Will I Have to Wear a Mask on My Cruise?

This article was last updated on December 18, 2021.

The cruise industry is slowly inching toward a restart, and as ships race to implement required protocols, both onboard and ashore, prospective passengers are wondering just how different some of the precautions could cause future voyages to be.

One of the biggest questions is whether cruisers will be required to wear masks on cruise ships. With the Omicron variant of Covid-19, cruise lines are adding stricter mask rules for passengers.

Mask wearing has always been on the table

From the time the Healthy Sail Panel submitted its list of 74 recommendations to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in September 2020 to the CDC's elimination of the no-sail order and subsequent issuance of the conditional sail order, masks have been mentioned as a key precaution to limit the spread of germs on cruise ships.

"Face coverings are a simple and effective strategy that should be employed," the Healthy Sail Panel's report states, noting that the industry might be able to ease restrictions eventually. "...as disease prevalence goes down, face covering requirements may be loosened over time.... However, in the initial period of sailing, they are an important tool that should be regularly used."

"Preventive measures, including hand hygiene, social distancing, and wearing face masks or cloth face coverings, are essential to maintaining ship operations during the COVID-19 pandemic," the CDC's website states.

In April 2021, following a large-scale vaccine rollout, the CDC changed its mask guidelines to say that small groups of people who are fully vaccinated can safely gather outdoors without masks if they maintain appropriate social distancing.

Following that announcement, in May, the CDC amended its recommendations for cruise passengers, stating that fully vaccinated passengers did not have to wear masks in uncrowded, outdoor areas of their cruise ships. The CDC continues to require masks for unvaccinated passengers outdoors and for all cruisers indoors.

Some lines have required masks during the 2021 cruise season, but the Omicron variant has changed the rules for where and when you have to wear masks.

Cruise lines are committed to it.

Earlier this year, the Cruise Lines International Association -- an industry organization that presents a united front for most of the world's largest cruise brands -- said that its member lines agreed to adopt a mandatory set of core elements, which, according to CLIA representative Bari Golin-Blaugrund, include:

• Testing: 100% testing of passengers and crew for COVID-19, with a requirement for a negative test prior to embarkation.
• Mask-Wearing: Mandatory wearing of masks by all passengers and crew onboard and during excursions in accordance with guidance from cognizant health authorities.
• Distancing: Physical distancing, aligned with shoreside health authority requirements, in terminals, onboard ships, on private islands and during shore excursions.
• Ventilation: Air management and ventilation strategies to increase fresh air onboard and, where feasible, using enhanced filters and other technologies to mitigate risk.
• Medical Capability: Response protocols, screening measures, isolation procedures and advanced arrangements for disembarkation, transportation, shoreside quarantine and medical facilities as appropriate for each itinerary and consistent with guidance from health authorities. 
• Shore Excursions: Limited based on cruise operators' prescript protocols, with strict adherence required of all passengers and denial of re-boarding for any passengers who do not comply.

CLIA member lines include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Holland America, Celebrity, Princess, MSC, Disney, Costa, Cunard and others.

Mask requirements for cruise ships

Mask rules have been in effect for most cruise lines since cruises restarted in summer 2021, but the Omicron variant has forced more cruise lines to add more stringent mask rules.

Royal Caribbean requires its passengers, regardless of vaccination status, to wear masks indoors on all sailings now through January 5, 2022.

Norwegian Cruise Line says it now requires all guests to mask indoors when not actively eating or drinking.

Carnival announced that all guests over two years old o wear a mask at all times inside the ship. The only exceptions are when eating/drinking and inside staterooms. This policy goes through January 31, 2022.

Cruisers have strong opinions.

In July 2020, the CDC opened a two-month public comment period to solicit feedback from industry experts, avid cruisers and those who don't believe cruising should resume. In its conditional sail order, the agency said about 85 percent of the nearly 13,000 respondents support mandatory onboard mask wearing.

It also has become a hot debate topic on cruise fan message boards.

Some cruisers haven't quite warmed up to the idea.

Royal Caribbean Blog forum user HeWhoWaits put it simply when another user posed the question of whether people would continue to sail with a mandatory mask rule: "Me? Not a chance."

"At this point, I've become used to wearing a mask," said user teddy. "If I have to wear a mask on vacation, so be it."

Others are undecided or say they don't want to but understand the need and would accept the rule if it meant being back on a ship.

"I'm on the fence... masks are required pretty much everywhere except in the cabin, and whilst eating/drinking or in the pool," Ian T said. "Now I eat as much -- OK, likely more! -- as the next person whilst cruising, but I am not a really a water baby, and with so much to do onboard, we are rarely in the cabin. This leaves a lot of time wearing a mask, and I wonder whether it will end up feeling too oppressive."

"At this point I really do not want to wear one while on a cruise, but if it meant that I would be able to relax on a cruise ship again, I would wear one," said bhageerah. "I will say that the requirement would make having a balcony room far more important than before! Being able to grab some food and go back to the room (or have room service deliver it) and just sit out there and relax would be good enough for me."