No 2020 Cruises: What will Disney Cruise Line Look Like When It Re-sails?
The CDC allowed the ban on cruise ship suspensions to expire, but has identified standards in order to resume cruising. Most of the cruise ship industry announced a day or so later that they would not be cruising until after the first of the year. Then Disney announced that it would not provide any cruises in 2020. We look at this news, as well as explore what will a Disney cruise experience look like when it reopens. We’ll explore new port embarkation procedures, possible dining changes, modifications that will be needed in kids clubs, changes to entertainment, what off shore excursions might look like as well as a visit to Castaway Cay. Will you want to be among the first to head on Disney’s first cruises in 2021? What do you miss most about not being on a Disney cruise.
You can find our podcast here on Podbean, iTunes, Spotify, MyTuner, and ListenNotes. Key notes, photos and links are below, but you’ll find most of my commentary on the podcast.
We cover the following issues:
Port Embarkation
How will the embarkation experience be different?
- More controlled arrival times?
- Later ship departure time from port?
- Less passengers checking in and on board the ship in the first months?
- Proof of being vaccinated or COVID-free?
We explore all this and more in the podcast.
Dining
Disney has already had tight protocols in place to avoid food poisoning or other viruses like Norovirus. Clearly self-assisted buffets at Cabanas will not occur, but what else? Additional seatings?
Kids Clubs
Perhaps one of the more controversial issues is managing kids clubs in a safe manner. We tackle this issue with lots of possibilities.
Entertainment
Lots of considerations around entertainment from the diaper dash to character experiences to staging Broadway-caliber shows at night. What changes can we expect in terms of entertainment? We cover a number of issues on the podcast.
Shore Excursions
Lots to discuss here, like which ports will allow cruise ships to enter, or how will they “bubble up” to create COVID-Free safe zones? We mentioned Key West in our podcast, and just the day after we recorded Key West residents apparently passed a referendum not allowing large ships to sail into their ports. That has less to do with the pandemic, but it has big implications for DCL.
Castaway Cay
Would it be possible to have more double-dip style cruises in the short term to Castaway Cay. That plus more “at sea” days might make it possible for Disney to offer a fairly “safe” cruise line experience.
What We Love Most About Disney Cruise Line
Want to know more about why we love Disney Cruise Line? Welcome to our “What We Love Most” series. We explore all the things that really stand out for us on these ships on this post/podcast
Plan Your Next Cruise!
Is it time to book your next trip to Disney? The best person to answer that question is David Zanolla, owner and agent of of Out The Door Travel, LLC. There’s no cost–but it could save you a lot of time–and even money–especially when you put it in the hands of someone who really knows Disney and travel. Call today at 309-863-5469 or reach out to him via zanolla@otdtravel.com
