Children under 5 Covid vaccination

[nancipants]

Very frustrated, have an almost 2 year old who is vaccinated, told on the phone by Disney she would be treated as vaccinated for testing, but reading online and this thread scares me, not sure what testing will be required and worried about being turned away. Sail beginning of September...

Yes, it’s super frustrating! Disney is telling people many different things. It’s been over 7 weeks and they still haven’t updated the policy.

 

[Ila Sikorski]

would just love "know before you go" to be updated any day now...we leave in 14 days and stressed is an understatement.

 

[CVTmarie23]

Ugh so frustrating. My TA just told me that my vaccinated 2 year old will be treated as a vaccinated passenger but now I'm not so sure. Is everyone still getting their under 5 PCR tested just in case?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

would just love "know before you go" to be updated any day now...we leave in 14 days and stressed is an understatement.

Ugh so frustrating. My TA just told me that my vaccinated 2 year old will be treated as a vaccinated passenger but now I'm not so sure. Is everyone still getting their under 5 PCR tested just in case?

The language is extremely clear. PCR testing is required for unvaccinated children 4 and under. You don't have an unvaccinated child 4 and under. There's no update to the language necessary.

"This section applies to unvaccinated kids": (You don't have to read it because you don't have unvaccinated kids.)

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Here's what people don't understand... The PCR test for kids and the antigen test for adults DO NOT check the same box as one another. They're not analogous. The PCR test is not "the replacement for the antigen test for unvaccinated kids." The two tests play completely different roles.

Every passenger has two obligations:

1. Pre-Sail Screening
- Vaccination verification; OR
- PCR test for unvaccinated under-5
- Results in "Clear to Arrive" when complete

2. Embarkation Screening
- You CANNOT proceed to Embarkation Screening until Pre-Sail Screening is complete
- 2-day in advance antigen test; OR
- Antigen test at port
- Results in "Clear to Sail" when complete

There's absolutely no risk in getting this process wrong. Disney WILL NOT LET YOU proceed to Embarkation Screening until Pre-Sail Screening is complete. Don't order the antigen test until the vax card has been approved! If the vax card is denied for some reason, order the PCR test instead to satisfy Pre-Sail Screening and then plan on testing at the port to satisfy Embarkation Screening.

The main thing to remember is that these steps happen in *sequential order.* There's no risk of uploading antigen results when you need PCR results because antigen results and PCR results go in different places. If you do your testing right through Safe Passage (I think you should), you won't even be able to ORDER your Embarkation Screening tests until after the Pre-Sail Screening steps are complete.

@CVTmarie23

 

[nancipants]

The language does need to be updated because it says they are ineligible due to age and that is not the case. People are being told their VACCINATED kids need to PCR test AND antigen test at the port. Other people are being told antigen test at the port. Other people are being told antigen test two days before like everyone else.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

The language does need to be updated because it says they are ineligible due to age and that is not the case.

The only ambiguity that creates is whether a child under 5 must be vaccinated. It does not create any ambiguity whatsoever about testing required of a child who IS fully vaccinated. If a child is fully vaccinated, then the "what to do if your child isn't fully vaccinated" section obviously doesn't apply to them.

If a section says "if your son is under 3, he must wear a blue shirt," I'm not going to wonder if that rule applies to my under-3 daughter because it clearly says "son."

People are being told their VACCINATED kids need to PCR test AND antigen test at the port. Other people are being told antigen test at the port. Other people are being told antigen test two days before like everyone else.

The system is extremely clear, I don't care what people are being told on the phone by poorly-trained Inspire agents in an environment when policy is constantly changing and communication is imperfect at best. I've done three COVID cruises with kids 7, 4, and 2 and it's not nearly as complicated as everyone is making it seem. People in this thread and others are doing a disservice to new cruisers by giving them anxiety and making them worry needlessly.

15 days comes up, you log into Safe Passage, you load everyone's vaccine cards. 2 days later you're either Clear to Arrive or you're not. Even in this nightmare "worst case scenario" where the vaccine card is rejected...... SO WHAT!? Just order the PCR test instead of the antigen test. Who cares? You're literally no worse off. The Safe Passage site holds your hand through every single step. There's no possible way you can mess it up, especially if you order all of your tests right through them.

 

[nancipants]

Okay. Thanks for your advice.

 

[gkrykewy]

The only ambiguity that creates is whether a child under 5 must be vaccinated. It does not create any ambiguity whatsoever about testing required of a child who IS fully vaccinated. If a child is fully vaccinated, then the "what to do if your child isn't fully vaccinated" section obviously doesn'tThe system is extremely clear, I don't care what people are being told on the phone by poorly-trained Inspire agents in an environment when policy is constantly changing and communication is imperfect at best. I've done three COVID cruises with kids 7, 4, and 2 and it's not nearly as complicated as everyone is making it seem. People in this thread and others are doing a disservice to new cruisers by giving them anxiety and making them worry needlessly.

15 days comes up, you log into Safe Passage, you load everyone's vaccine cards. 2 days later you're either Clear to Arrive or you're not. Even in this nightmare "worst case scenario" where the vaccine card is rejected...... SO WHAT!? Just order the PCR test instead of the antigen test. Who cares? You're literally no worse off. The Safe Passage site holds your hand through every single step. There's no possible way you can mess it up, especially if you order all of your tests right through them.

The only ambiguity that creates is whether a child under 5 must be vaccinated. It does not create any ambiguity whatsoever about testing required of a child who IS fully vaccinated. If a child is fully vaccinated, then the "what to do if your child isn't fully vaccinated" section obviously doesn't apply to them.

If a section says "if your son is under 3, he must wear a blue shirt," I'm not going to wonder if that rule applies to my under-3 daughter because it clearly says "son."


The system is extremely clear, I don't care what people are being told on the phone by poorly-trained Inspire agents in an environment when policy is constantly changing and communication is imperfect at best. I've done three COVID cruises with kids 7, 4, and 2 and it's not nearly as complicated as everyone is making it seem. People in this thread and others are doing a disservice to new cruisers by giving them anxiety and making them worry needlessly.

15 days comes up, you log into Safe Passage, you load everyone's vaccine cards. 2 days later you're either Clear to Arrive or you're not. Even in this nightmare "worst case scenario" where the vaccine card is rejected...... SO WHAT!? Just order the PCR test instead of the antigen test. Who cares? You're literally no worse off. The Safe Passage site holds your hand through every single step. There's no possible way you can mess it up, especially if you order all of your tests right through them.

There was literally a person in the last couple of pages whose kid would have been denied boarding after being approved by safe passage, but for a redundant ‘just in case’ PCR test that the online system did not require.

It is nice that you are trying to reassure people and I’m glad you have had all smooth experiences, but with increasingly divergent vaccine status for small kids, there are going to be some negative surprises for people until the policy is clarified.

These cruises are not cheap. We deserve better than “trust the status of your $10k vacation to this third party web site you can’t see until two weeks before you cruise, and it will be totally fine I swear!”

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

If a section says "if your son is under 3, he must wear a blue shirt," I'm not going to wonder if that rule applies to my under-3 daughter because it clearly says "son."

You are implying clarity that isn't there.

From the current Know Before You Go

"Fully vaccinated Guests on sailings departing US and Canadian ports must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by the Guest) taken no more than 2 days before setting sail to be exempt from embarkation testing at the terminal. Guests ages 4 and under, who are not vaccine-eligible because of age, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by a parent or guardian) taken no more than 3 days before their sail date. Children ages 4 and under will also be required to complete a test at the terminal prior to embarkation (paid for by Disney Cruise Line). Detailed testing information is available below."


"Guests 4 years of age and under, who are not vaccine-eligible because of age, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by a parent or guardian). The test must be taken no more than 3 days before the sail date. The test should be a Nucleic Acid Amplification Test (NAAT), a rapid PCR test or a lab-based PCR test. Rapid antigen tests are not accepted. This will be the first of 2 tests required for Guests ages 4 and under; the second test will be conducted at the terminal prior to embarkation (paid for by Disney Cruise Line)."

Both paragraphs state that guests 4 and under aren't vaccine eligible. They are factually inaccurate. So, it's perfectly reasonable for people to question whether Disney is still going to operate as if guests 4 and under aren't vaccine eligible despite the recent approval.

 

[Sarah Fallon]

The language is extremely clear. PCR testing is required for unvaccinated children 4 and under. You don't have an unvaccinated child 4 and under. There's no update to the language necessary.

"This section applies to unvaccinated kids": (You don't have to read it because you don't have unvaccinated kids.)

It says “Guests 4 years of age and under, who are not vaccine-eligible because of age, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by a parent or guardian).” Thst is not clear that if you are under 5 but vaccinated if you have to test.

 

[galacticb]

The only ambiguity that creates is whether a child under 5 must be vaccinated. It does not create any ambiguity whatsoever about testing required of a child who IS fully vaccinated. If a child is fully vaccinated, then the "what to do if your child isn't fully vaccinated" section obviously doesn't apply to them.

If a section says "if your son is under 3, he must wear a blue shirt," I'm not going to wonder if that rule applies to my under-3 daughter because it clearly says "son."


The system is extremely clear, I don't care what people are being told on the phone by poorly-trained Inspire agents in an environment when policy is constantly changing and communication is imperfect at best. I've done three COVID cruises with kids 7, 4, and 2 and it's not nearly as complicated as everyone is making it seem. People in this thread and others are doing a disservice to new cruisers by giving them anxiety and making them worry needlessly.

15 days comes up, you log into Safe Passage, you load everyone's vaccine cards. 2 days later you're either Clear to Arrive or you're not. Even in this nightmare "worst case scenario" where the vaccine card is rejected...... SO WHAT!? Just order the PCR test instead of the antigen test. Who cares? You're literally no worse off. The Safe Passage site holds your hand through every single step. There's no possible way you can mess it up, especially if you order all of your tests right through them.

As others have said, there are multiple problems with the language and overall process that need to be addressed.

Here are a few examples:

• On the main "Know before you sail" page:
  • "Guests ages 4 and under, who are not vaccine-eligible because of age, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (paid for by a parent or guardian) taken no more than 3 days before their sail date." The phrase "because of age" is no longer correct and it implies that all guests 4 and under need a test 3 days before the sail date.
  • "Children ages 4 and under will also be required to complete a test at the terminal prior to embarkation (paid for by Disney Cruise Line)." This does not exclude vaccinated guests.
• On the "Embarkation Day" page:
  • "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. This will be the second of 2 tests required for Guests ages 4 and under." This continues to imply multiple tests for guests under four. (Nowhere does it reference unvaccinated guests.) This is somewhat supplanted by the next section and next quote, but that too is problematic for this age group.
  • "Embarkation testing for Guests who are not vaccine-eligible because of age (4 and under) will continue to be paid for by Disney Cruise Line." Another reference to age despite the fact that vaccination is possible.

I understand that often cast members on the phone don't have the most accurate/current information. However, that combined with the absence of a clearly communicated policy make it difficult to just trust that the right thing will happen given the potential consequences, and it certainly does not create a system that is "extremely clear". I too have done a cruise post-COVID with two kids under the age of five. However, that was when they were not vaccine eligible. Unless you have sailed with vaccinated children in this age group, I don't understand how clear guidance for your previous trips implies that the concerns raised in this thread are not valid.

I am hopeful that Safe Passage/Disney will at the end of the day honor vaccination status for those under five who have completed their shot series (2 for Moderna and 3 for Pfizer). However, I also feel like the concerns raised in this thread are legitimate, and I appreciate all of the feedback that others have been giving about their experiences and correspondences with Disney/Safe Passage. No one is forced to read this thread, and they are welcome to take the approach that you mentioned. However, I personally continue to look forward to hearing from others to make sure that I understand what is actually happening at the port for this specific issue.

 

[nancipants]

I am hopeful that Safe Passage/Disney will at the end of the day honor vaccination status for those under five who have completed their shot series (2 for Moderna and 3 for Pfizer). However, I also feel like the concerns raised in this thread are legitimate, and I appreciate all of the feedback that others have been giving about their experiences and correspondences with Disney/Safe Passage. No one is forced to read this thread, and they are welcome to take the approach that you mentioned. However, I personally continue to look forward to hearing from others to make sure that I understand what is actually happening at the port for this specific issue.

I'll continue to do so. My Safe Passage opens Friday and I will upload my child's vaccination card ASAP. I still have not received a reply to the email I sent asking what the testing protocol would be, so I'm not hopeful that the policy will be clear.

 

[four42two]

I read your posts and looked back at the email Safe Passage sent me, and I now realize that the shoreside concierge gave me information inconsistent with Safe Passage. According to shoreside concierge, both pre-testing and embarkation day testing were required; the Safe Passage email (consistent with your experience) only mentions embarkation day testing. My 4-year-old's vaccination record is not yet approved, so I don't know if it will work out this way, but I'm hopeful that Safe Passage doesn't end up requiring pre-testing for us, either. That would be at least a small comfort, as we wouldn't have to pay the ~$100 for the additional test and we wouldn't have to scramble to get the pre-testing done while traveling.

Thanks for your posts.

As an update, kiddo’s vaccination card was approved yesterday. As far as Safe Passage is concerned, she’s Clear to Arrive, and there’s no indication that she’ll need a pre-sail PCR test (nor is there anywhere to upload such a result if we had one.) But she will still need to have an antigen test at the port.

So the process does seem to be running smoothly. But I think it’s still worth folks with children under 5 to be especially vigilant, aware of the inconsistent port-side testing requirement, and keep checking in with Guest Services to encourage them to update their policy.

 

[mja4250]

As an update, kiddo’s vaccination card was approved yesterday. As far as Safe Passage is concerned, she’s Clear to Arrive, and there’s no indication that she’ll need a pre-sail PCR test (nor is there anywhere to upload such a result if we had one.) But she will still need to have an antigen test at the port.

So the process does seem to be running smoothly. But I think it’s still worth folks with children under 5 to be especially vigilant, aware of the inconsistent port-side testing requirement, and keep checking in with Guest Services to encourage them to update their policy.

Thank you for letting us know! So no PCR, but you cannot antigen test them ahead of time?

Appreciate you replying!

 

[nancipants]

As an update, kiddo’s vaccination card was approved yesterday. As far as Safe Passage is concerned, she’s Clear to Arrive, and there’s no indication that she’ll need a pre-sail PCR test (nor is there anywhere to upload such a result if we had one.) But she will still need to have an antigen test at the port.

So the process does seem to be running smoothly. But I think it’s still worth folks with children under 5 to be especially vigilant, aware of the inconsistent port-side testing requirement, and keep checking in with Guest Services to encourage them to update their policy.

Thanks for the update. I'm still so angry with this stupid testing at the port BS. Did they say why she needs to test at the port and not beforehand?

 

[four42two]

Thank you for letting us know! So no PCR, but you cannot antigen test them ahead of time?

Appreciate you replying!

Correct. In her Embarkation section, it says “Testing Required
Testing at Port - No Order Required”
which is different from the “Order/Upload” button that is on mine. So there’s not even a place to upload antigen test results for the under-5 guests.

I’ll note another *very* minor inconsistency with what the shoreside concierge told me - she suggested that we could schedule kiddo’s port-side test early on arrival day to minimize any delay in boarding. But since there’s not even an order button, there’s no obvious way to schedule kiddo’s test. I haven’t tried calling Safe Passage yet - it’s probably not worth it given how few port-side tests will be going on. On our previous cruise (out of Miami) we were able to just walk right in to the port-side test and results were done in less than fifteen minutes.

 

[four42two]

Thanks for the update. I'm still so angry with this stupid testing at the port BS. Did they say why she needs to test at the port and not beforehand?

I agree with the frustration. I wouldn’t expect a cast member to explain the “why” - the shoreside concierge I spoke with certainly sympathized with my frustration at the inconsistent testing but didn’t volunteer anything about why the policy hadn’t been updated, just that it was what it was and that leadership were reviewing it.

So I’m trying to find peace with the situation. Maybe they’ll update the policy before next week when we sail, and if not, the port-side testing, while annoying, should be pretty quick.

 

[nancipants]

I agree with the frustration. I wouldn’t expect a cast member to explain the “why” - the shoreside concierge I spoke with certainly sympathized with my frustration at the inconsistent testing but didn’t volunteer anything about why the policy hadn’t been updated, just that it was what it was and that leadership were reviewing it.

So I’m trying to find peace with the situation. Maybe they’ll update the policy before next week when we sail, and if not, the port-side testing, while annoying, should be pretty quick.

I'm trying to hold hope that it will be quick. And I'll test my son that morning for peace of mind. I just HATE the extra anxiety and difference in policies. Probably still sensitive about all the BS that went with getting this age group approved to begin with, and then how hard it was to find vaccines in my area.

I sent an email to the CEO of DCL this morning. YOLO.

 

[brent02139]

On Safe Passage site, our vaccinated DS4 was updated to “Testing at Port - No Order Required” just like user four42two says.