Disney, Royal Caribbean will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for cruises
Disney and Royal Caribbean cruise lines announced Tuesday they will require U.S. travelers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before hopping on a ship.
The cruise lines said the new requirement would apply to trips scheduled to depart from Florida starting in September.
Royal Caribbean is requiring vaccination for travelers ages 12 and over. For those ages 11 and under, a COVID-19 PCR test is required depending on the duration of the trip. The cruise line scheduled its next trip to depart from PortMiami in October and Port Everglades in November.
Gov. Ron DeSantis passed an executive order in April prohibiting businesses, including cruise lines, from requiring proof of vaccination in exchange for service. Norwegian Cruise Line challenged the law and won the approval of a federal judge. DeSantis has filed an appeal to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
In a statement on its website, Royal Caribbean said, “All Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older departing from Florida homeports must present proof of COVID-19 vaccination with the final dose of their vaccine administered at least 14 days before sailing.
“This is a requirement of The Bahamas and St. Thomas governments for a cruise ship to enter their waters, and is currently planned to remain in effect until November 1, 2021, at which point the policy may be updated. We remain in contact with local governments in the ports we visit and will update the policy if advised.”
Disney is requiring proof of full vaccination for travelers ages 12 and over; it requests a negative COVID-19 PCR test from guests ages 11 and under. Disney has scheduled its next trip to depart from PortMiami in October.
“Guests under the age of 12 must still provide proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken between 5 days and 24 hours prior to the sail date by uploading their test results to the Safe Passage by Inspire website,” Disney said in a statement. “They will also be required to undergo a second PCR COVID-19 test administered by Inspire Diagnostics at the terminal prior to boarding.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 4:15 PM with the headline "Disney, Royal Caribbean will require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for cruises."
