News Disney mask policy at Walt Disney World theme parks

[Trauma]

THEY ARE GOING. THEY WENT WITH MASKS. THEY CONTINUE TO GO. What is the big deal? People are paying for less and less because they’ve been holed up. Disney knows that. “These people” I’m talking about are the ones who sold out Boo Bash. Who schedule trips around ‘Ohana for shrimp casserole. Mask restrictions don’t require capacity limitations.

There is this truly unfounded rationale on this board that people will picket the place if they have to wear a mask. Crowds have shown that it isn’t an issue. Are there a few bad eggs? Of course. Will there be pushback and some abuse at the parks? Yes. But in the whole, people are traveling to WDW in droves. Period.

It was crowded with people willing to mask when attendance was capped much lower.

No one is stopping people from wearing masks now at the parks.

Why is almost no one wearing one?

Because they don’t freaking want to !!

 

[Parker in NYC]

It was crowded with people willing to mask when attendance was capped much lower.

No one is stopping people from wearing masks now at the parks.

Why is almost no one wearing one?

Because they don’t freaking want to !!

Have a good evening.

 

[Trauma]

Have a good evening.

LOL

 

[Trauma]

You own a business.

You see with your own eyes that only 5 percent of your customers are masked.

Why would you tick off the other 95% to make the 5% happy?

You wouldn’t.

Not unless your hand is forced by the CDC or local law.

 

[Parker in NYC]

You own a business.

You see with your own eyes that only 5 percent of your customers are masked.

Why would you tick off the other 95% to make the 5% happy?

You wouldn’t.

Not unless your hand is forced by the CDC or local law.

When did I say that Disney would decide this without either of those mandates from the CDC or local law. Never. But you want to continually harp on issues we’ve already discussed.

 

[Trauma]

When did I say that Disney would decide this without either of those mandates from the CDC or local law. Never. But you want to continually harp on issues we’ve already discussed.

You where saying Disney would still be packed if mandates came back.

I was making the point that is clearly not what the guests want since they are free to mask now and don’t.

Then you became upset I’m not sure why.

My frame of mind is Disney will lose $$$$ if mandates return.

I think your saying that they won’t.

I respect your opinion and the reasons you’ve given to support it.

No need to get upset Im not attacking you.

 

[Parker in NYC]

You where saying Disney would still be packed if mandates came back.

I was making the point that is clearly not what the guests want since they are free to mask now and don’t.

Then you became upset I’m not sure why.

My frame of mind is Disney will lose $$$$ is mandates return.

I think your saying that they won’t.

I respect your opinion and the reasons you given to support it.

No need to get upset Im not attacking you.

Then we disagree.

 

[CarolinaSoprano]

What percentage of people do you see wearing masks at the parks ?

Oh gosh. Maybe 10%? You have to look to really find mask wearers.

 

[CarolinaSoprano]

Oh gosh. Maybe 10%? You have to look to really find mask wearers.

I am currently in that holding room at the rock and roller coaster. There are about 50 people in here and I see 1 boy about 9 years old wearing a mask. So 1 out of 50. That’s it.

 

[disneygeek90]

What percentage of people do you see wearing masks at the parks ?

Eh, just because they aren’t wearing them because they’re not required doesn’t mean people would refuse to go if they had to wear it. I think some have this idea that some people like wearing masks. No one truly likes it, but I understand why it’s a thing and I’d understand if Disney said they were required again indoors.

 

[Chi84]

Then we disagree.

Disney knows how it’s guests feel about masks and other mitigation measures because it has been asking (taking surveys of) the people who are visiting.

What people were willing to do prior to the widespread availability of vaccines may be different from what they’re willing to do now. I know that’s how I feel, and I doubt I’m alone. If the situation is such that WDW requires masks in October, we’ll cancel. Not because of any philosophical objection, but just because we don’t want to spend a great deal of money knowing we’ll be uncomfortable.

I suspect most people going to WDW right now are cautious but not worried to the extent of most posters here. We can argue the point, but I suspect Disney has a pretty good idea of how it would be impacted.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

With regards to the current situation, I think there is about a 50/50 chance that the CDC revises their guidelines once again on masks for the vaccinated.

Telling people you need to wear a mask is telling people the vaccine doesn't work. Plain and simple. So if people want to put a pause on vaccinations and take their chances with mask mandates thinking they are going stop Delta when Alpha ran a muck across the country despite said masks; I wish them luck.

Alpha had no problem getting through the masks, Delta is 10x worse.

Masks are a piece of a mitigation puzzle. It all (distancing, capacity limits, stopping non-essential travel) has to come back to have any effect. Just bringing back masks on their own isn't going to do a thing. Getting people vaccinated will.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Attendance and resort occupancy absolutely would suffer if WDW were an outlier in requiring masks; especially if Universal continues to not require them.

People went with masks because at the time wearing a mask was the norm. If Walt Disney World is the only place that people have to wear a mask, people are going to cancel in high numbers and they know it.

The free pass guests gave WDW re: a diminished experience due COVID-19 is long gone. A mask mandate at WDW today would utterly cripple their 50th anniversary revenue; something the company not only desperately needs but is relying on in their financial forecasts.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

You own a business.

You see with your own eyes that only 5 percent of your customers are masked.

Why would you tick off the other 95% to make the 5% happy?

You wouldn’t.

Not unless your hand is forced by the CDC or local law.

Especially when the 5% are still giving you business despite not having a mask mandate. Same logic applies to vaccine passports. I don't see anyone boycotting businesses for a lack of a vaccine passport. So all a vaccine passport would do is cut their customer base down. Literally zero benefit to the business. None.

All voluntary mask mandates and vaccine passports do is diminish the pool of customers.

 

[Trauma]

Eh, just because they aren’t wearing them because they’re not required doesn’t mean people would refuse to go if they had to wear it. I think some have this idea that some people like wearing masks. No one truly likes it, but I understand why it’s a thing and I’d understand if Disney said they were required again indoors.

Very true.

However everyone has recently tasted freedom from their masks.

In the rare occasion that I am required to wear one it just feels terrible.

It’s a reminder of what we just went thru and are still going thru.

Makes me feel like I’m in a Hospital.

Not a feeling I want on my luxury priced vacation.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

Very true.

However everyone has recently tasted freedom from their masks.

In the rare occasion that I am required to wear one it just feels terrible.

It’s a reminder of what we just went thru and are still going thru.

Makes me feel like I’m in a Hospital.

Not a feeling I want on my luxury priced vacation.

The vast majority of people simply don't think they are necessary. 6 months ago, it was the opposite. Vaccines changed that. Most vaccinated people feel they have no reason to wear a mask. And by the way, they're right.

 

[KrzyKtty]

I think too many people are thinking in terms of they are the average and therefore everybody must be thinking like them. At the end of the day I agree with the poster above, Disney has been taking a lot of surveys and probably knows more than any of us what the average consensus really is. Much like the FastPass thread, there's nothing to be done other than just wait and see. I highly doubt whatever your opinion is on this thread, it's going to hold any real impact on what Disney ends up deciding to do.

 

[DisneyFan32]

I just want to jump in here real quick. @Parker in NYC is at least partially referring to me, because in the big general coronavirus thread, I had said that I put his post from earlier this year in a calendar reminder over New York's "goal" of being fully reopened by July 1st. I then later said I was retiring from that thread and have not posted there since, so I have not been back to address it. But I would like to publicly say, for the record, that he was right and I was wrong... New York, while having significantly relaxed restrictions, was not back to full normality by July 1st. So I humbly admit my error.

With regards to the current situation, I think there is about a 50/50 chance that the CDC revises their guidelines once again on masks for the vaccinated.

I firmly believe that, based on the available data, there is no valid reason for vaccinated individuals to be wearing masks in any setting. And I also believe that the CDC revising recommendations again would lead to further lack of confidence in the vaccine and further lack of confidence in what the CDC says. Rightly or wrongly, they will be seen as flip flopping. The reason I say 50/50, though, is that I could see significant political pressure being put on the CDC to change their guidelines yet again if enough of the country becomes scared enough, and the media is really pushing the coming wave of doom narrative very hard right now.

So... I really don't know what they will do.

is NJ and NY will never go back indoor masks by fall/winter. I'm curious about CDC's change minds.

 

[CarolinaSoprano]

Eh, just because they aren’t wearing them because they’re not required doesn’t mean people would refuse to go if they had to wear it. I think some have this idea that some people like wearing masks. No one truly likes it, but I understand why it’s a thing and I’d understand if Disney said they were required again indoors.

But it DOES prove Trauma’s point. Nobody here is wearing them because they don’t want to. Period. You would see a lot more people wearing them here if they disagreed about Disney dropping them or felt more ‘safe’. Also I disagree that no one truly likes wearing a mask. There are many that do. Many in this post even.

 

[Disney Glimpses]

I disagree that no one truly likes wearing a mask. There are many that do. Many in this post even.

So, then they should wear them. If we can't force people to get vaccinated, then I shouldn't be forced to wear a mask as theater to 'protect' them. Because that's what masking vaccinated people is: theater.