Covid and Parks

[mrsnj91]

Prob been asked over and over for the last year but we were thinking on finally coming out of our cave and venturing to Disney. I just had a friend who went and said they were awesome so I canceled my local beachouse and began looking into places down there. My kids want to do Disney and Universal. We come from a high count state and you can't get a bottle of soda without masks and distancing. Three months is a long time for things to change and my one friend just went to Universal and said DON"T GO. Said they are already dropping rules there and she won't be back (she lives in FL). This is making me nervous now. Im concerned I will book all this and they will all open up and say nothing and I will get there and have a heart attack. Now this isn't meant to be a debate or opinions. We have had it go through my family twice, one friend died, one almost lost their life and I have an inhome daycare with lovely littles to worry about. Im just trying to get an idea on thoughts on how Disney will handle this? Im 100% ok pull those ticket purchases to Universal! Has anyone been and is this a good decision? Or should I reconsider this idea?

 

[dledger]

I’m also living in a state with stricter restriction. I’m going to be honest, we are planning a trip for next year and would probably go this year if we could. BUT that being said, Disney would not be the first place I ventured out to and UO would DEFINITELY not be the first place I traveled to. I think only you can know your comfort level and how you’ll feel once you get there but you’ll have to think about what changes could occur that would make you pull the plug. Unfortunately like you acknowledged a ton can change in 3 months. Luckily Disney is pretty lenient up to that 45 day mark.

 

[No.1000]

I have been to Disney 2x since reopen and I did feel very safe there. My last visit, in March, I could see the difference in people's attitudes, crowds, and there was not much distancing in lines. Since that time, Florida's Governor has opened things even more and I feel like the parks will slowly follow suit. Already they are loading more people on rides and have dropped the masks during photos rule. There is also activity on bringing back fireworks. If you aren't comfortable with crowds, now is not the time to go.

 

[Marionnette]

Prob been asked over and over for the last year but we were thinking on finally coming out of our cave and venturing to Disney. I just had a friend who went and said they were awesome so I canceled my local beachouse and began looking into places down there. My kids want to do Disney and Universal. We come from a high count state and you can't get a bottle of soda without masks and distancing. Three months is a long time for things to change and my one friend just went to Universal and said DON"T GO. Said they are already dropping rules there and she won't be back (she lives in FL). This is making me nervous now. Im concerned I will book all this and they will all open up and say nothing and I will get there and have a heart attack. Now this isn't meant to be a debate or opinions. We have had it go through my family twice, one friend died, one almost lost their life and I have an inhome daycare with lovely littles to worry about. Im just trying to get an idea on thoughts on how Disney will handle this? Im 100% ok pull those ticket purchases to Universal! Has anyone been and is this a good decision? Or should I reconsider this idea?

I think a lot has to do with your comfort level being close to people. We were there last month and mask compliance was good but Disney cannot police every guest 100% of the time. I did see nose hammocks and chin masks but the vast majority of guests wore them properly.

The physical distancing was another story and we actually let more than one party pass us in line because they wouldn't stay off our tails. I'm not talking being 3 feet close instead of 6 feet. I'm talking close enough to brush me with their backpack when they turned. You cannot control other people's behavior. You can only control how you react to them.

It sounds like you have been extremely isolated during the past year. It can be quite unnerving to go from being distanced from people for so long and then being in close physical contact with them. Transitioning slowly might help ease you into a Disney-type setting. If you are intent on going this summer, you might want to attempt some brief outings into areas where restrictions are not as tight as where you live. It will help you to feel a little more relaxed at Disney.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Respectfully, if you are that concerned about contracting COVID-19 and getting seriously ill or dying or spreading it to your day care customers, then I would highly recommend avoiding any and all mass gatherings (including WDW, etc.) regardless of the safety protocols in place. It's a free country and you are free to feel the way you do, but I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that you will be comfortable and have an enjoyable time at a mass gathering during a pandemic with the concerns you have cited in your OP.

No one here knows for certain what changes, if any, WDW will make in the future and the timing of those changes. Unless B. Chapek is a regular here at DIS Boards. Otherwise, no one has a crystal ball. WDW is changing safety protocols and procedures, but WDW has not given a lot of advanced notice of safety protocol changes, historically speaking. For instance, WDW eliminated temperature checks for CMS and guests with about 1-2 weeks advanced notice. By way of another example, WDW allowed guests to remove their masks for outdoor (socially distanced) photos with 1 week or less advanced notice.

I wish you good luck with whatever decision you make!

 

[mrsnj91]

I think a lot has to do with your comfort level being close to people. We were there last month and mask compliance was good but Disney cannot police every guest 100% of the time. I did see nose hammocks and chin masks but the vast majority of guests wore them properly.

The physical distancing was another story and we actually let more than one party pass us in line because they wouldn't stay off our tails. I'm not talking being 3 feet close instead of 6 feet. I'm talking close enough to brush me with their backpack when they turned. You cannot control other people's behavior. You can only control how you react to them.

It sounds like you have been extremely isolated during the past year. It can be quite unnerving to go from being distanced from people for so long and then being in close physical contact with them. Transitioning slowly might help ease you into a Disney-type setting. If you are intent on going this summer, you might want to attempt some brief outings into areas where restrictions are not as tight as where you live. It will help you to feel a little more relaxed at Disney.

Actually I have been out and about for a year now lol but we are much more cautious up here. I have traveled and I have done local amusement parks and we live in a tourist area. But Im not stupid enough to stand in a crowded area shoulder to shoulder either. I don't go to the beach in July 4th. Rules are in place here and you follow them or you don't enter. From what I am told its not the case down there. This is why I am asking on thoughts and experiences.

 

[mrsnj91]

Respectfully, if you are that concerned about contracting COVID-19 and getting seriously ill or dying or spreading it to your day care customers, then I would highly recommend avoiding any and all mass gatherings (including WDW, etc.) regardless of the safety protocols in place. It's a free country and you are free to feel the way you do, but I cannot wrap my brain around the fact that you will be comfortable and have an enjoyable time at a mass gathering during a pandemic with the concerns you have cited in your OP.

No one here knows for certain what changes, if any, WDW will make in the future and the timing of those changes. Unless B. Chapek is a regular here at DIS Boards. Otherwise, no one has a crystal ball. WDW is changing safety protocols and procedures, but WDW has not given a lot of advanced notice of safety protocol changes, historically speaking. For instance, WDW eliminated temperature checks for CMS and guests with about 1-2 weeks advanced notice. By way of another example, WDW allowed guests to remove their masks for outdoor (socially distanced) photos with 1 week or less advanced notice.

I wish you good luck with whatever decision you make!

Thanks! LOL on the crystal ball. I could use one right now! I had a feeling there wasn't much warning This is why I asked. I think it might be a good idea for a family meeting tonight . Thanks so much

 

[lanejudy]

But Im not stupid enough to stand in a crowded area shoulder to shoulder either.

This speaks volumes and is your decision point. You need to feel comfortable in this situation. It may or may not happen, but highly possible you could find yourself in a crowded situation at WDW this summer. If that is a deal-breaker, you may want to make other vacation plans for this year.

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Thanks! LOL on the crystal ball. I could use one right now! I had a feeling there wasn't much warning This is why I asked. I think it might be a good idea for a family meeting tonight . Thanks so much

You are welcome. Family meetings to hash out feelings and specifics.

 

[carlyle688]

Last week I was sitting on a wall, mask off, drinking a soda. This woman sat down less than 2 feet from me and also took her mask off to drink. If you are not comfortable with this scenario don’t go. I am local and go to the parks weekly and something like this happens almost every time I am there.

 

[OregonDisDad]

Things seem to be moving in the direction of removing restrictions, and it seems that the pace is accelerating. Disney is not likely to lead the way on this, but many (sorry, but I’m in this group) would love to see significantly more restrictions lifted by summer.

Of course, you will have to decide what is best for you and your family, but if I were still uncomfortable with crowds during COVID, I would not be planning a trip to Disney right now. You may want to wait until we get through this round re-opening things across the country, and see how that matches with your comfort level.

 

[gharter]

As others have mentioned, only you can decide what your comfort level is.
We were there last month and felt very comfortable in all the parks. Thought Disney (and the airlines) did a good job with safety protocols.
In the parks and resorts, rarely saw people without masks.
You don't say whether you have had your vaccines yet or not. If you haven't had the vaccine, I would be not be going (without our vaccines we would have cancelled again), especially given your concerns.

 

[Meglen]

You can watch some universal and disney vlogs on YouTube and see how the crowds and people are. My family will be fully vaccinated by the time we go so that's my comfort level.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I would recommend following the Here Now & Just Back thread as people share what they are experiencing on a daily basis and is current, honest information about guest's actual experiences.

I'm going to close this thread as a lot of great information has been shared but the thread above is already in progress and this is duplicating a lot of what is shared there.