OK folks, this is for real this time. Virgin Cruise Line announced today that it dropped its vaccine requirement. Its just a matter of time before Celebrity does. So, get your reservations for the Pirate Cruise December 1-5 while prices are still low. Major Cruise Line Drops Vaccine Requirement Daniel Kline - FridayReact33 Comments| The CDC has opened the door for all the big cruise lines to change their covid rules when it comes to testing and vaccinations. As the cruise industry has made its way back from its covid-related March 2020 through July 2021 closure, a lot of people have put off cruising until it returned to "normal." That's a relative word, however, as your normal and my normal may not be the same. Some people waited to cruise until masks were no longer required while others won't step onboard until every covid-related protocol goes away. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) stopped tracking the presence of covid on ships and issued a new set of guidelines for the cruise industry. These included recommendations that ships continue to require pre-cruise testing and for passngers to be vaccinated. Here's what the CDC currently recommends when it comes vaccines. "CDC recommends all eligible travelers be up-to-date with their COVID-19 vaccines. In addition to the protection COVID-19 vaccines provide to individual travelers in preventing severe illness or death from COVID-19, having a high proportion of travelers on board who are up to date with COVID-19 vaccines reduces the likelihood that cruise ships’ medical centers are overwhelmed by cases of COVID-19." The guidance also makes it clear that 90% is what a "high proportion" of travelers means. That number has come down from 95% and it was generally believed to be a number to account for kids too young to get vaccinated to be onboard.