Last year I went to Disney World alone to be there for opening day for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios. Although I had an amazing time, it was truly a work trip as I wanted to be able to give first-hand knowledge to my clients. As you can imagine, it ruffled my kids’ feathers as they were disappointed to not go. They understood why (I was able to go VERY cheaply and without a guarantee of us getting the new land, I didn’t want to risk the money to take them), and I promised them I would take them back the next year.
Who knew that 2020 would be the year of canceled dreams.
But when Disney opened back up, I knew I still wanted to take them. To be quite honest, I haven’t been overly worried about us getting the virus. We are all healthy with no reason to be terrified. We take the normal precautions of hand-washing and avoiding others the best we can and I knew from past experiences with Disney that they take cleanliness seriously.
I have a ridiculously short time to spend with my boys before they head off to college and their lives without me. A week with them away from all of the daily grind was something I was not willing to give up. I didn’t want to look back 10 years from now and realize I missed out on something priceless due to fear.
So off we went!
Disclaimer... it was just Andrew and Luke that came with me. Don and Ryan aren’t huge Disney fans (where did I go wrong) and had decided the year before that we should go without them. I think after hearing our stories of the week they really regretted that decision!
From the moment we got to the airport, we wore our masks THE ENTIRE TIME. Masks were on in the airport, on the plane, on the Magical Express, in the parks, on the attractions… The only time we were allowed to take them off was when we were in our hotel room, in the pool or stationary and actively eating/drinking. I really thought this would be worse than it was. I hadn’t worn a mask a ton as I work from home and don’t have a lot of commitments outside of home. And it was August in Florida so you know it was HOT and HUMID. But it wasn’t too bad. When we really needed a break we just were forced to get a snack (translation: Dole Whip) and sit in the shade. That’s what we would normally do on a trip so nothing new there!
Wearing the mask did frustrate me when it came time for pictures. I love PhotoPass photos and I hate that you can’t see me smiling from ear to ear at my Happy Place, but I know underneath that mask is my dopey smile. I just wish there was at least one “mask off” photo they could do since at that moment we weren’t within 10 feet of anyone including the photographer.
Speaking of having no one around… like I said, I’m not overly worried about getting sick. At the grocery store, if someone gets within my 6 foot bubble, I don’t think much about it. I try to stay out of other people’s bubbles but know I’ve accidentally walked up on someone. But at Disney World, there were so few people that I truly never noticed anyone close to us! Every single line for every attraction had markings for social distancing. Every attraction seated people in a way that they weren’t close to each other. Sadly, this meant no stretching room in the Haunted Mansion and no pre-shows on other attractions. If I were a first time guest, I might not even notice the difference. I hate that some people miss out on those experiences but having such small crowds definitely made up for it. In lines where social distancing is difficult, Disney has added barriers between areas where guests might get a little too close.
Waits were short or non-existent. Park hours were short and park hopping isn’t allowed, but we did every attraction we wanted to do multiple times. Other than the After Hours party I did once, I don’t think I’ve ever ridden so may rides in such a short time.
I missed the Character Meet and Greets but Luke and Andrew were relieved to not have to do that part. Apparently I’m really weird for being over 4 years old and still wanting to do that. I did enjoy the new way they have of sending the characters out for quick glimpses but am still sad that the only time I saw Mickey was for 5 seconds as we were leaving and it was only the back of his head!
As far as cleanliness, I think we used over a gallon of hand sanitizer each. It was at the entrance and exit of every ride, shop, restaurant and randomly throughout the park. There were also hand washing stations. The longest lines we waited in were due to the fact that Disney would shut down the ride periodically to clean the vehicles. You could also see Cast Members throughout the parks and throughout the day wiping down high-touch surfaces. Honestly we would have had to actively try to catch the virus if we wanted it and I doubt we would have been successful.
Ironically, we sit in quarantine right now due to Ryan testing positive for covid. So the three of us were able to travel to Florida, have a week in the parks and travel home with no issues. Ryan most likely contracted it from a friend at school.
Imagine if I had canceled our trip and missed out on memories that I will never forget to avoid a virus that ended up in our house anyway. Time is SO short. I will never regret taking this trip with 2 of my favorite people in the world and I am so thankful for this time as I know how fast it flies. (Excuse me while I go cry over my boys growing up for the 100th time this week).
Obviously now is not the time to travel if you are at-risk or would worry the entire trip. But if you feel comfortable going to the grocery store, trust me when I tell you that you’ll be even more comfortable at Disney World. Call me and let’s talk about getting your trip planned!
