After announcing revised pre-cruise vaccination and testing requirements last Friday, August 12, Carnival Cruise Line says booking activity for Monday, August 15 was nearly double that of the equivalent day in 2019.

Carnival – along with several other lines – announced the elimination of pre-cruise testing requirements for vaccinated guests, and eliminated the exemption request process for unvaccinated guests, effective September 6.

Following that date, unvaccinated guests will only need to show a negative test result at embarkation (The full announcement is available here.)

“We have previously disclosed strong occupancy projections for the summer, and our bookings through the end of 2022 have also been very solid,” said CCL president Christine Duffy.

“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.”

Duffy reiterated that Carnival remains committed to the health and safety of guests, crew, and the communities it visits, and will continue to work with medical experts and public health officials to refine its protocols responsibly.