My 2nd Disney Cruise in Less Than A Month and What Has Changed

 I am back from my 2nd Disney Cruise in less than a month!   This time I sailed onboard the Fantasy and it was Fantastic!  There have been a few changes to cruising since I went in August though.

The biggest change was the Bahamas announcing that all guests age 12 and older must be vaccinated to sail to any Bahamian port, even the cruise line private islands.   This went into effect on September 3 but was only announced 8/20.   I am sure this changed things for a lot of families especially since the Bahamas didn't allow enough time to get everyone vaccinated if they were already booked on a cruise.  

Next up the CDC updated their requirements for cruising starting September 13.  

• Beginning Sept. 13, all Guests, regardless of age and vaccination status, are required to take a COVID-19 test administered by Inspire Diagnostics at the terminal before boarding.
• Disney Cruise Line will cover the cost.
• Due to recently updated technical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Guests 11 years of age and younger are not required to be vaccinated, but must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by the Guest) taken between 3 days and 24 hours prior to the date they set sail.
• The window in which Guests 11 years of age and under must take and submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test result has been reduced. Instead of between 5 days and 24 hours prior to the sail date, tests must be taken and submitted between 3 days and 24 hours prior to the sail date.
• The test should be a rapid PCR test or lab-based PCR test. Rapid antigen tests are not accepted.

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This did mean that we had to take a test when arriving at the port when we didn't last time.   The process was pretty simple though.  We drove our own car over to the port so we entered the parking garage like before but this time we were directed to a parking space where someone gave us the test kits and explained how to do them.   They were an easy test and you do not have to go as far up your nose as the other test.   You put the swab in the vial and hand back the sealed baggie and then are directed to go park in the garage and hang out until your results come back which should be within 45 minutes.   We parked went to the bathroom and then found a cooler spot to hang out in the parking garage while we waited.   I can understand why Disney hasn't set up a seating area in the garage but having somewhere other than your car would have been nice.  We got the message on our phone that we were clear to board so we headed over to the terminal to check in.   This process was the same as before however what we hadn't factored in was that it would take pretty much an extra hour from our scheduled port arrival time to when we were actual able to get on the ship.   By the time we did we were very hungry so next time we will plan our time better.  Please note that while Disney is providing this test at the port not all cruise lines are offering that so if you are sailing with another line be sure to check if you will need to acquire your own test before boarding.  

Besides these big changes we did see a few smaller ones.   There was only one night for fireworks this time.   We were up on the top deck for the fireworks and there seemed to be plenty of space for anyone wanting to watch up there so I am guessing that is why they went back to just 1 night.   
Even though all adults had to be vaccinated the mask rule seemed to be more enforced than before.   While on Castaway you are pretty much always outdoors except for the bathrooms and when getting lunch.   Even though the food area is an open air area they were really strict about having your mask on and even had a box of disposable one handy as you entered for anyone that might not have brought a mask to lunch.   We ate at the adult only lunch location so it really surprised me that they were so strict about it.  I was glad to see hand wipes come back to all dining entrances instead of having to always use the sanitizer stations that squirt way too much for me.  

This cruise was a Halloween on the High Seas so it was nice to see how Disney was handling that with new protocols.   I had been on a Halloween sailing a few years ago and I honestly didn't notice that much of a change this time so the new policies did not take away from any of the festivities.  

Even with the new rules in place I had an amazing time and would go back and do it all again without thinking twice!