COVID-19 requirements are changing on a variety of cruise lines.
The Disney Wish
We’ve already seen some major cruise lines drop their testing requirements or otherwise change their rules, but now another major cruise line is changing things in a big way.
According to the Carnival Cruise Line COVID-19 guest protocols website, some changes are coming to their COVID-19 vaccine requirements for cruises departing on September 6th or later.
Under the updated rules, vaccinated cruises will have to keep providing evidence of their vaccination status before embarking. But pre-cruise testing is no longer required (except for cruises that travel to Canada, Bermuda, Greece, and Australia, and on cruises that are 16 nights or longer).
©Carnival
What about unvaccinated guests? Well, unvaccinated individuals will be welcome to sail, and they won’t have to apply for a vaccine exemption anymore (except for cruises that go to Australia or cruises that are 16 nights or longer).
But keep in mind that unvaccinated cruisers or those who don’t provide proof of their COVID-19 vaccination will have to present the results of a negative PCR or antigen COVID-19 test that was taken within 3 days of embarkation.
©Carnival
When it comes to kids, Carnival notes that those under the age of 5 are exempt from vaccine and testing requirements from the U.S. (it’s those under the age of 12 from Australia).
Again, this only applies for cruises leaving on or after September 6th, 2022. And remember that rules are subject to change again.
©Carnival
These changes from Carnival and others follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s announcement that it would no longer regulate cruises.
Royal Caribbean is getting ready to implement some changes on its ships as well. For cruises departing from California, Louisiana, and Texas, new rules will go into effect on September 5th. Starting on that day, vaccination will not be required for cruises departing from those ports.
©Royal Caribbean
When it comes to Disney Cruise Line, no testing or vaccination requirement changes have been made yet. Disney still requires ALL vaccine-eligible guests (based on U.S. standards) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time they sail. This applies to all guests ages 5 and up.
Additionally, fully-vaccinated guests on cruises leaving from U.S. or Canadian ports have to provide the results of a negative COVID-19 test (taken no more than 2 days before the sail date) to be exempt from the embarkation testing. There are other requirements for those who are 4 and younger.
Disney Wish
Cruise requirements could continue to change. Be sure to check and see what rules are in place ahead of your sailing. For more details on the COVID-19 testing and rules for the Disney Wish Cruise Ship, click here. And click here to learn about some COVID-19 testing mishaps to avoid on the Disney Wish.
What You Need to Know About Disney Cruise Line
Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox! Click here to Subscribe
Are you planning on cruising soon? Tell us in the comments.
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
Disney updated their regulations this morning…
Just got this email today:
“Beginning September 2, 2022, for sailings departing U.S. and Canadian ports, Disney Cruise Line will only require Guests ages 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of sailing, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In consideration of CDC guidance, Disney Cruise Line highly recommends that Guests ages 11 and younger be fully vaccinated before sailing.”
It goes on with some other details, but that’s the gist of it.