Breaking News: The Bahamas Now Requires All Cruise Visitors 12+ to be Vaccinated, Even at Private Islands

Things are going to get complicated. The Bahamas just announced they will require all cruise visitors ages 12 and up to be fully vaccinated against Covid. This includes cruise ship private islands in The Bahamas, like Royal Caribbean’s CocoCay and DCL’s Castaway Cay. This new order starts on September 3, 2021. Read more about it on Royal Caribbean Blog.

This news is somewhat problematic because Disney Cruise Line is sailing out of Florida, which currently bans businesses from requiring vaccines. For now, the Disney Dream is only stopping at Castaway Cay in The Bahamas. DCL is currently not requiring vaccinations on its sailings that just restarted. Norwegian Cruise Line has challenged the Florida law in order to make vaccines mandatory on their ships. It appears that DCL will have to join Norwegian or perhaps start another lawsuit.

I am scheduled to be on a Disney cruise soon, but I haven’t yet received any communication from DCL. I am fully vaccinated, but my daughter is not due to her age.

I’m sure more news is yet to come as cruise lines figure out how to handle these ever-changing requirements.