As health and safety protocols continue to be eased in different destinations, Disney Cruise Line has updated its requirements and dropped all testing for guests setting sail from U.S. homeports, regardless of vaccination status.
The updated policy goes into effect for all sailings departing as of November 14, 2022 or later.
Disney Cruise Line No Longer Requires Tests
Guests sailing on any of Disney Cruise Line’s ships will no longer need a pre-cruise COVID-19 test, regardless of individual guests’ vaccination status.
The cruise line updated its health and safety protocols on Wednesday, November 2, with the simple statement:
“For sailings from the US beginning on or after November 14, 2022, Disney Cruise Line will no longer require Guests to be tested for COVID-19 regardless of vaccination status.”
Disney Cruise Line highly recommends, but does not require, all guests to be fully vaccinated. Similarly, face coverings are recommended for all unvaccinated guests in indoor areas onboard, but are not required.
Guests booked on Disney cruises in the next few days should note that testing is still required for unvaccinated guests, or those who are not fully vaccinated, on all sailings departing through Sunday, November 13.
Likewise, guests who are fully vaccinated must still upload their proof of vaccination through the Inspire Diagnostics Safe Passage website by midnight prior to embarkation day for all sailings departing through November 13, or else they must still provide a negative pre-cruise test result.
Where Are Disney’s Ships?
This relaxation of testing requirements will be a great relief to many travelers booked on a Disney cruise in the coming months, just as the busy Caribbean and holiday sailing seasons get underway.
After November 14, 2022, all of Disney Cruise Line’s five ships will be operating from U.S. homeports.
Disney Fantasy and the brand new Disney Wish are both sailing from Port Canaveral. Disney Fantasy is offering primarily 7-night voyages, alternating between Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, while Disney Wish is sailing 3-4-night cruises to The Bahamas, with every sailing visiting Disney Cruise Line’s private island, Castaway Cay, as well as Nassau.
Disney Dream is currently offering 4-5-night cruises from Miami, with both Bahamian and Western Caribbean itineraries available.
Disney Wonder is homeported on the west coast, at San Diego, where she is sailing 3-7-night itineraries to different popular ports in Mexico, including Ensenada, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta, depending on the cruise length and sailing date.
Disney Magic is currently repositioning, en route from New York to San Juan on a 7-night sailing that departed the Big Apple on Monday, October 31. The ship’s next two sailings will both be from San Juan, with the November 14 departure being a 6-night repositioning cruise to Galveston.
Guests on that November 14 cruise should verify pre-cruise testing protocols before their embarkation, to be sure they fully comply with the updated requirements.
Once Disney Magic begins sailing from Galveston on 5-7-night Western Caribbean cruises from November 20, the new, relaxed protocols without pre-cruise testing will apply.
All guests, regardless of departure port, cruise length, or itinerary, should note that different ports of call may have different health and safety requirements, and all visitors – including cruise ship guests – will need to comply with those requirements.
Continuing Health and Safety Protocols
While Disney Cruise Line has eased pre-cruise health and safety requirements for guests, onboard enhanced protocols remain.
These include improved air circulation with ionizing purification, more frequent sanitizing of public areas and children’s areas, enhanced stateroom cleaning between voyages, and additional crew training for proper cleaning procedures.
All Disney Cruise Line crew members are regularly tested for COVID-19 and isolated or quarantined if necessary.
Guests booked on upcoming Disney cruises should stay in close communication with the cruise line via email and text messages to be alerted to possible changes in health and safety protocols to be sure they are ready for their cruise vacation and in compliance with any updated requirements.
