Disney World Mask Update: New Signs, Christmas Designs & Big Price Increase
There have been some changes on the face mask front at Walt Disney World, with new Christmas designs, a big price increase, new material, another rule change, more signage & announcements. This post will take a look at all of that, plus a brief update on guest compliance at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Disney Springs.
If you’re looking for info about Disney’s face covering polices, begin with our FAQ & Guide to Face Masks at Walt Disney World. For a seemingly simple topic, there have been a lot of questions, policy tweaks, and more. That’s a fairly comprehensive look at everything you need to know, presented in question and answer format. This is also a topic we touch upon from time to time, as appropriate, in our Walt Disney World photo reports.
However, face masks have come up less frequently because there’s less reader interest. It seems that most Walt Disney World fans have embraced or at least begrudgingly accepted face masks as part of the temporary abnormal Walt Disney World park-going experience, or are staying away until the rule goes away. There’s been far less debate, which is fine by us. We can finally move onto more important debates, like who is the best Country Bear? (False alarm, that’s not actually up for debate at all–it’s Big Al.)
Moving along, there are “new” Christmas masks now available in the parks. Four designs, three of which are awesome. (Sorry, the final one brings me no joy.)
These holiday masks are not totally new, as these have been available on shopDisney since last month. They’ve just now made their way to Walt Disney World, along with the rest of the holiday merchandise.
Unlike the first batch of masks released over the summer that were cotton, these are polyester. They definitely feel nicer to the touch and are more breathable. However, it’s worth noting that online reviews are all over the place. Most complain about inconsistent sizing (the widespread belief among reviewers is that these are larger than the earlier designs) or being too thin.
While we’re still very satisfied with the masks we use, they’re a bit boring and we’re also total suckers for Christmas. As such, we’ll probably pick up a couple.
If you do opt to buy them, we’d recommend buying the 2-packs on shopDisney, which are only $11.99.
There are also four packs, albeit not of the holiday designs, for $19.99.
At Walt Disney World, the individual face masks have increased in price. Previously, Disney’s face masks were $6 each or 4 for $20.
Now, the bundle deal is gone and the individual price is $9.99.
The Spirit Jersey ones are $12.99, which isn’t totally surprising since all Spirit Jerseys have absurd pricing; how they manage to sell so well is one of life’s great mysteries.
While I firmly believe that Spirit Jerseys are overpriced sweatshirt imposters, I can’t say the same about the face masks.
Honestly, I thought the previous pricing was a steal, especially as compared to what we’ve paid for other reusable face masks elsewhere.
This is definitely a big price increase percentage-wise, and there’s some shock value from that perspective. With that said, it doesn’t seem totally out of line to me. If the face masks started at $10 each when the parks reopened this summer, I probably wouldn’t have batted an eye. It’s just the jump that’s attention-grabbing here. Your mileage may vary.
Next up, it’s been almost two months since we posted our previous Walt Disney World Face Mask Compliance Report and part of the reason we haven’t done a follow-up is because not much has changed. As before, our original concern was that face mask rule compliance would dip over time due to fatigue and other factors.
If anything, we’ve noticed increased diligence among Cast Members in actively enforcing the rules and politely reminding guests to pull up their mask, not walk and drink, wear masks while taking photos, etc. For their part, most guests also at least acquiesce with the rules.
Anyway, face mask compliance remains more or less the same as before. Magic Kingdom is the best park at around 97-98% compliance. We’d peg Animal Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios as tied for second at around 96%. EPCOT and Disney Springs both average around 95%.
Note that these numbers vary by time of day (mornings are better across the board), area of the park (in front of Cinderella Castle is the worst area of Magic Kingdom), and various other factors. Even at their worst, the theme parks remain significantly better than anywhere else in Central Florida.
Obviously, our observations of compliance are entirely anecdotal. What you notice or experience might be entirely different, especially if you visit on busier weekends. As crowds increase, mask compliance seems to decrease. This is presumably due to Cast Members being stretched too thin and guest patience wearing thin, among other things.
This is unquestionably most noticeable in World Showcase at EPCOT on evenings, weekends, and especially the double threat of Fridays through Sundays at night. We’ve covered this elsewhere, and it probably shouldn’t be a huge surprise to anyone reading this. Most people visiting EPCOT on weekends during Food & Wine probably know what they’re getting themselves into.
As has been the case since the summer, Walt Disney World continues to evolve its mask messaging, and add new rules as necessary. We heard yet another modification while standing in line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
I’m not sure of the specific verbiage, but it stated that eating and drinking are not allowed while standing in line. This is a new rule, and likely due to guests being too lax with masks while eating or drinking in line. We’ve noticed this several times, and typically just give guests “sipping & strolling” while in line a bit of extra space. That’s not always possible though, particularly when they’re behind us in line.
Honestly, I didn’t even hear/notice this rule change announcement–it was all Sarah.
The announcement is literally 30 seconds long at this point, and I’ve heard it enough that my brain just tunes it out (except when it’s a new voice, for some reason). They could throw in some nonsense about Dino-Rama having a brilliant backstory mid-spiel and it probably wouldn’t even catch my attention.
Speaking of announcements, there are also pop-up notifications in My Disney Experience about mask-wearing.
We first mentioned these in passing a couple of weeks ago, assuming it the notice was a one-off. Since then, I’ve received the push notification over a dozen times–occasionally multiple times in the span of an hour. I don’t think that frequency is necessarily deliberate or consistent with others. I also used to receive “do you want to Mobile Order?” push notifications literally every time I walked past the Lunching Pad.
There are also a slew of signs that have recently appeared in the parks.
These include ones indicating that masks must cover the nose and mouth, that guests not properly wearing an approved mask will be asked to leave, and that face coverings are required at all times–including while taking photographs. The last one follows a similar announcement playing around Cinderella Castle, stating the same.
I give huge kudos to Walt Disney World when it comes to face coverings. Both in terms of rule enforcement and adapting to increase compliance. They’ve deftly handled what has become a contentious issue without much in the way of in-park backlash. It’s actually pretty impressive.
Nevertheless, part of me wonders what incremental compliance gains are coming from the ongoing additions to signage, announcements, and so on? After seeing and hearing the same message a dozen times, is the thirteenth time the charm for some people? Or is there a point when only targeted enforcement with Cast Members delivering individual “reminders” to guests breaking the rules going to be effective?
I truly don’t know the answers to those questions, but I pose them because the cumulative weight of this all does impinge upon the guest experience a bit for those who abide by the rules and don’t try to exploit loopholes or test the limits. It’s a given that these are abnormal times and it’s necessary to accept compromises and changes to the guest experience–including the face mask rule.
However, some degree of balance is also necessary. Not in terms of the substance of the rules, but in their presentation. Obviously, Walt Disney World is not going to have its trademark escapism right now (at least, not nearly to the normal degree) but there’s a fine line between firmly presenting and enforcing health safety rules, and getting heavy-handed. That’s especially true when the signs have become so frequent and the announcements so long that they’re potentially ineffective because many people just tune them out anyway.
This is undoubtedly a tough needle to thread and Walt Disney World is in a tough position; I’m just not entirely convinced that another sentence to the in-park spiel and two dozen new sandwich boards each week is an effective answer. With that said, the Incredi-Crew Cast Members have been doing a phenomenal job addressing rule-breaking guests, and that one-on-one approach appears to be highly successful in correcting noncompliant behavior.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What are your thoughts on the face mask price increase? Are they still reasonable even after the jump, or too much? Thoughts on the length of the announcement or increasing number of sandwich board signs in the parks? If you’ve visited the parks since Walt Disney World reopened, what was your experience wearing masks? Observations on compliance? Do you agree or disagree with any of our assessment? Please keep the comments civil. This is not the place for arguing about efficacy, politics, and so forth—all such comments will be deleted, irrespective of perspective. You are not going to change anyone’s mind via the comments section on this blog, nor are you going to change Disney’s policy.
I think the additional announcements and signage are more to preempt claims of “I didn’t know,” from people trying to skirt the rules. I’ve seen a few guests be particularly rude to cast members who asked them to wear their masks properly. The extra signs and announcements help back-up the CMs who are just doing their jobs, trying to keep everyone safe. My husband and I are very impressed with everything Disney is doing and the great job all the CMs are doing in some really stressful conditions.
If mask wearing is going to continue well into the immediate future I would agree, after just having returned from a 10 day stay at WDW, that the overkill of announcements and push notifications is more than overkill. If they want to put out an announcement once an hour and post their signs I think that is more than fair. The issue is that there is no way to track people who are constantly being scolded. For instance, we had a group that included a father and his two sons in front of us in line at Splash Mountain. Not only did they completely ignore the distance markers between their party and the party in front of them (we were behind them and joking about how they couldn’t follow simple ground markings) but they were told by multiple cast members over the duration of our time in line to pull their masks up. Then when on the ride, they paused it whilst going up one of the initial hills to tell them to put their masks back on. We were in the boat right behind them and heard them laughing about it. For the people around these morons, having to hear them constantly being scolded and then again while on the ride makes you lose a bit of the fun. I’m sorry, I don’t like masks and think its ridiculous, but I wear them and comply with the rules. For those who have to be told more than once, I wish there was more enforcement via a way to keep track of those rule breakers so that they would be removed from the park. Then the rest of us could get on with our day without the constant mask rigamaroo.
Is it true that masks are no longer required in the state of FL? And if so, does anyone have a prediction about when Disney will embrace this position as well?
There never was a state mandate to wear a mask. There was one in Orange County as decided by the Mayor of Orange County. Individual businesses have asked patrons to wear a mask.
I agree Tom….best bear is BIG AL!
Thanks for keeping Disney alive in my imagination with all your reports. Looking forward to “coming home “ in safer times!
Individuals have a 99.9% chance of survival. The scare tactics are way overblown. It’s time to get back to normal.
Please don’t start spreading your nonsense, it’s not welcome here.
Sincerely,
A nurse
I agree with you , Lora.
You’re absolutely right Lora.
Thanks for being among the minority of literate and numerate Americans and willing to speak up.
Sincerely, a hospitalist physician who works on a “hot” CV-19 unit in North Carolina.
I also agree with Lora.
The idea that people are so eager to ignore the virus in an attempt to get back to normal is what is scary. Those of us who are literate and can also do math would note that Lora’s statistic means 1/1000 people will die if things return to her ‘normal.’ The slight discomfort of a mask is more than reasonable to prevent this, and I’m shocked masks are even an argument still.
@Lora, yes!!!!!
@Maggie, death is inevitable. ‘Save’ someone from death by COVID today, they’ll die of something else tomorrow. Death isn’t preventable, only postponable. Here’s something to consider: you have a 1 in 103 chance of dying in an automobile accident. COVID odds are looking pretty good now…
I agree Lora, thanks for speaking up.
The emphasis should be on protecting those “at risk”.
For others, it should be their determination.
This has become a political topic.
In the 1960s, two waves of (ironically) Chinese viruses/flu came through our country.
Many died. I was out of school for a week sick, but everything else went on as usual.
I know lots die each year from the flu.
The reactions in these comments and in our society shows how much things have changed in the past 50 years…
Agree, Lora!!!
Downtown Disney has had the “no eating or drinking in line” rule the entire time since they’ve been open, so I’m surprised that they have just started this at WDW. Since we have been to Downtown Disney a couple of times, we are used to it. We are heading out to Florida December 1st, and I have all of our masks ready. I’m just hoping it won’t be too hot. :/
I think others would agree this whole mask (diaper) situation has been blown out of proportion by now and is being taken advantage off .
Concur Frank.
It has become a social/political issue.
Now, each time someone dies, the default cause is Covid.
It supports the agenda of many in government.
Honestly, i think requiring masks during pictures is ridiculous!!! Like i really want to be reminded of COVID when i look back at pictures years from now. Or if i want to put up pictures in my house….. I’d like to see our smiles. I think they over reached with this rule. And its a rule i will be sure to break if i visited.
Just don’t act surprised if/when you’re asked to leave the park.
Agree, Erin! I would not want “Covid reminder” pictures either. I highly doubt anyone will catch Covid from someone taking a mask off for 2 sec for a photo. I also don’t think they will throw you out of the park for that. We have a 2-year-old who we cannot make to keep a mask on, nor can we explain it to her that it is necessary, she is only 2 and does not talk much yet. However, we would get thrown out of the plane and the park if we dare go. I don’t understand why our whole family (who WILL wear masks except the 2-year-old) must be punished in this way.
Hi Tom,
Most important question regarding this post…which holiday mask design was the ugliest one (in your opinion)? 😉 I am assuming gingerbread Mickey???
Ok, huge HUGE pet peeve! Polyester is not breathable, it is plastic! I am a living history reenactor, and polyester is the worse fabric for breathability. All of my masks are cotton, tropic weight wool and linen.
Polyester is also going to make you more prone to acne breakouts too.
Sorry I had to get this off my chest.
It really doesn’t matter what material you use for your surgical mask. It leaks around the edges, including around your nose. That’s why your glasses fog up when you wear a mask. Only a respirator will protect the wearer and it has to be the right respirator with proper fit testing and medical surveillance.
Look at the fabric under magnification and look at the virus under the same level. You’ll see that the virus will pass right through any of those, including adding a paper filter.
DebC, viruses don’t just float around on their own. They are carried in respiratory droplets, most of which will be stopped by N95 respirators and, to a lesser degree, consumer face coverings. Please educate yourself.
Sincerely,
A nurse
Tom,
As always thank you for keeping us updated on everything that is happening and your experiences. I was there in September and purchased a pack of Disney masks and although they were incredibly cute, or at least as much as a mask can be cute, but I found them extremely hot and uncomfortable. Fortunately I had packed plenty of my own reusable masks and washed them each night. You mentioned that the material has changed with the holiday ones, would you please update on your thoughts on those if you try them?
Hi Tom my family are due to visit WDW next April (from the UK) at the moment it seems highly unlikely we’ll be able to travel, and may have to reschedule for a third time, but I wondered how many young children you’d seen in the parks and how they were with masks. Our son will be 2.5 and I can’t see that we’d be able to keep a mask on him at all. Has there been any indication of how long mask will be compulsory for? Many thanks
Melanie,
My family was there in September, we had a 4 year old that only had to be reminded to put the mask back up, and a 2.5 year old who was a bit more of a problem. We were constantly having to argue (gently) with him that he had to have the mask on to participate in any rides or go in anywhere. It was a struggle but I think he did really well for a 2 year old. We only ran into 2-3 cast members who were pushing it with him which didn’t help his attitude at all. LOL. I’m not sure why anyone expects a 2 year old to understand and comply with a mask rule but it is what it is. Best of luck and enjoy your trip when it happens.
Hi Melanie! We don’t have little ones anymore but, when we are in the parks, it seems that most are wearing their masks with little to no difficulties. I think that seeing the adults all wearing them and it’s no big deal helps to make the masks “normal” which increases compliance for kids and adults. Also, cooler months are much easier to wear the masks.
Good luck!
Melanie – I concur. The mandate has become untenable.
It costs so much to attend, especially with your situation.
As for when the mandate will end – good question.
One theory I’ve heard is when a vaccine is in full use and distribution.
But, I sadly believe the entire covid topic has become politicized.
When they expect toddlers to wear a mask and properly, it has gone too far.
But, that is probably obvious to most anyway.
God Bless to your family and our wonderful allies in Great Britain.
Melanie – we have a 2-year-old also and will definitely wait to go until the mask requirements are suspended. There were multiple cases in the US of whole families and mothers with young children escorted off airplanes and left stranded in airports because they had 2-3 year olds who would not keep their masks on. Some people were also forced to leave amusements parks and other public places. I agree it is ridiculous to expect young toddlers to wear masks, and can even be dangerous, but right now you can’t reason with people. Some people are more understanding about masks on little ones, but if you have the misfortune to come across a “mask nazi,” you and your whole family will be in big trouble, and theoretically your little one will be to blame :(( Ridiculous! Wait till this blows over. sorry to say.
Masks are not only to protect the wearer. My mask protects you from me if I have covid and either don’t know or don’t responsibly quarantine. This information has been publicly disseminated for months and months. Additionally, complaining about changing guidelines doesn’t make someone sound smart, it reveals that they do not understand elementary school science in that you change recommendations based on new data.
As far as the actual experience of visiting the parks, I agree with Tom and Sarah that the cast members are awesome and really doing an excellent job. We had a wonderful time and while I know that risk is low outdoors and masking isn’t really necessary if there is no one within 10feet of me, I was absolutely willing to follow the rules to experience the joy of watching my 4 year old experience WDW for her first time.
Preach!!
We noticed that the only time we ever saw anyone be truly rude to the cast member asking them to wear their mask was on the way to the parking lot/Skyliner out of HS. The cast member asked them to put their masks on until they got in their car and they snipped back “even though we are outside the park?” Cast member said, “yes, this is still Disney property.” They pretended to put them on and as soon as they were in front of the cast member took them right back off. Other than that, we really saw very good compliance to the rules when we were there a few weeks ago!
I’m a little disappointed that they would raise the price so much. At $6 I would buy more thus a profit for them but at $10 thats a lot for a mask that id only wear in the park. It smacks of being a little greedy.
So they require to wear a mask mask then sell them for an outrageous price. Nice Marketing Disney.
This should go without saying, but bringing your own mask is an option.
(Actually, it’s required–you cannot get to a single spot to purchase these masks without wearing a mask.)
Disney requires you to wear a shirt in the parks and then sells shirts for outrageous prices, too. How terribly mercenary of them.
So stationary to eat and drink =are there certain areas to be stationary? If I wanted to be stationary by Cinderella’s castle eating a Dole whip would that be allowed??
It’s recommended that you stand off to the side rather than in the middle of a walkway (for instance), but there are not designated areas. Wherever works, so long as you’re physically distanced! 🙂
We were in AK last week and had just purchased waters and food. I thought AK would be comfortable since it’s so shaded, but it was HOT, and the masks made us feel 10 degrees hotter. We were standing off to the side, trying to decide where we could sit to eat and take a mask break, when my 12-yr-old asthmatic daughter pulled her mask down to take a gulp of water. Immediately, a cast member ounces on us, and not in a friendly way. We had been obediently following the mask and social distancing rules the entire trip, so this was disheartening, to say the least. We felt disenchanted, scolded like a bunch of disobedient children. I knew going into the trip that masks were required at all times, and we were so careful. To be spoken to so rudely put a damper on our joy. At Disney Springs, a customer rudely demanded that my mother back away from her. My mom had been trying to get a closer look at the merchandise hanging on a wall and didn’t realize she stepped within someone’s “zone.” I just think that this pandemic has made people rude and suspicious of everyone. I miss seeing people’s faces, people’s smiles. It’s a sad world we live in today.
Melissa….I agree that the level of rudeness has escalated beyond belief. I live in Ontario, Canada. Masks became compulsory in our area in July. Before that, we were all semi-happily maintaining our distance, washing our hands & using hand sanitizer and accepting this as ‘the new normal’ (boy, do I hate that phrase!!!). Then masks became mandatory, people stopped following social distancing practices, and the rudeness has increased exponentially! Methinks there’s a connection of sorts there!
Thank you so much for an update on mask compliance! I struggle with whether I’m trying to justify that procedures, rules, and enforcement on Covid19 precautions at Disney World *seem* like they are better than most of the country (or at the least our local area), or whether it’s actually true.
Can I please ask for an update on how you and Sarah have managed outdoor dining and mobile ordering in recent weeks since it appears this may obviously be slightly different than back at reopening a few months ago?
“Can I please ask for an update on how you and Sarah have managed outdoor dining and mobile ordering in recent weeks since it appears this may obviously be slightly different than back at reopening a few months ago?”
It’s more or less the same, albeit with more competition for ADRs–but also more restaurants open. Plus, more snack choices and better weather, which makes outdoor dining significantly more enjoyable!
“Anyway, face mask compliance remains more or less the same as before.”
There you go, then. “Pandemic fatigue” (a theoretically weird but factually true thing) has been counteracted by increased notices. Given the Disneyland measles outbreak of ~6 years ago, Disney is focused on the results, zero coronavirus infections in an Orange County experiencing increased coronavirus growth rates.
Orange County is not experiencing increased COVID rates. It is trending downward.
My husband loves the suay masks I bought him. I shouldn’t say loves because doesn’t complain B***h about them hardly at all and that is an improvement. We don’t leave until next week so then I will see how he does in the parks.
The state has never required masks. It’s all been city and county ordinances. They can still require masks, but can’t issue fines for non-compliance. Private businesses can make and enforce their own rules. I doubt Disney will change their policy any time soon. They tend to err on the side of caution with all their property rules.
Sorry, Barbara! That was meant as a reply to someone else. I blame my phone. My husband isn’t thrilled with wearing masks either (who is?), but he likes his Disney masks and has no problems with them in the parks. Enjoy your trip!
If it’s hot it will be very hard.
The major problem in Epcot is there is nowhere to sit. They have Taste of Food and Wine but have hardly increased seating anywhere. If you can’t eat while standing then you have nowhere to go.
This is also a problem at HS.
We were at Epcot the other day and there wasn’t even a Relaxation Station open In Future World. When I asked a cast member he said,” yeah, it looks like no one is there” and then walked away. Didn’t even offer to direct me to another station or try to help. Just walked away. I was with a party of 4 who wanted to sit and take a breath. It was embarrassing.
It’s very hot with the mask, it’s hard to concentrate and you can tell with the guests that everyone is struggling. There are hardly any friendly exchanges, no one compliments anyone, everyone looks distrustful and nervous and having five CMs hold signs saying “masks must be worn” as they stand there for hours is not only overkill, it’s draconian and it’s a waste of manpower. The people who are going to break the rules are going to do that no matter what. Most people at Disney what to comply
and be positive.
There is definitely a bit of fear from guests who are worried they might get in trouble for trying to stay hydrated. Most CMs are outstanding. It only takes one grumpy CM to ruin someone’s day. I saw that happen at least twice while I was at Epcot and HS.
Those CMs could have been manning the Relaxation Station rather than standing there glaring at people and getting onto guests who were distanced, stationary and just trying to drink some water for a minute. This was not my party. I observed others having this experience.
And the cast members were glaring. I wouldn’t be too full of pixie dust either if I had to stand there in a mask holding a 12”x12” inch sign like one of those street people who are trying to get you to get your taxes done or oil changed for hours in the heat after all my friends have lost their jobs.
I have been a passholder since 1984 back when they offered the Seasonal Pass.
If you are coming from out of town I would encourage you to postpone and wait for better days. At least wait til the CMs can get over the grief they must be feeling at losing all their friends.