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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

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

      Plexi glass barrier at Satu’li Canteen at Animal Kingdom
    7. Hand Sanitizer was available throughout the parks for guests to use frequently. Handwashing stations were also available in some locations.

      Handwashing station at Disney Springs
    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.
      Relaxation Station

       

      Differences

        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.

          Magic Kingdom Temperature tent
        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.

          Cast Member cleaning and refilling hand sanitizer
        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.

          Cast Member wearing face mask and face shield
        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.

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

    Notice the lack of strollers in front of the carousel. This area is normally full of parked strollers

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!

I hate running…so I signed up for a half marathon.

I hate running. At least I used to.
I was always the kid in school who dreaded the days in gym when we had to run laps. I wasn’t particularly out of shape, per say. I took dance and even wanted to grow up and be a choreography at one point but I always hated running. I hated the way it made me feel like a couldn’t breathe. I hated the monotony of it. I hated everything about it.
So how in the world did I go from hating running to voluntarily signing up to run a half marathon?
It’s been a journey, but a much different, much more meaningful one, than I expected.
At certain times in the past, I’ve dabbled with trying to get into running. My sister and I even did a 5k a few years ago but it’s never really “stuck”. So why now? Why has it stuck this time?
One of the things God has really shown me across the past few years is how important it is to do hard things-to do things that seem very difficult or that I’m afraid of. Getting my doctorate, traveling to different countries and even choosing to pursue adoption are all examples of this concept. Instead of just saying no, I’ve deliberately tried to make a habit of saying, “why, not?” That’s not to say, that my fear or nervousness about the situation went away. It was still there. I just made a deliberate decision to put the thing I knew I was supposed to do as higher priority than my fear.
When this type of situation has come up in my life, I’ve sense God telling me, “Just make the decision to do it, put the work in that it requires, and I’ll take care of the rest.” God has grown me more during the times when He’s prompted me to pursue something out of the ordinary than at any other time in my life.
So, I guess about a year ago, a light bulb went off. What would happen if I applied the same, “do hard things”, “why, not?” concept to my health and fitness? Well I guess you can figure out where that path led me. I decided to put my dislike of running and anxiety about being able to run for 13.1 miles as a lower priority than something I felt was a worthwhile thing to do. Honestly, it was a thing I ultimately needed to do make myself a more healthy person.
The experience of training for and then running a half marathon changed me in more ways than I could have imagined. Here are just a few of the things I learned:
1. I know it seems trite, but I really learned the meaning of the phrase, “anything worth doing is worth doing well”. Before beginning the training for the half, I hadn’t ever really stuck with an exercise routine for more than a couple of months. The fact that I ended up putting about 6 months’ worth of training into the race really helped me to see how worthwhile setting and reaching my goal was.
2. Perseverance isn’t really perseverance unless you actually stick with something even when it’s tough. You have to keep on even when you don’t want to do it. There were many times during my training that I didn’t want to run but I knew I had a race I had paid money for and a goal I wanted to reach. I didn’t want to waste that. I had a prize before me and I was the only person who could stop myself from getting that prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)
3. Developing strength requires resistance. I set a deadline and a goal for myself. When we don’t use our muscles, they become weak and wither away. As much as the deadline of the race was pulling at me to get my workouts in, it was also pulling at me spiritually to build my faith in knowing God would give me the strength to complete what I’d set out to do.
4. Even though we technically compete as individuals we are all a part of the big crowd of those running the race. In both a literal and an abstract sense you have however many people moving towards the same goal. Some get there faster than others but, ultimately, we all are moving in the same direction with the same goal in mind-to finish the race. This so represents how the body of Christ should function. There’s comfort, strength and inspiration in knowing you’re not alone.
5. The things I do, have far more impact on others around me than I realize. It was a pretty inspiring thing when that first person came back past us towards the finish line. I may have gotten a little choked up. We all cheered and kept moving forward. We all knew, personally, how much work crossing that finish line represented. It wasn’t just about crossing a finish line but about all of the work and sweat that led up to that particular moment in time. That first person provided, even though he may not have known it, inspiration for all of us slow people who finished a couple of Kathleen in "running socks"hours after he did. By God’s grace, He has allowed me and my husband to provide a little inspiration to our own children. Every time we go running or even dress like we might go run, they each say, “I want to go running” or as Presley says, “I go running which you.” 🙂 They seek to emulate us so much so that they even want to dress like us when we run (see included picture of Kathleen. She put on her rainbow leg warmers the other day because she wanted to be “like daddy” when he wears his compression socks for running). Kathleen will even be running in her very first 5k race with us and other members of the family during the 2017 Disney Princess half marathon weekend.
6. In doing hard things, God does two important things-He develops our faith in that specific situation but also sets us up to continue on the journey past that particular circumstance.
There’s more that I could share but I should probably save it for another time.
I hope in some way this rant has set off some sort of light bulb moment in you. I hope it makes you think, “maybe I could do that thing that I think is impossible.” I hope it makes you remember that God is the one who sets these things in motion and gets you through tough times (Hebrews 12:2).
Mostly, I hope it inspires you to not run away from the hard stuff but to welcome it and see where God takes you. I’m living proof that God can do some pretty amazing things if we will step out in faith, put the work in and trust God with the rest.
Adventure awaits. Step out. Don’t be afraid. God will definitely use your step of faith to grow you to be more like Him. You may get an added bonus and find that that thing you hated or were afraid of is something you actually enjoy if you will just trust God to use it as He sees fit.