Disney Cruise Line drops vaccine requirement
COVID-19 vaccinations are no longer required for passengers taking a cruise on Disney Cruise Line. The company recently made this announcement, as Disney Cruise Line officially became the final major cruise line to ease vaccination requirements on most U.S. sailings.
Modifications to cruise line COVID-19 protocols began shortly after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) ended their pandemic-era policy of publicly listing COVID-19 cases reported onboard cruise ships. Various cruise lines then began loosening their own protocols for COVID-19 beginning in July 2022.
According to Disney Cruise Line’s website, full vaccination is “highly recommended,” but not required for voyages on the Disney Wish, Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wonder. The new policy will apply for Disney Cruise Line’s newest vessel, Disney Magic, which begins sailing on November 7.
While vaccinations are not required, passengers who are unvaccinated must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test that was taken at least two days before the sail date. Accepted tests can be an observed antigen test or a lab-based PCR test. Any passengers who are five years old and under are not required to test, however. Disney Cruise Line had already dropped its vaccination requirement for child passengers between the ages of 5 and 11 in August 2022.
Implementation of this new policy will occur on a step-by-step basis rather than picking one date to implement the new procedures on all Disney Cruise Line vessels. Instead, the company has chosen to introduce the policies on a rolling basis across their fleet.
Then next vessel to implement these relaxed procedures will be the Disney Dream. The Dream will be departing from Miami, heading to the Cayman Islands and Castaway Cay, on a 5-night “Halloween on the High Seas” Caribbean cruise. Also sailing on October 15 is the Disney Dream. The vessel will be sailing from Port Canaveral, making stops at Tortola, St. Thomas, and Castaway Cay.
Shortly after the Halloween on the High Seas trips are over, Disney Cruise Line will then start their annual winter holiday themed trips, Holidays at Sea.
The Disney Wonder is scheduled to sail on October 16 from San Diego on a five-night Baja California cruise, and the Disney Magic will be sailing on November 7 from San Juan to Puerto Rico.
Disney Cruise Line’s announcement comes just as they begin their fall cruise season with their popular Halloween on the High Seas cruises in October and November. During these voyages, passengers encounter their favorite characters in Halloween costumes, enjoy a Mickey Mouse-querade Party, watch Halloween-themed movies, and hear ghostly ship announcements.
The only cruise line that is currently requiring vaccinations on U.S. sailings is Cunard Line. Cunard is a luxury British carrier that operates three ships, including the one remaining ocean liner in service. Currently, Cunard requires all adults to be updated on their COVID-19 vaccinations, including a booster shot if over 270 days have passed since their initial dose of the vaccination. They also require passengers take a COVID-19 test prior to the vessel departing.
During the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the months following, travelers have been wary of taking cruise vacations. In March 2020, the CDC issued a No Sail Order, effectively docking all cruise ships. The CDC has cautiously reauthorized cruise ships to begin sailing, first issuing a conditional sailing order, and slowly lifting restrictions. However, as time has gone by, travelers have begun to rebook their cruise vacations. After the vaccination requirements were lifted in July, travel agents and cruise companies have said that they have witnessed a notable spike in cruise bookings. Cruise executives say they do anticipate that despite the lift in requirements, most cruise passengers will be vaccinated.
After a 15-month shutdown in the cruise industry, this increase in bookings is seen as a positive step towards getting back to normal. The CDC continues to recommend that all people be up to date on their vaccinations, including booster shots, before going on a cruise. They also recommend that cruise passengers take a COVID-19 test at least three days before departure.
Disney Cruise Line is last of the major cruise companies sailing out of the U.S. to relax its COVID-19 protocols. Each cruise line has its own variation of what is required. Some require more, while others require significantly less.
“While vaccinations are not required, passengers who are unvaccinated must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test that was taken at least two days before the sail date.”
Carnival Cruise Line
Another popular cruise line that sails out of Florida ports, Carnival Cruise, requires guests who will be on one of their “vaccinated cruises” to be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to boarding a vaccinated vessel. If a vessel is not designated as a “vaccinated vessel,” these restrictions are not required. Exceptions are allowed to this rule for passengers who are 12 years old and older sailing on a Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, or Maryland-based vessel who are granted an exemption from vaccination. To be exempted they must provide proof of a doctor’s note giving the reasons why the passenger cannot be vaccinated.
For Carnival Cruises that are five days or less in length, the company no longer requires pre-cruise testing for vaccinated passengers, unless a specific port of call requires it. Carnival Cruise itineraries include several stops at ports that do require testing, including the Bahamas, Bermuda, and Grand Cayman. All passengers will be required to fill out a health screening no later than 72 hours before embarkation. They will also undergo health screenings prior to boarding. Any unvaccinated travelers going on a cruise to Bermuda will be required to purchase travel insurance. However, children who are under the age of 12 will be exempt from these requirements so long as they are traveling with vaccinated parents or guardians.
Lastly, Carnival Cruise requires both vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers who have recovered from COVID-19 within three months prior to their sailing date do not need to take the required pre-sailing COVID-19 test before embarkation. However, they must be at least 10 days past their COVID-19 infection, not have any more symptoms, and must provide proof of their full recovery from COVID-19 from their physician or a qualified healthcare provider.
Celebrity Cruises
The COVID-19 vaccine is no longer required for passengers wishing to sail on a Celebrity Cruise vessel. The vaccine is not required specifically for Celebrity cruises from the U.S. and Europe, while the vaccine is required for passengers going on sailings visiting Canada. Vaccinated passengers no longer need to take a pre-embarkation COVID-19 before boarding for sailings nine days or less. However, unvaccinated passengers are still required to take a COVID-19 test three days prior to sailing. These pre-embarkation tests can be self-tests taken at home if the sailings are from U.S. or European ports. However, self-tests are not enough to qualify for unvaccinated passengers on voyages stopping in Bermuda or Canada.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Passengers wish to sail with Norwegian Cruise Line may do so regardless of their vaccination status. The cruise line also no longer requires pre-boarding testing for passengers, regardless of vaccination status. However, depending on local government mandates for specific ports of call, testing may be required.
Royal Caribbean
Another major cruise liner that sails out of Florida ports, Royal Caribbean, is no longer requiring passengers to inform them of their vaccinated statuses. All passengers are welcome to sail with Royal Caribbean, regardless of vaccination status, with the exception of passengers sailing to Bermuda or Canada. Additionally, vaccinated travelers no longer are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test on sailings that are shorter than 10 nights long. Travelers ages five years old or older who are unvaccinated, however, will need to take a COVID-19 test with negative results within three days of boarding. Royal Caribbean will accept home tests.
Costa Cruises
Costa Cruises, an Italian cruise liner that operates some Caribbean cruises, also recently announced that they will begin allowing unvaccinated passengers onboard their ships starting October 8. A spokesperson with Costa Cruises stated that their decision was in line with what most countries, travel sectors and other businesses have decided to do in eliminating testing and vaccination requirements, as well as the fact that most of the population has either recovered from COVID-19 or has received the vaccine. They say they will continue to monitor the situation and health conditions onboard their vessels to adjust their protocols, as needed.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises no longer require passengers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 for most of their voyages. They recommend vaccinations for guests, but they are not required. However, they do require unvaccinated guests provide a negative COVID-19 test at embarkation, taken at least three days prior to the day the vessel leaves. If guests are vaccinated, they must give proof of vaccination at embarkation to be exempt from the negative test requirement. All crewmembers onboard the vessel, however, must be vaccinated and are regularly tested.
MSC has stated that if passengers test positive for COVID-19 within 14 days before the cruise leaves, the infected passenger and their traveling party will receive either a full refund or a prorated refund.
The CDC recommends that cruise lines continue to require passengers to undergo pre-embarkation testing at least three days before sailing to avoid infections from spreading onboard. Even if a cruise line does not require a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding, the CDC recommends that passengers take a COVID-19 test before leaving for their vacation. If they discover that they are infected, they are advised to notify the cruise line and to not go on the cruise.
If passengers have questions about what to expect for their upcoming cruise vacations, the CDC recommends they contact their cruise line directly.
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SOURCES:
CDC’s new cruise guidelines: Vaccination and testing are recommended, not required: Travel Weekly
Every Cruise Line’s Requirements for COVID Vaccines, Testing (travelandleisure.com)
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