Carnival Cruise Line reported today that demand after announcing last Friday that it was changing pre-cruise immunization and testing criteria to allow more guests to cruise caused its booking activity for Monday, Aug. 15, to be nearly twice as high as it was for the same day in 2019.

For cruises beginning on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, or later on journeys of less than 16 nights, Carnival announced simplified guidelines last Friday. These protocols abolished pre-cruise testing requirements for vaccinated customers and eliminated the exemption request process for unvaccinated visitors.

According to Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, "We have already reported good occupancy predictions for the summer, and our bookings through the end of 2022 have also been quite robust." "Our customers are making reservations for the remaining inventory for 2022 and starting to make plans for 2023 as a result of the protocols being increasingly aligned with other vacation options. Mid-August is not generally a popular time for cruise bookings, but it's obvious that Carnival has been experiencing pent-up demand, and customers are praising our improved procedures."

Carnival continues to be dedicated to the health and safety of its passengers, crew, and the communities it visits, according to Duffy, who reaffirmed this in a press release. Carnival will also keep working with medical professionals and public health officials to responsibly improve its practices.