Coronavirus (COVID-19): domestic cruise ship travel
Guidance on domestic cruise travel during the coronavirus outbreak.
Domestic cruises
Domestic cruises depart from and return to UK ports. They may operate beyond UK waters, but are currently restricted to UK port calls and carrying residents from the UK and the Common Travel Area (Jersey, Guernsey, Isle of Man and Ireland) only.
Passengers from outside England should check their local travel restrictions before making travel plans.
Coronavirus restrictions
Coronavirus restrictions apply in England.
Roadmap out of lockdown
The government has announced its plans to ease lockdown restrictions.
Roadmap step 3 – from 17 May
Domestic cruises are permitted in England under step 3 of the roadmap out of lockdown.
Domestic cruises can operate with up to 1,000 people or 50% capacity, whichever is lower. This capacity limit applies to passengers only.
COVID-secure guidance applies. Groups of more than 6 people or 2 households will not be allowed to mix indoors – whether or not they originally booked in the same group.
Roadmap step 4 – no earlier than 21 June
By step 4, the government hopes to remove all legal limits on social contact. This includes lifting capacity limits for domestic cruises.
Booking a domestic cruise
When booking a UK domestic cruise that calls/docks outside of England, you should:
- Check that the cruise activity is permitted in the UK nations you plan to visit.
- Ensure that you understand the relevant public health and pre-travel information about mitigating the risk of COVID-19 that your travel agent or cruise operator provides at the time of booking.
- Get travel insurance, and make sure you are content with the level of cover it provides. If you already have travel insurance check it is valid and provides appropriate cover.
- Familiarise yourself with the UK Chamber of Shipping COVID-19 guidance for passengers.
You must not travel if you have been advised that you must self-isolate by the NHS test and trace service or you are:
- experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms
- self-isolating as a result of COVID-19 symptoms
- sharing a household or support bubble with somebody who has experienced COVID-19 symptoms in the last 14 days
International cruises
International cruises are cruises which begin, end, or call at ports outside of the UK. The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advises against international sea-going cruise travel based on the latest public health medical advice.
FCDO advice against cruises applies to international travel on a ship that is exclusively for pleasure or recreation, providing overnight accommodation and other leisure facilities such as entertainment venues or swimming pools. Their advice does not include ferries or privately-rented boats.
For the latest guidance on international cruises please visit FCDO travel advice.
The UK government’s approach to restarting international cruises is set out in the Global Travel Taskforce report.
UK Chamber of Shipping COVID-19 framework for cruise operations
The UK Chamber of Shipping have published detailed COVID-19 guidance for cruise passengers, operators and seafarers:
- Framework for UK cruise operations during COVID-19: passengers (PDF, 342KB, 8 pages)
- Framework for UK cruise operations during COVID-19: operators (PDF, 547KB, 26 pages)
- Framework for UK cruise operations during COVID-19: management of seafarers (PDF, 326KB, 7 pages)
Last updated 18 May 2021
