarkation or guests will not be allowed to board their cruise. Even with these protocols, at least 17 people tested positive for COVID-19 on a Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd ship that disembarked in New Orleans recently, highlighting the challenges in . How Much Testing Will Cost In response to guests complaining that they were . Click Here to report it. NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Carnival Cruise Line on Sunday (Sept. 19) became the first cruise line to resume guest operations from New Orleans, as the Carnival . So, the CDC is basically telling you that now isn't a good time to travel. Grand Turk unvaccinated guests, aged 18 years and older, will have to remain on board. Cruising with Carnival is easy! Viking on Sunday was forced to announce a major revision of its soon-to-begin, 120-day world cruise after India notified the line it was closing to cruise ships. If a guest tests positive for COVID-19 within 5 days or less from the scheduled date of embarkation, guest may elect to cancel their cruise booking by immediately (within 24 hours of receiving the test result) contacting Carnival at 1-800-CARNIVAL to notify Carnival of their cancellation. Be Safe. Carnival Luminosa - 9/14/2023: Please check back for an update on vaccination and James D. DeCamp/Zuma Press Wire, via Newscom. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year and earn 5X Membership Rewards Points on prepaid hotels booked with American Express Travel. Unvaccinated passengers will have to take multiple COVID-19 tests and pay for them with a $150 fee. The bookings for 2022 were "robust" both before and after COVID-19 . Carnival Valor from New Orleans, May 15, 2023 Carnival Valor from New Orleans, May 15, 2023. This marks the first sailings from the city since cruise operations were paused 18 months ago. External site which may or may not meet accessibility guidelines, Instagram. A Norwegian Cruise Line ship with at least 10 passengers and crew members infected with Covid-19 docked Sunday in New Orleans. Carnival Cruise Line has released additional details about its new pilot program for in-terminal, affordable, pre-cruise COVID-19 testing. In 2019, 1.18 million people took cruises through New Orleans, making it the nations sixth-largest port and generating $125 million in local spending, according to a 2019 report by the Port of New Orleans. To qualify for the FCC or refund*, guest must immediately notify Carnival of the cancellation (within 24 hours of receiving a positive COVID-19 test result) and no later than noon on the date of embarkation. We take this matter extremely seriously and will continue to work closely with the CDC, the office of Governor John Bel Edwards, the Louisiana Department of Health as well as the city and port of New Orleans, Norwegian Cruise Line said. It was very shocking and completely out of the blue. Berry said he thought it was due to new government rules requiring testing. Guests may be invited via email to participate in the VeriFLY secure app, allowing testing results to be uploaded digitally before arriving at the terminal to smooth the embarkation process. All major cruise lines currently are requiring all or nearly all passengers to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with some also starting to require booster shots, to boot. For what it's worth, more than 80 countries around the world -- including a good chunk of all the places you might want to travel -- are on this list. When he asked the ships medical team about the cases, he was told he would have been notified and isolated if he had tested positive. For starters, there are the vaccine mandates noted above. But only the COVID-19-positive passengers are being isolated long term. You have permission to edit this article. New COVID-19 . Carnival Cruise Line launched the first year-round cruise program from New Orleans in 1994 and over the years has expanded the number of ships, capacity, and cruise options, carrying upwards of 4. . require proof of vaccination, vaccine exemption or testing. On my recent trip to Antarctica, I underwent six COVID-19 tests in just eight days -- three in advance of stepping on board the vessel (including a PCR test required by Chile, where my trip began) and three while on board. Prior to this week, the US last topped the 100,000-cases-a-day mark in early October. All crew members and passengers are fully vaccinated and all of the 10 cases first reported were asymptomatic, the cruise line said in a statement Sunday. The Demons did their part, playing stellar first-half defense and steadily pulling away from visiting UIW to score an 81-64 Southland Conference win against the Cardinals in . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. If you are cruising with Carnival (probably not since full week cruise departs on May 8), you can make an appointment to be tested in the terminal for $100. A line-by-line guide, added cruise ships to its list of "Level 4" destinations, A beginners guide to picking a cruise line, The 5 most desirable cabin locations on any cruise ship, The 8 worst cabin locations on any cruise ship, A quick guide to the most popular cruise lines, 21 tips and tricks that will make your cruise go smoothly, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Published: Jan. 2, 2022 at 9:47 AM PST. Norwegian Cruise . Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Example video title will go here for this video, Eye on the Lens: The stories WWL-TV cameras captured in 2019. $240 Digital Entertainment Credit: Get up to $20 back each month on eligible purchases made with your Platinum Card on one or more of the following: Audible, Disney+, The Disney Bundle, ESPN+, Hulu, Peacock, SiriusXM, and The New York Times. Its really, really tough, because people need that break, Dr. Griggs said. Opens in a new window. Earn 5X Membership Rewards Points for flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel up to $500,000 on these purchases per calendar year. NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people not to travel on cruise ships because of a surge of COVID-19 cases aboard the ships. At the end of December, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 5,013 COVID-19 cases had been reported on cruise vessels operating in U.S. waters during the last two weeks of the month, up from just 162 cases during the first two weeks of the month. Carnival's Glory cruise ship will provide "critical housing support to address emergency needs and to get power restored to the region," the company said. It is what it is, Neil Schoon said. Apr 28, 2022, 3:00 PM. It's also important to note that the detection of COVID-19-positive passengers or crew on board your ship won't necessarily impact your sailing (unless you are among those testing positive). Carnival Cruise Line Refund and Cancellation Policy for COVID-19. Unvaccinated passengers will have to take multiple COVID-19 tests and pay for them with a $150 fee. Time your NOLA cruise right, and you can step out with the parades of Jazz Fest and Mardi Gras. Plus, your own feed of TPG content. Date Updated: 10/19/2022. A line-by-line guide. Get $200 back in statement credits each year on prepaid Fine Hotels + Resorts or The Hotel Collection bookings, which requires a minimum two-night stay, through American Express Travel when you pay with your Platinum Card. Updated This is one of the biggest risks of taking a cruise right now, and one reason you may consider canceling a sailing scheduled in the short term (see the section on more-flexible cancellation policies below). Read Also: Carnival Cruise Line Updates its Protocols for the Casino. The non-refundable $10 charge will be assessed to each guests Sail & Sign account. Notably, all 92 cruise vessels currently operating in U.S. waters have recorded at least a handful of COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, according to CDC data. The seven-day moving average of new cases was 121,437 as of Saturday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. Non-COVID-19 related medical consultations, treatment and medication will be charged at private rates, and must be paid for by the guest and should be claimed on guest's international travel insurance. The cruise industry has been highly critical of the designation, arguing that cruise ships are far safer places to be right now than almost anywhere else, given their strict health protocols. Cruise lines in recent weeks have faced a growing number of ports that are balking at allowing ships with COVID-19-positive passengers or crew to dock. Hyatt is an equal opportunity employer. This treatment is now widely available in Louisiana. At this time, the program is only available for three vessels, and only for embarkation dates through April 30, 2022. Health officials said they were trying to disembark people without . Places on the Level 4 list currently include Canada, much of Europe and nearly every country in the Caribbean. Improve earnings, maximize rewards and track progress toward dream trips. top: -12px; Alternatively, you may use, InterContinental New Orleans, an IHG Hotel, Holiday Inn French Quarter-Chateau Lemoyne, an IHG Hotel, The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel. We have been on two cruises prior to this one and we didnt have to do one. The agency raised its threat level from 3 to 4 on Thursday (Dec. 30), indicating the risk for becoming infected with COVID-19 on cruise ships is very high. As I saw myself during a cruise to Antarctica in recent weeks, many sailings are operating relatively normally, even when there are COVID-19 cases on board. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Cruise line covid-19 vaccination and testing rules, which were imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the beginning of the pandemic, have been .