How we feel now: 1 year after Disney parks reopened
It’s been a year since Walt Disney World’s theme parks reopened after the pandemic shutdown. Things were … different. And the rules and guidelines have continued to be in flux since then.
On the plus side, temperature screenings have been deemed unnecessary, and fireworks shows are making a comeback. But some of the changes that felt surprisingly just right in 2020 have faded away. (Gone too soon, alternate-slot parking.)
But we all change our minds. Here are five Disney parks topics and how we felt about them, then and now.
Character cavalcades
Then: Disney parks trade in parades and meet-andgreets for quick-hit strolls and some nonconventional settings for characters to interact with visitors. The flotillas at Disney’s Animal Kingdom — performers glide by on socially distant vessels — are both. (Look for Santa there later this year.)
Now: There are even more characters in more unusual places. Last week I saw Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse on a balcony above bathrooms at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. But at Epcot, we are weary of making way for princesses in a carriage or getting stuck in the slow slog behind them.
Face coverings Then:
Necessary evil is made even eviler in Florida summertime. They make the words “relaxation station” not so cringe-inducing.
Now: Despite stowing multiple backup masks in convenient places, I
manage to get to the monorail, where masks are still required, without one. I am sympathetic to masked folks, especially the grownups who may just be doing it because their unvaccinated kids must.
Eating and mobile ordering
Then: There’s a learning curve on how and when to make a lunch plan via app. Find it’s more pleasant to wait outside for a virtual dinner bell than to be squeezed between cashier and the counter.
Now: Tired of long lines for popcorn and other snacks. Encouraged by reopening of some eateries; mystified by others remaining dark. Wondering if unwilling labor force is the reason for all of the above.
Social distancing
Then: Folks getting a better grip on just how far 6 feet is. Elbow room is nice, even if it forces ride queues out into the streets. Dramatic drop in the “Fill in all available space, please” levels from cast members.
Now: New personal policy of not standing within arm’s length of person in front of me in queues. It’s a thing to do while not touching handrails.
Stickers
Then: Their “wait here, please” messaging is polite, and the “stand on the big dot” method is easy to understand. But in some spots (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland, big chunk of Disney’s Animal Kingdom), the crimes against them are glaring.
Now: The stickers are mostly gone now, although
their residue lingers. Rather than being annoyed, I’m using their sunbaked outlines as reminders that things can be worse. As we can literally see, they recently were.
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