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Walt Disney World Resort’s efforts after its reopening have been overall very well done. We review what we noticed during our visit.
We have our reservations about Disney theme parks being open right now. It’s a new situation for the world and navigating it is incredibly tricky. However, in our experience, Disney is showing a great deal of concern over guest and Cast Member safety—as well as their own perception. If you’ve been curious about how it feels to be in the parks right now, here’s what we noticed.
The Disney Parks Pass Is Great
For the time being, Disney World is only allowing a fraction of its capacity into the theme parks. To manage this, the company introduced the Disney Parks Pass, a free reservations system included with your ticket or annual pass. There are three “buckets” for this pass: Disney Annual Passholders, regular ticket holders, and hotel guests. If Annual Passholders use all of their spots, those staying hotels and/or with regular tickets are not affected. The Parks Pass allows for thin crowds throughout the day and plenty of space for guests to practice social distancing. In fact, there were several times we found ourselves alone without anyone else around. While it’s a little eerie to be at a Disney World theme park in the middle of summer without crowds, we’re incredibly grateful for the social distancing measures.
Social Distancing in the Queues and on Rides
Disney does a fantastic job keeping guests apart while waiting in lines. The floors are marked with social distancing signs to keep parties from crowding. For the most part, guests are great at abiding by these signs. In spots where lines come close together, Disney placed plexiglass barriers.
In addition to spacing out guests in queue, Disney also spaces people out on the rides. Expect 1-2 rows between you and the next group. If it’s an indoor attraction like Haunted Mansion, you might get even more space. The downside is that this increases wait times, but health and safety come first.
It’s Clean Everywhere!
As far as theme parks go, Disney already took the top ticket for cleanliness. However, the parks have stepped their game up even more! Every two hours the rides shut down for cleaning the vehicles. We constantly see Cast Members wiping down handrails, tables, and other spaces. And the cleaning products Disney uses aren’t smelly or overbearing in anyway. Everything looks incredibly clean!
Character Cavalcades
Social distancing means that character can’t greet, hug, or high-five guests. However, Disney has come up with an amazing way for guests to meet their favorite characters. Special cavalcades stroll through the parks, playing exciting music and accompanied with lively dancers or musicians. The characters are also great at waving to guests and making every onlooker feel special. In each park you can see Mickey and Minnie as well as dozens of other characters. We especially loved seeing Chip and Dale float by in their dinosaur costumes at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!
No-Touch Zones
Playgrounds, water features, and touch games are temporarily unavailable. However, guests can still use the Disney Play app to keep busy!
Tons of Reminders
Virtually every corner of the theme parks have reminders about social distancing, wearing facial coverings, and washing your hands. We usually spotted these signs cleverly placed on trash cans! Additionally, the bathrooms have plaques that remind guests to wash their hands for 20 seconds.
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Required Masks
We’re incredibly grateful that Walt Disney World requires face coverings across the Resort. Whether you’re at the parks or hanging out in your hotel lobby, a face mask is required. While guests can remove them to eat or drink, guests must stay in one spot when removing their mask. To enforce the rules, special Cast Member teams roam the parks making sure that everyone is wearing their facial covering properly. With so much evidence showing that properly worn facial coverings work, Disney enforcing this policy makes everything feel a lot safer.
We hope you enjoyed this entry about what Walt Disney World does right after its reopening. If you’d like to read what they got wrong, click here! To get updates on Walt Disney World and tips for visiting, sign up for our free e-mail newsletter! You can also follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
