Disney Cruise Line *** A Return To Sailing*** August 2021

 

When Disney announced a return to sailing from the United States on the Disney Dream out of Port Canaveral, I knew I had to experience it first hand to have the needed knowledge to help my clients. I quickly booked the 2^nd and 3rd cruises…Leaving Port Canaveral August 13, and 16^th. Disney is currently only able to visit their private island, Castaway Cay, so both cruises had 2 stops there, while the 4-day cruise also had a sea day.

I then headed to the official Disney Cruise Line site and printed out their Know Before You Go guidelines to truly understand what was expected of me and what I could expect during the cruise.

My travel party was 2 adults (1 vaccinated, and 1 not) and 1 teen (not vaccinated). Following the guidelines, we set up our Safe Passage accounts. Vaccinated were to upload their vaccination card while unvaccinated had to upload negative test results taken between 5 days and 24 hours prior to sail date. In addition, unvaccinated also had to have a test at the port ($65, charged to guest folio). While on board the 3^nd sailing, it was announced that the Bahamian government would temporarily not allow unvaccinated guests over 12 in their ports, which includes Castaway Cay. As of this writing this is still in effect.

After checking in on the app and receiving a Port Arrival time of 1:45, we headed to the port and were early. They will not allow you to enter the port more than 15 minutes early. Be aware that this is enforced. On boarding day you will also fill out the Health Questionnaire on the app. Because of the late arrival times and testing requirements, both cruises did not depart until 7:30pm. Disney has now moved up port arrival times to earlier in the day which will help with this.

The boarding process is by far the most stressful part of the experience. Vaccinated people could proceed right away. Not so for unvaccinated. Again, these procedures will currently be different, as only those under 12 are allowed to be tested while everyone else must be vaccinated.

After you check your bags you are directed to a tent for testing. The test is self-administered while being observed by a technician. You then head to another tent to wait for your results which takes between 45 minutes to an hour. There is a large screen where results are supposed to be posted, but this didn’t work well, so you were expected to check your email. After you were cleared you headed in for the normal check in. Even though you had to upload your government IDs and a photo of yourself, this was all redone at the port. Make sure you keep your Port Arrival form as that has a QR code that is used often.

You board as normal, in a very staggered way, then are directed to a circle on the floor to stand with your traveling party. A little show ensues with Mickey and Mickey and then your assigned Cast Member directs you where to go for lunch.

The buffet at Cabanas is running, but choices are less than before. For breakfast there is an omelet station. A cast member will scoop up all your food, moving down the line with you, then hand you your plate. After you find a seat a Cast Member brings cutlery. There is no salt & pepper on the table so if you want this, ask the Cast Member who brings your cutlery. The drinks station is not self-serve, a Cast Member gets your drink, places it on a table and you pick it up from there. This is also the procedure for beverage stations on deck as well as the ice cream station.

The table service restaurants operated as normal, with many tables having been moved out.

Rooms were ready by 2:30, and this is where you find your room key. Castaway Club gifts were in the room as normal.

There is no sail away party or anything special about leaving at all. The ship horn blasts and you’re on your way.

The onboard experience is fairly normal except:

• Masks must be worn inside, as expected.

·         Reduced guest capacity was around 1,300 people, or about 33%.
·         Your Muster Drill is done on an individual basis. You report to your station and scan the Muster section letter into your app. A Cast Member is there to help you.
·         Walt Disney Theatre shows are shown more than 1 day so the theatre is social distanced. Your party must arrive together as you are directed to your seat by a Cast Member. On the 3 night cruise, only Beauty and the Beast played, while on the 4 night Dreams was played as well. Preludes is open, but no popcorn. If you do take a drink into the theatre you are expected to stay masked unless actually drinking.
·         Buena Vista Theatre is open and running with social distancing. Again no food in the theatre.
·         No real Pirate Night. They did have a little attempt at it, with dining room staff wearing their costumes and a couple Buccaneers wandering the ship. Bandanas were handed out.
·         A very short Fireworks show called Disney Ever After was offered. You were supposed to enter the top decks from the elevators by your dining rotation and be directed to your floor circle by a cast Member. There were none around when we went up so we just picked a circle ourselves. Later on we did notice Cast Members directing guests.

·         Oceaneer Club had pre-registration for blocks of time. On board it seemed like there was plenty of opportunity to get additional slots. Teen clubs had no changes, Small World Nursery was closed. Open Houses were held.

·         Getting off at Castaway Cay used a Virtual Queue system. This didn’t always work so we were directed to get off at will. When it worked, it all went fine, and didn’t seem to be overly crowded. Masks are to be work on Castaway Cay in the restrooms and areas where groups gather such as the lunch areas. The 5 K is Virtual. You run on your own and report to Guest Services for your medal.

·         Guest Services has a chat feature on the app, as well as a way to make an appointment. They didn’t check you had an appointment when you arrived. Overall this worked well, except the Guest Services portion of the app seemed to fail off and on.
·         Room Service is running. The Cast Member will not enter your room when delivering your order. He stands behind a cart and hands you your tray.

·         You may add bar and room service additional gratuities on the app.
·         Dining rotations were as normal, with many tables removed. The Crush show went on and a small character dance through the restaurant.

·         Character interactions are called Appear and Wave. You cannot get close to the characters and there is not an opportunity to get autographs. There were always characters around and they were plentiful all over the ship and on Castaway Cay.

·         Tastings were offered many times and had plenty of availability to book, even while on board. The same went for Palo and Remy.

·         Pools in the family section had barriers on the sides so you couldn’t just sit on the edges. If crowded there were restrictions on how long your swimming session was, then others were allowed in. This was not at the adult areas. AquaDuck ran as normal with social distancing in the queue.
·         Entertainment, crafts, presentations, etc., were still offered but seemed to be less than normal.
·         Bingo was happening, again, not as often, and only paper cards were used, no electronic.
·         Debarking was smooth
·         Important! Towel Animals still are in your room nightly! 😊

It was much different and yet very much the same. It was wonderful to be onboard after well over a year, and worth the boarding hassles and other restrictions. Of course, we all crave a return to ‘normal’, but this is a nice transition on the way.