Yesterday, the CDC gave its final stamp of approval for the Pfizer vaccine to kids ages 5-11. My daughter already has an appointment scheduled to get hers. She is the only one in my family who is not yet vaccinated.
Regardless of your opinion of the vaccine and who should/should not be getting it, this new development does prompt some questions. Will school districts now require this vaccine? Will vaccine-only venues now include children?
But for me and other cruise fans, the big question is: Will cruise lines now require kids ages 5-11 to be vaccinated in order to cruise?
Cruise Lines and Vaccines
The short answer is that nobody knows yet. Also, it depends on each cruise line.
Currently, The Bahamas requires everyone ages 12 and up to be fully vaccinated. This policy was extended through the end of the year (for now). Cruise lines had to change their policies to reflect this requirement.
Carnival Cruise Line and Norwegian Cruise Line currently only allow fully vaccinated passengers on board regardless of age (with just a small number of exceptions). So, for the most part, kids have not been able to sail on Carnival and Norwegian since cruising resumed. My guess is that, at least in the short term, their rules will stay the same. As kids become vaccinated, they can get on board.
Royal Caribbean and Disney Cruise Line have taken a different approach. Both lines allow unvaccinated children under 12 to board as long as they have two negative tests prior to boarding. Royal and Disney are known as family cruise lines, and it’s hard to imagine them sailing without kids. Since The Bahamas requires vaccines for visitors ages 12 and up, the cruise lines really had no choice.
Whether or not they start to require the vaccine for younger kids depends on what The Bahamas decides to do. If The Bahamas mandates it for kids 5-11, the cruise lines will have to follow.
What I Plan to Do
We were already planning to get our daughter vaccinated regardless of what The Bahamas and the cruise lines decide to require. Our next cruise is in March, so we have enough time to get her vaccinated regardless of how the rules evolve.
But, I will be watching this story develop. I imagine that if a vaccine is required for kids to cruise, we will see more families cancel.
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I have a cruise coming up in December with Carnival. I applied for the exemption for my child which could be approved or denied. They will notify groups with unvaccinated children 2 weeks prior to sail date. So it’s up in the air BUT if I get her vaccinated, I can guarantee our booking won’t be affected and embarkation will be easier. I’m considering getting her vaccinated this week as soon as it becomes available. But I’ll admit, if it wasn’t for our vacation, I would wait a lot longer to vaccinate her.
@Melissa that sounds stressful not knowing if you will get to sail until 2 weeks prior. I hope you enjoy your cruise!
Will they? We’ll see. Should they? Yes.