Vaccines now mandatory 12 and up for Disney cruises

[Groucho]

Currently the order ends on November 1, so your sailing isn't impacted. Yet.

Yeah, I understand that, but the chances of the Bahamas order not being extended are pretty close to 0% I should think. But if they are trying to tread carefully around Florida's law, maybe they don't want to saw anything about that - but I can't imagine that our cruise won't be vaxxed only. I do hope they get a lawsuit going or the Florida gov't backs down on their law so that we can get a bit less uncertainty and the cruise lines can ask for fully vaxxed passengers more freely. I don't envy any of the cruise line management staff at the moment!

 

[Chemist]

My gut instincts are that Disney is grateful to the Bahamas for requiring vaccines.
That way Disney can require vaccines (which really, they should have in the beginning) without being "the bad guy".

"The Bahamas made me do it."

 

[Tasmen]

My gut instincts are that Disney is grateful to the Bahamas for requiring vaccines.
That way Disney can require vaccines (which really, they should have in the beginning) without being "the bad guy".

"The Bahamas made me do it."

I don't think Disney is alone in that regard. All the cruise lines have come out with vaccination requirements whenever one of the ports they planned to sail to mandated them to dock.

 

[Joe Brig]

With the limitations that exists for 11 and under on DCL, they should consider 12 and older cruises. That would take care of lowering capacity by itself.

 

[DCLMP]

With the limitations that exists for 11 and under on DCL, they should consider 12 and older cruises. That would take care of lowering capacity by itself.

From what I've read capacity is already really low. I think in the future their biggest concern will be how to increase it.

 

[DCLMP]

Every Caribbean Island has a unique protocol for vaccinated/unvaxed/pre-testing. DCL will have to determine what one standard will qualify for all the islands they port.

If we're successful sailing next week I'm just happy I will never have to worry about this stuff again.

 

[icc2515]

From what I've read capacity is already really low. I think in the future their biggest concern will be how to increase it.

Off the top of my head I would say that they could lower their price. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know that Disney does not know the meaning of that phrase.

 

[Love2Cruise2015]

Coming from Canada we are in a similar position in that our 13 yr old DD is now fully vaccinated with Pfizer but both DH and I have AZ/Moderna so fully vaccinated here but not according to the US CDC so we still can't cruise

My family and I are in the same boat....My DH and I are AZ/Moderna and are kids are fully vaccinated with Pfizer....I hope our government will either allow us to get a 3rd dose or have AstraZeneca and an MRNA recognized as fully vaccinated before my cruise in March 2022.

 

[TinkerMouse]

With the limitations that exists for 11 and under on DCL, they should consider 12 and older cruises.

I agree.

That would take care of lowering capacity by itself.

Not necessarily. The TCM classic cruises are on DCL and the audience for those is boomers. On those cruises, people over the age of 18 greatly outnumber those under 11. Small children tend not to be that common on the longer specialty Disney cruises. When my family did an 11 night Mediterranean one spring there were (comparitively) very few children on board and it was almost the same situation during our 14 night Panama Canal sailing. There was no one under 12 in our party on either sailing. It won't be hard to fill a 12 and over cruise as long as the itinerary and theming are appealing. Making sure the cruise takes place during the school year also helps that. It'll be even easier to fill such a ship if COVID restrictions are limiting capacity. NCL already has limited capacity fully vaccinated cruises listed as "sold out."

 

[jujubiee4]

My gut instincts are that Disney is grateful to the Bahamas for requiring vaccines.
That way Disney can require vaccines (which really, they should have in the beginning) without being "the bad guy".

"The Bahamas made me do it."

This is correct. That way anyone complaining can take it up with the Bahamas or any other island
that has restrictions.

 

[laceltris3]

I don't think Disney is alone in that regard. All the cruise lines have come out with vaccination requirements whenever one of the ports they planned to sail to mandated them to dock.

That's not necessarily true. Cruise lines out of Galveston going only to Mexico (which does not require vaccination to port) have been 100% vaccinated for over 12 since they re-started. For other lines, the decision has not been solely based on destination requirements.

 

[tvguy]

Off the top of my head I would say that they could lower their price. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know that Disney does not know the meaning of that phrase.

LOL. Yes Disney has a funny way with fares. They switched from charging for soda to free unlimited soda....and raised fares $200 a person. The managed to turn repo cruises, which on most other lines are cruises that lines lose money on, into premium cruises.

 

[2XPCV]

All of the cruise lines except for NCL have carefully worded their releases to say that it is the Bahamian Government (or Sint Maarten, etc.) that is requiring the vaccine documentation as a condition of boarding, not the cruise line. IMO, that's their attempt at threading the needle here, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were doing so in coordination with Florida because if Florida accepts that work-around it's a fairly simple solution that allows them to sail without Florida having to retreat from their position.

I noticed this as well - I also noticed how Disney stated that, "Guests who choose not to provide proof of vaccination...", making it semantically mean that you are not required to provide proof; you just have consequences should you choose not to.

 

[Cruising Engineer]

If we're successful sailing next week I'm just happy I will never have to worry about this stuff again.

Wish I could take a cruise right now like you. Our next cruise isn't until July and it's the 9 night southern Caribbean. Five islands (including CC) with five different protocols (as of today). I just hope a standard is set by then.

 

[ChinaDenver]

Trying to remember the exact law from my U.S. Constitutional Law class in college 40+ years ago, but I believe states can impose laws that are stricter than Federal Law, but can't have laws that are more lenient. So a state could require vaccines no matter what U.S. Law is, but they can't forbid them if required by Federal law.

Feds don't have the const. authority to mandate vaccines for the individual states. However, individual states do have that police power as it pertains to their citizens.

 

[TFM1980]

I don't think Disney is alone in that regard. All the cruise lines have come out with vaccination requirements whenever one of the ports they planned to sail to mandated them to dock.

The Bahamas were definitely lobbied by the cruise lines to

Off the top of my head I would say that they could lower their price. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know that Disney does not know the meaning of that phrase.

During the peak of the recession we went on a 7-night Disney Cruise for two adults and two kids for $1800.

 

[TFM1980]

Feds don't have the const. authority to mandate vaccines for the individual states. However, individual states do have that police power as it pertains to their citizens.

Feds may not be able to mandate for states, but they most likely can for cruises (e.g., the FMC probably can do so). This regulation would probably preempt any contradictory state laws like Florida's law.

 

[DCLMP]

Wish I could take a cruise right now like you. Our next cruise isn't until July and it's the 9 night southern Caribbean. Five islands (including CC) with five different protocols (as of today). I just hope a standard is set by then.

My goal is to get one more in before my son ages out. Who knows maybe we’ll get two. I thought I’d be sad when my youngest aged out of the teen club, but after all this and many cancelled trips its going to be more of a relief. I’m looking forward to not worrying about cruising, protocols, vaccines, masks etc. I’m tired of the debates, discussions, judgmental people and basically all of it. If it wasn’t for my son wanting to take one more DCl cruise I would have moved on long ago.

 

[DCLMP]

Off the top of my head I would say that they could lower their price. Sorry, I couldn't resist. I know that Disney does not know the meaning of that phrase.

They do offer some very generous discounts to select groups and occasionally to the public.

 

[tvguy]

Feds don't have the const. authority to mandate vaccines for the individual states. However, individual states do have that police power as it pertains to their citizens.

Thanks. Apparently vaccines are different than other laws. We toured Alcatraz National Park in 2019 and in the briefing when you get off the boat the U.S. Park Ranger made a point of mentioning that "marijuana is legal in California, but as a Federal Park, you can still go to prison if we find you with it here"