Disney Cruise Line is now requiring everyone over five to be fully vaccinated in order to board.
The company updated their policy on Wednesday, announcing the requirement which will go into effect on Jan. 13 and will apply to all trips, domestic and international.
Trips departing before the mandate begins will require pre-departure COVID-19 testing, which will continue to apply indefinitely for children four years old and under.
A statement on the company’s website says that “currently, Disney Cruise Line continues to require all vaccine-eligible Guests (based on US eligibility requirements) to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at the time of sailing.”
“This will be a requirement for all Guests (US and international) ages 5 and up for sailings beginning on or after January 13, 2022. Guests who are not vaccine-eligible because of age must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by the Guest) taken between 3 days and 24 hours before their sail date,” the statement continues. “Guests ages 5 through 11 may complete this testing requirement in lieu of being fully vaccinated for sailings that depart before January 13, 2022. Guests 4 years of age and under must complete the testing requirements. The test should be a NAAT test, rapid PCR test or lab-based PCR test.”
Disney Cruise Line added that rapid antigen tests will not be accepted.
The chief executive officer of Royal Caribbean, Richard Fain, told the Los Angeles Times that his company will soon be following suit — though they have not released a mandate for children yet.
“I think we’re moving in the direction where every cruise will have 100 percent of the crew vaccinated and 95 or more percent of the guests,” he said at a media event on board Odyssey of the Seas, a cruise ship owned by Royal Caribbean.
