Logistics question for those with existing hotel reservations - we're booked for a split stay at the DL Hotel and Paradise Pier in mid-July. Obviously, we know there's a good likelihood of this getting cancelled, and are already thinking towards May 2021 to re-book. Are most people just waiting for DISNEY to cancel the reservation (as opposed to cancelling yourself), in the chance that there may be some sort of special offer? I can't imagine they would extend any sort of offer into 2021 but who knows. Rescheduling flights is not an issue since we're booked w/ Southwest.
My son is five and can handle a mask for about 40 minutes. My friends report the same for their kids around the same age. And younger kids even less. For our family, we will not visit the parks until either (1) the mask requirement is removed, at least for kids, or (2) he is old and mature enough to sustain at least four consecutive hours of mask-wearing. Otherwise, it's just too expensive to fly to California just to fight with my kid about wearing mask, or not get to go in the park for longer than a half hour at a time.
To be clear, I support the mask-wearing policy and I hope they do it in the U.S. if they intend to open at all in 2020, and even early in 2021. I just think parents of little kids will have to be realistic with themselves about what kind of vacation they want to have vs. what is actually likely to happen. I could probably get The Boy into a mask for a 1-hour trip to the local zoo, but a 6- to 8-hour day at a theme park where he's already hot, tired, and overstimulated? No way. Given that Disney is a huge draw for parents of preschool and early elementary aged children, I think this policy will blunt attendance, but that does not mean it's the wrong policy. Honestly, it might actually be a feature and not a bug, you know?
Even as a local, the mask situation gives me pause when it comes to my daughter (just turned 7 last week). We could certainly go for a few hours and she’d keep a mask on; that is not my concern. And I’m 100% in support of masks and all other safety measures that Disney might take.
I think @EmJ had a good point about children in other cultures being used to mask wearing, compared to children here who are just getting used to this idea. We don't know how this will work in the U.S. parks yet, because Disney hasn't told us yet. So let's watch what happens in Shanghai (like the rest of the global Disney family). What happens there over the next few weeks is going to be very informative for us here.
. Certainly I’m sure some lessons can and will be learned.
