How New Vaccine Guidance Could Impact Your Disney Cruise Line Trip

Cruise ships have begun sailings once again following a lengthy hiatus due to the pandemic. Even with cruising coming back, there are many health protocols in place for the safety of the crew as well as passengers.

©Carnival Cruise Line

For travelers looking to sail on a cruise ship in the coming months, additional considerations and guidance could be put into effect for sailings with stops in the Bahamas.

A new Emergency Powers put forward by the Bahamas Customs Department states that a cruise ship which is on a passenger voyage may not enter a port in the Bahamas (including private stops) unless the Captain or Master of the ship transmits a vaccination status for all people onboard to the Port Medical Officer, including verification that everyone ages 12 and older is vaccinated, and that the cruise ship is complying with all health protocols.

Goofy at Castaway Cay

There will be some exceptions available for crew, contractors, and non-revenue passengers onboard, as well as ships that are attempting to call a port in an emergency. Exceptions may also be available for passengers who are ineligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine due to medical reasons.

Disney Wonder

This new measure would be in effective from September 3rd until November 1st. At this time, it is not clear yet how Disney Cruise Line would specifically adopt and enforce this guidance, including stops at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, which is located in the Bahamas.

Disney Wonder ©Disney

As of this writing, Disney Cruise Line “strongly encourages” passengers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 prior to sailing; guests who are not vaccinated will be required to have at least two COVID-19 tests.

We’ll keep a close watch on this new guidance coming out of the Bahamas and we will let you know as soon as we learn more about how this could impact future sailings on Disney Cruise Line and other major cruise companies.