Will the Covid-19 pandemic ever end? Absolutely, but not quickly enough. There are positive signs the end is coming though, especially if you use travel as an indicator. With the most recent spike in cases, if you’re booked, or planning to book a cruise sailing from Puerto Rico, new safety protocols put in place by the government of Puerto Rico shouldn’t change your plans but will change how you prepare to travel.
You’ll need a TravelSafe Declaration form, if you’re arriving by air. This form is required for all passengers flying into the country. If you’re on a cruise ship if you’re eligible you’re vaccinated, and you’ll need to upload proof of that. By the way, if you’re extending your vacation with a post-cruise stay in Puerto Rico, you’ll need to fill out that TravelSafe Declaration form again. If you’re flying right back home, you don’t need that form, but you may need a negative Covid test for your home country.
Testing Requirements When Sailing From Puerto Rico
When flying into Puerto Rico for your cruise, all guests 2 years of age and older must provide a negative result from a PCR or antigen test for COVID-19 taken within 48 hours prior to entering Puerto Rico, regardless of vaccination status. If you’re traveling from outside the United States, you must provide a negative result from a PCR or antigen test for COVID-19 taken within 24 hours prior to boarding a flight to Puerto Rico.
To board the ship sailing from Puerto Rico you’ll need to bring a negative test result to the cruise terminal to board the ship. This test must be taken on your own and at your own expense, but can be the same result used to enter Puerto Rico, provided you time it right.
- Vaccinated guests must show a negative result for a PCR or antigen test taken no more than 2 days before boarding day. Kids aged 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the testing protocols for vaccinated guests.
- Unvaccinated kids age 2 to 11 must show a negative test result for a PCR test (not antigen) taken no more than 3 days before boarding day — but not on boarding day, as this may affect the results of the complimentary embarkation day test required to be taken at the cruise terminal.
- Guests under 2 years of age do not need to complete a pre-cruise test.
Post-Cruise Testing Requirements For Residents and Non-Residents
Post-Cruise, in addition to pre-cruise testing requirements, residents of Puerto Rico ages 2 and older must take a COVID-19 test, at their own expense, within 48 hours of the ship’s return and upload their results on the TravelSafe Declaration.
Non-residents ages 2 and older extending their stay in Puerto Rico after the sailing ends must complete a COVID-19 test within 24 hours of the ship’s return and will be provided with a test kit to meet this requirement. The results of the test must be uploaded to the TravelSafe Declaration Form within 24 hours.
Be aware that failure to submit COVID-19 test results within the timeframe will result in a $300 USD fine by the government of Puerto Rico.
Quarantine Requirements For Residents and Non-Residents
The government of Puerto Rico now requires all unvaccinated guests entering by air or ship to complete a 7-day quarantine period if they intend to remain in Puerto Rico for a time outside of their cruise. Unvaccinated guests arriving into Puerto Rico on the cruise boarding day or departing Puerto Rico on the same day of debarkation after the cruise ends, will not be required to complete the 7-day quarantine.
Pre-Cruise:
- If you arrive to Puerto Rico to join the ship on boarding day, you may go directly to the ship from the airport.
- If you arrive in Puerto Rico 1 or more days prior to your cruise, any unvaccinated guests in the travel party must remain in quarantine for those days. These guests may only leave to head directly to the cruise terminal for check-in on boarding day.
Post-Cruise:
- All unvaccinated residents must quarantine at home for 7 days upon returning from the cruise.
- Non-residents flying home on departure day do not need to quarantine. You must head directly to the airport.
- Any unvaccinated non-residents extending their stay in Puerto Rico post-cruise must quarantine for 7 days. If your flight departs prior to the completion of the 7 day quarantine, you must remain in the hotel and may only leave to proceed directly to the airport on the day of your flight.