Disney has made their re-opening announcement. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will finally open their gates on July 11th. Hollywood Studios and Epcot will join them on July 13th. DVC resorts will open as of June 22nd. We have all endured 2 1/2 months without Disney, with another month to go. If I didn’t live 1500 miles away, I would be rushing those gates the moment Disney removed the locks. First, though, we need to all be familiar with the changes Disney is making in order to keep each of us as safe as possible while we are enjoying the magic of the Disney bubble.
Upon opening the theme parks, masks will be required for both cast members and guests. We have already seen this happening in Disney Springs as they opened back up. The face coverings are required for anyone 2 years of age and older, following the CDC guidelines. Disney will also be incorporating temperature checks for guests, and will deny entrance to anyone showing 100.4 degrees or higher after testing twice. And these are just the requirements to get into the park…
Theme park capacity will be significantly limited for the re-opening, and in order to do this, attendance is going to be managed through a reservation system to enter the parks. Disney has currently placed a hold on any new ticket sales for the parks and reservations for the resorts, and have notified guests with existing reservations and tickets, as well as Annual Passholders, that they will be allowed the first crack at the reservation system when it’s up and running. After that they will resume new resort and ticket sales to fill their limited capacity numbers.
When I was 180 days from my reservation that is happening at the end of October, I got myself up at 4:30am so that I would be ready to make my dining reservations at 5am. I do this for every trip, and actually find some enjoyment in it. I love the restaurant experiences all over Disney, and therefore I had planned reservations for places such as Ohana (a favorite of ours and one we visit on each trip), Hoop-dee-doo Revue at Fort Wilderness, and Boma’s breakfast buffet (another favorite). Last week, Disney dropped the news that they were cancelling all dining reservations for trips through the end of the year. This decision pulled at my heart-strings a little, and I would by lying if I said I haven’t been watching them disappear from the My Disney Experience app one by one over the past week, with a little pang of sadness each time. However, they are hopefully not gone for good. Disney did this in an effort to wipe the slate clean and control capacity limits at the restaurants. They are re-opening dining reservations at 60 days before resort reservations now – so I will be ready, and hopeful that I can replace those dining plans in my itinerary.
Disney has suspended all fireworks and parades in order to avoid large and close gatherings of people. They have also removed character meals to prevent close contact with other people (even those in costume).
Now, let’s talk about what will still be available at Disney and why I’m still looking forward to visiting. Even during the worst times – such as after 9/11 and during hurricanes – Disney still works hard to keep the magic going within their property. They are typically very good at finding that balance between safety and security, and not being obvious with their safety and security measures. The Disney bubble still exists, even when the world is falling apart. This is generally why we all continue to go back time and time again.
I’m excited about lower capacity in the parks and at resorts. The crowd levels at Disney in the most recent years have seemed to grow bigger and more crowded. Limited capacity is something that I am really looking forward to. I was at Disney during the weeks after 9/11, and the crowd levels were the lowest I have ever seen them. Rides were near walk-ons, and I don’t recall making a single dining reservation – but we definitely didn’t go hungry. While I don’t anticipate the crowd levels will be THAT low again, limited capacity of even 50% will be very enjoyable. Being able to walk down Main Street USA without having people stop right in front of you, and potentially getting the chance to enjoy very popular rides, pools, lounges and shopping venues without the waits and mobs is extremely enticing.
The cleanliness of the parks and resorts will likely be at their best. Hand sanitizer stations will be set up at each ride and restaurant, and you won’t have to stand in bathroom lines to wash your hands because there will be hand washing stations throughout the parks. It won’t just be COVID that you’ll be avoiding with all of the new cleaning measures. You’ll also probably avoid strept viruses, influenza, and even the common cold. Will we be seeing these prevention measures forever? I’m not sure about that – but I would expect it through the end of the year.
I have read many opinions that Disney will not be the same, and I will agree that it will not for a while. There seems to be a lot of hesitation to pay the cost of a trip to Disney or use DVC points to stay at Disney while the “whole experience” of fireworks and parades cannot be experienced. Disney is more than that to me, though. I’m looking forward to stepping back into the familiarity of Disney. Just being at Disney is a sense of normalcy for me, and I’m anxious to be there again. Know that nothing lasts forever, and this too shall pass. During the remaining months of 2020, I’m willing to bet that the rules and expectations at Disney will change many times. Fireworks and parades will come back, perhaps sooner than we think. I was at Disney during the 25th anniversary, when the castle was changed into a hideous pink cake. I was at Disney during the days after 9/11, when it seemed the world was falling apart and no one knew what would happen in our country next. Going down to Disney now, during (or hopefully closer to after) this pandemic, will be an opportunity to ground me and allow a reprieve from the seriousness of the world. I won’t allow temporary changes at Disney to have an effect on the way I experience the parks and resorts. I will find enjoyment in just being there.
