Hi all! I live in Central Florida and have been going to Universal and Disney Springs with and without kids since things have been reopening. I've been very cautious about protecting my littles due to covid and have found ways to protect them while still going out so I thought I'd share some of the things I've learned over the past couple of weeks. Many of these tips apply to anyone even without kids.
If you're planning on staying at the parks for longer than 2 hours, bring a second mask - kids are much more likely to pull and tug at their masks, especially after touching surfaces. Sweat can also become a problem, leading to general irritation, discomfort, and at worst skin breakdown.
The masks that I've found work the best for kids are the ones that tie around the back of the head. An easy way to keep them on is by tying the lower strings to the snapback/Velcro section of an adjustable baseball hat and positioning the top string above the little knot that's on the top of most hats (but not all). I can provide a picture of my kids with this if anyone is curious.
Hopefully Disney has amazing rest areas to change masks and get comfortable like universal does. It's been easy to go to a URest area and stay 20 ft away from others while getting comfortable. Will add a pic of a urest area in universal.
It's a lot easier to breathe in the masks if you take deeper breaths. I have a tendency to breathe more shallowly and have had to be mindful of breathing slowly. It's something I've had to work with my kids on as well.
Bring a delicates laundry bag to wash your masks in (if they're cotton) - They should be washed every day after using otherwise they get super gross. I have a variety of masks and they've all suggested washing them in cold water and air drying.
Bring small fans - Disney sells small fans you can wear around your neck at the parks but there are plenty that are cheaper online. They can help a lot with stuffy situations where breathing may be rough.
Go later in the day / on weekdays - opening at Universal and Disney Springs can still be rough with social distancing. Even waiting 2 hours after the parks open to go in has been like night and day. Huge line vs no wait at all. Disney parks may be different but I imagine the first couple hours will still be much worse as it usually has been in the past.
Take your time - things are a lot different at parks now. Plan plenty of time between activities so you can rest and take a breather. Rushing to get to an attraction with a mask on isn't fun. I can go an entire day with a mask on and be totally fine.. but as soon as I'm rushing to get to a ride (coughhagridsmotorbikecough) my breathing changes and it can mess with me for awhile.
I'm sure more will change and I'll have a better idea of things after Disney opens. I've never felt unsafe at universal - they've done an amazing job at making people feel safe. I've heard some bad things about sea world and legoland in regards to enforcing rules but haven't gone myself. I hope Disney does just as well as universal has.
The attached image is at a urest area in universal (old Sinbad show was there, outside of Hogsmeade). This was on a weekend in the middle of the day, lots of room and mostly empty.
If you're planning on staying at the parks for longer than 2 hours, bring a second mask - kids are much more likely to pull and tug at their masks, especially after touching surfaces. Sweat can also become a problem, leading to general irritation, discomfort, and at worst skin breakdown.
The masks that I've found work the best for kids are the ones that tie around the back of the head. An easy way to keep them on is by tying the lower strings to the snapback/Velcro section of an adjustable baseball hat and positioning the top string above the little knot that's on the top of most hats (but not all). I can provide a picture of my kids with this if anyone is curious.
Hopefully Disney has amazing rest areas to change masks and get comfortable like universal does. It's been easy to go to a URest area and stay 20 ft away from others while getting comfortable. Will add a pic of a urest area in universal.
It's a lot easier to breathe in the masks if you take deeper breaths. I have a tendency to breathe more shallowly and have had to be mindful of breathing slowly. It's something I've had to work with my kids on as well.
Bring a delicates laundry bag to wash your masks in (if they're cotton) - They should be washed every day after using otherwise they get super gross. I have a variety of masks and they've all suggested washing them in cold water and air drying.
Bring small fans - Disney sells small fans you can wear around your neck at the parks but there are plenty that are cheaper online. They can help a lot with stuffy situations where breathing may be rough.
Go later in the day / on weekdays - opening at Universal and Disney Springs can still be rough with social distancing. Even waiting 2 hours after the parks open to go in has been like night and day. Huge line vs no wait at all. Disney parks may be different but I imagine the first couple hours will still be much worse as it usually has been in the past.
Take your time - things are a lot different at parks now. Plan plenty of time between activities so you can rest and take a breather. Rushing to get to an attraction with a mask on isn't fun. I can go an entire day with a mask on and be totally fine.. but as soon as I'm rushing to get to a ride (coughhagridsmotorbikecough) my breathing changes and it can mess with me for awhile.
I'm sure more will change and I'll have a better idea of things after Disney opens. I've never felt unsafe at universal - they've done an amazing job at making people feel safe. I've heard some bad things about sea world and legoland in regards to enforcing rules but haven't gone myself. I hope Disney does just as well as universal has.
The attached image is at a urest area in universal (old Sinbad show was there, outside of Hogsmeade). This was on a weekend in the middle of the day, lots of room and mostly empty.
