9
Credit: DisneyLast week, the Canadian government announced a ban on cruise liners carrying at least 100 passengers through at least February 28, 2022. This has deeply impacted Disney Cruise Line and other cruise operators who sail to Alaska.
Related: Disney Cruise Line Confirms Level 4 Travel Warning From CDC
The official announcement reads, in part:
Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced two new Interim Orders, which prohibit pleasure craft in Canadian Arctic waters and cruise vessels in all Canadian waters until February 28, 2022. This means:
- Adventure-seeking pleasure craft are still prohibited from entering Arctic waters.
- Passenger vessels carrying more than 12 people are still prohibited from entering Arctic coastal waters, including Nunatsiavut, Nunavik, and the Labrador Coast.
- Cruise vessels carrying more than 100 people are still prohibited from operating in Canadian waters.
Every cruise liner in the Disney Cruise Line fleet — the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy, the Disney Magic, and the Disney Wonder — each carry well over 100 passengers.
Related: Disney Cruise Line Extends Suspension Further Into 2021
Today, Inside the Magic confirmed with the Disney Cruise Line customer relations phone line that bookings for all upcoming sailings to Alaska have been suspended at this time.
Those Guests who previously booked staterooms on 2021 Alaskan cruises have not yet been notified of itinerary cancellations, but no new reservations are available at this time. Disney is aware of Canada’s new restrictions and the company is currently monitoring how it will impact Disney Cruise Line’s Vancouver port and various Alaskan ports of call.
Due to this new Canadian cruising ban, it is likely that Disney will have to cancel its entire 2021 Alaskan sailing season, which runs from May through September annually. The popular cruise season was also canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disney Cruise Line had 17 available 2021 Alaskan cruises on its official website. The first was slated to leave on the Disney Wonder on May 17, 2021. These Disney Alaska cruise options have now been removed, indicating an official cancelation announcement is likely to come soon:
The cruise industry has been ravaged by the pandemic and The Walt Disney Company’s cruise division is no exception.
Related: Details About the Changes to Disney Cruise Line Staterooms
This means that Disney Cruise Line will not be able to offer an Alaskan sailing itinerary until May 2022 at the earliest, marking three years without visiting Alaska. Disney last sailed to Alaska in 2019, due to the canceled 2020 season.
What is Disney Cruise Line’s current status?
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted its “No-Sail Order” on October 31, 2020, Disney Cruise Line has yet to return to the high seas — and may be unable to for quite some time.
As part of the CDC’s sailing framework, all cruise lines are required to obtain conditional sailing certificates for all the vessels in their fleets. This means that a variety of pandemic health and safety protocols must be in place and test cruises must occur before paying passengers are officially allowed to board.
At this time, none of Disney’s ships have returned to normal operations. If you are interested in changing an existing cruise reservation to a later date or learning more about future cruise credit offerings, contact Disney Cruise Line directly.
Disney’s first Triton Class ship, the Disney Wish, is still slated to make its maiden voyage in Summer 2022.
Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for the latest Disney Cruise Line news and let us know what you think about three years without DCL’s Alaskan cruises in the comments!
If you are interested in booking a future Disney Cruise Line vacation, let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan every magical detail. Whether you want to visit Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay, in the Bahamas, you are planning an epic European adventure inspired by Frozen, or you simply want to discover the latest Disney cruise deals, they can help you every step of the way.
This article has been updated since its original publication.