Safest park to visit during Covid next week (3/18/21)? Disney V. Universal

[Dakota731]

Seems like people want guarantees sometimes, and that isn’t going to happen no matter how many precautions companies take. My two adult kids and my son in law all three got covid working at a hospital with masks on, and you can’t get any more cautious than a hospital right now. If you haven’t been out of the house all year then I think you’d be too stressed at a theme park with thousands of people right now.

 

[Dani Cloud]

I did not renew my pass to either this year because the covid guidlines are not strict enough. They were when they first reopened but both parks dropped important safety measures without warning or valid scientific reason. People are placed within six feet of each on rides and in queues, despite CDC guidance saying not to. At Disney in most instances there is
some sort of plastic between people; but not at Universal on the rides. The capacity is so high that even on non-sold out days it is literally impossible to distance on walkways at least half the time. Now, on slow days this is not true- except for bottlenecks distancing is fine- but the week you are in Fl will be extremely busy. Mask compliance ranges from almost everyone following the rules to seeing someone literally every thirty seconds who is not wearing one properly. Last month I was also frequently politely asking the people behind me in queues to keep their distance. People don’t seem to care anymore. Lots of people make up their own markers and just stand wherever they please, which often results in people standing side by side.

Universal spaced out their queue markings better and requires sanitizer before rides. They also allow neck gaiters, which have been shown to be not very effective. They also allow medical exemptions for face masks- people can go to guest relations and get permission to wear a face shield while walking around; on rides they must wear a mask. I never saw any face shields though. At Disney performers do not wear masks. Some of the Universal ones do.

If ya’ll want a break from the beach I suggest finding a nice state/local park or garden, or maybe a museum taking appropriate precautions. Not all counties/cities here have a mask mandate, before planning an inside activity in any particular county/city you may want to verify the local rules and establishment rules.

Thank you! This is what I told my daughter. I think it is still too many people for us to be comfortable and we can find an empty movie theater, a museum that isn't crowded, etc. Hopefully she will be vaccinated by the Fall so we can try again for Fall Break.

 

[Dani Cloud]

Thank you everyone. I will wait until my daughter is vaccinated in the Fall. We are going to a beach in GA or FL. It's an area that is prone to senior citizens and couples. Not lots of kids or party goers. We went in the Fall and had the whole beach to ourselves. I am sure it will be more crowded but during the week I anticipate it still being distant enough for us to hang out on the beach unmasked.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Accidental Disney Fan]

We also take COVID very seriously but stood to lose a DVC booking so we went in December 2020. I have to say that I would have been uncomfortable to the point of hysteria, if we hadn't also been wearing face shields. That said, we went to both Disney and Universal and out of the two I felt more relaxed in Disney. So many gaiters in Universal. and so many people walking around eating and drinking with their masks down. So for the three days in Universal we made use of the early morning hours (two of the days we were at the park by 6:30am) and had the Express Pass so we would stay until around 11 or noon and then left for the day. It was not ideal and a very expensive experiment. But in Disney with the medical grade masks and shields I felt safer and enjoyed myself (to a degree - I never quite shook the feeling that we were insane for travelling in a pandemic). I also have to say that when we had to ask people to mind their distancing when in lines, we got a much better reception from people in Disney than we did in Universal. There were a couple of times that we experienced open hostility. I get that we probably looked a bit nuts with the face shields on. We had the ones that were open at the top (rather than the ones with the foam padding) so we experienced almost no fogging. I would not eat indoors, anywhere. Even with the new rules for dining at Disney.

 

[Accidental Disney Fan]

if you go, you will spend the day hyper-viligant, mentally calculating 6 feet distances, very sensitive to any cough or sneeze sound, and looking to see if everyone has a mask on properly—it will be exhausting.

This describes my internal dialogue on our December 2020 trip. And I can report that it IS exhausting. I was alway just a bit relieved to be back at our hotel with a G&T in my hand.

 

[LolaNJoe]

I went once right after they reopened and again more recently, and I have to say if we hadn't both been vaccinated fully before the second trip we may have left. The empty parks are gone and especially with spring break, it will be very crowded. I'd wait until you're both a month out of the final dose of your vaccines to go.

 

[Best Aunt]

I think it is still too many people for us to be comfortable and we can find an empty movie theater, a museum that isn't crowded, etc.

I think the movie theaters at Universal's City Walk and at Disney Springs are open.

But unless the theater room for the movie you are attending is 100% empty other than your family, there will be people eating and drinking in it, meaning they will not be wearing masks. I wonder if OP would be comfortable sitting in a small room for several hours with people who are not wearing masks.

 

[FCDub]

Not a chance.

 

[JFDIS]

I visit Disney about once a month. Personally, I am one of the people in the ‘not concerned’ category. I one hundred percent respect other’s feelings and we always follow the rules of any business we visit. I’m only stating this because I have visited Disney since reopening with my in-laws who are very ‘concerned’. They have visited with us in the past and honestly they did not have a good time this trip. They were stressed about what everyone else was doing the entire time. I don’t think it’s worth your money if you’re going to be uncomfortable. Also, I’m not sure where you are from but in the state of Florida there are no Covid restrictions in place. So in traveling to WDW you might find yourself very uncomfortable or upset by what you see. I felt bad for my FIL and his partner. I know they felt bad afterwards too because they felt they put themselves at risk.

 

[BelleFan87]

I’ve had friends go to both Disney and Universal during the recent holiday season and they both picked Disney as their choice for social distancing and following protocols. However going during the month of March is going to be a problem if you haven’t been around people like that since last year. It’s best to stay home if you have anxiety about crowds and what they may or may not do.

 

[Dakota731]

I’ve heard in this thread several times “I take covid very seriously”. Well just because others have weighed the risks and decide to go on vacations or restaurants does not mean they don’t take it seriously. They have just decided to live their lives differently and have made different choices.
Having four immediate family members who contracted the virus while working in the medical field as front line workers (one daughter was pregnant at the time) I think I take it very seriously. Not everyone was able to stay in their homes for the past year, and maybe that explains why we are more comfortable going to theme parks and being around people. If you would be nervous the entire time, I don’t think you’d enjoy yourself anyway.

 

[MomOTwins]

So OP has said they are going to wait and go in the fall after vaccination so I think this thread is now moot as to OP, but I do think this thread is an interesting and valuable insight as to the safety consensus from those of us who have visited. Basically, Disney World is only for those with immunity or a high-ish risk tolerance right now.

 

[Dani Cloud]

I think the movie theaters at Universal's City Walk and at Disney Springs are open.

But unless the theater room for the movie you are attending is 100% empty other than your family, there will be people eating and drinking in it, meaning they will not be wearing masks. I wonder if OP would be comfortable sitting in a small room for several hours with people who are not wearing masks.

Nope. I would not be comfortable. My vacacy is no where near Orlando. We were going to travel to Orlando for a few days bc my daughter wanted to do Disney or Universal...since we are waiting, I can find a theater where we are traveling. We saw a movie theater Saturday that had about 10 cars in the whole lot. We haven't gone to a movie yet but I told her we could explore it if we found a theater like that...practically empty.

 

[Dani Cloud]

I visit Disney about once a month. Personally, I am one of the people in the ‘not concerned’ category. I one hundred percent respect other’s feelings and we always follow the rules of any business we visit. I’m only stating this because I have visited Disney since reopening with my in-laws who are very ‘concerned’. They have visited with us in the past and honestly they did not have a good time this trip. They were stressed about what everyone else was doing the entire time. I don’t think it’s worth your money if you’re going to be uncomfortable. Also, I’m not sure where you are from but in the state of Florida there are no Covid restrictions in place. So in traveling to WDW you might find yourself very uncomfortable or upset by what you see. I felt bad for my FIL and his partner. I know they felt bad afterwards too because they felt they put themselves at risk.

Thank you for sharing!

 

[Dani Cloud]

I’ve heard in this thread several times “I take covid very seriously”. Well just because others have weighed the risks and decide to go on vacations or restaurants does not mean they don’t take it seriously. They have just decided to live their lives differently and have made different choices.
Having four immediate family members who contracted the virus while working in the medical field as front line workers (one daughter was pregnant at the time) I think I take it very seriously. Not everyone was able to stay in their homes for the past year, and maybe that explains why we are more comfortable going to theme parks and being around people. If you would be nervous the entire time, I don’t think you’d enjoy yourself anyway.

Some people don't take covid seriously. Some people don't believe in it, believe it is a hoax, are anti-maskers, etc. My post was not about those people - it was about me. I said what I said and I explained what I meant.

 

[Dakota731]

Some people don't take covid seriously. Some people don't believe in it, believe it is a hoax, are anti-maskers, etc. My post was not about those people - it was about me. I said what I said and I explained what I meant.

Well CDC said yesterday no non-essential travel for vaccinated people so if you are following their advice then no trips to Disney or the beach.

 

[tigger2002]

If we vaccinated a population of 1,000,000 and protected 95% of them, that would leave 50,000 individuals diseased over 3 months. So if you want to be 100% sure of never getting it then you should never go out again.

 

[SWDisfan]

Hello all.

***What have your experiences been like at Disney and/or Universal in Feb/March 2021 re: Covid protocols?***


I take Covid VERY seriously. My 13 yr old and I have been in the house for the whole year with very limited interactions around others. We only do food togo and curbside pick up for groceries. If we do go in public, it is very brief, we remain distant from others and we both wear a mask. I have had both doses of the vax but she has not. We are taking a beach vacay during the week of Spring Break. We will continue to be socially distant and extremely careful. She wants to try a theme park for a day. Who has the safest, strictest Covid protocols? While I appreciate everyone's opinion, I don't care if you don't take Covid serious - we do. I don't want to throw away a year of safety for a day of fun so I want to be as safe and careful as possible. I am looking for recent experiences. We will be traveling next week (March 14th) and will likely visit the park that Thursday for 1 day only. I know if we visit Disney, I will have to alter the date bc it may not be available that day.

Thank you.

Like everyone has said, it will be wall to wall and all parks sold out anyhow. At least at Disney you can reserve a park to guarantee admission, Uo on the hand there’s no guarantee even if you stay on property! That being said, in our recent experience UO was much more covid strict. Making sure EVERYONE had hand sanitizer prior to boarding a ride. Disney did not. I frequently found most Disney sanitizer stations empty as well. Hope this helps. Stay safe and well!

 

[Gatrcruzer]

I agree with others - now is a crowded time to go, so both will likely be more risk than is comfortable for you, even with getting the vaccine. If you MUST do a Disney, I would say Epcot has the most open spaces for walking (AK is open but the walkways are very narrow in a lot of places so it is prone to congestion), and definitely do a weekday vs. a weekend. I haven't been to UO since the shutdown, but it sounds as though they have similar precautions in place, but more cleaning, less lining up outside, less barriers inside the rides, just based on what I have read on the forums. Depending on which beach you are going to, perhaps consider Busch Gardens, which is nearly all outdoors, or Kennedy Space Center on the east coast I would; or just stick with the beach. I'd hold off on WDW or UO until mid-late April or later to allow the majority of spring breakers to cycle through.

 

[Blondie58]

Hello all.

***What have your experiences been like at Disney and/or Universal in Feb/March 2021 re: Covid protocols?***


I take Covid VERY seriously. My 13 yr old and I have been in the house for the whole year with very limited interactions around others. We only do food togo and curbside pick up for groceries. If we do go in public, it is very brief, we remain distant from others and we both wear a mask. I have had both doses of the vax but she has not. We are taking a beach vacay during the week of Spring Break. We will continue to be socially distant and extremely careful. She wants to try a theme park for a day. Who has the safest, strictest Covid protocols? While I appreciate everyone's opinion, I don't care if you don't take Covid serious - we do. I don't want to throw away a year of safety for a day of fun so I want to be as safe and careful as possible. I am looking for recent experiences. We will be traveling next week (March 14th) and will likely visit the park that Thursday for 1 day only. I know if we visit Disney, I will have to alter the date bc it may not be available that day.

Thank you.

You state: 1) I take COVID very seriously. 2 )In house whole year 3) very limited interactions around others 4) only do food to go 5) curbside groceries 6) in public -brief and remain distant 7) both wear masks 8) extremely careful 9) continue to be socially distanced and extremely careful 10) I don't want to throw away a year of safety for a day of fun. You are asking for input and other people's opinions.................... based on 10 plus comments you shared I wonder if the parks are a good choice if you wish to feel comfortable. I too take Covid very seriously and have lived much the same way. I can't imagine going to a park right now. BUT I must clearly state I have no negitivity to those that do.