sail with confidence
future cruise credit.
Future cruise credit: elimination of expiration dates
As of September 30, 2022, future cruise credits that remain unused, and were issued because a cruise was cancelled by Cunard due to COVID-19, will be valid indefinitely, giving you even more time to use it for a future voyage of your choice. Your FCC will now be available for you to use indefinitely.
Remember! If you are traveling as a family or group you must notify your travel agent at least one month prior to your cruise departure.
NEW HEALTH PROTOCOLS.
As we prepare to return to sea, we’re combining over 180 years’ experience with the expertise of foremost accredited scientists, medical professionals and government advisors to deliver the signature Cunard holiday you expect.
Enhanced well-being measures at a glance.
To help you to feel comfortable throughout your voyage, we’ve introduced enhanced health and well-being measures to protect everyone on board. These include:
- A vaccination and testing policy for all guests and crew.
- Health screening at the cruise terminal.
- Enhanced on-board ventilation systems to improve and increase filtration and fresh air.
- High levels of cleanliness and enhanced sanitation.
- Plans in place to manage your medical needs, including isolation and quarantine (should this be required).
Our enhanced well-being measures can evolve as we work with experts and government bodies to respond to the latest advice, but rest assured our focus is always to protect the health and well-being of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit.
VACCINATION POLICY.
For future cruises.
updated may 10, 2023.
For voyages departing on or after the 23 April 2023 on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria and voyages departing on or after 8 June 2023 on Queen Elizabeth, Covid-19 vaccination and testing will no longer be mandatory for guests travelling with Cunard on our voyages.
Prior to these dates there are still some exceptions voyages with Covid-19 vaccination and testing requirements.
While Covid-19 vaccination will no longer be required for Cunard most of voyages, we still highly recommend that all guests travelling on our ships are up to date with Covid-19 vaccinations and boosters if eligible and where available.
During your voyage it is your responsibility to meet all entry requirements for that country at the time of sailing. If you are travelling to join the ship in another country or disembark in another country, please be aware that the entry requirements to travel by land or air may differ from the requirements to embark the ship. Please note, all guests 18 years and over travelling to the U.S. by air are required to show proof of being fully vaccinated against Covid-19. These U.S. entry requirements are separate from our cruise protocols. Please check the government website of the country you are travelling to, to ensure you are aware of the most up-to-date country requirements. We can’t accept responsibility if your denied entry to a country because you don’t meet its entry requirements.
If you're displaying any symptoms of Covid-19 or feel unwell in the days leading up to your voyage, we highly recommend that you take a Covid-19 test before you travel and only travel to the ship if this is negative. If you’re symptomatic on the day of embarkation, we ask that you declare this to terminal or check-in staff. Guests who test positive within 7 days of sailing will not be allowed to embark.
Vaccination and testing requirements
Covid-19 vaccinations required for voyages with enhanced requirements | Covid-19 test required(to be organised by the guest and taken before travelling to the embarkation terminal) | ||
Fully vaccinated*(a minimum of 14 days prior to travel) | Do I need a booster vaccination if I am eligible^ for one?(a minimum of 14 days prior to travel) ~ Please note; for all voyages including Japan, it is mandatory to have had one booster vaccination | ||
| Guests aged 18 years and over | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Children aged 12-17 | ✓ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Children aged 5-11 | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Children aged 4 years and under | ✗ | ✗ | Testing only required for voyages marked with a # |
Vaccination requirements
- Guests aged 18 years and over, must be fully vaccinated* with a recognised Covid-19 vaccine, a minimum of 14 days prior to travel, plus a single booster vaccination if eligible^. At this time, a second booster vaccination is not required, however, we strongly recommend all guests to have booster vaccinations at the earliest opportunity, should they be available to them.
~ It is mandatory for guests 18 years and over travelling on a voyage including a port of call in Japan to have had a booster vaccination.
- All guests aged 12-17 years need to be fully vaccinated*, with a recognised Covid-19 vaccine, a minimum of 14 days before travelling. They do not require a booster.
- Guests under 12 years of age do not need to be vaccinated but please note the testing requirements below.
Guests who are unable to provide their proof of vaccination status and a negative Covid-19 test result will unfortunately be denied boarding.
Testing requirements
- All guests aged 5 years and over are required to take a self-administered Lateral Flow Test in the three days before you arrive at the cruise terminal.
- For voyages marked with a # all guests regardless of age are required to take a self-administered Lateral Flow Test within 24 hours OR a PCR test within 48 hours, of embarkation.
- For all voyages with vaccination and testing requirements you will be required to declare your negative Covid-19 test result to travel and may be asked to show appropriate proof.
Please note, testing facilities will not be available at the cruise terminal.
Here are the voyages with enhanced requirements
Please note enhanced voyages marked with an # or ~ have slightly different vaccination and testing requirements.
| Voyage code | Departure date | Ship | Variations to vaccine and testing requirements |
Q318 | 15 May 2023 | Queen Elizabeth | ~# |
Q318A | 15 May 2023 | Queen Elizabeth | ~# |
Q318B | 15 May 2023 | Queen Elizabeth | ~# |
Q319 | 24 May 2023 | Queen Elizabeth | ~# |
Q319A | 24 May 2023 | Queen Elizabeth | ~# |
All voyages above require vaccination and testing. Voyages marked with symbols may have slightly different requirements.
# All guests regardless of age are required to take a self-administered Lateral Flow Test within 24 hours OR a PCR test within 48 hours of embarkation.
~ It is mandatory for guests 18 years and over travelling on a voyage including a port of call in Japan to have a booster vaccination.
other matters
in the event of testing positive before boarding
*The definition of ‘fully vaccinated’ is having completed an approved (by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or the World Health Organization’s Emergency Use Listing (WHO EUL)) two-dose Covid-19 vaccination course, or the approved single-dose Janssen Covid-19 vaccine.
Voyages with vaccination requirements will also require guests to have a booster vaccination if eligible~ It is mandatory for guests 18 years and over travelling on a voyage to Japan to have had a booster vaccination.
^ Please check your government website for details on booster eligibility.
All departures
Some destinations may require a Covid-19 test before going ashore. If a test is required these can be purchased on board. If a test is required these can be purchased on board.
Currently approved vaccines are:
- Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine)
- Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, including formulations Vaxzevria or Covishield
- Moderna (Spikevax) vaccine, including formulation Moderna Takeda
- Janssen vaccine
- Snovac
- Sinopharm Beijing
- Covaxin
- Nuvaxovid (Novavax)
- COVOVAX/Serum Institute of India
- CanSino Biologies/Convidecia.
If you’re travelling on a voyage with vaccination requirements, you’ll be required to show proof of your vaccination status at the terminal prior to boarding, which will also be checked against your photo ID. This can be either in printed or digital format (a screenshot is fine) and must be an official certificate of vaccine status issued by your local health authority (e.g. NHS England). Please visit your relevant NHS or local health authority website for full details of how to obtain an official record of your vaccine status in advance of your holiday (please note that some authorities require up to 10 days to process applications to receive postal certificates).
The record card that is given out at the time of vaccination will not be accepted as proof of your vaccination status. Unfortunately, failure to provide proof of vaccination at the terminal will result in denial of boarding at your own expense.
Guests in England can download the NHS app, register with their NHS number and photo ID and gain access to ‘Get your NHS COVID Pass’ – this allows you to download a PDF copy of your vaccine record and/or to request to receive an offline copy by email. Alternatively, to prove your vaccination status you can show a screenshot of your vaccination details which appear below your unique barcode within the app. This shows the details of each vaccination and the date given. There are different screens for each vaccination and booster. The teams at the terminal/airport need to see the information shown below the barcode which confirms the dates of vaccination. Please register for the NHS app well in advance of travel as NHS app accounts can take up to 14 days to approve. If using the app, in case of any connectivity issues we’d recommend taking a screenshot so that you can easily show this at the terminal/airport.
Please retain your proof of vaccination status throughout your voyage and keep this to hand when going ashore in case it is required.
In the event of testing positive before boarding.
If you test positive for Covid-19 within 7 days of your voyage or are not permitted to travel following completion of the Health Declaration at the terminal, you will unfortunately not be allowed to travel. Travel insurance, including cover for Covid-19, is a requirement at the time of sailing, so we highly recommend this is arranged at the time of booking your holiday. Please contact your travel insurance provider at your earliest convenience to claim for any associated loss.
The booking confirmation issued at the time of booking serves as proof of the holiday cost. We encourage you to keep hold of all booking documentation to assist you with your claim. If you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us or your travel agent.
If you test positive for Covid-19 whilst on board, you will need to isolate for your well-being and the well-being of other guests*.
We’ll make sure you’re well looked after with full room service, a choice of three meals a day and a complimentary laundry service.
Close contacts of guests who test positive while on board are not required to go into isolation, but additional testing and other protocols, such as in stateroom dining, and mask wearing outside your stateroom, may apply.
As you’ve unfortunately tested positive for Covid-19, our duty of care means you will be unable to take your Cunard booked flight (if applicable). You will have the choice to either disembark the ship at your scheduled port of disembarkation (we do recommend you continue your isolation ashore) or stay on board to complete your period of isolation. Once you have tested negative you can disembark at the next port of call. You will need to liaise with your insurers to book and pay for any alternative accommodations, flights and transfers.
Our dedicated medical teams will also be on hand to take care of you, either for the duration of your required isolation period or until your scheduled port of disembarkation.
Any instances of positive cases on board will be managed by our on board medical teams in conjunction with the local port authority to determine the best course of action.
If you’re required to disembark the ship for this reason, our dedicated support team will help you to contact your travel insurance provider.
All UK resident guests who test positive for Covid-19, and are in isolation on their return to Southampton, will be able to travel home to isolate after disembarkation.
Don’t forget, appropriate travel insurance remains a requirement to travel.
*Per our booking conditions it is mandatory to have travel insurance with Covid-19 cover. If you unfortunately test positive during your holiday, you should let your insurance company know immediately and keep them updated throughout your period of isolation.
If you test positive for Covid-19 within 7 days of your voyage or are not permitted to travel following completion of the Health Declaration at the terminal (if required), you will unfortunately not be allowed to travel. Travel insurance, including cover for Covid-19, is a requirement at the time of sailing, so we highly recommend this is arranged at the time of booking your holiday. Please contact your travel insurance provider at your earliest convenience to claim for any associated loss.
The booking confirmation issued at the time of booking serves as proof of the holiday cost. We encourage you to keep hold of all booking documentation to assist you with your claim. If you need any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us or your travel agent.
GUEST AND CREW WELL-BEING.
We are committed to delivering the highest standards of health, safety and well-being for our guests, crew and the wider communities we visit.