It’s been over a year since the Disney parks reopened after the pandemic closures, and most things have returned to “normal.” Most restaurants have returned, gift shops are reopening, and — maybe most exciting of all — character hugs are BACK! Well…not everywhere.
Meeting Mickey!!
On some Disney cruise ships, the characters have continued to practice physical distancing during meet-and-greets. However, that’s about to change.
Disney has confirmed that ALL character meet-and-greets on Disney cruise ships will return to normal by August 29th, 2022. That means you’ll be able to hug the characters and ask for their autographs once again. Some of the ships have already started the process of returning these meet-and-greets to normal, but others — including the Disney Wish — have held off.
Mickey and Minnie on the Wish!
However, if you’re going on a cruise after August 29th, you’ll be able to hug Mickey and your other Disney friends while on board.
Belle aboard the Disney Wish!
Recently, the CDC announced that they were ending their COVID-19 cruise regulations, meaning that every cruise company can now decide its own policy regarding vaccinations and testing. So far, Disney has kept their COVID-19 testing policy, but they have made some changes to vaccination requirements.
The Disney Wish
Starting on September 2nd, kids younger than 12 years old will not be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to board. (Currently, all guests ages 5 and older are required to be vaccinated.)
Disney Magic
We’ll continue to watch for more updates about the Disney Cruise Line, so stay tuned to DFB for all the latest news!
Click here to see the COVID-19 testing and vaccination policies for EVERY major cruise line.
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Are you going on a Disney cruise soon? Let us know in the comments.
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Disney needs to play catch up with the industry by removing some of the Covid restrictions still in place. I am booked for the Wish in October and would be sad if the restrictions are still in place.