Walt Disney World Resort Covid 19 reflections and recommendations

As you may already know, I had the opportunity to visit Universal Orlando Resort in June for passholder preview event and I wrote up some recommendations and reviews of that experience. I was also fortunate to be able to make a visit to Walt Disney World for a similar event at Animal Kingdom and then I was able to be at Magic Kingdom on the reopening day. Like Universal, I wasn’t sure what to expect but having been to both Universal and Disney World before, I was pretty confident that I would feel safe being at Disney World with their enhanced cleaning and safety precautions, just like I was at Universal. Overall, Universal and Disney World were, in fact, very similar in their enhanced cleaning and safety measures (with a few exceptions).

Below are my reflections and recommendations based on my experience at the passholder event at Animal Kingdom and on reopening day at Magic Kingdom.

Reflections

1. Cast members at Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Disney Springs all seemed super excited for guests to be back on property. We got a lot of “welcome back”, “we’re so glad you’re here” and “thank you for being here” across property.
2. Enhanced cleaning and safety procedures were very similar to Universal  Orlando Resort:
   

   Similarities

   1. Everyone has to wear a face mask while anywhere on property
   2. Guests must have their temperature checked when coming into a resort area

      

      

   3. They did a really good job of streamlining the security and temperature checking process at both Universal and Disney World. There was virtually no wait time to pass through either security or the temperature check station at Universal or Disney World
   4. Enhanced cleaning procedures were in place for all guest areas/rides. At Disney World, they periodically stop the rides and make an announcement saying that the ride has temporarily stopped in order to implement enhanced cleaning procedures
   5. Indicators for social distancing such as signs and ground markers were all over the place including in line queues and walking paths

      

   6. There were plexiglass barriers in places like hotel check in and when picking up food orders in quick service restaurant locations

      

   7. Hand Sanitizer was available throughout the parks for guests to use frequently. Handwashing stations were also available in some locations.

      

   8. Both Universal Walt Disney World had relaxation area in the parks wear you can sit and relax and remove your mask without going in to an eating establishment. For eating establishments, it’s the same at both parks, you can take your mask off while seating at your table and tables are spaced apart with markers on tables where guests should not sit at, to maintain social distancing.

      

       

      Differences

      1. 1. At Universal, guests can get a daily wristband showing that they have had their temperature check, so they only have to have it checked once a day. At Disney World, they didn’t have wrist bands, presumably because Disney World is much more spread out and is not in one main area. So, you have to have your temperature checked each time you enter a new area. For example, when entering Magic Kingdom and then later going to Disney Springs.
         2. The temperature check area is located in a different location than security. You go through the temperature check area first and then security. In a number of cases at Universal, the temperature check was done at security.

            

         3. Universal uses a metal detector that you walk through and a conveyor belt system (like at the airport) for security. For Animal Kingdom, they had a new scanner system that security said detects “other harmful articles” on your person, not just metal, that you walk through. So, you didn’t take anything out of your pockets you just walked through (very easy!). Magic Kingdom had regular metal detectors and you had to remove any metal or devices from your pockets and bag and then walk through the metal detector. There were not checking individual bags by hand like they previously did.

            

            

         4. I didn’t “SEE” as many cast members cleaning at Disney World as I did at Universal but was told by a cast member that they are on a set schedule for cleaning procedures. This was further evidenced by the fact that there were periodic announcements while we waited in line saying that the ride was temporarily stopped due to enhanced cleaning procedures.

            

         5. It appeared that they were ONLY doing mobile ordering for quick service locations at Disney World. If mobile ordering was available at a quick service location, then they were not doing walk up ordering
         6. In addition to the social distancing floor indicators, Disney World also had plexiglass dividers up between sections of the line queue. So, not only were there indicators to make sure people did not stand too close to one another, there was also a physical barrier to promote distances and safety, as well. The plexiglass dividers were also between rows on some rides, as well. For example, the Safari at Animal Kingdom and the Dinosaur ride at Animal Kingdom. So, on the Safari, guests were sitting in subsequent rows without skipping a row for distancing but the plexiglass divider was in place to serve as a barrier.

            

            

            

            

         7. Cast members who would likely come into close contact with guests not only were wearing face masks but also a face/eye shield. They didn’t have this at Universal.

            

         8. Hand Sanitizer was available before getting on a ride and after getting off of a ride for all rides at Disney World. Although it was available for use, it was left up to the guest to utilize hand sanitizer. At Universal, a team member was there is give you hand sanitizer before getting on the ride, so virtually everyone getting on ride got hand sanitizer before getting on. Universal did not have hand sanitizer available when exiting the ride.Compliance with social distancing and mask wearing seemed to be comparable between Universal and Walt Disney World when at the parks, however, people seemed to be much less compliant with mask wearing at Disney Springs than they were at Universal City Walk. Maybe this is because Disney Springs is a much more spread, less open, are than at Universal City Walk.

Other things of note for Walt Disney World

1. You can still get a Disability Services (DAS) pass for the rides if you have a documented reason that you can’t stand in the regular line. So, if you have the DAS pass, you basically have a fast pass for the rides.
2. Servers in restaurants did a good job of social distancing from the table but also speaking up, so you could hear them even with them wearing a mask.
3. You must wear a mask with ear loops. No gators or similar are allowed without ear loops.
4. In person character experiences are not taking place but there seemed to pretty much be a constant flow of characters coming through. For example, on the Main Street Trolley.

   

5. There were a lot less kids at the parks than normal.

   

Recommendations

1. Did I feel safe while there? Absolutely! I felt like Disney was doing a good job on enhanced cleaning procedures and social distancing. I would have like to have seen that people were required to sanitize hands before getting on rides, like at Universal, but my recommendation would be – sanitize your own hands before and AFTER then ride and you should be able to keep your hands clean even if others aren’t always sanitizing.
2. Is it still magical? Absolutely! It’s Disney World. Simply getting to be back there after Disney World has been closed for so long, has some magic and wonder in and of itself. However, there are some experiences that you don’t get. So, for families who are taking a first visit to Disney World, I would say hold off on the trip if you can so that you are able to have a full experience. Or if you do go, just be aware that some experiences may not be happening and be ok with that. If you’re ok with that, then go and enjoy. Just being there has a lot of magic for some people. If that’s you, then go and enjoy.
3. Know that park hours are abbreviated. They are consistent, but abbreviated, so you won’t be able to go and stay for 12 hours. However, with wearing the masks, I would recommend going and spending more, but shorter days in the parks. Give yourself ample time to go back to your resort room where you don’t have to wear the mask. I think this makes for a much more enjoyable experience. Also, keep in mind that kids may be less tolerant of wearing a mask than you are as an adult. However, kids above age 2 must wear a mask.
4. I always recommend for people to stay on property due to the ease of access to the parks and also because when you’re on property it’s a bit easier to maintain that Disney bubble, the suspension of reality to get away from regular life that we all love. However, be sure to check transportation options. Be sure to verify that the transportation option you plan to use is actually available. When we were there, buses were not running and the trams in the parking lots were not running. So, we had to drive our own vehicle to the park and we had to walk from the parking lot to the ticket and transportation center. Be sure to double check transportation options before leaving your resort as things are constantly evolving.
5. Some of the restaurant options are not available. Be flexible on your dining choices. Even though some options aren’t available, crowd levels are low so it’s pretty easy to get dining reservations for something the day before or even the day of.
6. DON’T FORGET THAT YOU MUST HAVE BOTH A TICKET AND A PARK RESERVATION TO GO INTO THE PARKS. You can not get in with out both. The park reservation system is easy to use but remember you have to have the park reservation in order to get in.

   

   

   

7. Other than DAS, there are no fast passes, so you might have to wait a bit for a ride. However, right now crowd levels are so low that fast passes aren’t really necessary. If you look on the My Disney Experience app, most rides have a 5-10 minute wait time with highest wait times not being above 30-35 minutes.

   

   

So, there you go! Those are my reflections and recommendations as far as Walt Disney World is concerned. I was very impressed with the efforts that Disney is making to keep Cast Members and guests safe while on property. So, if you’re thinking of taking a trip to Walt Disney World, overall, I would say go for it! Are there risks? Yes, Of course. But in a lot of ways, I would say those risks may be lower at Walt Disney World than going out in the general public due to the safety measures in place, especially with all guests being required to adhere to a number of those.

What other questions or comments do you have? Feel free to comment if you have questions or input!