Disney Cruise Line ready for test voyage this weekend
The Disney Cruise Line will launch a test cruise this weekend from Port Canaveral with volunteer Disney employees to obtain a conditional sailing certificate from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
A two-night sailing was to take place on June 29, but was scrapped when some crew members came back with positive COVID-19 test results. All crew members had been vaccinated and subsequent tests showed negative results believing by many they were false positives. Either way, it forced a 14-day delay by the CDC.
The Disney Dream will sail to Disney’s private island Castaway Cay and return on Monday with about 300 people aboard. The Disney Fantasy is scheduled for a test sailing July 28-30.
To obtain a conditional sail order, cruise lines must either guarantee sailing with at least 85% passengers completely vaccinated or perform a test sailing to show the safety protocols are in order. Due to the large amount of children normally aboard who can not receive a COVID-19 vaccine, Disney opted to have a test cruise. Other cruise lines like Norwegian have opted to require all crew and guests to be fully vaccinated for all sailing with embarkation dates prior to October 31, 2021. The company will re-evaluate for after Nov. 1
