New Covid Information Added To USA Departures Terms and Conditions Of Booking

[BadPinkTink]

https://disneycruise.disney.go.com/contracts-terms-safety/terms-conditions/united-states/
You acknowledge and agree to voluntarily assume any and all risks in any way related to exposure to COVID-19 and any other communicable or infectious disease, including illness, injury, or death of yourself or others, and including without limitation, all risks based on the sole, joint, active or passive negligence of any Disney Cruise Line or any of its employees. You acknowledge that your embarkation and participation in a cruise is entirely voluntary. By embarking and participating in a cruise you attest you are knowledgeable about your individual risk of developing severe illness if you are infected with COVID-19; you have made an informed decision about cruising based on your individual risk; and you have decided whether to consult with a health care provider based on your individual risk.

You further acknowledge and agree to abide by and consent to all COVID-19 rules, regulations, mandates and safety protocols issued by Disney Cruise Line and/or the CDC including but not limited to: (a) Submission to mandatory COVID-19 testing at such times and frequency as required by the CDC or Disney Cruise Line, which may include testing before and after your cruise; (b) submission to enhanced health screening for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or known exposure to COVID-19; (c) denial of boarding due to signs and symptoms of a possible COVID-19 infection or known exposure to COVID-19 as determined by Disney Cruise Line at its sole discretion, in accordance with CDC technical instructions or orders; (d) participation in contact tracing and data collection for COVID-19 surveillance; (e) mandatory shipboard isolation and/or quarantine at the sole discretion of the shipboard physician; (f) mandatory disembarkation and evacuation due to a suspected COVID-19 infection by you or someone else onboard your cruise. (Evacuation and disembarkation may occur in a foreign port or a port outside your original cruise itinerary); (g) post-cruise quarantine instructions; (h) mandatory daily temperature checks; (i) mandatory use of face coverings/face masks in accordance with CDC guidelines and (j) following Disney Cruise Line social distancing requirements.

You further acknowledge and agree to review any CDC travel advisory, warning, or recommendation relating to cruise travel prior to making your cruise reservation (available at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/warning/coronavirus-cruise-ship). If a threshold of COVID-19 is detected on board the cruise ship during a voyage, the voyage will be ended immediately and the ship returned to the U.S. port of embarkation, and your subsequent travel, including their return home, may be restricted or delayed.

 

[jeburrows]

This is a deal breaker for me: (f) mandatory disembarkation and evacuation due to a suspected COVID-19 infection by you or someone else onboard your cruise. (Evacuation and disembarkation may occur in a foreign port or a port outside your original cruise itinerary);

I just called Disney and their rep had no idea what I was talking about. I tried directing them to the site but they still couldn't confirm. I called twice and got the same answer "no we wouldn't force you to debark in a foreign port". I finally got someone who promised to get with a supervisor and call me back. Will report once I hear back. Note: it's not located in the actual "contract" but it is located in their "Terms and Conditions". So I assume that in order to book a cruise, you MUST agree to not only the contract but also the terms and conditions? I think this is a slim chance of happening, but who wants to take a chance on being booted off the boat in a foreign country and then having to figure out how to get back home? Sure do miss cruising, but we've decided to hold off booking until things calm down.

 

[Cheburashka]

This is a deal breaker for me: (f) mandatory disembarkation and evacuation due to a suspected COVID-19 infection by you or someone else onboard your cruise. (Evacuation and disembarkation may occur in a foreign port or a port outside your original cruise itinerary);

No way. And notice that it's not just about you- but anyone else on the cruise, your excursion, etc. being "suspected' of having Covid. Forget it.

I pay enough money for Disney cruises. I'm not going to additionally pay by giving up my peace of mind.

 

[Chrissy-Mickey]

This is a deal-breaker for me: (f) mandatory disembarkation and evacuation due to a suspected COVID-19 infection by you or someone else onboard your cruise. (Evacuation and disembarkation may occur in a foreign port or a port outside your original cruise itinerary);

This is definitely troublesomely worded. I wonder how this would work in reality. "a suspected COVID-19 infection" If you have a cough, if you have a fever, if you test possible just once on a quick test?

There's definitely a difference between suspected infection and symptoms + two tests.
Either way, I think we all expected (feared) an in-cabin quarantine, not deportation.

I had a student who had been quarantined for 20 days because both parents were positive. They tested the student 3 times spread out over that time frame and she was negative and healthy the whole time... yet she missed out on 16 school days. In other words, the blanket quarantine for everyone in contact or as would be with cruising a mandatory disembarkation is causing a lot of misery for very little reason.

Another thought: how would this affect people who are vaccinated differently from other people? A lot of people seem to be in agreement that if cruising happens at all this year, it would be the fall/winter when in theory everyone is already vaccinated (if all adults can be vaccinated by summer, surely the kids can be done by fall). Is this written with vaccinations in mind or without?

Anyway, for me, I can't say with 100% it would be a deal-breaker. If it's a short Bahamas cruise from Florida (where I can drive to port), then I think I might still consider going.

 

[BlueRibbon]

I agree that many of these words don't fill me with confidence to go out there on a cruise. You're left to the undefined mercy of DCL and/or shipboard physician.

Before, I would have said to throw me on one of the first ships out, but with these conditions, my family may just wait a little bit.

 

[Intr3pid]

You should see how much you agree to in a standard cruise contract!

Kidding aside, it's best to read these terms and conditions in context of the CDC's conditional sail order.

The CSO requires each ship to have an agreement with at least one port for evacuation, medical care, and quarantine. Normally, this should be a Florida port but can also be, say, CC, Cozumel, St Thomas, etc. It makes sense to have multi-port agreements, so you don't end up with a petri dish at sea for 7 days.

The CSO also requires each ship to have COVID testing available on board. It's not just 'suspicion' - there has to be a positive test. If those testing positive are just a few, they are isolated on board. If the number goes above a threshold, the whole ship has to make a bee line to one of the ports with which it has arranged the quarantine. You then clear the PCR test to exit the quarantine - and head home.

 

[Cheburashka]

It's not just 'suspicion' - there has to be a positive test.

The quoted guidelines do literally say "suspected Covid infection". That means if you or "someone else on your cruise" has symptoms but a negative Covid test, they can and might leave you at a foreign port. Which makes sense because doctors regularly tell symptomatic people to quarantine even though they have a negative test result.

 

[Intr3pid]

The quoted guidelines do literally say "suspected Covid infection". That means if you or "someone else on your cruise" has symptoms but a negative Covid test, they can and might leave you at a foreign port. Which makes sense because doctors regularly tell symptomatic people to quarantine even though they have a negative test result.

A positive rapid test - which you can expect on board - is generally considered a suspected COVID case until a PCR test confirms it.

 

[tvguy]

This is a deal breaker for me: (f) mandatory disembarkation and evacuation due to a suspected COVID-19 infection by you or someone else onboard your cruise. (Evacuation and disembarkation may occur in a foreign port or a port outside your original cruise itinerary);

Well, looking at what happened in March of April of last year, mandatory evacuation at ANY port may be denied by the port. That was the issue, ships with covid-19 on board couldn't dock anywhere and even when they could dock, nobody was let off the ship.

 

[gotomu212]

In the past they could have a forced disembark of your family in a foreign port if the ship medical facility determine you need medical assistance they can’t provide (there was the one that made news when a baby and family were taken off and the family didn’t agree with it) BUT back then of course it made sense to me because the risk was low that we’d have a severe medical issue and if we did of course we’d want a hospital and then when recovered could fly home.

The risk of getting CoVid though on international travel is much higher, may not be a personal medical emergency for yourself, and we have no idea how different countries will treat patients and return homes are much more complicated.

There is the potential for some real PR disasters here and serious travel disruptions. This has to be affecting demand, especially for those first time cruisers. I can’t imagine the hit they’ll take when the first ship has to return to port mid-cruise or the pictures of the family put off a ship in a foreign port emerge, assumed risk or not it’s going to out a lot of people off cruising.

 

[DCLMP]

No thanks. I'll take a hard pass.

 

[Snowwhyt]

A month ago my BFF’s daughter whom worked at a nursing home had tested positive for Covid. We shopped and prepared her apartment for virus. The teen got a second test right away since she had no symptoms and She tested negative.

I had doubts she was telling the truth because every thing I’d read told me a positive test was a positive test.

Then a week ago my DD said her University test came back as positive but she had here second vaccine a day before and she had no symptoms. She has a room by herself, runs from people who don’t wear masks, but does work as an EMT transporting Covid people from nursing homes to Hospitals and back. And mutations were mentioned as not being covered by the shot and it had been 7 days since she worked so it was possible. She decided to have lockdown in the basement over schlepping(walk in below 0 temps) with her printer and 2 weeks worth of food and clothes to a dorm 15 blocks away as per her university rules.

She wanted to get a second test to confirm the first the next morning, last Sunday, on her way home.

Lysol was set up on both sides of the door. Rubber gloves, wipes, hand sanitizer, and plastic bags for delivery. Plastic restaurant sets would be used for food and the back yard was shoveled from the garage to the basement door of its 2 feet deep of snow.

Another test was taken on Wednesday, 5 days after the positive diagnosis, Thursday came back as also negative.
So she has been told she can’t be tested for 3 months at the University because they will just come up positive. But that’s not a problem we would face with cruises.

But now I’m afraid of that Positive test while I travel. I have no idea how my BFF’s daughter got the positive test result. I suspect my daughter showed positive because she had the vaccine the day before the test.

I’m so torn in my thoughts and below is speculation and thoughts no facts. . I would like people tested and removed if positive. But only if really positive.

I’m thinking they will not test while re-boarding the ship from a port, but each port/country will want them tested before they get off ship. Makes sense. So once you get a positive, does the line of people behind you not get off the ship because the ship is now contaminated? Fetching back those that are on their way to an adventure whom were tested but Negative because there’s contamination on the ship, now must return? Rapid testing at adventure check-in because you can’t just “walk the town” any longer since there’s no town bubble?
Our next August cruise I hope to visit shops in Cozumel and George Town. All with a scooter for dad. But who knows what will be available by then??? I’m okay if we stay on ship the whole time, not so much if we are grounded to our rooms.

 

[Clojel]

A month ago my BFF’s daughter whom worked at a nursing home had tested positive for Covid. We shopped and prepared her apartment for virus. The teen got a second test right away since she had no symptoms and She tested negative.

I had doubts she was telling the truth because every thing I’d read told me a positive test was a positive test.

Then a week ago my DD said her University test came back as positive but she had here second vaccine a day before and she had no symptoms. She has a room by herself, runs from people who don’t wear masks, but does work as an EMT transporting Covid people from nursing homes to Hospitals and back. And mutations were mentioned as not being covered by the shot and it had been 7 days since she worked so it was possible. She decided to have lockdown in the basement over schlepping(walk in below 0 temps) with her printer and 2 weeks worth of food and clothes to a dorm 15 blocks away as per her university rules.

She wanted to get a second test to confirm the first the next morning, last Sunday, on her way home.

Lysol was set up on both sides of the door. Rubber gloves, wipes, hand sanitizer, and plastic bags for delivery. Plastic restaurant sets would be used for food and the back yard was shoveled from the garage to the basement door of its 2 feet deep of snow.

Another test was taken on Wednesday, 5 days after the positive diagnosis, Thursday came back as also negative.
So she has been told she can’t be tested for 3 months at the University because they will just come up positive. But that’s not a problem we would face with cruises.

But now I’m afraid of that Positive test while I travel. I have no idea how my BFF’s daughter got the positive test result. I suspect my daughter showed positive because she had the vaccine the day before the test.

I’m so torn in my thoughts and below is speculation and thoughts no facts. . I would like people tested and removed if positive. But only if really positive.

I’m thinking they will not test while re-boarding the ship from a port, but each port/country will want them tested before they get off ship. Makes sense. So once you get a positive, does the line of people behind you not get off the ship because the ship is now contaminated? Fetching back those that are on their way to an adventure whom were tested but Negative because there’s contamination on the ship, now must return? Rapid testing at adventure check-in because you can’t just “walk the town” any longer since there’s no town bubble?
Our next August cruise I hope to visit shops in Cozumel and George Town. All with a scooter for dad. But who knows what will be available by then??? I’m okay if we stay on ship the whole time, not so much if we are grounded to our rooms.

False positives is one of several reasons why I don’t think they’ll do testing on board...unless a person is symptomatic OR has a known exposure (I.e. cabin mate gets sick & tests positive). I think it’s much more likely that proof of vaccine will be required to sail and if everyone is vaccinated- the chance of an “outbreak” on board would be practically nil. Covid isn’t going away....people will still get it....but once we have the spread “controlled”, there’s no reason to be shutting down an entire cruise. We don’t turn cruises around for the flu...and the hope is that these vaccines are going to take the “bite” out of the virus - lower transmission rates, fewer hospitalizations/deaths, and just fewer cases period.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Well, looking at what happened in March of April of last year, mandatory evacuation at ANY port may be denied by the port. That was the issue, ships with covid-19 on board couldn't dock anywhere and even when they could dock, nobody was let off the ship.

That is why the CSO requires contracts for evacuation sites.

 

[lanejudy]

I had doubts she was telling the truth because every thing I’d read told me a positive test was a positive test.

You are correct that a positive test is treated as a positive -- at least until proven negative. The rapid tests have a high rate of false positives. That's why a PCR test is recommended following a positive rapid test, because the PCR test is much more accurate. The vaccine should not have "caused" a positive COVID test result; I think it was purely coincidence.

 

[hubbard53]

You further acknowledge and agree to abide by and consent to all COVID-19 rules, regulations, mandates and safety protocols issued by Disney Cruise Line and/or the CDC including but not limited to:

• (a) Submission to mandatory COVID-19 testing at such times and frequency as required by the CDC or Disney Cruise Line, which may include testing before and after your cruise; (b) submission to enhanced health screening for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 or known exposure to COVID-19;
• (c) denial of boarding due to signs and symptoms of a possible COVID-19 infection or known exposure to COVID-19 as determined by Disney Cruise Line at its sole discretion, in accordance with CDC technical instructions or orders;
• (d) participation in contact tracing and data collection for COVID-19 surveillance;
• (e) mandatory shipboard isolation and/or quarantine at the sole discretion of the shipboard physician;
• (f) mandatory disembarkation and evacuation due to a suspected COVID-19 infection by you or someone else onboard your cruise. (Evacuation and disembarkation may occur in a foreign port or a port outside your original cruise itinerary);
• (g) post-cruise quarantine instructions; (h) mandatory daily temperature checks; (i) mandatory use of face coverings/face masks in accordance with CDC guidelines and (j) following Disney Cruise Line social distancing requirements.

They sure like those words, don't they?

Um, yeah, no thanks... First, I wont hand over my freedoms AFTER a cruise to anyone just for the permission to spend thousands of dollars on "leisure". Second, I won't be tossed to the docks b/c the kid across the hall has a "suspected" case of COVID.

I'm even more convinced they are trying to DESTROY the cruise industry to meet the demands of certain environmental groups. There's no other explanation.

 

[Snowwhyt]

Nobody has it out for the cruise industry. They have it out for the virus.

 

[Snowwhyt]

You are correct that a positive test is treated as a positive -- at least until proven negative. The rapid tests have a high rate of false positives. That's why a PCR test is recommended following a positive rapid test, because the PCR test is much more accurate. The vaccine should not have "caused" a positive COVID test result; I think it was purely coincidence.

Daughters university has no exceptions if it was positive, it will be treated as positive for 3 months with no exceptions. She has submitted 2 negative tests, and they refused and will not test her for any reason for 3 months. We had to locate an offsite testing location even though the public can be tested at the University. She might see if she didn’t show her school ID but maybe use her work ID if she can get tested. Feels underhanded but would not require a drive away from campus just a 2 block walk.