Caribbean cruises resume with ‘second class’ non-vaccinated guests

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Royal Caribbean’s 4,275-passenger “Freedom of the Seas” has resumed cruises from Miami to the Bahamas with two classes of passengers on board: those who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have not.

Those vaccinated, identified with special wristbands, have full access to the ship’s services; those unprotected against the coronavirus cannot even enter the sushi bar, casino or spa.

The “Freedom of the Seas” is the first ship to sail off the United States without the need for vaccination, and also the first to leave Miami, the country’s cruise capital.

Despite the city’s influence in the cruise industry, it has also proven to be a difficult place for business to pick up, as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has barred companies from demanding vaccination cards.

“The cruise experience benefits from being improvisational,” says Jukka Laitamaki, a tourism marketing expert and professor at NYU’s Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Professional Studies’ School of Hospitality. “Cruise travelers are typically free to go wherever they want, do whatever they want, as well as friends. But unvaccinated Freedom passengers will find this too restrictive.”

“The cruise lines’ worst nightmare is having separate areas for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers,” says Laitamaki.

The system has proven necessary. Even on cruises with strict Covid-19 vaccination requirements for adults, issues have arisen. In late June, Royal had to pay to repatriate 2 unvaccinated teenagers with positive tests – and their families – from the Bahamas.

The Celebrity cruise line also had an incident with 2 asymptomatic travelers testing positive on a cruise in St. Maarten. Even vaccinated people can become infected with the coronavirus.

Two-class system

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rules for cruise companies require lines to enforce mask use and social distancing when unvaccinated travelers are on board. But companies try to be discreet about the finer points.

Royal Caribbean’s list of restrictions for the “Freedom of the Seas,” published in mid-June, applies to all of the ship’s July trips – and probably to four other ships the line plans to send from Florida in the northern hemisphere summer, with capacity for up to 6,680 passengers.