Disney Cruise Line’s First Test Sailing Delayed Over Crew COVID Results

Disney Cruise Line (DIS) is the latest cruise line to delay a sailing due to COVID test results.

The ship, Disney Dream, was scheduled to depart Tuesday, on its initial test sailing with only crew members on board, However, the test cruise was paused as a result of inconsistent COVID test results, USA Today reported.

Disney told USA Today in a statement shared by company spokesperson Cynthia Martinez, “We are delaying our simulation cruise due to a small number of inconsistent COVID-19 test results, which are considered positive by the CDC. The rigorous health and safety protocols we have in place helped us identify the situation, though the test results were ultimately negative.”

According to Reuters, the crew consisted of about 300 volunteers.

The crew was routinely tested for COVID-19 last week, where five workers who were vaccinated tested positive for the virus, USA Today reported. They were asymptomatic and had tested negative for the virus multiple times prior, the news said.

Following the positive COVID-19 tests, the crew members were tested the next day after discussions with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and had negative test results, according to USA Today.

Despite the crew members testing negative, CDC policy dictated that the cruise line must cancel its sailing as the inconsistent test results are considered positive by the agency.

Disney did not release information as to when the test cruise would be rescheduled.

This is not the first U.S. sailing that has been canceled due to positive COVID tests. In mid-June, eight crew members onboard Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas tested positive for the virus, causing the cruise to be postponed.

Earlier in June, two passengers on Royal Caribbean’s Celebrity Millennium cruise ship to St. Maarten also tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of the sailing. Both cruises were considered fully vaccinated.

Two passengers who were under the age of 16 also tested positive for the virus onboard Royal Caribbean’s Adventures of the Seas ship and disembarked in Fremont, Bahamas. The passengers were sent to their home in Florida with their travel party. The passengers were not vaccinated.

Shares of Disney were trading at $176.76 as of premarket hours on Tuesday, up 19 cents, 0.11%.