In late September, Disney Cruise Line indicated that it would ease the COVID-19 testing requirements for the majority of its ships.
Its position on vaccinations, which was already evolving to allow more unvaccinated youngsters to sail, has not changed as a result of the modification to its health safety procedures that was made public on Monday.
But as far as pre-cruise testing is concerned, beginning on September 23, vaccinated guests sailing on the new Disney Wish, Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, and Disney Wonder out of Port Canaveral, PortMiami, and the West Coast, will be able to board without it. The same is true for Disney Magic, which will return to the United States on November 7 after being in Europe.
As previously stated, DCL continues to require vaccinations for passengers 5 and older, but will start requiring them for those 12 and older as of September 2.
For the time being, both vaccinated and unvaccinated passengers are still required to present the results of a COVID-19 test that was conducted within 1-2 days for those who have not received the vaccine and between 1-3 days for those who have, at their own expense. Both unvaccinated passengers and any vaccinated passengers who did not get tested beforehand must undergo a free terminal test before boarding; however, vaccinated passengers who elect to have an on-site test are responsible for paying for it.
The vaccinated, however, will no longer be required to take a second test at the terminal to board if they test ahead of time, and the unvaccinated passengers will no longer be required to do so for its four U.S.-based ships beginning September 23.
Compared to other cruise lines, DCL has taken longer to relax its vaccination and testing policies. As of the beginning of September, the majority of the major cruise lines have removed the requirement for pre-cruise testing for those who have been immunized and have opened up sailings to anyone who has not been immunized.
Following the U.S., cruise lines started to alter their policies. In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention formally ended their COVID-19 monitoring program.
After the pandemic broke out in March 2020, the cruise industry was shut down for about a year and a half, with multiple outbreaks centered on cruise ships. In an effort to get cruise lines back in operation and out from under the CDC’s no-sail order, the industry collaborated with the CDC to devise a number of safety precautions.
The first ships sailed from American ports in the summer of 2021, and it took the cruise lines until the beginning of spring 2022 to put the majority of their fleets back into operation.