Disney is going above and beyond to keep you and your family safe when you come and visit!
Enhanced Cleaning Sign
But while there are enhanced cleaning procedures in the resort hotel rooms, if you want to take it an extra step further and add your OWN disinfecting measures, we have some tips!
Keep shoes by the door
If you don’t already do this, it might be a good idea to implement a hotel room “policy” where your shoes are taken off as soon as you enter the hotel room and they stay right next to the door. That way, you aren’t tracking any potential germs you picked up throughout the day around your room.
If your room has a closet, consider storing shoes in there when you return from the parks.
If your hotel room closet has enough floor space, you can also leave shoes in there when you return from the parks until you are ready to put them on the next morning. But if you are concerned about tracking germs around your room, leaving shoes as close to the door as possible is your best bet.
Take a look INSIDE a reopened Disney World Resort hotel room here!
Pack disinfecting wipes & double down on wiping high-touch areas
If you can get your hands on disinfecting wipes, pack a few extra sets in your suitcase! As soon as you enter your hotel room at the end of the day, take a few wipes and wipe down high-touch surfaces in your room (think: doorknobs, sinks, drawer handles, telephones, and other surfaces like end tables or bedside tables, bathroom counters, etc.). Wipe down any items that may have been touched by housekeeping, including any items you leave out on the bathroom counter.
Restroom in a Resort room at Bay Lake Tower
Bring hand wipes and sanitizing wipes into the park with you, too! Use the wipes to clean table surfaces before eating. And don’t forget to wipe down your cell phone!
Check out your NEW park essentials for a 2020 trip to Disney World here!
Wash your hands!
One of the most effective ways to disinfect the area around you is to keep YOURSELF “disinfected.” This means frequently washing your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water!
Restroom Signage
When you return to your hotel room, immediately wash your hands before you touch anything in the room. Some folks even recommend taking a shower when you come in from the parks, since germs can linger on your clothing and hair. Keep hand sanitizer nearby as well! Keep in mind that currently, Disney World is NOT checking guests’ temperatures upon entering a resort, so that means taking extra precautions to keep you and your travel party safe!
Read more about Disney not check temperatures at resort hotels here!
Keep as many belongings off of the bed as possible
In general, keep items other than yourself OFF of the bed, especially your suitcases, which can carry germs from the airport all the way to your hotel room. Also consider taking a shower when you return to your room from the parks before going to bed.
Animal Kingdom Lodge Room
It might also be a good idea to have wipes ready when you first arrive at your hotel room and wipe down those suitcases to eliminate all the germs they may have picked up while en route to Disney World. If you brought your own stroller from home, wipe that down, too, after each trip out of your room.
Consider using chairs or benches to place belongings instead of your bed!
If you’re a “toss your dirty clothes on the floor” kind of traveler, consider bringing trash bags to toss your dirties in at the end of each day. Germs can follow you back to your room on your clothing, so by bagging up your dirty gear and hopping into clean clothes in your room or for bed, you’ll reduce how many germs you spread around the room. Bonus when you get home, you can just dump the contents of the bag in your washer and call it a day!
Bay Lake Tower
For other items, use your counter space instead of your bed to house your belongings, such as desks, dressers, and seating areas you may not plan on using.
There are LOTS of changes happening at Disney World. Learn more about them here!
Store dirty and used face masks in a safe place
Speaking of keeping potentially germ-spreading items at bay, once you use a face mask, it’s a good idea to store them in an area where they will not come into contact with you or other items again. Consider packing additional garment bags or even a few ziploc bags to bring to the parks with you and keep in your room.
Face masks for sale at Bayview Gifts
If you plan on washing your cloth face masks during your trip, plan on doing so as quickly as possible once you return to your resort hotel room to reduce the chance of your mask contaminating anything else.
Check out our top tips for wearing a face mask all day in Disney World here!
If possible, open windows and doors to patio areas
Increasing ventilation is a known way to mitigate the spread of the virus, according to the CDC. This is why outdoor dining is often recommended over indoor dining.
Patio at Bay Lake Tower
If you are able to do so, keep windows open and let fresh air into your room. If you have a patio, open your door from time to time to keep the air flowing. Nothing beats air conditioning on a hot Florida day, but increasing ventilation even a little bit can help air out your room.
Disney World is offering both indoor AND outdoor Relaxation Stations in each of its theme parks. Check out where they are located here!
Disinfect your shower and tub
Disney is assuring guests they’re doing everything they can to sanitize your room, including the bathtub. If you still want to be “better safe than sorry,” consider running VERY HOT water for about a minute to disinfect before stepping in.
Shower at Animal Kingdom Lodge
Additional precautions Disney is taking to make sure your room is safe and clean includes disinfecting the shampoo and conditioner bottle pumps in between each guest. If your room has those refillable bottles, the pumps will labeled to indicate that they have been cleaned before your arrival.
IS Disney World safe right now? And should YOU go? Read our thoughts here!
As we’ve mentioned, Disney World has implemented many new health and safety procedures throughout their parks and resorts. A big component is keeping the resort rooms safe and clean for guests at all times. But if you want to go the extra mile and stay on top of cleaning your personal space, we hope these tips gave you some ideas on how to do so! A little effort can go a LONG way in keeping you and your travel party safe while keeping every precaution in mind.
Disney Park Reopening Details and Info
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Click HERE To See FULL LISTS of the Rides, Attractions, Shopping, Entertainment, and Restaurants Opening in Disney World!
TUTORIAL: How To Use Disney World's NEW Park Pass Reservation System
ALL Disney World Reopening Procedures
Disney World Hotel and Ticket Booking Information
We’re Visiting ALL the Reopened Disney World Hotels and Have All the Need-to-Know Details
We’re LIVE in Disney World's Magic Kingdom For the FIRST Time Since the Closures
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Everything You NEED To Know About Wearing Masks in Disney World
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I’m a germophobe & this stuff is ridiculous. I worked in a dialysis unit for almost 20 years in NYC. Lots of blood all the time, i wouldn’t do this ever. How They’re not shampooing the rugs, so it doesn’t matter where you put your shoes. Unless you’re rubbing your hands all over or licking luggage. I wouldn’t worry about it. I wouldn’t bag dirty or wet clothes until you pack them. FL-damp, dark spaces make mold & ruined clothes. And I wouldn’t waste wipes that are extremely hard to get on anything but my own cell phone.
Bring liquid hand soap. Don’t leave your personal items out for anyone to touch or have to move. And wash your hands. Killing every germ is not going to help in the long run either.
I will add. Bring your own toiletries. The Shari g of the ones in the shower does gross me out. But that’s because of Hepatitis B:
Thank you Jackie! I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking this is lunacy. You can never eliminate germs 100%, if you are that scared to be in a hotel room my advice would be to not travel right now. We are going in September and November and I cannot wait to get out of my house/state for some relaxation.
If Disney is enhancing their cleaning efforts, then isn’t this overkill? I’m a germophobe myself and always have been. I use hand sanitizer and wash my hands frequently when I can while out and about. but the minute I come in the door, I head right to the sink and wash my hands thoroughly. All I really worry about is keeping the sink and door knobs clean. That is all I would touch when coming into the room. I also keep my phone clean so that would happen before placing it anywhere and hang my mask in the same place like on a door knob which I also disinfect. I’m not sure with the Florida heat that I would be using the same mask more than once anyway. I’ve also done 2 hotels stays since early June and have followed the same routine. The same applies here at home and it’s been very successful so for me these extremes seem unnecessary.
The shoe thing is a big one for us. I grew up with European parents and we NEVER wore shoes in the house, ever. Even guests took their shoes off at the door. We always take our shoes off by the door. I wish this was something more Americans did. Growing up, it was shocking to see how many Americans wore their shoes all over their house. Hotels need to do what Japanese hotels do, have a space to put your shoes and give slippers.
Thank you for sharing this! Thank you for doing your part in keeping people safe!
I was a nut long before the virus was ever discovered. I dont even let my kids ( all over the age of 15 )in the room untill I wipe everything down and put on new sheets and pillowcases that I bring from home. Makes me feel more comfortable for sure.
I completely agree with Margaret, I have never allowed anyone into the room until I’ve sanitzed it completely. Now is especially important to do so. Although I myself don’t feel safe going to Disney right now, I certainly think that everyone who does feel comfortable being there should follow the advice your giving. I know Disney has put in place enhanced cleaning measures , but i wouldn’t trust my health (maybe even life) and that of my family to just hoping that someone is doing their job correctly. Better safe than sorry ( or DEAD!)
Christine-it’s getting nutty. I agree with you. If you’re that worried, stay home. It seems like it won’t be enjoyable otherwise. I was there in March. I didn’t find that I was concerned for my health or the health of my family. The only thing we changed about our trip in March was not going to the buffet I had reservations for. I’m not a fan of them anyway b/c I have a food allergy, but since information was new, I figured, maybe not the best choice.
I’m going in September. I have my masks & some purell wipes. For the parks. Can’t live in a bubble forever.
And like I said, the shoe thing. Tens of thousands or maybe millions of people have already walked into your room. I would keep my shoes on. I would NEVER walk in a hotel room without shoes.
I would think doing all this is overkill, but it’s not. We are in a time where people are being careless and not going above and beyond to protect themselves and others. If I’m traveling I’m making sure to protect myself and what people forget, others when they comeback home. My 90+ grandmother is living with my family so we are all being careful. It’s better to be safe, than sorry. Also to wipe down your phones as well. Most people don’t realize that phones are sometimes dirtier than the toilets.
I am a nurse & a germaphobe. Disinfect & clean things to your heart’s content. If it makes you feel better, just do it. Over cleaning won’t hurt anything. I didn’t grow up with it, but I really like the ‘shoes left at the door’ tradition. I also worked on a farm raising livestock and in a mechanic‘s shop. What’s on the shoes? Beyond the stuff you Can see: fertilizers, oils, chemicals, road salt, internal parasites & their eggs, etc.! Oh yeah, viruses & bacteria too! Believe me, you Want to leave your shoes (& coat?) at the door! Japan has something on us with this shoes at door practice. Please wash your hands and for now use a mask and protect your loved ones!
I haven’t been back since the pandemic began but we started getting in the habit of checking the ac filters bc they were usually pretty disgusting. And we learned to wipe the remotes down and door knobs.
Thank you. It only takes us about 5 minutes now to wipe down all surfaces, doorknobs, etc. We leave our shoes by the door and make sure we change our clothing when we get in the room. It doesn’t take away from our disney experience or fun.
I will be bringing slippers that are cleaned and ready for us to wear in the rooms. We don’t wear shoes in our home and I definitely don’t want to wear shoes in the hotel room. I think the other touch points, cleaning and disinfecting them can’t hurt. We also shower as soon as we arrive home and plan on doing this at the hotel. Better safe than sorry. Luckily we are staying in a one bedroom villa with access to a washing machine and dryer in the room, but there are also washers and dryers at the DVC resorts. Stay safe and healthy everyone!
I’ll be at the wilderness lodge during Christmas!! Can’t wait
Do they not clean and sanitize their rooms between guests? I am not going to clean rooms. I am going on VACATION!!! We pay enough for our room that I think they can afford to have someone to clean it each day. This is getting to the point of insanity…..We wash our hands and have our mask and we have been vacinated. I cannot believe that anyone comes down there and takes that much time to clean rooms. So sad!!
Betty, thanks for reaching out. This post was from July 2020, when Disney World had just opened. We shared these tips because many of our readers were concerned about cleanliness at the time.
I have been following DFB for a long time. Something I am not sure has been covered is housekeeping. We just returned today Saturday, January 15.2022. Cleanliness is on everyone’s mind. One major change, if I remember before COVID with housekeeping is you have to request it. The request is only for bathroom, towels, and trash. It is also only for every other day. If you check in on Monday, you will get new towels on Wednesday. If you need/want sheets changed, you can request them but they will only deliver sheets. They will not change them.
Side note: As of today, Mask are “required” in all indoor areas only. They are very adamant about it as well.