Voyage Well

Before the voyage: If you test positive for COVID, or were exposed to COVID within 10 days of departure, Virgin Voyages will allow you to change your voyage date, or provide a full future voyage credit to use toward a booking at a later time. Taxes and fees and bookable amounts are refunded to the original form of payment.

At the terminal: While all Sailors no longer require COVID-19 testing prior to their embarkation date, if you are exhibiting symptoms while boarding or indicate on your Health Form that you aren’t feeling well, Virgin Voyages reserves the right to test you and your traveling companion(s) for COVID-19 at the terminal (or on board), and will cover the testing fees.
If you test positive for COVID, you will not be able to sail but Virgin Voyages will provide a full future voyage credit for use toward a booking at a later date.

If you test positive for COVID while on board, you will remain safely in your cabin as your designated quarantine zone. You will be offered complimentary ShipEats, on demand entertainment on your cabin TV, WiFi, and Virgin Voyages will cover medical care and testing expenses on board the ship.

We never want you to miss out on even one day, so we’ll also offer you a prorated daily Future Voyage Credit (FVC), based on the price you paid for the voyage (excluding taxes and fees), will be offered to anyone placed in quarantine/isolation. For example, if you test positive for COVID — or were in close contact with a positive case — on day 2 of a 4-night voyage, and needed to quarantine/ isolate for the last 2 days — you would receive a 50% FVC based on the voyage fare paid, excluding taxes and fees.

Our Ship Crew will work with you and local authorities to agree on a time you can safely disembark from the ship at the end of the voyage. Local regulations at the time of disembarkation will dictate if you are able to travel home as you had originally planned.

We do not require travel insurance to sail, however, we strongly advise our Sailors to purchase travel insurance, and to make sure that it covers/includes COVID-related expenses.

We’ll be following recommended CDC and European government guidelines, and working closely with the Voyage Well Expert Advisory Group in order to inform and update our processes and procedures in real-time. 

Upon arrival, all Sailors are required to fill out a health declaration (aka the health check form). Those who have answered “yes” to any of the questions will be sent to a secondary screening in the event that they may have been exposed or potentially infected. Please refer to the CDC’s criteria for when not to travel, and note if any of their recommendations apply to you.

• In addition to pre-voyage assessments completed by those who are deemed high risk of becoming infected with SARS-CoV-2 (Coronavirus), we will collect a pre-voyage medical questionnaire/health declaration that all Sailors must complete before boarding the ship
• This pre-voyage medical questionnaire opens up for completion in the Virgin Voyages Sailor App — 24 hours prior to sailing
• Sailors cannot board the ship until they have completed this questionnaire
• If Sailors’ responses cause our medical team concern (i.e. a Sailor has answered “Yes” to any question) Sailors will be asked, on arrival at the terminal, to meet with the Virgin Voyages medical care crew for an evaluation prior to boarding
• The medical care team will decide, based on this evaluation, if a Sailor is fit to travel or not
• If deemed not fit to travel, those particular Sailors will be denied boarding 
• We do not require travel insurance to sail, but strongly advise Sailors to purchase private travel insurance and make sure that it covers you for COVID-related expenses
• At a minimum, you should have coverage for the cost of cancellation by yourself and the cost of medical treatment and assistance, including repatriation, or in the event of an accident or illness
•  It is your responsibility to make sure that the insurance you purchase is suitable for your particular needs, and to purchase additional or alternative insurance if required
• Please read your policy details carefully and bring your policy with you
• If you choose to travel without adequate insurance, we may not be liable for any losses suffered by Sailors with respect to what insurance covers

Lastly, just as a final reminder, you cannot travel if you have been advised that you are:

• Experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms
• Self-isolating as a result of COVID-19 symptoms
• Sharing a household or support bubble with somebody who has experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the last 14 days
• If you’re unsure as to whether or not you’re in a high-risk health group, please call Sailor Services for additional support

 

In keeping in line with the rest of the travel industry, we have removed all vaccine and testing requirements starting 10/30/22 on Valiant Lady and 10/28/22 on Scarlet Lady.

Should a Sailor exhibit signs or symptoms of an illness during check-in (or during their voyage), Virgin Voyages reserves the right to test that Sailor and their traveling companion(s) for COVID-19 at the terminal (or on board), and will cover the testing fees.

If you are exhibiting symptoms or indicate on your Health Form that you aren’t feeling well, we may test you for COVID-19 during embarkation. If you test positive, you will be denied boarding. Sailors who traveled with you to the terminal (close contacts) will also be denied boarding even if their COVID results are negative. Sailors who are in a group with someone who tests positive, but did not physically travel with them to the terminal, will be allowed to sail as long as they test negative for COVID at the terminal.

We’ve outlined a few recommendations about approaching travel to and from the ship — the trains, planes, and automobiles in between.

• We recommend that you wear a mask when you feel it necessary, wash hands frequently, and maintain social distancing when you can
• When flying on planes or using car services like Uber or Lyft, we ask that you abide by their mask-wearing protocols 

Please see below for detailed information on what is considered high risk, how to contact us with questions, or notify us of your high risk status.

High Risk groups are defined as:

People who have a weakened immune system

• a blood cancer (such as leukemia or lymphoma)
• a weakened immune system due to treatment (biological therapy, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy)
• an organ or bone marrow transplant
• Primary immunodeficiency is caused by genetic defects that can be inherited. 

 Dementia or other neurological conditions

• Having neurological conditions, such as dementia, can make you more likely to get severely ill from COVID-19.
• Alzheimer’s

Chronic lung and heart diseases

• Asthma, if severe
• Bronchiectasis (thickening of the lungs airways)
• Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (chronic lung disease affecting newborns)
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis
• Having damaged or scarred lung tissue such as interstitial lung disease (including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis)
• Cystic fibrosis, with or without lung or another solid organ transplant
• Recent Pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lungs)
• Pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs)
• Severe Heart Failure 
• Coronary bypass within a year

Sailors should notify Virgin Voyages of any existing high-risk health conditions no later than 48 hours prior to departure. If you need any help determining if you fall into a high-risk group, or to notify us of your high-risk condition, please contact healthcheck@virginvoyages.com.

In addition, anyone who has failed the pre-voyage assessment or failed the 24-hour pre-voyage health questionnaire (by answering “yes” to any of the medical questions contained in the health check form) will be required to have a health evaluation with our Vikand Medical Care team at the boarding terminal to assess their ability to travel safely.

Any Sailor who is deemed to be in the high-risk group, or who the Vikand Medical Care team deems unfit to travel following a health evaluation at the boarding terminal, will not be able to sail with us and will be denied boarding. All Sailors should consider their own individual risk level for severe illness, and make travel decisions based on that — as well as conversations with their doctor prior to booking or sailing with us.

To reiterate, if you have any questions at all about whether you are considered high risk or not, please reach out to healthcheck@virginvoyages.com and we’ll gladly help.

Please discuss with your physician prior to travel. For more information, refer to the below links:

• CDC
• UK

In keeping in line with the rest of the travel industry, we have removed all vaccine and testing requirements. 

While all Sailors no longer require COVID-19 testing prior to their embarkation date, should a Sailor exhibit signs or symptoms of an illness during check-in (or during their voyage), Virgin Voyages reserves the right to test that Sailor and their traveling companion(s) for COVID-19 at the terminal (or on board), and will cover the testing fees.

We still require that all Crew members are fully vaccinated and are administered booster shots when applicable.

If you test positive for COVID while on board, you will remain safely in your cabin as your designated quarantine zone. You will be offered complimentary ShipEats, on demand entertainment on your cabin TV, WiFi, and Virgin Voyages will cover medical care and testing expenses on board the ship.

Below you can find a detailed list of everything we’re doing to keep it clean and ship shape by:

• Adopting the use of advanced cleaning tools like fogging; which means that all luggage and delivery to the ship will be fogged down, as well as fogging cabins as needed — in addition to sanitizing each cabin between every sail
• Incorporating the latest hygiene initiatives specifically for COVID-19; sanitizing dispensers in every public space, touchless faucets, increased hygiene signage, and leveraging hospital grade EPA registered disinfectants from EcoLab — all while using best practices to sanitize and disinfect
• Utilizing our partnership with Ecolab, identifying specific high touch points across cabins, public spaces, restaurants, and recreational areas that will be disinfected on a frequent basis, so that you don’t have to worry before touching a door handle or elevator button when you’re with us

From keeping the ship fresh with optimal air flow to high-tech purification systems, we’re keeping it all flowing by:

• Using the latest technology from AtmosAir Solutions — an air purification system that disinfects air on board
• Leveraging bi-polar Ionization technology, this air purification system has been shown to kill 99.9% of viruses — making us the first in our industry to treat 100% of the air on board with this technology
• Our sea terrace ratio is one of the highest in the industry — allowing plenty of access to (salt-infused) fresh air

Below you can find a detailed list of everything we’re doing to keep it clean and ship shape by:

• Managing personal space by significantly reducing our overall ship capacity for our start-up sailing period — meaning that we can all easily adhere to appropriate social spacing/physical distancing recommendations
• We don’t have buffets or large dining rooms; purposely creating smaller eateries to limit large crowds. And there’s no communal food sharing — food is only prepared when it’s ordered and delivered directly to you
• When using our delivery food service on board, ShipEats, we have contactless drop-off and pick up
• Leveraging our already-digital onboard experience to limit contact; The Band (for contactless payment), Service Chat (for assistance digitally), and our Virtual Queues (for getting in lines for onboard experiences without actually getting in physical lines). Frankly, the only lines we like are tan lines

Our Crew members receive regular tests and health checks. Our goal is to ensure all of our crew are fully vaccinated with two shots of a WHO-approved COVID vaccine. 

In addition to vaccinations, we’ll be doing the following for our Crew:

• Bi-weekly testing for the COVID-19 virus for our Crew
• Any Crew members who come into contact with anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 will isolate and take part in additional health checks to stop potential outbreaks 
• Increased Crew uniform cleaning at our laundry facilities with the latest cleaning technology installed; high temperature cleaning that eradicates viruses and harmful bacteria that can live on clothing
• Required gloves and frequent hand washing for high-risk areas of contamination like pre-health check terminal welcome areas, delivery areas, laundry and waste disposal areas

Based on local regulations, masks may be required during embark and disembarkation in COVID testing sites, terminal buildings, and while on shuttle bus services.

We’ll provide masks on request for any Sailor who may need or want one while onboard.

While off the ship at each port, we’ll be following local government guidelines as it pertains to mask-wearing and we ask that our Sailors adhere to their local mandates.

We’ll be doing our best to ensure that no matter where we go, we’re considering our Sailors well-being, so here are a few important things to know. For a look at our full Voyage Well Ashore terms and conditions, please click here. At shore we'll be: 

• Managing the arrival and disembarkation times of Sailors and Crew at the port terminals, so that necessary physical distancing is possible
• For all our Shore Things and at The Beach Club at Bimini, we only suggest activities on land that meet the sanitation or physical distancing requirements that we have on the ship
• Sailors can explore ports of call on their own except where local laws and regulations require a booked Shore Thing to disembark. We suggest participating in shoreside activities that meet the sanitation and/or physical distancing requirements that we have and follow onboard our ships
• All Shore Excursion operators listed on our website or mobile app have committed to implementing our Voyage Well initiative health and safety protocols, including vaccinated tour guides or, if not vaccinated, proof of a negative PCR Test 48 hours prior to the Shore Thing departure or negative Antigen Test on the morning of the Shore Thing departure
• That being said, we cannot ensure or guarantee that all such health and safety protocols have been implemented or will be maintained at all times by the Shore Thing operators
• All Sailors going ashore will also be required to comply with protocols in each specific port of call
• We encourage Sailors to visit each destination’s official website to familiarize themselves with the local health and safety measures in effect at each port of call

In the case of positive COVID-19 cases on board, we’ve outlined our protocols for quarantining and contact tracing to ensure the best possible care for impacted Sailors, and protection to other Sailors and Crew on board.

Our quarantine protocol aboard our lady ships is as follows:

• Any Sailor who has signs of COVID will receive complimentary medical care on board via our onboard Medical Team — our medical center is equipped with the latest PCR testing capabilities to test for COVID-19 and other viral diseases
• In case of a positive PCR test, those Sailors will be isolated under Virgin Voyages Infection Prevention & Control protocols
• Our highly trained medical team will treat impacted Sailors with the best care until we arrive back and are in port, and the impacted Sailors can be transferred to local medical or quarantine facilities
• If negative, we will test for other viral infections as well, for example, influenza A & B, etc., and if any of those tests are confirmed, treatment is administered accordingly
• Isolation may not be required for the above cases, but our medical doctors on board will determine on a case by case basis
• Using the close contact tracing feature built into our Sailor App, we will identify other Sailors and Crew who will also need to isolate and take a PCR test
• If those Sailors test positive, they will need to remain isolated for the rest of the Voyage and then be transferred to a designated shore-based quarantine facility to complete the remainder of the required quarantine period
• Any and all Sailors who test positive for COVID-19 are moved to a Sea Terrace Cabin on Deck 9 in an isolated zone away from other Sailors

Below we’ve outlined some of the financial details, and how we’ve got your back, in the rare case that there are COVID-19-impaced Sailors:

• A prorated voyage fare FVC will be given to anyone who has their cruise cut short due to testing positive for COVID-19, or being suspected of having COVID-19 during the sailing
• If required, Virgin Voyages will cover the costs of your COVID-19 medical treatment on board
• If you test positive, Virgin Voyages will take care of all Ship Eats delivery charges while in isolation and/or quarantine and WiFi will automatically be provided
• We will also take care of all On-Demand Entertainment Charges from Sailors’ folios during isolation/quarantine
• Please note that all other Ship Eats charges will still be applied to orders e.g. alcohol and specialty drinks

And finally, our contact tracing protocol on board is as follows:

• Via the Sailor App, Sailors will be asked to turn on Bluetooth once on board — doing so allows us to access the ability to contract trace while aboard the ship
• All Sailors who have been in the proximity of a positive test will be notified either on board or once back home depending upon when the positive test on board was discovered
• Sailors who may have come into contact with another Sailor with a positive test while on board will be sent to their cabin and a health officer will visit 
• If their COVID-19 test is positive, those Sailors will be asked to quarantine in a designated cabin
• The quarantine measures detailed above will then apply to the impacted Sailor(s)
• Our Medical Care Crew on board will coordinate with our Terminal Crew to arrange the safe disembarkation of COVID positive Sailors, so that they’ll be isolated from the standard disembarkation flow/pathway of the rest of the Sailors

Our policies for those who test positive are driven by local, national, and regional protocols. Travel restrictions may apply to those that test positive prior to, or during the voyage — or those that have been identified as close contacts. Regulations may include:

• After identification, passengers intend to travel commercially, domestically or internationally, despite being advised of the need for continued isolation or quarantine; or
• After identification as a case or close contact, Sailors are non-adherent to public health interventions and are at risk for commercial travel, despite the need for continued isolation or quarantine

In the United States, and with the help of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and their component agencies, the CDC will place those Sailors on a Do Not Board (DNB) public health travel restrictions list. For more information see Travel Restrictions to Prevent the Spread of Disease. Once public health authorities confirm a Sailor is no longer contagious or at risk of becoming contagious, the CDC will request that DHS remove the person from the DNB list. CDC routinely reviews the DNB list to determine when persons are eligible for removal. 

Outside the United States, we will work with relevant public health authorities to take appropriate actions given the circumstances.

For more information on when not to travel, please reference:

• When NOT to Travel: Avoid Spreading COVID-19 | CDC
• Fit for Travel | NHS
• Travel during the coronavirus pandemic | European Commission