Hey there, beautiful people! So as you guys know, we went on a Disney Cruise for my 33rd birthday back in December! It was our second time (our Baby Boy’s first) time cruising with Disney Cruise Line and we had a blast! We got to go during their Very MerryTime so to go during the holidays made my birthday and our vacation extra special! You can check out our vlog HERE and HERE to see all that we did and ate lol!
Even though we had a blast and enjoyed ourselves, A LOT has changed since the first time we went back in 2017. Since we are still going through a global pandemic, a lot of safety measures and etc. are put into place with cruise lines. And unfortunately, a lot had to be shut down and not operate this time around. So I want to share a few changes just in case you are going on a Disney Cruise anytime soon while these changes are in effect!
Everyone ages 5 and above must be vaccinated before sailing.
I know a lot of people have complained about this but that is their policy at the moment. And you must show proof of a negative test 3 days to 24 hours upon arrival. The antigen tests are not allowed. You must get the PCR ones. This went into effect in January 2022 so we were very fortunate that we sailed in December when we did since our kids weren’t vaccinated! When we went, all we had to do when we booked our cruise, is to upload our vaccination cards. Then when we arrived in Galveston (the port we left from), we had to get tested and wait an hour for our statuses.
It’s the same thing now except if you’re over the age of 5, you have to be vaccinated. We made sure that we were all safe and kept ourselves from getting sick prior to our trip. If you pop up positive (even if you seem fine), Disney will NOT allow you onboard. I think that was the most nerve-wracking thing ever because we didn’t want 1) to get sick and miss out on our vacation, 2) to seem fine, spend all that money on our cruise just to be told you can’t come on. We were so stressed about that and that hour wait was a beast! But we were all fine and able to board. Thank you GOD! You can read more about their safety policies HERE!
Until Disney Cruise Lines changes their policy again (which I hope they do), just make sure to stay safe prior to your trip, make sure everyone (if you choose to) ages 5 and up are vaccinated and do what you can to build your immunity up so that you don’t get sick or ill. It’s still cold and flu season and I don’t want you to get sick and miss out on a trip of a lifetime!
You have to wear a mask when you’re walking around the boat.
Masks are supposed to be worn when you are walking around the boat. Kids have to wear them at the Kids Club. Now granted, we did see people and kids walking around with no mask on, but I think it’s wise to just wear it, especially when you go to the movies, to the shows, around the deck, or on deck to sail off. Better to protect yourself and those around you.
A few things were canceled or didn’t happen!
I was sooo sad that there wasn’t a sail away party and no pirate party on our ship. Those were a few of our favorite things we experienced when we went on our first Disney Cruise in 2017. I assume since those events draw in big crowds, they didn’t want to chance it and didn’t have it. I totally understand but man I love those parties! When it came to the Kids Club, you had to schedule a time for your child/children to go.
I don’t remember scheduling a time for our daughter when we went the first time. But this time we had to schedule a time for our kids to go since only a certain amount of kids could be in there at a time. Another thing to note is the baby area was closed as well. So if you have an infant or little one under 2, that area was closed. At least on the Disney Wonder, it was!
The buffets and food stands were open but you had to be served!
I’ve seen people asking if the buffets and food/drink stands were open. Yes, they were open for us on the Disney Wonder boat. However, they have to serve the food for you! If I recall, we got to serve ourselves last time because I ate a lot last time LOL! But this time, the amazing Disney workers served us and handed us our plates. It’s totally understandable because with everything still going on, it’s better to be safe!
If I were you, I would pack my own cases of water, juices or carry a cup that you can refill at the stations for drinks. They have small water cups available but it’s better to have your own to stay hydrated and safe during these times!
When it comes to excursions, you have to stay in your “bubble”.
When you book your excursion (if you decide to do one), it’ll explain that you are only allowed to stay wherever your excursion and tour guide is. So even if your excursion is next to another area or another excursion, you have to stay within close proximity of where you booked. For example, we booked the Dolphin excursion in Cozumel, Mexico. Within our excursion, it came with a lunch package, seeing the sea lions and of course, swimming with the dolphins. However, not even 50 feet away, there was the inflatable slide and fun stuff in the water that was with another excursion.
Unfortunately, due to the rules and regulations that were set in place, we were unable to walk down to play or go on that side. I was so sad because when we went to Cozumel last time, we got to do soo much! We went to the Ruins, the chocolate area (can’t remember the name), the beach there and so much more! So it was a bummer but we had to follow the rules. Also, if you want to explore the area outside of the boat on your own without a tour guide, you have to be vaccinated. Since our kids weren’t, we couldn’t explore the area more. It was okay because they were exhausted by the time we got in the van anyway LOL!
OMG, I could go on and on because a lot changed this time around, but I understand that Disney Cruise Line and Disney overall want to prioritize the safety of everyone on board so I can’t complain. As I mentioned earlier, you are more than welcome to check out their updated policies on their site HERE because I’m sure it changes often with new guidelines! Nonetheless, we had a great time and we already put our deposit on our next cruise! This time, we are going to do it big and take it across the pond. Stay tuned for that! I wanted to share this without all in case you are going on a Disney Cruise in the near future just to keep you in the know of what changes and safety measures they put into place!
I will do another Disney Cruise post soon so let me know if you have any more questions or concerns about the cruise! Are you going on a Disney Cruise anytime soon? Would you like to go on? Let me know below! 🙂