Ahoy there, Connie! Thank you for sailing our way here at planDisney with your question of where to get your littlest sailor tested before you embark on the incredible
Disney Wish! As a dad of a tiny castway myself, I just went through this in preparation for the cruise my family is on at this very moment! I'm certain our recent experience will be able to help you! You and me, we're in a club now!
I definitely know what those nerves feel like - we spent the last two-and-a-half years keeping to ourselves, doing everything we could to keep things safe for our little guy. When it came time for us to venture out into the big blue world, we were scrambling to figure out the timing of his tests to make sure we were cleared to sail! I'm sure you've run into a similar issue that we found: most pharmacies and testing sites don't perform tests on anyone under the age of three - how inconvenient for someone trying to plan an incredible Disney Cruise Line vacation!
As you likely already know,
Disney Cruise Line requires that all Guests who are not eligible to be fully vaccinated must test twice before they can sail: once within three days of the sail date, and another at the port. The first test must be either a Rapid PCR test, NAAT test, or lab-based PCR test, while the second is an antigen test given the day of embarkation at the port!
The timing of the first test can be another tricky part, too, depending on your travel plans! The absolute best place to get a test for your 8-month-old would be their pediatrician's office if they offer rapid PCR or NAAT tests. And here's a planDrew-approved tip: be sure to ask how quickly their recent lab tests have been coming back - with only a three day window to work with, any lab delays could throw a major squall into the course you've set!
What worked for us was a call to our local urgent care provider to see if they had rapid PCR tests for infants without symptoms. Fifteen-ish minutes - and a few tears later - we were able to breathe a sigh of relief that he had tested negative! It was a relief to upload both those results and the proof of vaccination for the rest of the party to the Safe Passage website!
Speaking of Safe Passage, if you still can't find a place to get your kiddo tested 15 days before your sailing, you should plan on setting an alarm to complete your registration, and I have good news: if you begin the process as early as you can, you'll be able to order a Disney Cruise Line accepted test directly from Inspire Diagnostics! These tests come with explicit return instructions, so be sure to read the documentation if you go this route!
And if none of these options will work, our super-extra-backup-plan was to pay for a test from one of the providers at Orlando International Airport. You can find the current options by searching "Rapid PCR Test Orlando Airport, and are acceptable tests assuming you are traveling in at least 24 hours before your cruise!
Oh, and definitely be sure to continue checking
the most recent "Know Before You Go" information for any changes or updates! The most recent update was just a few weeks ago, but the requirements can be updated at any moment!
Whichever heading you decide to chart your course for, Connie, I hope I've been able to reassure you that there are ways to accomplish the required testing! Thank you so much for your question, and if you have ANY others leading up to your mid-August sail date, please drop me another line here at planDisney!
Fair winds and following seas!
Andrew