Royal Caribbean requiring unvaccinated Florida passengers to pay $136 for testing
Cruise line also notes 'there will be venues and events restricted to vaccinated guests only'
Acute care physician Dr. Nina Radcliff reacts to two passengers testing positive on the first fully-vaccinated Royal Caribbean cruise.
Royal Caribbean announced that unvaccinated passengers from Florida will have to pay testing fees and undergo other restrictions after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order that banned businesses from using vaccine passports in the state.
The cruise line's new guidelines also come after a federal judge struck down the CDC's "no sail order" on Friday, which effectively means the agency can't require that all cruise passengers be vaccinated.
That doesn't mean that unvaccinated passengers won't face more restrictions when Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas ship sets out from Miami next week though.
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The cruise line said that they "strongly recommend all guests 16 and older be fully vaccinated," and passengers will be asked to present their COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card upon boarding the ship.
Vaccinated guests won't have to undergo any testing, but unvaccinated guests age 2 or older will have to undergo multiple tests before and during the trip.
Royal Caribbean's Odyssey of the Seas will take off from Fort Lauderdale next month. (Royal Caribbean)
Unvaccinated guests are also responsible for a $136 fee that will go to a third-party testing vendor. Testing for guests between the ages of 2 and 15 will be complimentary.
Royal Caribbean also notes that "there will be venues and events restricted to vaccinated guests only."
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In the main dining room, the ship will have designated areas for vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers.
As for entertainment on the cruise, certain showtimes will be set aside for vaccinated guests only, while other shows will be available to anyone.
Royal Caribbean has previously said that it expects about 90% of Florida passengers to be vaccinated by the time ships start sailing in July.
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Freedom of the Seas just completed its trial cruise to test its safety protocols and will set off from Miami on July 2 for the first time in over a year.
Another one of Royal Caribbean's ships, Odyssey of the Seas, was supposed to take off from Fort Lauderdale on July 3, but had that date pushed back to late July after eight crew members tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month.