As of September 2nd, the requirement for a full Covid-19 vaccination will no longer apply to guests aged 5 to 11 years for sailings departing from US and Canadian ports. The cruise line’s previous rule, which still extends to sailings departing through Sept. 1, required guests age 5 and older to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19. While the US Food and Drug Administration has approved Covid vaccines for children up to 6 months of age, the cruise line had not extended its requirement to younger children. With the change, the vaccination requirement will still apply to all visitors aged 12 and over. The cruise line notes that vaccinations are recommended for younger travelers. “In light of CDC guidelines, Disney Cruise Line strongly recommends that guests 11 years of age and younger be fully vaccinated prior to sailing,” the Disney Cruise Line website states. A Covid-19 test is required for all visitors, with different requirements for vaccinated and unvaccinated travellers. Fully vaccinated guests who test negative for Covid-19 one to two days prior to sailing are exempt from testing at the cruise terminal. Fully vaccinated guests who do not provide the required negative test results must be tested at the cruise terminal and will be charged for these tests. Guests who are not fully vaccinated must test negative before traveling and take a second test at the terminal before boarding, which Disney pays for. CNN Travel has reached out to Disney Cruise Line for comment on the revised policy.
More cruise lines easing Covid rules
Disney is not the only cruise line to relax Covid-19 rules, and several cruise lines are going further in relaxing protocols. Beginning September 5, Royal Caribbean will allow all travelers, regardless of vaccination status, to sail from many US ports as well as European ports. Celebrity Cruises also announced plans to ease vaccination requirements on voyages from certain ports starting on September 5. And Carnival Cruise Line has plans to allow unvaccinated guests to travel on most cruises starting Sept. 6. The moves come after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention scrapped its cruise ship tracking program in mid-July. The agency said it would continue to provide testing recommendations to cruise lines and that ships would still report Covid cases to the CDC. The CDC said cruise lines have the tools and guidance to manage their own Covid response. “In addition, cruise travelers have access to recommendations that allow them to make informed decisions about cruise travel,” the CDC said. Top image: The Disney Fantasy is pictured on Jan. 2, 2022, in Port Canaveral, Florida. (Phelan M. Ebenhack/AP)
