September 14, 2021, will be a banner day when St. Kitts and Nevis welcomes the Celebrity Equinox back to Port Zante. Officially a stop on their 2021/2022 itinerary, the Celebrity Equinox is part of the fleet of Celebrity Cruises, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean Group, announced Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports.
 

At present, the minimum protocols for any cruise ship visiting in St. Kitts & Nevis include:

• All cruise passengers age 12 and older must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 with a World Health Organization (WHO) or U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved vaccine in order for the ship to be allowed entry to the port. Emergency contractors required for critical ship maintenance can be exempted of the vaccination requirement as well as any medical / religious exemptions granted pursuant to applicable law (i.e., US law). This requirement will be in effect until December 31, 2021
• Individuals are considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after a single dose in a one-dose series (only Johnson and Johnson vaccine in this instance) or last dose in a two-dose series (Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca/Oxford, Sinopharm or Sinovac)
• All fully vaccinated passengers age 12 and older must submit a negative RT PCR test or Antigen test approved by the WHO 72 hours/3 days before embarkation of vessel at homeport at the beginning of the cruise
• Unvaccinated passengers over the age of 12 must submit a negative RT PCR test 72 hours/  days within embarkation of vessel at homeport at the beginning of the cruise
• Unvaccinated passengers must be tested by the cruise line at the terminal on the day of embarkation at homeport before the beginning of the cruise using a RT PCR test to confirm a negative COVID - 19 status
• 95 % of all crew onboard the vessel must be fully vaccinated as per CDC guidelines. All crew servicing guests onboard the vessel must be fully vaccinated
• Self-samples, or unsupervised (not administered by approved medical professional) home test kits, and test with oral swabs, and RT PCR test with oral swabs will be considered invalid
• Individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are not to board the vessel

The Celebrity Equinox leaves Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, September 5, 2021, on a 13-day itinerary that includes St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia, Dominica, St. Maarten and St. Kitts and returns to Fort Lauderdale on Friday, September 17, 2021.