Vaccinated VS Unvaccinated: The Split Cruise Experience Starting Tomorrow!

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.comn/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Earlier this year, several cruise lines wanting to restart operations in the US announced that they would only sail with vaccinated guests. However, in May, law passed in the state of Florida that bans, among other entities, businesses from asking for proof of vaccination, eliminating the potential use of a vaccine passport within the state. Florida is one of the world’s largest cruising hubs, and so the new law has presented a challenge to cruise lines. Royal Caribbean’s response to that challenge has been to divide the onboard cruise experience between vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The haves, and the have nots. When Freedom of the Seas sets sail from Miami on July 2, some of its guests will not be enjoying freedom at all. So what will it look like? Royal Caribbean released a detailed table showing which locations and venues those who are vaccinated and those who are unvaccinated can access on the ship. When it comes to dining, the unvaccinated miss out on the chef’s table, specialty restaurant Izumi, and will be relegated to deck 4 of the dining room. They will also miss out on the R Bar, the Schooner Bar, the pub and the viking crown nightclub. The indoor solarium pool and bar are also off limits. With entertainment in mind, unvaccinated guests will miss out on several key parties including the 70s, silent and red themed events. Studio B ice skating shows will be available only at select times and production shows will be viewed only from deck 4. They will also miss out on art auctions, not a loss - the casino and the casino bar. The fitness centre will only be accessible at certain hours and the spa and all of its services are also off limits. Royal Caribbean anticipates that the majority of its guests will be vaccinated, with children under 16 most likely to be unvaccinated. Where families are mixed between vaccinated and unvaccinated, they will only be able to congregate in the areas designated for the unvaccinated. Off the ship, in The Bahamas, unvaccinated guests and those travelling with them will be required to travel on a Royal Caribbean shore tour in order to disembark the ship. Everyone will have free access to Royal Caribbean’s private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay. All guests will require a mask onboard when indoors or outdoors in crowded areas with the exception of staterooms. Vaccinated guests will be able to go maskless in venues designated for their use only. In a recent addition to these rules, Royal Caribbean has mandated that all unvaccinated guests over the age of 12 provide proof of travel insurance that covers covid-19 related expenses to a minimum value of $25,000 for medical expenses and $50,000 for travel expenses. The change applies to sailings departing from August 1 through to the end of this year. I’m keen to read your thoughts, so let me know in the comments below - would you cruise on Freedom of the Seas under these conditions? Personally, something feels off about this arrangement. Even as a vaccinated guest, I just don’t know if I could anticipate how it might feel onboard. Knowing that someone standing next to me might not be able to access parts of the ship that I can. I know that there is a ship within a ship concept for suite guests on many cruise lines with special access to certain venues but that’s a perk that people pay for - in this case, it’s not adding something to the experience, but taking something away for specific people. To be clear, I don’t disagree with the action that Royal Caribbean are taking here. I think that in light of the situation and the new law, they had to act in some way to appease the state and the CDC. I’d also like to say, as an Australian, recording this from lockdown, beggars can’t be choosers and quite frankly, despite my reservations, I’d still jump onboard. Thanks for watching, and see you soon!