CELEBRATION, FL — Effective Jan. 13, 2022 Disney Cruise Line will require younger passengers ages 5 – 11 to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to board its ships.

The same vaccination policy is already in effect for all passengers ages 12 and up.

Disney made the change to its ‘Know Before You Go’ landing page yesterday.

In the U.S., Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine has been rolling out for kids ages 5 – 11 since early November.

Meanwhile, according to recent reports in the Star, Health Canada is expected to announce approval for the Pfizer vaccine for 5 – 11 year olds by the end of this week.

Disney Cruise Line passengers who are not vaccine-eligible because of age must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result (at the passenger’s expense) taken between three days and 24 hours before their sail date. Passengers 5 – 11 years old can complete the testing requirement in lieu of being fully vaccinated for sailings that depart before January 13, 2022. Guests 4 years of age and under must complete the testing requirements. The test should be a NAAT test, rapid PCR test or lab-based PCR test. “Rapid antigen tests are not accepted,” says the cruise line.

Disney Cruise Line’s ‘Know Before You Go’ page can be found here.