Disney Cruise Line Confirms Level 4 Travel Warning From CDC

Disney Cruise Line has confirmed that the American Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 travel warning for cruise passengers.

Related: Fans Are Dreaming of a Disney Cruise, But How Soon Will They Sail?

Per Disney’s announcement regarding the situation:

Please note the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 4 Travel Notice recommending that all people avoid travel on cruise ships. The complete notice is available at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-4/coronavirus-cruise-ship and is subject to change by the CDC without notice. If a threshold of COVID-19 is detected on board the cruise ship during a voyage, the voyage will be ended immediately and the ship will return to the U.S. port of embarkation, and your subsequent travel, including your return home, may be restricted or delayed.

You can find recent CDC guidelines for cruising on their official website here. 

Although the CDC lifted their “No-Sail Order” on October 31, 2020, cruise operators must adhere to a variety of new COVID-19 regulations in order to actually hit the high seas once again.

Related: All Cruise Ship Passengers Required to Wear Face Masks, Per CDC

For example, every ship in a fleet — in Disney’s case, the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy, the Disney Magic, and the Disney Wonder — must obtain a conditional sailing certificate that proves they have implemented specific health and safety protocols.

Furthermore, test cruises must be conducted on all vessels before sailing is allowed to commence.

At this time, Disney has extended its sailing suspension well into 2021. According to our recent coverage:

..we are cancelling all sailings through April 2021 and select sailings onboard the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder in May.

Sailings are cancelled aboard the Disney Fantasy through April 24; the Disney Dream through April 30; the Disney Magic through May 6 and Disney Wonder through May 12.

Additionally, as previously shared, based on the conditional sail order provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Disney Cruise Line must cancel sailings longer than 7 nights.

When is Disney likely to return to sailing?

Although there is no official date for all of Disney Cruise Line’s ships to return to sailing, it is likely that Disney will make an effort to return to some sort of normalcy by Fall 2021.

Halloween on the High Seas cruises and Very Merrytime cruises are both immensely popular and could serve as an avenue for Disney’s loyal Guests to get back on the water.

This has not, of course, been confirmed, but with COVID-19 vaccine distribution ramping up around the nation and Disney scheduling a two-day July cruise on the Disney Wonder, presumably to see how its new health and safety protocols work with passengers onboard, an autumn return to sailing seems plausible.

Stay tuned to Inside the Magic for all the latest Disney Cruise Line news and don’t forget to contact Academy Travel for the latest DCL details! Their expert team can help you plan a magical cruise for a future date, whether you want to visit Castaway Cay or anywhere else in the world.