Disney Cruise Line Gets CDC Approval for Test Cruise

Disney Cruise Line is the latest cruise company to receive approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to start test cruises.

Disney will reportedly welcome volunteer passengers onto Disney Dream on July 29 for a two-day sailing under Disney’s newly developed health and safety protocols. The sailing is required from the CDC in order to approve cruise lines for a return to normal sailings.

The sailings, according to a letter obtained by Disney-centric news sites including WDWNT, will be filled with Disney Cruise Line Cast Members who are volunteering as passengers.

The CDC has allowed some cruise lines, such as Celebrity, to move ahead without test cruises by mandating vaccinations for its crew and its guests, Disney reportedly has opted not to mandate vaccines.

Disney, and other lines such as Royal and Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line, have a guest pool with a significant percentage of younger guests. The CDC has yet to approve a COVID-19 vaccine for guests under 11-years-old, which would make a vaccine mandate a difficult thing to enforce.

Not requiring vaccinations onboard will impact the experience for guests. The CDC late last month removed any face mask requirements for voyages with fully vaccinated passengers and crew, but said it will keep it in place for other sailings. 

The sailing will be the first time that Disney Dream has welcomed guests since March 2020. Disney Magic, another ship in Disney’s fleet, is currently scheduled to sail some short itineraries in the United Kingdom starting in July for vaccinated local guests only.