Despite Florida’s coronavirus cases soaring in recent weeks, the gradual reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort continued as planned with improved health and safety measures. (California’s Disneyland decided to delay the reopening.)
Disney argued last week that its recently improved safety protocols, such as hand sanitizer, temperature controls, and social distancing, were sufficient protection to keep employees and guests safe at resort hotels and theme parks.
And the face masks were required to enter.
New rule: stay still when eating and drinking
Disney World guests must wear masks while walking, with no exceptions for eating and drinking.
Matt Stroshane / Walt Disney World Resort / Brochure / Getty Images
The mask rule is still in effect, but now comes with a stricter footnote.
Previously, Disney visitors had to wear their masks at all times, except when actively eating and drinking.
The loophole for eating and drinking meant that guests could multitask, such as walking through the park over a soda or munching on a pretzel as they wandered onto the next ride or moved along a socially distanced queue for a ride.
Charles Stovall, global public relations manager for Disney Park, calls the updated mask guide “just a clarification of our policy.”
The reaction
The last rule about masks makes some people on social media wonder if the park should be open. As expressed by a Twitter user: “ONLY CLOSE NOW FFS”.
“I can definitely see the risk in people using their drinks or snacks as an excuse not to wear a mask for a long period of time, but overall, I didn’t see many people doing that in the parks,” said Julie Tremaine, a travel writer who visited Magic Kingdom and Epcot on their opening days.
“However, I did see a bit of that at Disney Springs, where you can also have drinks to go and walk,” he said.
The situation at Epcot
Guests arrive to attend Epcot’s official reopening day on July 15.
Joe Burbank / Orlando Sentine / AP
Of all the parks at Walt Disney World Resort, Epcot could be the hardest hit.
“I was especially concerned at Epcot, where eating and drinking around the World Showcase is one of the main attractions of the park,” said Tremaine. “But people generally weren’t on the catwalks or very close to me while doing that.”
Tremain noted that on opening day, attendance at Epcot was poor.
“I imagine it would be much more troublesome on the busier days. Many of the restaurants are closed right now, and Epcot relies on Food & Wine Festival kiosks to feed people.”
Have a seat if you can find one
Tremaine said his main concern with the plan is that the parks do not have enough seating areas.
“It is challenging to find a place to sit and grab a snack at best. I can’t imagine how difficult it will be to navigate the parks in 100 degree weather this summer if you are not allowed to drink water whenever you want. I need to” , said.
“I saw two relaxation stations at the Magic Kingdom, but on an entire day at Epcot and an entire day at Animal Kingdom, I didn’t see any. But I wasn’t looking for them specifically either,” Tremaine said.
“Ultimately, for me, it felt like an almost normal Disney vacation,” he said after visiting the opening day.
But if the new mask protocol is a harbinger of more changes at Disney, it begs the question: At some point, will it stop feeling like a Disney vacation?
Julie Tremaine contributed to this story.
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