P&O and Princess Cruises announced a series of short itineraries sailing from the United Kingdom this Summer with strict corona vaccination requirements. Only British citizens are allowed to board the ships, with proof that they've been fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

Princess Cruises has announced short itineraries and week-long cruises aboard Regal Princess and Sky Princess, scheduled to sail from Southampton around the UK coast from late summer. Regal Princess will offer 14 UK voyages starting from July 31 through to September 23, 2021. Sky Princess will offer eight UK cruises, starting from August 30 through to September 28, 2021.

P&O Cruises will start sailings from the UK on its flagship Britannia this summer and week-long cruises on the lates ship Iona. These cruises will depart from Southampton between June and September, sailing around the UK coast.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: "Given recent announcements we have every hope that our guests will be able to enjoy a holiday this summer. After the stresses and challenges of the past year everyone certainly deserves a treat and this series of cruises will provide memorable and much needed UK getaways. Whilst there is still uncertainty about holidays abroad this summer, we are delighted to be able to offer our guests the ultimate escape here in the UK with the reassurance that we will take care of everything. Also, we really will look at the weather forecast each cruise and aim to take our ships where it is warm and sunny.

Vaccination is compulsory for all passengers, but not for the crew

At P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises, strict vaccination requirement initially applies to the summer cruises of the Britannia and Iona or Regal and Sky Princess, but according to the current status, it does not apply to the regular cruises planned later in the year. When it comes to the crew, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises are currently only talking about quarantine for the shipboard employees before starting work and regular PCR tests. A vaccination requirement for the crew should simply not be feasible according to the current status. This is due to the fact that the countries from which the crew mainly come, for example, Indonesia, India or the Philippines, the vaccination situation is by no means so good that seafarers can get vaccinated. And the vaccine is not yet available on the free market, so the shipping companies cannot vaccinate the crew themselves. However there are promising signs that the governments will give priority to the crew as essential workers, and the majority of the crew might receive the vaccine just before the start of these cruises.