It’s hard to find a bright side to Disney World being temporarily closed.
Magic Kingdom
But shockingly, it’s actually not totally impossible. Now that everyone and everything is slowing down around us, we thought we’d take a moment to figure out some of the good stuff that might actually come from this whole experience when Disney World reopens!
Disney World Will Be Better Prepared…For Anything
Disney World has only had to unexpectedly close a handful of times in history since it opened in 1971. Should something like this ever happen again, Disney is going to have a much better plan in place for how to handle it next time.
Don’t get us wrong — so far they’ve been doing an excellent job, but let’s be honest — like every one of us, they’ve been flying by the seat of their pants during these unprecedented times.
Crystal Palace
Disney World already has a hurricane policy in place and has trained their staff well in case of these weather-related emergencies. But it seems obvious to us now that Disney will be using this as a time of learning, hopefully putting forth some new procedures should something outside of their control force the parks to close again.
Cleaner Parks
Disney World has always been fastidious at taking care of its parks. Seriously they’re the cleanest theme parks in the world. There’s rarely even a frond out of place on their palm trees.
From the custodial Cast Members who are always making magic to the workers who touch-up the attractions with fresh coats of paint after the parks close for the night, Disney World is always looking its best.
Aloha Isle Refreshments
But as we all know by now, while something might look clean, that it doesn’t actually mean it IS clean. Once Disney World went on high-alert, they began cleaning their already immaculate-looking parks even more carefully. They began wiping down shared surfaces in between guests and enacted even more rigorous sanitation practices.
When the parks reopen someday, we can hope to see many of these new, more thorough cleaning procedures still in place meaning microscopically cleaner rides, restaurants, and maybe even restrooms for all of us.
More Ways to Stay Sanitary
Before Disney World’s sudden closure, several hand sanitizing locations were added throughout the parks, and portable hand-washing stations were out for guests. A new feature on the My Disney Experience app even located the nearest place for guests to sanitize their hands with turn-by-turn directions.
hand-washing stations in parks
We would love to see many of these temporary hand-washing stations stay in place and maybe even become permanent. Yes, we can always scrub up in the restrooms placed liberally around the parks, but we don’t always remember to do so regularly. With washing stations placed right in your path, it can be easier to remember to keep your germs to yourself…and banish them altogether.
No More Communal Cutlery!
And speaking of restaurants, grabbing our flatware from a big communal pile of silverware has always made our stomachs turn a little! We’re certainly not condoning the use of disposable plastic cutlery, but there’s got to be a better way!
Communal Spoons at Disney World
Some of us have started to carry our own tupperware cutlery around the Epcot Festivals…and hey, we wouldn’t even mind carrying our Spike the Bee spork from Epcot’s Flower and Garden Festival around with us all the time at Disney World — it gets the job of eatin’ stuff done rather nicely! But due to increased health and safety concerns over the practice of communal flatware, we’d be happy to see this longtime Disney habit go.
Maybe flatware can be rolled as it is at most table service restaurants?
More Self-Awareness
It would be great if having this time to reflect would make us all kinder, happier people. While we’re fairly certain the parks will be crowded when they reopen, wouldn’t it be awesome if we could all be a little more self-aware!
Fireworks Crowds
Instead of stampeding each other after the fireworks show or squeezing into someone’s personal space at the last minute to see the parade, how about we all agree to give each other some breathing room when we all get back together in our happy place again?
Better Perspective
And since we’ll all be back at Disney World again someday, maybe you’ve acquired a new perspective on things.
Cinderella Castle Refurb
Matters that seemed really important at the time like “Will those ugly orange cranes ruin my castle pics?” might sound really trivial right now. We actually wouldn’t mind seeing those construction cherry-pickers right now if it meant we got to see Cinderella Castle as well!
What do you think, are we being waaaay too optimistic? Maybe. But if you look at things from this every-gray-cloud-has-a-silver-lining perspective, Disney World is going to be even better than it was before.
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Disney’s Closure Timeline and What It Could Mean For Disney’s Reopening
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Disney World and Disneyland Closure Questions Answered!
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What good things do you think might come out of Disney World’s temporary closure? Share your ideas with us in the comments below!
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I definitely would love to see the hand washing and sanitizing stations made permanent!
I was thinking this may mean higher ticket prices, but they might limit ticket sales a bit more stringently – and if that’s the case, I honestly wouldn’t mind paying a bit more.
Good morning, I would Like to suggest once the park reopens, you should try to limit how many people can go in the parks. Especially the people who travel from all over the USA and are staying in the resorts. They should be able to go in first for a couple of hours before you let the rest of the public comes in. Or have a couple of days set aside for the people at the resorts. And don’t open it to the rest of the public.
I truly think that is a very smart and great idea. Having permanent hand sanitizer stations will also help families feel a little bit more comfortable. Make the trip more enjoyable for everyone ,as well as employees.
I love the positive thinking!! As a local APH I have watched the kindness of strangers every visit to the parks, I feel like this will increase the kindness. I can’t wait to get back to my happy place.
The optimism in this post is everything we love about DFB! Thanks for keeping the magic alive.
Here’s hoping that his will put an end to “fill in all available space.”
They need to stop “Please fill in all available space”. AND limit park attendance. They stopped caring about the guest experience. The greed is real.
I have seen restaurants using paper sleeves for their flatware before this event. It may be a like more wasteful but it would be easier and cheaper than wrapping with a cloth napkin.
I would love to see an end to all the interactive things in the queues that encourage touching of buttons, knobs, railings and screens for the sake of keeping us busy while we wait. (My hands were kept OFF all those things). I would cringe at all the dirty hands touching everything and then not even a hand sanitizer station in sight. I guess there is no getting rid of that “pre-ride-touch-everything” entertainment aspect of Disney, but hopefully there will be purell stations before and after all the queues once they reopen. Those ride lap bars could use a good wipe down throughout the day as well, or have wipes available like they do in the supermarkets for the carts.
Several years ago I purchased a case at the Food & Wine Festival that contained a re-usable knife, fork, and spoon. I’ve carried that with me since then whenever I visit the parks and now have added a cloth napkin and silicon straw. I did this not necessarily for sanitary reasons but as a way to avoid single use cutlery, straws, and napkins. Perhaps if these were always available for sale it would encourage their use.
Re your comment about firework crowds which really is also about all crowds and queuing, the solution is down to Disney and not cramming in as many people as they do….impossible to social distance!
Stop building more car parks, build more rides and attractions!
Up to before this happened the parks had not been in good shape so I have to disagree with the writer saying how immaculate things always are, far from it. Someone is living in fantasyland literally if you think that. Things have not been clean or looking all that great, from thrown trash in places to filthy restrooms, to unkempt attractions. Especially the Magic Kingdom which has really been suffering with problems, and all of that has been showing both to the eye and in poor operations (jungle cruise, mansion, peoplemover) They just arent taking care of things anymore. I hope this gives them a chance to fix or change things but it probably won’t and with the lack of revenue its probably going to be worse unfortunately with all the cuts coming. I just dont understand how the author here can say the parks are pure perfection all the time.
I think you are really reaching for content today.
I agree with the previous poster. Quite frankly the immaculate cleanliness of the parks was something we used to love and it has long disappeared with the overcrowding that has taken over the parks. I always thank any of the custodial employees because I think they have some of the hardest jobs. Many guests are disrespectful and leave their trash wherever they please. I see trash on the ground , on tables and in many other places where it shouldn’t be. I also see overflowing trash cans which is something you never saw years ago. I don’ t how they will re-open to allow the enormous amount of people they have been letting in to the parks over the past few years. We didn’t renew our passes this year because we just got tired of being packed into the parks like sardines. As for the construction,, after our last visit I find it ridiculous regarding the amount of renovation and construction projects all going on at one time. Epcot ‘s Futureworld was one big demo project with walls everywhere. I feel bad for those who paid full price to go into that park. It has made World Showcase even more crowded. I think they have a lot to consider before reopening the parks and while everyone is thinking they’ll just reopen and be like they’ve always been with a little bit of what this article says you’re all in for a rude awakening. Be prepared to have your temp taken at entrance and to have to wear an N95 type mask the whole time and to keep social distancing. And be prepared for only sections at a time to be reopened. This is what’s going on in Shanghai Disneyland since they re-opened. They even have to present a Health QR code when they enter a dining venue. Unless there is a quick cure or vaccine for the virus, I foresee a queue line just to get into the parks because they will have a much smaller capacity limit.
What if:
*Coasters had a system that off loaded guests, went through disinfectant sprayers (picture produce misters at grocery stores) then moved to the loading zone between each ride…
How will Disney:
* re-staff when so many employees are international?
* allow for social distancing at entrances, mass transit, restaurants, parades, and rides?
Just the beginning of many ideas and reworks Disney and the world as a whole have to take into consideration moving forward.
Beautifully written and great perspective! Thank you!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
I hope that after all this is over that the prices don’t get to the point that only rich can afford it its something walt would not want
Disneyland and Disney World are American icons, as is Walt Disney himself. God bless you all and I will be back when this …. passes
The last time I rode Splash Mountain I raked the cushioned brown pad in front of me and it reaped of green algae. I mentioned that a year ago to someone in charge and months later it was still a brownish green. Morning bleaching could have helped but now I would say every time. That is my favorite ride. I guess instead of a rain poncho , I will wear vinyl gloves…..Luv my Mickey and Minnie.
Definitely teaching for content here. Also we live locally and the parks haven’t been kept that well for a while. The overcrowding and greed in the past few years kept us from renewing as annual passes.
I hope they don’t give more perks to people who can afford to stay on property. The rest of us pay more for our tickets than you do, and we only have one week to be there. By giving more time to people who stay on property you are making our prices even higher and cheating us out of a few days of our vacations. We bought a timeshare in Orlando at least 30 years ago, and we can’t afford to stay on property and let that timeshare go to waste. It’s not our fault that we bought before Disney offered DVC and it’s not like we can afford to stay on property. We go every other year and spend every second in the parks. We already can’t celebrate our anniversary in Cinderella’s castle, can’t get half of the reservations we want, and can’t get the good FastPasses. What more do we have to give up for selfish people who think we don’t deserve the same vacation they do????
As usual, in response to an article that just offers speculation on the future, there are plenty of whiny comments. We need more positivity, not negative commentary.
There is NO way to social distance at any of the Disney parks unless you pay for one of those special tickets to stay in park late or enter early in the am where the crowds are alot less. Disney may trim attendance a bit but lets face it disney parks are a CASH COW and there is no way to cut admission by the tens of thousands and still be profitable. Is Disney willing to loose millions if not billions over social distancing?? I think not. I am sure there will be changes made at the parks but in the end it is and will be up to each individual to do their part to not spread germs and to be more cautious of what we all touch. A little common sense goes a long way!! Maybe now people will pay a little more attention to their surroundings and will be more careful about spreading germs in public places. Let’s all learn from this covid 19 virus. Together if we all do OUR part we may not have to endure 2 months of social distancing loss of jobs not be able to see family etc etc etc next time this happens. Again adhere to the warnings and USE COMMON SENSE!! We will all hopefully be enjoying Disney in mid may. Stay safe and do your part to ensure this virus is wiped out soon and future viruses don’t cause any where near as much trouble as this one did.
I agree with the comments regarding the lack of cleanliness. My family and I were there for 5 days during Spring break in March this year. It had been years since we visited. I was sad to see how dirty the parks were. This is not being negative but being factual and realistic regarding the changes that will need to be considered. I hear this statement everyday in the news media “ this is the new reality “. We’re being conditioned by the media and government for the changes to come.
I haven’t really seen filth lying around anywhere. As for one poster saying People Mover was not clean I was just there in November and I didn’t see any trash in it. It looked quite clean. I do agree that some people don’t clean up after themselves and leave some trash but While at epcot I didn’t see it. At Hollywood Studios I didn’t see it. One thing about Hollywood Studios though when I was there in Nov. I am a pass holder and usually go often as I only live 150 miles from WDW in Hollywood Studios there was a concert of some kind going on. They made us go in the first door of the shopping areas and go up to the last door to leave. In between all doors along the street were locked. To me that was a disaster in the making. If there was a fire or something, No one could get out the side. Besides if you didn’t have a ticket for that they were keeping you away from it. Oh I think it was not a concert I think it may have been an ad. But whatever it should never have taken up the whole street and put guests in danger. I’m sorry no one can say that it was not a recipe for a disaster because it was. You weren’t even allowed to look out the glass of the doors either.
I think the future that awaits us much more than the things mentioned in these posts. I think as soon as a vaccine is developed, the requirements to enter any country will depend on if you’ve been vaccinated for all desease. Such you will have to carry this record on you with proper identificación proving date of last vaccination. This used to be practiced . Should be mandatory.
Yikes
I agree with Steve. We’ve been going to WDW since it opened. And in those days the parks were truly immaculate. The garbage cans were never overflowing with trash as they are now. The restrooms were spotless..not so today. Litter thrown on the ground just didn’t happen. But like I said there was always room in the garbage cans for the litter. It breaks my heart to see the prices skyrocket while the magic is getting dimmer and dimmer. And please don’t get me wrong . I love WDW. It’s just that I remember the greatness and see the heights from which they have fallen.
Both parks will NEED to drastically limit capacity to maintain social distancing…with 3.5 million applying for unemployment last week, their attendance will drop anyway. But we WILL see rides at less capacity and tables distanced at the eateries. Fireworks might have “tickets”/fast passes to limit crowds. Character interaction will change. Both parks have a LOT of work to do to make them safe for guests and cast.
I am a disney annual pass holder, we love going to disney. In my opinion disney brings people from all over the world together. It would be nice if park was not so crowded, but setting aside hours or days where only certain people can come in would go against what disney stands for.
Personally, I believe that as long as the borders are closed and if the Parks open up in a few months, we can’t Practice Social Distancing well and you can’t guarantee that the employees practice great hygeine, Promise. Also, until there’s a vaccination or the disease dies out all together people will be Afraid to take their children to the Parks and if the Parks open, they will not be as busy for a Long time.
All 11 parks across the Globe are now closed and all construction have closed.
People Love the Parks, however, let’s Get Real. The Cruise ships won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
When will Disney lay oof its employees? Well, the CEO and Top Executives are taking Large pay cuts that do not come anywhere near the amount of revenue generated at the Parks.
My Question is which Parks will Permanent close?
Love this! Seeing the bright, positive side to things is very important right now! Thank you 🙂
Personally, I believe that as long as the borders are closed and if the Parks open up in a few months, we can’t Practice Social Distancing well and you can’t guarantee that the employees practice great hygeine, Promise. They don’t teach that stuff. Many of these park employees are low wages earners and everyone comes from a different part of the world and are raised differently. Also, until there’s a vaccination or the disease dies out all together people will be Afraid to take their children to the Parks . When they do open again chances are they won’t be that busy.
Lol
All 11 parks across the Globe are now closed and all construction has come to a hault.
People Love the Parks, however, let’s get Real. The cruise ships won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. When will Disney lay oof its employees? Well, the CEO and Top Executives are taking Large pay cuts that do not come anywhere near the amount of revenue generated at the Parks.
I question which Parks will remain permanently closed? Disney has money tucked away and has the ability to come back in the Long haul, however, they save costs wherever nesscary. They make money wherever it’s possible. The college program students that are hired throughout the US and other countries work for much less than an actual employee and they must pay rent while sharing living quarters with other students. Plus, they get free passes to the Parks so some of that money earned by these youngsters goes right back into the parks. Guess who gets a lot of overtime? The Parks are open 365 days a year. They don’t even take 24 hours to celebrate
Christmas. Now, they are taking a huge hit. Soon, it’s employees will have to file for unemployment or Search for work. Im Certain that Disney could afford to drop a lot of dead weight and some of the poor leadership .
Disney will not reopen for a long time and if they do they won’t be as busy so they will scale back and in the long run they can put in place Sanitizer Stations in the Parks and resorts permanently. They also bring in people who have much more experience and newer generations and some older. The kind with education and experience. It’s a perfect opportunity to change the way they manage and great time for them to embrace modern ideas. It’s a perfect Opportunity for Disney to update POS systems and all types of other Possibilitiess like accurately screening for background checks. How is possible that someone with multiple felonies is hired at all and at a leadership role? Disney has the resources to do all this and to bounce back even if it’s two years from now. It’s a perfect opportunity for much improvement.
The source of infection is the People.
I am always disgusted at theme parks and sporting events when I observe over half of the men leave the bathrooms without a stop to wash their hands. Think about that when touch anything in the theme park.
Norovirus is also a common illness in cruise passengers, in 2002 Florida Disney Cruise passengers sickened my family at Disney and ruined our trip.
I didn’t see all the trash, but I probably would have chalked that up to increased crowds and not enough staff. We are only able to go maybe every 5 years, depending on if we can save enough. Every year, the price is higher and higher. We’ve always stayed in the grounds because of the benefits, but that will soon be have to be stopped also. Last time, I took my mom, girls trip. She got pneumonia, and was very sick. I was very unhappy with the run around we got from the medical staff, finally just called 911 and told the desk what happened. She was in several days, I was back and forth. I had to extend our stay, she was too sick to travel. they made us change rooms…anyway, suffice to say it was an incredibly bad experience from the get-go. It only got worse and worse. They even cut off our dining plan when we had to extend it, although we had so much left. I was eating almost every day in the counter service, enough they got to know me. They couldn’t believe I was cut off, so fed me anyway. I had been working with the manager. When he insisted we move, we went from our quiet room to one across from construction, near the pool. I had specifically requested a quiet room, and asked for one when we moved.
I didn’t mean to go off here, and after 5 years, I won’t be back. Not only have they priced themselves out, but with that horrible treatment when we were going thru an extraordinarily bad time. We would have been better treated at a Motel 6.
I believe the crowd size will continue to increase, although there is a limit. As they expand it gives more room to up the capacity. Oh- when we got to the room after checking in there was a cleaning bottle under the luggage table. I left it. It stayed the whole time we were there. Time to check out Universal.
Happy to see people speaking out, as conditions at the Parks have deteriorated, Parks are Not Pristine as in the past, Quality of Food Has Fallen amid Large Price Increases, OverCrowding has Become The New Norm, Everything is Priced to the Max, and Much of the Magic has Evaporated! And a hundred other things I don’t have time to list!
I’m totally good with fewer people and paying more for less crowds…. much safer!
I’d love to think positively also! I agree with most of these folks who’ve posted before me though. Social distancing is not an option at a Disney park! And I am also a bit afraid of potential new cost hikes to recoup their losses from this.
Like many people I have seen my share of changes at the Parks. For WDW that goes back to “84”, for DL, “64”. I have been blessed to visit WDW just about every year since then. I just rescheduled our trip from early May to the end of August early September. Just prior to my grandson, returning to school.
I am not going to carry the water for the Disney Company. Nor will I say they owe me something, for which they had no control over. I could and will say, the cleanliness of the parks has changed. Partly do to Disney. Mostly, do to people.
It’s all about me. My pleasure. My family. My time. My money. Those social mores, rules, etiquette do not apply to me. That belongs to someone else. Perhaps, Walt Disney was incorrect. After sitting in his park and observing people. He came to the conclusion, that waste containers should be placed every 30′. That was the distance people would go, before tossing their trash on the ground.
I know when WDW does re-open. In whatever incarnation that may be. We will be back. It has been part of our families trip, as have vacationing at the beach. It is something we enjoy. it is something we will continue to do.
Sandra L. Harwood says perhaps parks should perhaps be reserved a couple of days for resort guests that have travelled from all over the USA .My family and l are always resort guests and come from London,so how does that work.Most Americans go for a long weekend or up to 5 days.Most Europeans come for 14 days which is very expensive ,flights.resort and park tickets