Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that prevents businesses from asking customers and employees about their vaccination status. This vaccine passport ban legislation has affected the cruise industry, which is an $8 billion industry in the state. However, only 24% of Floridians agree with the governor based on the statewide survey by the University of South Florida School of Public Affairs.
The survey also discovered that 43% of respondents believe that proof of vaccination should be a must for cruise ships. And also, the TripAdvisor-owned website Cruise Critic had a survey and discovered that 80% of respondents believe that both crew and passengers should be vaccinated.
Avoiding Simulated Voyage and Meeting Vaccination Threshold
Cruises will have to ensure that 95% of their passengers and their crew are fully vaccinated if cruise lines want to sail. If not, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requires them to run a simulated voyage. So far, more than 10 cruises are already approved for simulated voyages. However, a simulated voyage is an additional cost for cruise lines since this will involve non-paying passengers.
Vaccine Passport Ban Affecting Cruises
If you want an all-vaccinated cruise, it might be a good idea to stay away from Florida. According to Royal Caribbean, they are going to require passengers to be fully vaccinated with the exemption of ships coming from Florida.
However, the cruise line still wants their passengers fully vaccinated. According to the cruise line’s spokesperson, “we are strongly recommending all guests eligible for vaccines are fully vaccinated when sailing from Florida ports”. The statement added that “We expect approximately 90% of our guests will be vaccinated, based on regular surveys”.
So what if you are not vaccinated? Royal Caribbean is hoping that the additional hassles for non-vaccinated individuals will be enough reason to convince passengers to take the vaccine. The statement said that “Guests who choose not to be vaccinated or not willing to verify vaccination will be subject to testing, which will be at their expense, and additional health protocols”.
