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Credit: ITM Rebekah B.The entire Disney Cruise Line fleet — the Disney Dream, the Disney Fantasy, the Disney Magic, and the Disney Wonder — have had their sailings canceled for over a year now as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Fans are eager to once again hit the high seas with Mickey Mouse and the gang, but at this time, there has been no confirmation of when any of the cruise operator’s ships will once again allow passengers onboard. Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Chapek recently indicated that he is hoping for a Fall 2021 return to sailing.
In order for this to actually happen, however, all four Disney Cruise Line ships will have to obtain their Conditional Sailing Certificates, a requirement set forth in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Conditional Sailing Order
The Order also outlines a number of other pandemic-related health and safety measures that must be taken before cruise liners can set sail with Guests.
Related: 46% of DCL Fans Would Cruise With Face Mask Requirements
Recently, Inside the Magic polled our Instagram followers to find out which Disney Cruise Line amenities they would be willing to cruise without and one thing we discovered DCL fans desperately want to return is the onboard parties!
Over 70% of the Inside the Magic followers we polled said they would wait to cruise until onboard parties were available on DCL ships.
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Even short, three-night Bahamas cruise itineraries to Nassau and Castaway Cay typically have two parties, the Sail Away Celebration on the Disney Magic and the Disney Dream and Pirate Night on all four ships. During holiday cruises —Halloween on the High Seas itineraries and Very Merrytime itineraries, specifically — and special cruises like Star Wars Day at Sea and Marvel Day at Sea, Disney also offers onboard events.
At this time, Disney Cruise Line officials have not confirmed what special events will be available once cruising resumes. Since all passengers and crew members will be required to present negative COVID-19 tests before boarding, it is possible that Disney could resume events like onboard parties more quickly than they have allowed crowded events — such as fireworks shows — in their theme parks.
Theme park properties require temperature checks, but not COVID-19 test results prior to entry.
If Disney Cruise Line does offer parties upon their return to sailing, it is likely that social distancing measures and other health and safety protocols would be enforced. This would certainly change the feel of Disney’s cruise ship parties, but for some Guests, might be better than not having the events at all.
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Typically, Disney Cruise Line deck parties include character appearances — onstage, so they are already socially distanced from passengers — fireworks, games, and dancing. Typically, however, although the character performers are not in direct contact with Guests, the parties are extremely crowded, as seen in the photo below, because nearly everyone onboard chooses to attend.
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The official Disney Cruise Line website features cruise industry updates and detailed information about both the Sail Away Celebration and the Pirate Night Deck Party.
Disney has not yet announced which celebrations will be held on the upcoming Triton Class ship, the Disney Wish.
What do you think? Are the deck parties an important part of the Disney Cruise Line experience?
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan every magical detail of your next Disney Cruise Line vacation! They can even work with you to use a future cruise credit from a canceled sailing. Whether you want to set sail out of Port Canaveral for a Western Caribbean adventure, leave San Diego for a Baja, Mexico cruise, or visit any other DCL destination, they can help!