Disney Cruise Line implements different COVID boarding rules based on the location and date of the sailing. As of summer 2023, the only destinations requiring COVID vaccination were those in the South Pacific. However, please note that DCL's COVID policies changed multiple times during the pandemic and post-pandemic era.

As always, be sure to check the DCL website's "Know Before You Go" page to confirm the exact rules that will be in place during your sailing.

U.S. residents traveling outside of the U.S. should contact their health insurance providers to check their policy’s coverage for emergencies outside the country. While Disney offers trip insurance for its cruises, it currently limits coverage to $10,000 per person for medical and dental emergencies. Ten grand at most hospitals these days is going to get you some ice, a Band-Aid, and a kiss from a doctor to make your boo-boo better. If you’re lucky. If you are going to pay for additional insurance, make sure it’s enough to be helpful in an emergency.

Unofficial Tip

As you pack for your trip, plan to carry three copies of your health insurance information: one in a wallet or purse; one in carry-on luggage; and one in checked baggage.

Residents of most European countries taking a Disney cruise in Europe should also investigate the use of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), which covers travel through much of Europe. If you need additional travel insurance, companies such as American Express offer it for around 3% of the total cost of your trip.

On addition, websites such as InsureMyTrip.com, offer a handy feature for comparing travel insurance policies from different companies. Mousesavers.com also contains some good tips.

If you encounter a medical situation in port in Florida, Alaska, Puerto Rico, or some other locations, your regular health insurance may cover some of the cost if you are a U.S. resident. Be sure to have your regular health insurance information on hand as well as any supplement travel insurance you may purchase. Prescription insurance and dental insurance information may be helpful as well.

In previous years, we have recommended travel insurance for Disney Cruise Line guests, but only vociferously so for those on long and expensive trips. We’re now recommending it for nearly everyone.

There are risks associated with any kind of travel, but cruises are unique because they’re all-or-nothing propositions. If your flight to Orlando is delayed and you miss the first day of your week-long Walt Disney World vacation, you’ll be disappointed, but you’ll still be able to have a great time for six of the seven days. Not so with a cruise: if your flight is delayed and you miss boarding the ship, your entire vacation is over before it starts. Similarly, medical or weather issues that might be minor annoyances on land can completely derail a cruise, where there are fewer forms of remediation.

Most importantly, the cruise lines themselves are becoming increasingly aggressive—and understandably so—about enforcing health and safety precautions, meaning cruisers now face a greater-than-ever chance of being denied boarding for illnesses of any sort. For all of these reasons, we now strongly recommend that you buy trip insurance for your cruise, even if you wouldn’t normally buy it for a land-based vacation and even if you’re fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

DCL offers its own trip insurance, called the Vacation Protection Plan (VPP). If you’d like to buy it, you must do so before you pay in full for your vacation (see tinyurl.com/dclvacationprotectionplan for details), but note that many other reputable companies offer travel insurance at a variety of price points and coverage levels.

Providers reviewed in recent “best of” articles in Forbes magazine and at TheWirecutter.com (the New York Times’s product review website) include Allianz Global Assistance (allianztravel insurance.com), American Express Travel Insurance (tinyurl.com/americanexpressinsurance) Seven Corners (seven corners.com), Travelex (travelexinsurance.com), and Travel Guard (travel guard.com). InsureMyTrip (insuremytrip.com), SquareMouth (square mouth.com), and VisitorsCoverage (visitorscover age.com) help you compare and contrast plans from many providers.

If you travel frequently, consider getting annual trip insurance, which provides coverage for multiple trips and is available from many of the previously listed companies. In addition, check whether you already have some travel coverage through your credit cards, your regular insurance provider, or your employer.

In general, when you’re researching travel insurance, consider the following:

• KINDS OF COVERAGE There are plans that cover medical issues, with or without coverage for preexisting conditions; evacuation due to political unrest or weather; flight delays or cancellations (plus the cost of meals and/or hotels stemming from these); luggage replacement; trip cancellation due to unexpected events such as family emergencies; and various combinations of the above. In the COVID era, pay particular attention to whether your policy covers cancellation due to COVID or other diagnoses immediately before traveling; emergency care if you become ill while traveling; and accommodation coverage if you get quarantined at your destination, on board, or in port. Also, check whether some COVID-related aspects of the plan have time limits or other exclusions.
• PRICE Trip insurance is expensive—often 4%–8% (or more) of the cost of your vacation (see next page)—so compare quotes from different agencies to ensure that you’re getting the best price for the coverage your need.
• TIMING OF PURCHASE Some companies offer discounts if you buy insurance within a week or two of placing your deposit on a trip.
• REIMBURSEMENT LIMITS If a policy caps your reimbursement, consider whether the maximum amount would be sufficient to cover the cost of your vacation or your medical care in an emergency. FINE PRINT Make sure that you understand all the details of the policy you’re purchasing, including your deadline for submitting a claim.
• DATE TRANSFERABILITY In the COVID era, canceling and rebooking a cruise for a later date is a common occurrence. Problem is, many travel insurance policies are attached to a specific travel date: if you move your trip, you forfeit the cost of the insurance you’ve purchased, and you must rebuy it for your new sailing. During the DCL shutdown, our travel agent friends found that one benefit of purchasing Disney’s VPP was that, when guests rebooked their 2020 cruises, the insurance moved with the rebooking. On the other hand, their clients who’d bought third-party plans often recouped the cost of their trip but had to eat the cost of the policy.

Expect to pay between 4% and 8% of your total prepaid, nonrefundable trip expenses for a travel insurance policy. That range reflects a wide range of coverage options: you’ll find some basic plans that cost even less than 4% of your trip expenses but provide only limited coverage, as well as deluxe plans, costing as much as 12% of your trip, that cover anything and everything you can think of. Reputable insurance companies will offer a brief “try before you buy” period during which you can review the policy you’ve selected, then return it for any reason within the period allotted for a full refund, minus a small administrative fee.