To go or not go is a decision that only you and your family can make…
My DH (age 70) and I (age 68) rented DVC points for a Studio at SSR for a 10 day trip (8/24 - 9/3) celebrating both of our birthdays, our 49th Anniversary, and his retirement. We planned the trip in May when it looked like the end of summer would be a very safe time to go (based on vaccination rates at the time). We didn’t expect it would turn out to be the Delta variant explosion - and the positive test results/hospitalizations going thru the roof.
We were discussing cancelling the trip for over a month before we left. We have been vaccinated since December (husband worked in healthcare) and super diligent in staying safe. Never stopped wearing masks in public, etc. So, to go to Florida now just didn’t feel like a good decision…
But, after reading all the info we could - we ended up deciding to take the trip with certain precautions. We would ALWAYS wear masks indoors. And mask up outdoors when there were people close to us, which was a lot of the time. I must say - we observed approx. 99% masking compliance indoors. But, only About 40% outdoors.
Luckily, we ended up going during a really slow time - and experienced low crowds the entire trip. We would carry sanitizer in our pockets and use it constantly before and after touching anything in public - on busses, in elevators, in stores, etc. We carried disposable sanitizing cloths (like Clorox) and wiped off any tables, chairs, trays, etc. that we would use. We decided we wouldn’t eat in any sit-down restaurants and canceled a few ADR’s that I had made. We mobile ordered food, and Disney was only allowing you in a quick service restaurant if you had an order to get. Those indoor areas were not crowded at all and we always sat by ourselves in an obscure corner. We also ate when most families were done eating (like 3 pm for lunch - and after 7 or 8pm for dinner) - so less people around. In addition, we sprayed our throats with an antiseptic spray a couple of times a day.
Given all those precautions, we only went to the parks for a few hours each day of our 6 day pass. The rest of the 4 days were spent at the pool relaxing or going to another resort to eat quick service and explore/walk around - enjoying the ambiance. Disney Springs was a hot mess in the evening - so we left and went back early one morning when hardly anyone was there. We never rope dropped and were able to ride in mostly empty busses other times of the day. (Bus service was great, by the way).
We’ve been home for 3 days now, with no symptoms and will get a Covid test in the next day or so - before we see any of our grandkids.
The longer we were there, the safer we felt - as we were in charge of our actions and only counted on us to take the necessary precautions. These were the surgical masks we ordered and used (but used N95’s on the plane):
https://myddssupply.com/products/astm-level-3-surgical-masks-blue-by-plastcare-usa
This was a really wonderful, laid back trip. We slept in, ate breakfast in our room (had ordered InstaCart the day we arrived - so had breakfast items, adult drinks for evenings, cheese and crackers, etc.), relaxed at the pool or Blizzard Beach (which was practically empty), and went to a park late in the day. Waited for the crowds to leave the parks before we went for our bus. Ended up being only 4-6 people on most of the busses we took.
We wouldn’t have gone if we had unvaccinated kids, OR if it looked like the super crowds of mid-summer. Would not go anytime after October 1st now - because of all the crowds expected. It sounds like the rest of September will be low crowds, so that would play a part in any decision going forward.
Also, getting a booster vaccine would make us feel better about going in the future… but they are a few weeks out yet. Our plan may not be workable for many families, but it’s what worked well for us and we would go again with the same precautions In place.
Now, we just wait to take a Covid test and keep our fingers crossed that our precautions helped keep us safe!
UPDATE: both Of us tested negative for Covid test this week. (9/09/21) We waited five days after returning home to take the test.
