COVID-19 – River&Yacht Cruising FAQ Effective 25 March 2022
Pre-departure Do I need to be fully vaccinated to travel? Emerald Cruises will only accept fully vaccinated guests on board our river ships and yacht. We currently recognise the following vaccines for embarkation and will accept a combination of two different vaccines from this list: • BioNTech & Pfizer 2 doses • Moderna 2 doses • AstraZeneca 2 doses • Johnson & Johnson 1 doses • Sputnik V 2 doses • Sinovac 2 doses While Emerald Cruises can accept these vaccines, the guest and booking agents are responsible for ensuring that countries transited to and from the port of embarkation/disembarkation also accept these vaccines. Vaccinations must be current at time of travel. “Current” means a guest has received all recommended COVID-19 vaccines, including any booster dose(s) on their Emerald Cruises journey. When a booster dose is not mandatory by all countries visited, embarkation will be permitted with standard dose requirements. Emerald Cruises still recommends all guests to receive a booster dose, even when not required to ensure maximum protection against COVID-19. Should a guest be in receipt of a vaccination not listed above, but which is approved by their National Health Authority, Emerald Cruises will consider acceptance on a case-by-case basis. Are there additional travel requirements for my journey? Guests are required to comply with any government requirements to enter countries on their itinerary at the time of travel. It will remain the responsibility of the guests to ensure they meet all necessary requirements including any necessary proof of vaccination, and/or negative COVID-19 test results and COVID-19 Travel Insurance policies should this apply at the time. For further information please visit: Foreign travel advice - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Do I need to provide a negative PCR COVID-19 or RAT test prior to embarking my cruise? River Cruising: Guests are required to meet the requirements of entry to the country in which they are embarking on their river cruise. We do not require additional PCR or RAT tests when boarding our Europe river cruise ships. Ocean Cruising: Due the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Protection) ocean cruising guidelines, and departure port requirements, guests joining Emerald Azzurra in Europe will be required to show a negative PCR on arrival or a RAT result within 72hrs of boarding. Do I need to complete a pre-cruise health questionnaire? Yes. To ensure all guests are safe and well before the commencement of their cruise, we will require the completion of a pre-departure medical health evaluation form. This form will be sent out with your final pre-departure travel documentation, and you will need to ensure it is returned/completed on embarkation.
Do I need to pack my own mask and hand sanitiser? We recommend that our guests travel with a supply of their own face masks and hand sanitiser, to be available in their hand luggage for connecting travel arrangements, which may include flights, hotels, and transfer arrangements.
On Board What are the requirements for crew on board? Every crew member will be fully vaccinated prior to joining all our river ships and yacht, and that they must have a negative COVID-19 PCR test, following 7 days of self-isolation in their home country prior to travel to the ship or yacht. On arrival to the ship or yacht, all crew members are further isolated for a period of 5 days, following a Rapid Antigen Test. All crew members will receive extensive instruction and training in COVID-19 safety, prior to travel, and prior to starting work on board. Our crew are empowered to ensure all team members work safely within the strict protocols in a COVID-19 secure way. Will there be enhanced cleaning? We have enhanced our already intensive, frequent, and high standard of cleaning protocols in public areas and cabins to ensure all surfaces and spaces are kept clean. Additional care and attention will be paid to high contact zones, such as communal restrooms and dining facilities. Any touchscreens such as iPads will be thoroughly disinfected after each use and hand sanitisation stations will be placed throughout our ships and yacht. Do I need to wear a mask? Face masks may be required in public areas of the vessel when physical distancing is not possible. We will follow local government and health advisories which Emerald Cruises must adhere to. Your dedicated on-board crew will keep you updated on requirements. Will there be a health and safety briefing? Our team will host mandatory briefings and screenings on board. These sessions are designed to ensure all guests and crew are healthy and offer an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about our safety protocols. Are there any changes to dining? All dining options on board our cruises are currently being delivered as per our brochure itineraries. We will follow any local requirements change or health advisory as necessary. Will there be any impact to excursions on my journey? While we are planning to operate our scheduled onshore excursions, they will be conducted according to any local COVID-19 requirements. The following may apply: • • •
Opening times of venues may be changed Group sizes may be changed or adjusted on a daily basis There may be other amendments to excursions, due to possible closures, or routing changes
What happens if a guest or crew member tests positive to COVID-19 while on my cruise? Who Is defined as a close contact? In Port: In the event a guest or crew member returns a positive COVID-19 test result during our medical screening process prior to embarkation, the guest and/or crew member will not be able to board the vessel. Emerald Cruises will follow the local government and health authorities’ advisories in this instance for their repatriation.
On Board: In the event a guest or crew member returns a positive COVID-19 test result, following Local Health Department advisory, the guest/crew member is immediately isolated in their cabin with their close contact (travel companion) and additional testing will be conducted, including a PCR test.Local health authorities will advise any isolation requirements relevant to the region. Isolation may require guests to be moved into hotel quarantine, at own expense, or in their cabin on board. This will be dependent on following local requirements, and where the vessel is sailing/located at the time. Our team in Europe will ensure to keep open communication with the guests and connect them with our customer care team to manage homeward travel on completion of isolation. We strongly recommend all guests take out COVID-19 Travel Insurance to be covered in this instance. What happens if a positive case is detected on board? Guests who present with any COVID-19 symptoms will be required to immediately isolate within their cabin, alongside any travel companions sharing the cabin. A COVID-19 rapid antigen test will be conducted, followed by a PCR test. We will also be required to adhere to any local government quarantine and testing recommendations if a guest or crew member returns a positive COVID-19 PCR test result. EUROPE: I need to be able to provide a negative PCR or RAT test to return home or for my onward journey, how will this be managed? River Cruising: Emerald Cruises will assist guests in sourcing any COVID-19 testing for your onward journey (at guests ownexpense). Costs dependent on test required and country of testing. Please check the country entry requirements for your post cruise travel. Ocean Cruising*: Due to the requirements of local authorities with respect to ocean cruising ports and international travel, Emerald Cruises will assist guests in sourcing any COVID-19 testing for their onward journey (at Emerald Cruises expense) until further notice.