Carnival Cruise Line’s booking activity for Monday was almost double the level for the equivalent day in pre-pandemic 2019 after relaxing Covid protocols.
The company reported the surge in activity after announcing last Friday that it was revising pre-cruise vaccination and testing requirements that will allow more people to sail.
The simplified protocols eliminate pre-cruise testing requirements for vaccinated passengers. An exemption request process for those who are unvaccinated will also be dropped, enabling them to show a negative test result at embarkation from September 6
The easing of the rules covers cruises of less than 16 nights duration.
Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy said: “We have previously disclosed strong occupancy projections for the summer, and our bookings through the end of 2022 have also been very solid.
“With the further alignment of protocols to other vacation choices, our guests are booking the remaining 2022 inventory, and getting a head start planning for 2023.
“Mid-August is typically not a busy month for cruise bookings, but it’s clear that pent-up demand for Carnival has not been satisfied and guests are responding very favourably to our updated protocols.”