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Relaxed rules will be a welcome relief for kid friendly cruises.
Transport Canada announced today that they have decided to drop their "only vaccinated guests can visit" rule as part of the guidelines for visiting cruise ships.
Under the new guidelines, unvaccinated children 12 and under will be allowed to enter Canada while sailing on a cruise ship.
Canada will also require passengers to take a Covid-19 molecular test within 72 hours (or an antigen test within one day) of boarding a ship departing from Canada or calling at a Canadian port. Crew members and passengers will be required to self-monitor for symptoms.
Although the new guidelines are not as severe are the rules released last month, they are more strict than any CDC voluntary regulations.
Currently, there is legislation in the pipeline to issue a permanent waiver to the Passengers Vessels Service Act. That waiver would allow cruise ships sailing from Seattle to Alaska to bypass Canadian ports; however, it would not offer relief to ships sailing Canada/New England.
Holland Ameria President Gus Antorcha was pleased with the change, but his line is not considered kid-friendly, so the all-vaccinated rule was never much of an issue. He said, "As people return to travel this summer, we know some will choose to stay a little closer to home. Our Alaska land and sea packages and our Canada/New England sailings are great ways to resume exploring the world without traveling a great distance."