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A few days ago, the Disney Dream set sail on its first revenue cruise since the beginning of the pandemic. Just a few weeks prior to that, Disney Cruise Line announced its protocols for sailing. Unfortunately, multiple message boards report that dozens of guests were denied boarding for failing to follow the proper protocols. See this reddit post for more details.
What Went Wrong?
Guests received emails prior to boarding with instructions. Since I am sailing this fall, I also received these emails. I thought the instructions were pretty clear. Anyone not willing or able to show a vaccine card at embarkation must have a PCR test within 5 days prior to sailing. Unvaccinated guests will also be tested at the port.
The problem is that that app used to upload vaccine cards is a bit misleading. It marks families as clear with green check marks even if there are kids who cannot be vaccinated in the group. Some families interpreted this as they were good to go and failed to get a pre-boarding Covid test for their kids.
Other families got antigen tests instead of PCR tests. Even though a second test is performed by personnel at the port, DCL stuck to the protocols. Anyone who did not have the correct test or a test prior to boarding was denied boarding.
I feel for those families, especially the kids. It must have been horrible to sit in a parking lot for hours, waiting for their luggage to be retrieved. I can’t even imagine. It was a costly mistake.
My Plan
Assuming I keep my cruise this fall, I plan to read and re-read the instructions over and over. I would not be surprised if the protocols keep changing based on current lawsuits in Florida. I can even picture DCL requiring pre-boarding Covid tests from everyone in the future, not just unvaccinated guests.
This is also a time when a good travel agent comes in handy. My agent is great about sending reminders and relaying important information.
Other than the guests who were denied boarding, reports from on board the ship all seem to be positive. Crowds are down and there is a lot of room to social distance. I’ll be reading the reports of current guests with excitement and anticipation. I really miss cruising.
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
whatever happens, health protocols must still be carried out, hopefully this pandemic will end quickly so that everything is normal and can enjoy holidays or other activities, thanks for sharing the information
Sounds like what we experienced going to Hawaii last March. There was so much changing and I seriously read everything I could online so many times – it was confusing! We saw people who screwed it up and were turned away at the airport and others who had to wait in hours long lines. Definitely adds a layer of stress to a vacation.
@Wendydarling33 That does sound stressful!
Social distance on a cruise…bahaha!!!
@Pierre Have you see photos from on board? The ship looks empty!
Governor Ron DeSantis is responsible for this mess. He is not a conservative. He mights as well be a socialist or a communist. He does not believe private companies have the right to choose how they run their company. By suing Royal Caribbean for their 100% vaccines requirement he proved he believes the government should control private businesses. DeSantis is the same as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
We’ll see more of this soon. I’m on. carnival cruise this weekend and they have changed the protocols at least 5 times in the past 2 weeks. It’s going to be a mess. I am a travel agent and its nearly impossible to keep up. My guess is that cruises will get shut down again soon or at least not be able to let passengers off in many ports.
@DaninMCI I imagine it’s hard to keep up with all of those changing protocols. I hope you have a great cruise!
YUP! This is why you use a TA – wish it was me, but love that you have someone you know and trust and has your back!
@Momma To Go If my TA ever retires, I will switch to you. 🙂