Norwegian Cruise Line to ease certain COVID-19 protocols starting in March

In a surprising development, Norwegian Cruise Line, recognized for its cautious stance on passenger COVID-19 safety among cruise operators, is scaling back its onboard mask requirements and revising part of its vaccination policy.

Effective March 1, Norwegian will permit unvaccinated children under 5 to travel on its vessels. Previously, the line mandated 100% vaccination — the only major cruise line to do so — effectively barring anyone not fully vaccinated from boarding. With vaccines unavailable for the youngest cruisers, they were essentially excluded from sailing with NCL.

According to the revised rule, the only unvaccinated guests permitted will be children under 5 years old. As per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's now-optional guidelines for cruise ships, the number of passengers in this category will be restricted.

"To ensure the safest cruising experience, all guests aged [5] and over ... must be fully vaccinated for all sailings," the line states on its Sail Safe page of its website. "Moreover, in line with the ... CDC's Voluntary Conditional Sailing Order ... we will cap the number of unvaccinated children onboard to no more than 5% of total guests."

This decision is significant for Norwegian because the line's parent company even resorted to legal action in July 2021 after Governor Ron DeSantis implemented a mandate that barred Florida businesses from requiring vaccinations. The court ruled in favor of the cruise lines, enabling NCL to continue with its plans for a fully vaccinated onboard environment.

With this update, Norwegian will discontinue COVID-19 testing on embarkation day at the port. Passengers will need to obtain their own tests — antigen or PCR for vaccinated guests and PCR for unvaccinated ones — within 48 hours prior to boarding.

Moreover, Norwegian will eliminate its mandatory mask requirement starting March 1. While its website strongly recommends mask-wearing in crowded indoor spaces, it will no longer be enforced.

"Face coverings are not mandatory while onboard," states the NCL website. "However, we acknowledge the additional safety that masks provide and suggest all guests wear them indoors, except when actively eating or drinking, seated at a dining table, or in their stateroom. ... Ultimately, the choice to wear a mask while onboard is up to each guest."

However, masks will still be required in indoor spaces and crowded outdoor areas during European sailings due to local regulations.

After Norwegian's monthlong suspension due to the spread of the COVID-19 omicron variant, the line resumed operations on February 7 with the Norwegian Pearl, which is currently on a five-day Caribbean cruise.