If you’ve been on a cruise recently, you know how complicated the lead-up to your embarkation day can be.
Disney Wish Cruise Ship
Many cruise lines have very specific protocols regarding COVID-19 testing and vaccination statuses, and there are often a lot of steps you have to take before you can board your cruise ship and set sail. We recently shared, however, that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it would no longer regulate cruises and that COVID-19 requirements could change. Now, one cruise line is removing some of those requirements.
Virgin Voyages, a cruise line based out of Plantation, Florida, is removing the requirement that passengers submit a COVID-19 test prior to boarding.
©Virgin Voyages
According to its website, Virgin Voyages is changing its policies “in response to the discontinuation of the CDC’s Voluntary Program for the Cruise Industry.” The new policy will take effect on one ship, the Valiant Lady on July 24th, with the cruise line’s second ship, the Scarlet Lady following suit soon after on July 27th. Starting on those dates, the cruise’s COVID-19 test requirement to board will be removed.
©Virgin Voyages
All crew members will still be vaccinated, and Virgin Voyages is requiring that 90% of passengers are vaccinated on each cruise, but they are opening up the remaining 10% for passengers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Disney Cruise Line, by comparison, is still requiring 100% of vaccine-eligible guests to be fully vaccinated before they depart.
The Disney Wish
If you’re setting sail with Disney Cruise Line, all guests who are eligible to be fully vaccinated need to be vaccinated, and you will also need to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test generally no more than 2 days before your departure or test once you arrive at the terminal.
Of course, these cruise requirements could change. It’s possible that this change from Virgin Voyages could signal an incoming change from other cruise companies.
Keg and Compass bar onboard the Disney Wish
We’ll be keeping an eye on the cruise industry to see if any other cruise lines, including specifically Disney, begin to make changes to their pre-boarding protocols so make sure to stick with DFB for the latest updates.
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Mickey and Minnie at Pirate Night on the Disney Wish!
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10% don’t have to be vaccinated? No thanks. I can see the testing being dropped, but only if all are vaccinated. Vaccines are required for numerous travels even prior to covid. We were considering a Virgins cruise because of the no kids policy, but guess we’ll be putting that on hold.
Vaccination will absolutely not prevent you from catching and spreading omicron variants of COVID. The vaccine works well for older, inactive strains (like Delta), but not for new strains. Fortunately, omicron and its variants tend to produce mild symptoms. My wife caught it a month after her second booster and she shared it with me 2-3 days later. Mildest cold-like symptoms we’ve ever had (we’re both 65+). Therefore, whether the crew are vaccinated or not is a meaningless statistic. Omicron is so contagious that if you travel, then you will be exposed. Just accept that. Hopefully, we’ll all gain even more immunity from the infection.
I don’t really mind being tested In the past 2 years I have been tested 5 times and each and every time I have been negative. Is it an inconvenience to have Q tip up your nose maybe. I just think that It’s the new norm. I think with a cruise ship because you’re in such confined space I understand Disney’s reasoning for having vaccinated and tested passengers. Nothing’s a 100%But we can take a reasonable precautions. I do believe however that or that covid just like the flu it’s gonna be around.
I’d feel safer if the testing stayed – I mean everyone can get Covid, vaccinated or not so lets make sure people don’t have Covid. At this point the vaccine as nice as it can be preventing severe cases it doesn’t stop getting it or spreading it.
At least 80% of the people I know who have gone on cruises recently have come back with Covid, despite the negative tests and Covid vaccine documents provided by every guest on the cruise. These precautions don’t actually keep people from getting Covid on cruises, they just make it more stressful to get on the ship. We’ve postponed twice since 2020 because it’s just too worrying to potentially have someone test positive at the port with a family of 5.
If DCL require 100% vaccination then there is no need for testing. Just adds more stress pre-boarding.
WDW does not require a COVID test so DCL should follow the other cruise operators.
Its a pointless exercise, we’ve moved on from testing and social distancing so we have to live with it.
It’s time to move on from scare tactics. The vaccine is not a vaccine. A vaccine would eliminate a person from getting the COVID, as is the case with the Polio vaccine. The current injections simply reduce the severity of the COVID when infected. There is no vaccine for COVID at present. That being said, the testing doesn’t always catch an infected person, or no one would get the illness once onboard the ship. So, stop putting guests through all the hassle of a test. We know the risk. Require the injections — fine. Stop the testing. The entire family is stressed until finally boarding the ship.
Carnival removed all Covid testing requirements last week for all voyages 5 days or less.
All safety precautions are welcomed. Vaccines should be a must (unless a person is medically excused & if so, maybe they should reconsider such travel for their own safety). Testing before the cruise is an added layer of safety and it may not be 100% but it does catch some people who are infected. We should also remember to practice the basics: thoroughly washing your hands (you’d be surprised to know how many people don’t wash their hands), sanitize your hands when washing isn’t available; covering your mouth when you cough or cough into your elbow, and keep your distance from people when your not feeling well. Vaccines are not a cure but they help minimize one’s symptoms if someone becomes infected. Be safe & Take care!
We are all vaccinated and boosted and had negative tests 2 days before we sailed on the Wish. We all came home with COVID, but it was cold symptoms.
IMHO, everyone should have to be vaccinated, but they should eliminate testing. We have a cruise with our kids and grandkids next month and I am terrified one of our kids or grandkids will test positive and we won’t be able to go! This is already rescheduled from last year.
I’ll be watching Disney’s testing requirements closely.
Traci,
The fact that you were vaccinated with boosters and negative tests but you still got COVID just points to how pointless the vaccination requirement and tests are. The vaccine was developed for early strains of COVID. It’s quite ineffective against the current milder strains. If you go on a cruise, then you will almost certainly be exposed to the virus. Almost everyone in the country has been exposed by now. Fortunately, for most, it’s mild cold symptoms since the Omicron variants are impacting the upper respiratory system rather than the lungs.