Full Vaccination Required Ages 5+ Starting 1/13/22

[AquaDame]

Maybe she doesn't want to cruise without her husband. Strange suggestion.

Not that strange, since we don't know what they have and have not considered yet.

but it’s not mandated for 5-11 year olds on RCCL.

A few paragraphs down on that same page…

“Guests under age 12 who are not vaccinated will complete additional COVID-19 testing requirements depending on the length and departure port of their sailing.”

Someone earlier mused it might be because they have more ships in Europe and other countries so it'd be more complicated for them. I don't know if that makes sense (haven't they already had different requirements depending on the port of departure?) but maybe they just need more time to flesh out their language. Or they won't change a thing. Time will tell!

 

[DCLMP]

They are reservation points, so availability becomes a big problem. Disney hotels have not been doing a lot of reservation points bookings. Once a DVC point is converted to a rez point, it is a rez point until expiration. Cannot be used for a DVC villa booking.

It is one of the many reasons some will caution against using points for cruises. It creates a number of issues in reschedule or cancel scenarios.

I have always read that using them for cruises is a a bad redemption.

 

[Marrila]

I got the impression the poster was just venting about the situation….not looking for marital advice.

I think folks were discussing options to avoid wasting around $10,000 bucks. That's a lot of money to many of us. FWIW, I think she got some good suggestions.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I have always read that using them for cruises is a a bad redemption.

Value wise they tend to be a poor redemption. That argument is often countered by those who point out that the points are paid for and theirs to use how they wish. Which is true! And if you have 1992 OKW points the value prop is quite different than if you bought Poly direct in the last 5 years.

But the recent issues with cruise booking really highlights a less economic argument, which is the inflexibility of points converted for a cruise when things go higgledy-piggledy.

 

[DCLMP]

I think folks were discussing options to avoid wasting around $10,000 bucks. That's a lot of money to many of us. FWIW, I think she got some good suggestions.

If you consider telling your spouse they are jealous , swallow their pride , and misery loves company good advice …then OK. It sounds more like marital advice to me.

 

[MomOTwins]

If you consider telling your spouse they are jealous , swallow their pride , and misery loves company good advice …then OK. It sounds more like marital advice to me.

Actually it was the opposite. The post I was replying to said it’d be punishing the spouse to go on the cruise without them. My reply was that basically amounts to saying the spouse would be jealous and that she should skip the cruise and stay home because “misery loves company”. But my whole point was that’s an awful pessimistic way to look at it, and she should be able to enjoy the cruise solo or with another family member rather than waste all those points, and nothing about that is “punishing” the spouse. I also pointed out my husband and I did something similar when Covid meant he could travel but I could not and it worked out fine.

Might be that’s quasi marital advice, but meant first and foremost as vacation advice. Cannot fathom letting all those points go to waste.

 

[DCLMP]

Actually it was the opposite. The post I was replying to said it’d be punishing the spouse to go on the cruise without them. My reply was that basically amounts to saying the spouse would be jealous and that she should skip the cruise and stay home because “misery loves company”. But my whole point was that’s an awful pessimistic way to look at it, and she should be able to enjoy the cruise solo or with another family member rather than waste all those points, and nothing about that is “punishing” the spouse. I also pointed out my husband and I did something similar when Covid meant he could travel but I could not and it worked out fine.

Might be that’s quasi marital advice, but meant first and foremost as vacation advice. Cannot fathom letting all those points go to waste.

Like I said I think the pp was just venting and not looking for advice, but we can agree to disagree. I’m sure it sucks to lose the points, but I doubt anybody on this board hasn’t been majorly disappointed over the last 20 months when it comes to vacation planning. It is what it is, unfortunately.

 

[PezRuth]

If that’s the case, then why does Royal Caribbean still only require 12 and over be vaccinated when sailing to same ports. Am I wrong in stating that?

I strongly suspect this will be changing as well in the near future.

 

[mmouse37]

My TA called DCL today about cancelling our inaugural Wish cruise. DCL told him explicitly that the vax mandate was only in effect til May 2022 and would not effect our June Wish sailing. I have not been able to find this in writing anywhere. Can anyone else confirm this ?

I have read people saying this but it was that DCL will reevaluate the mandate in May....I have a feeling it will be extended.

MJ

 

[MomOTwins]

I have read people saying this but it was that DCL will reevaluate the mandate in May....I have a feeling it will be extended.

MJ

Someone else who spoke to Disney directly got a version of this that made more sense: they said they were told it was too early to cancel and get a full refund of non-refundable summer deposits (concierge, Wish inaugural), but if Disney extends the mandate past May, they would be given the option of a full refund then.

I think that is likely what the TA heard but something got lost in translation. Not very likely Disney CMs would be authorized to say now that vaccines won’t be required in June.

 

[Terapin]

3 weeks apart -
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-can...vaccine-in-children-5-to-11-years-of-age.html

it’s been announced - 8 week interval in Ontario.

 

[MoonFaerie]

I know they're allowing people to cancel due to implemented vaccine rules, but I wonder if they'll allow it in reverse. If I book a cruise for next fall, and they remove the vaccine requirement, I will want to cancel. We're sailing at the end of Jan, and I've been planning on putting down a placeholder. Seeing talk of the rules changing as early as May makes me hesitiant.

 

[HashberryOTG]

I know they're allowing people to cancel due to implemented vaccine rules, but I wonder if they'll allow it in reverse.

I would hope so, but don't know. I think it's fair to allow people to do whatever is most comfortable for them based on changes as they happen.

 

[Cheburashka]

I know they're allowing people to cancel due to implemented vaccine rules, but I wonder if they'll allow it in reverse. If I book a cruise for next fall, and they remove the vaccine requirement, I will want to cancel. We're sailing at the end of Jan, and I've been planning on putting down a placeholder. Seeing talk of the rules changing as early as May makes me hesitant.

No clue if DCL would allow penalty-free cancellations due to lessening Covid restrictions, but I wouldn't count on it.

 

[Kwami]

I know they're allowing people to cancel due to implemented vaccine rules, but I wonder if they'll allow it in reverse. If I book a cruise for next fall, and they remove the vaccine requirement, I will want to cancel. We're sailing at the end of Jan, and I've been planning on putting down a placeholder. Seeing talk of the rules changing as early as May makes me hesitiant.

I very much doubt that the rules will be relaxed in May. There's no indication anywhere that DCL plans to remove the vaccine requirements at all, much less in May. All they've done so far is extend the relaxed cancelation window until May and opened a window to let concierge get their money back for near-term cruises that they might have to cancel because of the new requirements. Same as they did when the 12+ requirements went into place.

 

[YesMickey]

I will also put odds on the Bahamas extending their vax requirement down to age 5 shortly, and GC almost certainly.

I went to 3 stops in the Bahamas just over a month ago. If anything, the Bahamas will end ALL requirements. They are dying on the vine. Talked to a lot of locals. None of the chain restaurants etc. are even open at the ports when you get off the ship. You basically walk through boarded up shops to go to the taxi/shuttle stop to go to an excursion. Both of the Senor Frogs were closed in Freeport and Nassau. When Senor Frogs is closed with 3 ships at port, you know there are problems.

 

[Kwami]

I went to 3 stops in the Bahamas just over a month ago. If anything, the Bahamas will end ALL requirements. They are dying on the vine. Talked to a lot of locals. None of the chain restaurants etc. are even open at the ports when you get off the ship. You basically walk through boarded up shops to go to the taxi/shuttle stop to go to an excursion. Both of the Senor Frogs were closed in Freeport and Nassau. When Senor Frogs is closed with 3 ships at port, you know there are problems.

The government very recently changed the temporary requirements into permanent requirements. So, I don't think so.

 

[DisneyMom_13]

I went to 3 stops in the Bahamas just over a month ago. If anything, the Bahamas will end ALL requirements. They are dying on the vine. Talked to a lot of locals. None of the chain restaurants etc. are even open at the ports when you get off the ship. You basically walk through boarded up shops to go to the taxi/shuttle stop to go to an excursion. Both of the Senor Frogs were closed in Freeport and Nassau. When Senor Frogs is closed with 3 ships at port, you know there are problems.

I think between now and summer a lot will happen and change, possibly back and forth. But I feel for these small island nations they are struggling so bad and likely to get worst.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

The Bahamas is at 33.9% of the population fully vaccinated as of 11/19. Rollout is slow - During the last week reported, Bahamas averaged about 765 doses administered each day. At that rate, it will take a further 102 days to administer enough doses for another 10% of the population. Source on this is Reuters: https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/countries-and-territories/bahamas/

Their testing capacity is low - they are at 1 test per thousand population daily testing average.

I cannot find much about their hospital utilization, but the islands have never had very good access to inpatient care.

 

[Purplejewel]

Maybe if July arrives with the mandates still in place, you could ask another family member to cruise with you instead of your husband, or give the cruise away as a gift? Anything's better than just throwing all those points away!

Thanks for the ideas. I already mentioned to him that if the mandates are still in place, I would still like to go on the cruises rather than waste all those points we have paid for. I have a sister that has told me she can go with me. He got angry when I brought it up but I will revisit the issue if the mandates are still in place at the beginning of July. If the situation were reversed and I was choosing to not get the vaccine, I would have no issue letting him go on the cruises but I don't want to cause tension in our marriage so I will have to see how the discussion goes if I have to have it.