Unvaccinated people to pay more for some cruises

ByJeff Ehling KABC logo
Thursday, July 1, 2021
If you're not vaccinated, it might cost you more to cruise
The cost of cruising is going up if you are unvaccinated. Here's what to know.

The cost of cruising is going up if you are unvaccinated.

Starting in August, passengers on Royal Caribbean leaving from Florida who are not vaccinated will be required to carry extra insurance.

The company says unvaccinated passengers will need to carry a minimum travel insurance policy of $25,000 to cover medical expenses, and they must also carry a $50,000 policy to cover quarantine and evacuation expenses.

The medical policy can cost about $100 per passenger, and the evacuation policy can cost up to $200 per passenger.

Cruise industry experts say the companies are changing policies quite often, so it's important for passengers to keep up.

"Every cruise and every destination has its own requirements these days, and so it is not a blanket kind of story. So you have to be specific about each cruise. It is a challenge to know where you stand on that before you decide to get excited about going somewhere," said Don DePasquale of Cruise Planners.

Both Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are requiring unvaccinated passengers to pay for their own COVID-19 tests and wear masks while on board.

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