Disney cruise lines has stated that they will soon require all guests over the age of 5 to be vaccinated before they can sail on their ships. A lot of families are itching for a vacation, and they have been waiting for the entire pandemic to load their family up and start making magic and memories again. However, COVID-19 is still a pandemic and the US is working on making sure that everyone is vaccinated. This means that certain business, restaurants, and vacation spots are requiring their customers and guests to be vaccinated.
There is now a vaccine for children over the age of 5 years old, and it didn’t take long for there to be new restrictions for this age group. According to People and CNN, Disney cruise lines will be requiring all of their guests above the age of 5 to have their vaccine before setting sail.
The cruise line already had a vaccine mandate, but it had excluded children 5 to 11 years old because there was not a vaccine available for them yet. This new mandate will begin on January 13th, 2022. If you have children younger than that, they will be allowed to sail but with different requirements.
For anyone who is under the age of 5, Disney will require that they provide a negative test taken between 24 and 72 hours of departure. Disney is giving their guests 2 months' notice before this rule goes into place, to give parents enough time to ensure that their children are fully vaccinated before travel. A person is considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks following their second dose. Until the date of the mandate, children aged 5 to 11 will still need to submit a negative COVID-19 test within the time frame.
This mandate will start just before Disney releases their new cruise ship to the se, the Disney Wish. This new ship is sure to bring a lot of fun, new memories for families. Disney has vowed to protect their crew members and guests during this entire pandemic so it is not entirely shocking that they are requiring their guests to be vaccinated. Time will only tell how many more companies will require the vaccine for participation. Disney is clearly trying to make their cruise ships as safe as possible so that guests can make sure to focus only on having fun and sharing some magic together.