Royal Caribbean cruise to charge unvaccinated passengers extra

Cruisers of the Royal Caribbean will have to have their trip a little more expensive now due to its new policy. The passengers who are 12 years or above and are unvaccinated will have to show a proof of a travel insurance. The rule will apply from August 1, 2021 and the announcement was made on its website. It has also been mentioned that the insurance policy must be of minimum value of $25,000 in terms of covering the medical expenses and $50,000 for quarantine as well as medical evacuation that is related to a COVID-19 positive person.

The mandate will be applicable from August 1, 2021 and will continue till the end of the year. However, the passengers who have booked their respective cruises between March 19 and June 28, 2021 will be exempted from the new policy. The fresh policy has been applied after two unvaccinated passengers had tested positive for COVID-19 on the Adventure of Seas ship. The cruise was sailing with fully vaccinated people. The entire crew was vaccinated while 92 percent of the passengers were fully vaccinated.

The remaining 8 percent passengers were under 16 years old. Earlier in the month of June, even Celebrity Cruises had reported about two COVID-19 cases on its Celebrity Millennium ship. All the crew members and 95 percent of the guests were fully vaccinated. The cruise line had assured that it would be covering the expensive of the people who tested positive.

But the cruise lines in Florida are not allowed to make it mandatory to provide a proof of vaccination due to the ban on vaccine passport. So in order to cover for it, the passengers of Royal Caribbean will have to bear additional fees that would cover the COVID-19 tests that they will have to undergo. The additional fees could range between $136 to $178 and it will depend on the duration of the trip.

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