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

[PrincessShmoo]

Previously, DCL seemed to always be behind the others in announcing new requirements. This time, I think they're first. The others will almost surely follow along soon.

That's probably a big factor in the quick decision.

Disney is really big in the "kids market". They want to be sure they can keep sailing. Requiring everyone to have the vaccine makes things a little "safer" and is less costly to the families cruising. They won't be paying out for pre-trip testing.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

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

 

[Ikaikalani]

Unfortunately made the decision to cancel our first Disney cruise today. We were going on the 5 night Marvel Day At Sea in February on the Magic.
Highly, HIGHLY disappointed with Disney for this decision.

What’s even more of a bummer is that we were doing Disney after the cruise for a few nights. Now we would like to extend that stay being that we aren’t doing the cruise, and everything is sold out. Literally everything the week from 2/18 to 3/1. Nothing available. Plus, we now have to try and change our non-refundable flight to Miami to MCO. Hoping JetBlue’s policy allows it. Might have to resort to going on one of the DVC resale sights.

No DCL for us until these restrictions ease up. If they ever do.

Swan and Dolphin has rooms available during this time.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

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?

They don't. It's wording is a bit clunky, as it says guests 12 and older must present full proof, while kids age 5-11 may present vaccination proof. This is from the Royal Caribbean website today (bolding mine):

All Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older must present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose administered at least 14 days before sailing. Kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the protocols for vaccinated guests.

Each guest’s regimen must include at least two doses of vaccine unless the guest received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This guidance is per the U.S. CDC, and no exceptions will be made,

Vaccinated guests must also have a pre-cruise test (at their own expense) no more than 2 days prior. Unvaccinated guests must test at the port in addition to a pre-cruise test no more than 3 days prior.

 

[Purplejewel]

My husband called Disney Vacation Club today (We used DVC Points to book two cruises in March/April) and was told that the 125% FCC we received for those two cruises when prior cruises were cancelled by Disney has to be used by September of 2022 but we need to move the cruises farther out than that. He is calling Disney Cruise Line tomorrow to see if there is any way we can book farther out than that. Not very hopeful for the answer though.

In case anyone wants an update, we called Disney Cruise Line and they would not allow us to keep our 125% cruise credit if we did not reschedule our cruises by September 2022. So, we called DVC back to move our 2 March/April 2022 cruises to August 2022 and were told we have to reschedule them by 7/31/22 because our Use Year is August and the cruises must be booked before the beginning of our 2022 August Use Year because the DVC points we used on the March/April cruises would be deposited into our 2021 Use Year and could not be banked. I know - very confusing. We ended up rescheduling the 2 cruises to the last two weeks in July. The reason we are moving these cruises is because my husband is choosing not to get the vaccine. We hope that by the time our July 2022 cruises happen, Disney will relax the vaccine mandate policy and allow people to sail if they get tested and show proof of a negative COVID test before the cruise. If they don’t relax the policy, we have no options left and will just not be able to go on the cruise. That will be 850 DVC points going to waste because they will not allow us to push the cruises out any farther. Really stinks if that happens. My husband has already started talking about selling our DVC contracts.

 

[Ol Goof]

The cancel without penalties bit applies for cruises through May 2022. Disney hasn't publicly said anything about the vaccine requirements going away in May 2022. I'd be very surprised if that happened.

Thank you that makes more sense. We didn’t want to cancel our 2 rooms we just asked to take the 5 yo and his dad off the reservation. But the answer I was given was there still would be a penalty.

 

[starry_solo]

In case anyone wants an update, we called Disney Cruise Line and they would not allow us to keep our 125% cruise credit if we did not reschedule our cruises by September 2022. So, we called DVC back to move our 2 March/April 2022 cruises to August 2022 and were told we have to reschedule them by 7/31/22 because our Use Year is August and the cruises must be booked before the beginning of our 2022 August Use Year because the DVC points we used on the March/April cruises would be deposited into our 2021 Use Year and could not be banked. I know - very confusing. We ended up rescheduling the 2 cruises to the last two weeks in July. The reason we are moving these cruises is because my husband is choosing not to get the vaccine. We hope that by the time our July 2022 cruises happen, Disney will relax the vaccine mandate policy and allow people to sail if they get tested and show proof of a negative COVID test before the cruise. If they don’t relax the policy, we have no options left and will just not be able to go on the cruise. That will be 850 DVC points going to waste because they will not allow us to push the cruises out any farther. Really stinks if that happens. My husband has already started talking about selling our DVC contracts.

Perhaps you can recoup some funds by renting the points? You can't rent it via DVC, since they've moved to cruise points now...it would likely mean losing the 125% cruise credit, but not the other portion of it...

 

[Ikaikalani]

In case anyone wants an update, we called Disney Cruise Line and they would not allow us to keep our 125% cruise credit if we did not reschedule our cruises by September 2022. So, we called DVC back to move our 2 March/April 2022 cruises to August 2022 and were told we have to reschedule them by 7/31/22 because our Use Year is August and the cruises must be booked before the beginning of our 2022 August Use Year because the DVC points we used on the March/April cruises would be deposited into our 2021 Use Year and could not be banked. I know - very confusing. We ended up rescheduling the 2 cruises to the last two weeks in July. The reason we are moving these cruises is because my husband is choosing not to get the vaccine. We hope that by the time our July 2022 cruises happen, Disney will relax the vaccine mandate policy and allow people to sail if they get tested and show proof of a negative COVID test before the cruise. If they don’t relax the policy, we have no options left and will just not be able to go on the cruise. That will be 850 DVC points going to waste because they will not allow us to push the cruises out any farther. Really stinks if that happens. My husband has already started talking about selling our DVC contracts.

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!

 

[DCLMP]

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!

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

 

[hrhdhd]

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

Not really. I've cruised several times without mine and will again next month. No rule says married people have to vacation together.

 

[mousefan73]

Ha

Unfortunately made the decision to cancel our first Disney cruise today. We were going on the 5 night Marvel Day At Sea in February on the Magic.
Highly, HIGHLY disappointed with Disney for this decision.

What’s even more of a bummer is that we were doing Disney after the cruise for a few nights. Now we would like to extend that stay being that we aren’t doing the cruise, and everything is sold out. Literally everything the week from 2/18 to 3/1. Nothing available. Plus, we now have to try and change our non-refundable flight to Miami to MCO. Hoping JetBlue’s policy allows it. Might have to resort to going on one of the DVC resale sights.

No DCL for us until these restrictions ease up. If they ever do.

Have you looked at a few days at Universal?

 

[mousefan73]

I will bet my next cruise that these mandates will still be around through out 2022 and most likely 2023. Especially when it comes to a country or port’s entry requirement.

 

[lanejudy]

Strange suggestion.

It is actually a very good suggestion. She is looking at wasting 850 DVC points (value is probably upwards of $10K) or cruising with a friend/family member. Of course the choice is hers and she may prefer to cancel rather than cruise without her spouse. But it is still a very viable option to salvage some value from those points. Most of us can’t stomach just throwing that away; she has no option for a refund.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

It will almost undoubtedly come down to "cruise without her husband" or lose the points.

DCL is subject to the rules of their ports, and the chances of the Bahamas dropping a vax requirement anytime in 2022 are very low, and DCL dropping Castaway to offer low-vax cruises is not going to happen.

Europe isn't a solution, as you can guarantee that porting and entry requirements will be a patchwork of rules.

AK certainly won't be, as Canada as homeport is going to be vax-required.

 

[DCLMP]

Not really. I've cruised several times without mine and will again next month. No rule says married people have to vacation together.

I have cruised without my husband many times too, but it was with his blessing because he didn't want to go or didn't have the time off. I wouldn't just say sorry you are not vaccinated were going to punish you and go without you. I would assume if traveling without her spouse was an option she wouldn't have brought up the situation on this forum.

There are plenty of places you can go as a family where vaccines aren't required. but like you said ultimately it is her choice, her marriage. There's plenty of time to use the points at WDW or sell them. Heck If I didn't have a cruise planned for July 31 I'd buy them.

 

[MomOTwins]

I have cruised without my husband many times too, but it was with his blessing because he didn't want to go or didn't have the time off. I wouldn't just say sorry you are not vaccinated were going to punish you and go without you. I would assume if traveling without her spouse was an option she wouldn't have brought up the situation on this forum.

There are plenty of places you can go as a family where vaccines aren't required. but like you said ultimately it is her choice, her marriage. There's plenty of time to use the points at WDW or sell them. Heck If I didn't have a cruise planned for July 31 I'd buy them.

Not exactly “punishing” him to go on a vacation that is fully paid for and non-refundable—unless you mean he’d be jealous, but that’s something for him to swallow and be gracious about, not okay to make his wife miss out just because “misery loves company”. He would not be going on the vacation either way if she stays or he goes—he is not any worse off if she goes, but she would be joining him in missing out even though she was willing/able to be vaccinated, and that hardly seems fair.

I vote go. Reminds me of how DH went to his best friend’s wedding in Europe this summer. I really wanted to go, but my job doesn’t have the same flexibility as his, and I just wasn’t willing to take the risk of testing positive and getting “stuck” there for 14 days away from work and from the kids (my mom would have been with them, but still, I’d worry and miss them). Taking the kids not an option because this country required vaccination and kids were too young to be eligible for shots last summer. The wedding was at a castle and looked amazing, and I was jealous, but I swallowed my jealousy and don’t grudge him getting to go. Hopefully pp’s husband can do the same.

 

[beckicnm]

Not really. I've cruised several times without mine and will again next month. No rule says married people have to vacation together.

I've cruised once with my husband and would rather not ever do that again. My last two have been by myself. It is not at all strange for a spouse to not be your ideal travel partner. Travel and vacations are not anything like normal life.

 

[BigGoof81]

They don't. It's wording is a bit clunky, as it says guests 12 and older must present full proof, while kids age 5-11 may present vaccination proof. This is from the Royal Caribbean website today (bolding mine):

All Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older must present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose administered at least 14 days before sailing. Kids age 5 to 11 who have been vaccinated may present proof of full vaccination and follow the protocols for vaccinated guests.

Each guest’s regimen must include at least two doses of vaccine unless the guest received the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. This guidance is per the U.S. CDC, and no exceptions will be made,

Vaccinated guests must also have a pre-cruise test (at their own expense) no more than 2 days prior. Unvaccinated guests must test at the port in addition to a pre-cruise test no more than 3 days prior.

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.”

 

[_auroraborealis_]

There are plenty of places you can go as a family where vaccines aren't required. but like you said ultimately it is her choice, her marriage. There's plenty of time to use the points at WDW or sell them. Heck If I didn't have a cruise planned for July 31 I'd buy them.

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.

 

[DCLMP]

Not exactly “punishing” him to go on a vacation that is fully paid for and non-refundable—unless you mean he’d be jealous, but that’s something for him to swallow and be gracious about, not okay to make his wife miss out just because “misery loves company”. He would not be going on the vacation either way if she stays or he goes—he is not any worse off if she goes, but she would be joining him in missing out even though she was willing/able to be vaccinated, and that hardly seems fair.

I vote go. Reminds me of how DH went to his best friend’s wedding in Europe this summer. I really wanted to go, but my job doesn’t have the same flexibility as his, and I just wasn’t willing to take the risk of testing positive and getting “stuck” there for 14 days away from work and from the kids (my mom would have been with them, but still, I’d worry and miss them). Taking the kids not an option because this country required vaccination and kids were too young to be eligible for shots last summer. The wedding was at a castle and looked amazing, and I was jealous, but I swallowed my jealousy and don’t grudge him getting to go. Hopefully pp’s husband can do the same.

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