DCL Has Their Protocol Out!!!

HAHA! No thanks!

The appeal of cruising is a laid back, care free experience and this is anything BUT!

Kids club once a day? No ping pong? No Basketball?

So what exactly are the kids going to do? crowd together in the halls? steep in the pools?

Actually, they won't be able to go to the pool either because of limited capacity.

We stayed at a very nice hotel last year before the vaccines came out and they had the same thing. You had to reserve a 1 hour 45 minute slot at the pool, then everything was cleaned for 15 minutes before they let the next group in. With something like that, there is no guarantee you can even book a time. And even if you can get a time, it may collide with something else on your schedule.
 
i believe that’s still the date. I have several placeholder cruises booked that have been moved multiple times, but the last two landed in august/September to make a two 7-night b2b,unless we can push one out further. But I’m ok with it. 14 night eastern/western sounds good.

I don't have FCC, but I was informed that my placeholder extended expiration day is the same as the FCC date.
 
I was curious about the logic behind this. Does anyone know? I'm wondering how late the luggage will arrive given we are arriving later?

Good Question!

Hope it's not too late. My family always wear the clothes we wear to our first night's dinner (I always expect our luggage to be late) and we're on second/late dining seating, perhaps this would be more important to do for those with early dining seating.
 


I think they’re sanitising the bags - the guidance was the same on the UK sailings and that was why. What that involved I have no clue though.

I was thinking the same thing...even though it's just the outside of the luggage, I guess it's better than not sanitizing it at all.
 
Maybe I missed this before but if you book your next trip onboard there is a 20 percent discount now? We sail on the Sept 04 Fantasy and that would be nice to grab.
No, I don't believe the OBB has increased recently. More likely the poster you quoted had his figures mixed up a bit (FCC is +25%, OBB is 10% discount).
 


What DCl doing is very similar to MSC and they’ve been successfully sailing for a year. The only difference is everyone gets a rapid test before sailing and msc pays for it. Unvaccinated have to have a Covid test 72 hours before which is more costly with the short turn around time. The 5 days is much easier.

To anyone that’s interested you probably could do it much cheaper than the 98.00 dollars. Most of my free weekly Covid tests I have had come back in 24 hours and this was through CVS.

There is a place near WDW that does same day PCR results, but they charge 279. They have a 24 hour turn around for around 150. It might be worth looking into if you are visiting WDW before the cruise.

You make my point. MSC has been using these protocols because there was no vaccine. Now there is one for adults and DCL is basically ignoring it and is going to end up sailing with god knows how many unvaccinated adults. I'm sure they won't tell you the percentage for each cruise.

And remember these protocols are for the Dream and Castaway Cay. Even Nassau is not going to let DCL bring a ship full of unvaccinated people there. No way will the Fantasy be able to sail its itineraries like this because most ports probably won't allow them to sail there. And even if they did, it would be DCL tours only and no contact with anyone else on the island, just like CCL is doing for non-vaccinated guests.
 
I would assume that your assigned breakfast time aligns to an assigned disembarkation time. They don't want a mob scene in the lobby trying to get off if they are promoting distancing.

I hope so. Masks would be important in this situation.

And announcing each character group to disembark would be more important to promote safe distance.
 
I was curious about the logic behind this. Does anyone know?
DCL says that they will be sanitizing all checked-in luggage:

Luggage
We strongly recommend all bags and luggage be checked in. All checked luggage will undergo a sanitation process.

Aside from that, it could just be that the staterooms open later than usual (4pm instead of 1pm), so they don't want guests angry about having to lug their bags around, and/or clogging up the hallways and stairwells waiting.
 
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I hope so. Masks would be important in this situation.

And announcing each character group to disembark would be more important to promote safe distance.
If they're NOT enforcing set disembark times, that seems like a ridiculous oversight to me.
 
You make my point. MSC has been using these protocols because there was no vaccine. Now there is one for adults and DCL is basically ignoring it and is going to end up sailing with god knows how many unvaccinated adults. I'm sure they won't tell you the percentage for each cruise.

And remember these protocols are for the Dream and Castaway Cay. Even Nassau is not going to let DCL bring a ship full of unvaccinated people there. No way will the Fantasy be able to sail its itineraries like this because most ports probably won't allow them to sail there. And even if they did, it would be DCL tours only and no contact with anyone else on the island, just like CCL is doing for non-vaccinated guests.
The unvaccinated people will be tested twice for Covid. The vaccinated as we know can still get and spread Covid. That is probably why MSC tests everyone. DCL has decided to test only the unvaccinated. The ports are allowing MSC cruise ships. Unvaccinated must do ship-sponsored excursions. Vaccinated can do whatever they please in port. MSC and DCL are family cruise lines. That's their demographic and that's the route they've decided to take. Many of the other cruiselines are not allowing kids. If you want a vaccinated-only cruise you have plenty of options.
 
I was curious about the logic behind this. Does anyone know? I'm wondering how late the luggage will arrive given we are arriving later?
I thought this was interesting! DCL's site says this now: "
Picking Up Your Luggage
You may take your luggage with you when you debark the ship or place your luggage outside your stateroom
on the last night of your voyage between 8:30 PM and 10:30 PM for delivery to the ship's terminal." I do not see the language relating to "strongly recommended" on the debarkation page.
 
Not sure why you're so outraged? I can't speak for the OP, but it's not unreasonable for someone who might be fully vaccinated and not wearing masks in their daily life anymore to not want to spend their hard earned vacation dollars and vacation time on something that feels like a "step backward.". Everyone has different deal breakers and this is just one for many people.
The masks on DCL will eventually go away just like the vaccine mandates on other cruise lines. You have to find something that works for you or just wait a while.
 
I just hope for disembarking you can schedule it instead of just randomly be given a time for breakfast and for disembarking.
 
I just hope for disembarking you can schedule it instead of just randomly be given a time for breakfast and for disembarking.

You have never "randomly" been given a time on DCL for debarkation day breakfast. Your time is based on your seating for dinner. Early dinner, early breakfast and debarkation. Late dinner, later breakfast and debarkation.
 
DCL says that they will be sanitizing all checked-in luggage:

Luggage
We strongly recommend all bags and luggage be checked in. All checked luggage will undergo a sanitation process.

Aside from that, it could just be that the staterooms open later than usual (4pm instead of 1pm), so they don't want guests angry about having to lug their bags around, and/or clogging up the hallways and stairwells waiting.
Disney was so slow at delivering bags pre-covid. Sanitizing bags seems a little overkill to me. Hotels and airlines don't do that. I didn't think Covid lived on surfaces anyway.
 
Disney was so slow at delivering bags pre-covid. Sanitizing bags seems a little overkill to me. Hotels and airlines don't do that. I didn't think Covid lived on surfaces anyway.
The CDC did revise their guidelines on sanitizing / cleaning surfaces earlier in the year, essentially saying Covid is transmitted via the airborne particles, not surface contact. I think it's just Disney being cautious. Seems like overkill to me too...

https://www.yahoo.com/now/end-the-hygiene-theater-cdc-says-173440864.html
 
I think they’re sanitising the bags - the guidance was the same on the UK sailings and that was why. What that involved I have no clue though.
DCL says that they will be sanitizing all checked-in luggage:

Luggage
We strongly recommend all bags and luggage be checked in. All checked luggage will undergo a sanitation process.

Aside from that, it could just be that the staterooms open later than usual (4pm instead of 1pm), so they don't want guests angry about having to lug their bags around, and/or clogging up the hallways and stairwells waiting.
Thanks for the info. That's interesting. I'm not sure how we are supposed to shower and change for dinner if we have nothing with us though. Clothes, make up, hair products, flat iron, etc... Not to mention they make you carry on waters and such...Yikes! I hope they do let you carry on your carry ons like usual.
 
Disney was so slow at delivering bags pre-covid. Sanitizing bags seems a little overkill to me. Hotels and airlines don't do that. I didn't think Covid lived on surfaces anyway.
I thought I was the only one to catch this. Sanitizing? When they are going to be touched/handled
again? I wonder if they have a machine? Or just spraying down with lysol ? lol

Have to hand it to them. They are trying to cover all the bases.:D
 

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