Norwegian Cruise Line to drop requirement for COVID-19 testing

Miami, Florida – Norwegian Cruise Line said Wednesday that it will drop the testing requirement on Aug. 1 except on ships sailing from places with local testing rules, including in the United States, Canada, Bermuda, and Greece.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pre-trip testing is required for passengers on 94 ships taking part in CDC’s voluntary COVID-19 program, including Norwegian ships that sail in the U.S.

Norwegian requires vaccinated passengers in the U.S. to show a negative antigen test for COVID-19 within two days of their trip or a negative PCR test within three days of sailing. Unvaccinated children under 12 are subject to more testing when they board and leave the ship.

According to Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., it will relax its testing policy in other countries to be in line with other sectors of the travel industry “as society continues to adapt and return to a state of normalcy.”

The cruise industry complains that when the pandemic hit, it was singled out for a shutdown by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while airlines were not.

Norwegian, which has its headquarters in Miami, operates the Norwegian, Oceania, and Regent Seven Seas lines.