Uhm....Bahamas is now requiring vaccinations for all passengers over 12..

[kathi]

Doubt it because it does not actually matter for either FL law or Bahamian rules.

Correct, but it might matter form a PR perspective.

 

[jrapps]

So, since I lost my first bet on a Friday announcement (what was I thinking?!?!) anyone thinking will know something before noon today? Or later in the week?

I was kind of hoping to wake up this morning and see an already updated " know before you go" website.

Maybe 10:00 a.m.? Maybe noon?

Maybe next week? LOL

 

[LadyGrace]

This thread makes me want a facepalm reaction on here... lol Hopefully we will hear soon. I also have a cruise leaving in 10 days (9/3 of course) so this waiting is torture!

 

[JayhawkCruiser]

I was kind of hoping to wake up this morning and see an already updated " know before you go" website.

Maybe 10:00 a.m.? Maybe noon?

Maybe next week? LOL

My original guess was 9/2, but now I’m revising that to 9/3 and we’ll know when we arrive at port.

 

[Lewisc]

Doubt it because it does not actually matter for either FL law or Bahamian rules.

It might give FL a "reason" to modify vaccination policies.

 

[Pooh93]

My first time to check in here today......only about 49 to go!

C'mon DCL let people know the plan!!!!

 

[jrapps]

I emailed Inspire this morning to ask if there have been any change in the vaccination requirement... My thought process here was if they were gearing up to make it announcement that inspire must have been notified by now and maybe they would leak it a bit early.

Nope. I got the same standard form response Disney is not requiring vaccines for anybody. Honestly the answer does not surprise me, but also doesn't give me any confidence that we will hear something from Disney today at all.

 

[jrapps]

This thread makes me want a facepalm reaction on here... lol Hopefully we will hear soon. I also have a cruise leaving in 10 days (9/3 of course) so this waiting is torture!

We're on the same cruise!

Maybe!

 

[hollnagelc]

There are some cruisers whose children will be turning 12 just before their cruise. So those children will not be permitted to get the vaccine until after their 12th birthday but then that is too close to their sail date for the vaccine to be considered fully in effect. You might think that doesn't effect that many people but on each sailing there is an entire area of the ship dedicated to tweens, and there are many sail dates. So that's a lot of families that are affected. Considering the fact that the rules go into effect in less than one month, we would think DCL would be forthcoming in their plans.
Our kids are grown and don't want to travel with us anymore but I feel for people who are between a rock and a hard place.

This is the situation we are in for our Christmas Cruise. One of our sons turn 12, 15 days before our sailing.

 

[ThinkTink1]

Sounds like it's going to apply to Castaway Cay....so if DCL wants to keep cruising, they're going to have to change course and mandate vaccines for 12+. Unless there's something I'm missing or a work around.

I am on the Dream now and about to start a back to back and our serving team was discussing this and you are absolutely right that this will effect Castaway Cay too! They were saying DCL had not discussed the next steps with them so who knows… maybe non vaccinated will have to stay onboard?? Of course this will also effect every other cruise line that used a Bahamian island as their private island m, so at least DCL will not be in this alone…

 

[hollnagelc]

I am on the Dream now and about to start a back to back and our serving team was discussing this and you are absolutely right that this will effect Castaway Cay too! They were saying DCL had not discussed the next steps with them so who knows… maybe non vaccinated will have to stay onboard?? Of course this will also effect every other cruise line that used a Bahamian island as their private island m, so at least DCL will not be in this alone…

We just got off this morning! Enjoy your back to back!

 

[jrapps]

Okay so I have a radical new theory which might explain why we have not heard anything yet.

As we know Disney takes their sweet old time in making and communicating decisions. They are also known to massively overcompensate from a PR perspective.

What if Disney were to announce vaccines are required in order to comply with Bahamian law. Anybody within 30 days of sailing who is not vaccinated and thus cannot sail gets a full refund and a voucher for 25% off any future cruise that can be used once vaccines are no longer required (Even if that spills past 2022)

If they were even contemplating something like this they'd be looking at all the data trying to figure out how many of these vouchers they'd be giving away which of course will take time.

 

[sethschroeder]

Asked chat and they just stated they didnt know when info would be released on the Bahama rule changes.

 

[sethschroeder]

Anybody within 30 days of sailing who is not vaccinated and thus cannot sail gets a full refund and a voucher for 25% off any future cruise that can be used once vaccines are no longer required (Even if that spills past 2022)

I would say they would need to offer it to the full ship not just those not vaccinated IMO. They just dropped the Fantasy from a 7 night to a 4 night and didn't give anything except for a refund who would not be happy with that.

 

[jrapps]

I would say they would need to offer it to the full ship not just those not vaccinated IMO. They just dropped the Fantasy from a 7 night to a 4 night and didn't give anything except for a refund who would not be happy with that.

Why offer to the entire ship? If your cruise isn't impacted, say the cruise still goes and is still a double dip, no need to compensate people who are not inconvenienced in some way.

The Fantasy obviously was different, everyone was impacted.

Reason I think this warrants a bigger response is the political nature of it. They want to avoid the bad publicity around the vaccine issue, just like they avoided bad press on the first sailing back by giving free cruises to people who can't read.

 

[orum]

I would say they would need to offer it to the full ship not just those not vaccinated IMO. They just dropped the Fantasy from a 7 night to a 4 night and didn't give anything except for a refund who would not be happy with that.

They are still different. In one case you can’t possibly sail, but in the other, you can still choose to. (Even if the change is material.)

 

[sethschroeder]

Why offer to the entire ship? If your cruise isn't impacted, say the cruise still goes and is still a double dip, no need to compensate people who are not inconvenienced in some way.

Because it is not fair in that because people chose not to get vaccinated they now can wait. Flip side those possibly now concerned because of recent CDC changes, Delta spike, and other aspects as to why they would prefer to delay.

Additionally even when you could cancel the Dream back in July it was just a refund nothing more if I am not mistaken.

 

[sethschroeder]

They are still different. In one case you can’t possibly sail, but in the other, you can still choose to. (Even if the change is material.)

Actually you can sail in every instance if you choose to. Unless you are stating the Bahamas are not allowing health based exemption from the vaccination requirement. Seems Carnival at least is still allowing you to request an exemption from vaccination requirements so seems they think there is an exception ability based on medical or other things.

Pretty much the only group not able to choose to be ready to sail would be kids just turning 12.

 

[jrapps]

Because it is not fair in that because people chose not to get vaccinated they now can wait. Flip side those possibly now concerned because of recent CDC changes, Delta spike, and other aspects as to why they would prefer to delay.

Additionally even when you could cancel the Dream back in July it was just a refund nothing more if I am not mistaken.

I see that, but for those on the first sailing back who "didn't know" that they had to PCR their kids 5 days before, they got a full refund and a free cruise. I'd call that not fair.

I don't think Disney cares about fair, I think they care about 1) maximizing profit with 2) the least PR blowback while 3)keeping their customers happy. In. That. Order.

 

[ThinkTink1]

We just got off this morning! Enjoy your back to back!

Thank you!! Sitting in Pub right now… j I’mthis a on our bucket list!!