Vaccination policy on Virgin Voyages

All guests and crew travelling aboard Virgin Voyages ships will need to be vaccinated before boarding when the cruise line resumes services.

Virgin Voyages which was forced to postpone its initial sailings as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic is set to start sailing in the United States in May.

Its vaccination policy follows a similar announcement from over-50s specialist Saga, which received “overwhelming” support for its policy. In January, Saga was one of the first cruise lines to announce that it would require all guests to be vaccinated before boarding.

A similar policy has already been announced by a number of cruise lines including Crystal and Royal Caribbean. Odyssey of the Seas which is Israel required all passengers over the age of 16 to have received a vaccine.

The cruise line said its policy was to “ensure we’re providing the safest travel experience”.

The cruise line announced released the following statement:

“Our goal is to ensure that we’re providing the safest travel experience which means vaccinations for both our crew and passengers. The is a step towards the safe return to sailing and is the right decision for Virgin Voyages. We’re really encouraged by the latest rollout plans in the May time frame from the new administration, and we know the future is about vaccinations.

“We’re an adult-only cruise line which allows for us to offer a highly controlled, safe environment for everyone on board.

“Our business makes us uniquely set up to do this with testing and vaccine travel requirements. There’s a huge pent-up demand for travel and Virgin Voyages will be ready to welcome you aboard soon.”