How realistic is it that these things come back by the first week of April?

[nycdrummer]

Hey all
My family and I are scheduled to go to Disney during the first week of April. We're all Disney vets and have gotten pretty accustomed to have things used to be at WDW pre-COVID. As of now, we have a trip planned for a week during the first week of April. I'm curious what the overall thoughts are on these once normal things returning by then:

- fastpass
- majority of sit down restaurants open
- dinner shows
- meet and greets with characters
- masks not mandatory
- return of the dining plan

 

[KaliSplash]

I agree with most. There will be some more restaurants open. The rest of your list, slim and none and the last time I saw slim, he was riding out of town.

 

[Dave B]

ZERO Chance, unfortunately, I am hoping they will be back in some form by October or November

 

[Stitch826]

I just don't understand why people have such an aversion to masks. I view it almost like children and vegetables.

I believe there are three categories of people. The small minority who seem to love wearing a mask and wear them everywhere, even walking down the sidewalk by themselves or driving alone. The vast majority who wear them properly (when in public around other people), but who will stop wearing a mask when no longer required to. And the third group, the minority who won’t wear masks and throw a fit when asked to.

 

[Stitch826]

Masks are a no-cost impact, and I think the drive to it is less about guest satisfaction and more about protecting Cast Members. I'm sure a mask requirements is in the Cast Member union's agreement. Also, Disney isn't hurting for people now with the mask mandates, so there is no financial incentive to remove the mask mandate until it's beneficial to them. I think keeping the mask mandate might actually enable them to raise the number of people they can have in the parks. The more I read, the more I think masks are going to be here until 2022. It seems like less and less chance we're going to meet vaccination levels this year to support removing mask guidelines.

Once vaccines are available on a widespread basis and cast members are able to get them, there should be no reason why the mask requirement would last long after that.

 

[Rob562]

Once vaccines are available on a widespread basis and cast members are able to get them, there should be no reason why the mask requirement would last long after that.

Masks are expected to stay a requirement until infection rates plummet and/or we approach a pre-determined percentage of the population having been vaccinated. It won't be that just because vaccines are available to the general public that they'll open everything up.

Even before that, we might see a gradual relaxation, but masks will definitely be the last item to go. (I think it was Fauci who said the other day that we could conceivably see outdoor events like baseball stadiums this summer with in-person fans but still with masks and limited capacity/physical-distancing) But no masks likely won't come until autumn.

-Rob

 

[Chi84]

Once vaccines are available on a widespread basis and cast members are able to get them, there should be no reason why the mask requirement would last long after that.

Absolutely. People will be protected by their own vaccine rather than having to rely on someone else's mask to protect them. I'm hoping the technology being developed to provide proof of vaccination comes sooner rather than later. Of course, this won't be the case until the vaccine is available to all who want it. Masks will always be an option for those who feel they need additional protection.

 

[Dave B]

The mask will stick around for awhile, especially since the vaccine is only 95% effective, from what they say

 

[JohnD]

Well, Biden has a 100 day mask challenge. That ends on April 30. It's mandatory on Federal property and apparently the Interstate Highway System. WDW, while private, is going to follow Federal guidelines, no doubt. So it's fair to say masks at a minimum through April 30. But we know how these things work. The 100 days will be over and the problem was bigger than previously thought, so another extension. Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[JohnD]

The mask will stick around for awhile, especially since the vaccine is only 95% effective, from what they say

I don't want to go down a rabbit hole but the flu vaccine isn't 100% effective either. You could get a strain that wasn't in the vaccine, for example, which happened to me. But the vaccine still kept the symptoms down. We need to get to a point that the vaccine is out there, most are getting it, and living with COVID becomes part of daily life, just as living with the flu is.

 

[JIMINYCR]

I dont think that 100 day challenge will be difficult to follow. Most people are getting so conditioned to the grab and go with their masks that its becoming a normal part of their day. Like putting your wallet in your pants and watch on your wrist before leaving the house. I'm not hearing as many people around me griping about having to have one on, the length of time wearing it, or the uncomfortable feeling of having it on, or how inconveniencing it is. The minority who still wont comply, in most cases wont be penalized, so same old, same old.

 

[Dave B]

I don't want to go down a rabbit hole but the flu vaccine isn't 100% effective either. You could get a strain that wasn't in the vaccine, for example, which happened to me. But the vaccine still kept the symptoms down. We need to get to a point that the vaccine is out there, most are getting it, and living with COVID becomes part of daily life, just as living with the flu is.

I hear you, but COVID is so much more deadly than the flu, and YES I know the flu kills people too, but not like Covid

 

[Chi84]

Show your papers please! Not sure if you understand that you are asking for actual fascism here.

A microchip would be better. Not as easily faked.

 

[wendysue]

The mask will stick around for awhile, especially since the vaccine is only 95% effective, from what they say

I'll take my chances with the 95% covid vaccine. Thankfully, we got ours this month. The flu vaccine is usually only 50 to 60% effective. (But of course, I get that also)

 

[carriebeth]

I think the new announcement that festival of the lion king is coming back sometime this SUMMER and is being reworked to be a socially distance performer experience and that they said the audience seating and que line areas were being worked into distanced experiences as well says a lot. Looks like Disney is thoroughly planning on continuing distancing and likely the other safety measures not only this summer but it seems enough of a time after summer to make taking the time to reorganize the current performance make sense. So if they plan on opening lion king in June but could see things being normal come July wouldn’t they just wait till July and reopen the normal show rather than take all the effort to totally redo things for a month. This made me think that they are planning for the extra safety measures to be in place for quite some time to come.

 

[Chi84]

I think the new announcement that festival of the lion king is coming back sometime this SUMMER and is being reworked to be a socially distance performer experience and that they said the audience seating and que line areas were being worked into distanced experiences as well says a lot. Looks like Disney is thoroughly planning on continuing distancing and likely the other safety measures not only this summer but it seems enough of a time after summer to make taking the time to reorganize the current performance make sense. So if they plan on opening lion king in June but could see things being normal come July wouldn’t they just wait till July and reopen the normal show rather than take all the effort to totally redo things for a month. This made me think that they are planning for the extra safety measures to be in place for quite some time to come.

Where did you read they were totally redoing the show? The article I saw just said they were incorporating social distancing, which can probably be easily reversed.

 

[FATHER OF FIVE]

Just my opinion......after the 100 day mask crusade I believe you are going to see COVID cases make a huge plummet. This is a huge guess obviously but with the vaccine becoming more and more available and people taking the necessary percussions I think your going to see masks go away or be optional sooner then later. Lets me honest, its not "normal" and come summer time most are going to be over it not to mention the pollution that is coming from the mandatory masks as well.

 

[JohnD]

Where did you read they were totally redoing the show? The article I saw just said they were incorporating social distancing, which can probably be easily reversed.

The poster didn't say that. The poster said, "is being reworked to be a socially distance performer experience" which is true. See below.

"At Disney's Animal Kingdom, Festival of the Lion King will be presented in a modified format. There will be adjustments to the show on stage and backstage, including updates to choreography to allow for appropriate physical distancing. Seating will also be adjusted to maintain physical distancing."

Festival of the Lion King to return to Disney's Animal Kingdom

A modified version of the fan-favorite will return this summer.

www.wdwmagic.com

I think fundamentally it will be the same show but cast movements / placements will be altered to promote social distancing.

 

[Chi84]

The poster didn't say that. The poster said, "is being reworked to be a socially distance performer experience" which is true. See below.

"At Disney's Animal Kingdom, Festival of the Lion King will be presented in a modified format. There will be adjustments to the show on stage and backstage, including updates to choreography to allow for appropriate physical distancing. Seating will also be adjusted to maintain physical distancing."

Festival of the Lion King to return to Disney's Animal Kingdom

A modified version of the fan-favorite will return this summer.

www.wdwmagic.com

I think fundamentally it will be the same show but cast movements / placements will be altered to promote social distancing.

He said they were making the effort to "totally redo things" and wouldn't do that if they were planning on going back to normal soon afterward. My point was that it wouldn't be so hard to do. Disney has to make plans given what is going on right now - doesn't mean they won't change if circumstances allow.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Did a trip in November with all the restrictions. We still had a great time. This is not a oh just accept how it is response, but more of a mentally prepare yourself it's going to be different and just go with it. Are there as many pictures? Not if you don't want to, so embrace that. No FPs? No problem embrace the old school way of park going. The masks are not great but doable and the extra space in the line is actually kind of nice. No character meet and greets can be tough if you have small ones but my kids both 7 and up did fine.
If this is your first WDW trip, I might say push back further again, but if not, just think of it as a different kind of trip and that mentality might make it easier to swallow.

 

[Club Cooloholic]

Absolutely. People will be protected by their own vaccine rather than having to rely on someone else's mask to protect them. I'm hoping the technology being developed to provide proof of vaccination comes sooner rather than later. Of course, this won't be the case until the vaccine is available to all who want it. Masks will always be an option for those who feel they need additional protection.

The mask will stick around for awhile, especially since the vaccine is only 95% effective, from what they say

I hope to goodness the vaccine is effective but some strains are already proving to be elusive to it