Disney World News: Face Mask Rule Changes, 30% Discount, 50th Anniversary Book
It’s time for another Walt Disney World news and rumor round-up! This time, we have a range of stories including a new discount, an extension of park hours, and the end of a popular event at WDW–which is actually good news. The most interesting tidbit is tweaks to face mask and physical distancing rules, plus the potential for more on the horizon.
Once again, we’ll start with the least interesting update: new and extended park hours. All four theme parks, Disney Springs, and Blizzard Beach have seen changes on the DisneyWorld.com park hours calendar. Previously, hours were posted through April 10, and now extend to April 17, 2021. Added hours are the same for all dates:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 6 pm
- EPCOT: 11 am to 7 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 10 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 9 am to 5 pm
- Blizzard Beach: 11 am to 6 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 10 pm (11 pm on weekends)
Park Hopping times for those dates have also been added to the calendar. At this point, the start time for changing parks is still 2 pm across the board. The more interesting change this week is the park hours extensions, which impact the week of Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, Presidents’ Day, and Mardi Gras…
Part of that weekend was already extended, but now we’re getting extensions for more dates, including weekdays and the following weekend. Some of the changes are pretty significant–we’re talking 3-5 added hours on the weekends at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Mid-week extensions are typically only an hour or two, but that still suggests that Walt Disney World’s internal forecasts are for a busy week.
As we’ve stressed repeatedly, that week are the only “red flag” on our 2021 Walt Disney World Crowd Calendars in the next few months. It could end up being one of the busiest weeks of the year at Walt Disney World. Mardi Gras, in particular, is a huge wildcard since the cancellation of those events could drive more visitors to Florida. If you have flexibility in travel dates, we’d highly recommend avoiding that week.
It’s been relatively quiet of late–see last week’s Crowds Down Over 40% at Walt Disney World update–but that week will likely be a significant spike from current crowds, or even those later in February or early March 2021.
Next, Walt Disney World is once again offering a 30% off discount on merchandise purchases for Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members with only limited exclusions. Normally, APs and DVC members receive a 20% off merchandise discount as part of their perks, so this amounts to an extra 10% off. This 30% off will run from February 2 to March 2, 2021.
You might recall that the same discount was offered shortly after Walt Disney World reopened, and ended up being extended a couple of times before ending just in time for the Christmas shopping season. With attendance still down significantly and a backlog of merchandise remaining, it seems likely the deal will be extended again. (We previously banked on this discount returning, and now feel vindicated in holding off on buying the Wilderness Lodge mug, among other things.)
A valid Annual Pass or Disney Vacation Club Member ID must be presented at time of purchase to receive the discount (meaning DVC members who bought via resale and are not grandfathered in are not eligible). As is typical, there are a ton of exclusions and rules.
As always, there are a number of locations and products that are excluded from the offer, almost all of which are run by third parties or offer some sort of “premium” product or experience (major exclusions are always Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers and Droid Depot in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge). In the name of very important research, we will once again be testing to confirm that this discount is valid at Karamell Küche in EPCOT’s Germany pavilion–the best sweet spot at Walt Disney World!
Some good news for those who visit Walt Disney World annually at the beginning of December: Pop Warner will no longer be at Walt Disney World. Florida Citrus Sports reached an agreement to host the Pop Warner Super Bowl and Cheer & Dance National Championships. The events will be played at Camping World Stadium with Universal Orlando Resort hotels hosting families.
Pop Warner week was cancelled last year, which resulted in a reversion to the norm of early December being uncrowded at Walt Disney World. In past years, we’ve warned of the event–and particularly recommended avoiding the Value Resorts that host participants. The championships draw roughly 10,000 Pop Warner athletes and their families from around the country to Florida each December, and had a significant impact on Walt Disney World crowds.
Honestly, we hope this becomes a trend. While it’s obviously bad for Walt Disney World from a business perspective, the frequency of youth events at ESPN Wide World of Sports had become excessive. These are a big driver of off-season attendance, and also contributed to inflated resort prices.
Losing some of those events along with conventions will force Walt Disney World to get more competitive and cater more towards its (historic) primary demographic of families. This doesn’t mean we’ll immediately see a surge of discounts, but they’ll come over time–and it should further moderate price increases in the more immediate future. Conversely, expect Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure to see spikes in pricing and crowds in early December.
Next, we have a few updates that Walt Disney World has posted to the health safety policies page on its official website. First, physical distancing: “Guests traveling in parties of more than 10 are asked to split into smaller groups in queues, dining locations and other areas around our parks and resorts to better allow for physical distancing.”
This is the first we’ve seen this officially spelled out by Walt Disney World, but we’ve heard Cast Members in the parks instructing larger groups to do this when entering queues. Even in the absence of that, most groups do this on their own–or the party behind them allows an extra marker as buffer. So no major change here.
On the face mask front, we do have a couple of changes. The official website now states: “Face coverings may have an integrated transparent plastic panel to aid in viewing the wearer’s mouth.” These masks must also be a fabric covering featuring a solid plastic panel containing no openings that is attached to the fabric on all sides using tight knit stitching, and meet all other face covering requirements. (See our FAQ & Guide to Face Masks at Disney World for more info, recommendations, etc.)
This is definitely a positive change. This type of mask is helpful to guests who rely on lip reading, or anyone who is hard of hearing. I often find myself struggling to understand what people are saying when wearing masks; while I’m personally fine walking around oblivious to what people are saying to me, it’s a good option for others.
We’re anticipating further updates to Walt Disney World’s mask policies soon. There have been persistent rumors in the last week that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health will release new guidance any day now. If the CDC issues changes, it’s likely Walt Disney World will quickly follow suit.
Those are expected to break face masks down into two tiers: lower filtration and higher performance. It’s unclear whether there will be further guidance about what activities will necessitate the second tier, but already health experts are recommending better face masks. I’ve switched to using the FDA-authorized Powecom KN95 face mask in the parks; Sarah couldn’t achieve a proper fit with that, so she’s now double-masking.
Additionally, you may have received a “reminder” email or notification indicating that masks are required at Walt Disney World. This itself is nothing new–we’ve been receiving these every time we enter a park for the better part of the last 4 months. However, there is new verbiage indicating that these rules apply to even those who have been vaccinated.
Obviously, Walt Disney World is having issues with this, hence the notification. With only a very small segment of the population having been fully vaccinated, this is probably resulting from guests trying to find a loophole for not wearing masks. Right now, it’s premature for a policy change (in light of vaccine rollout), but our view is that will change in the not-too-distant future. It’s possible but unlikely that Walt Disney World will utilize Digital Health Passports to expedite things, or simply relax physical distancing and mask rules at a point after vaccines are widely available to the general public.
For some reason, there is a persistent belief among some that “this will never end” because companies want rules or control. That makes no sense whatsoever. At the end of the day, Walt Disney World is a business, and the current health safety protocol are bad for business. This is not simply because the rules keep some guests away (although that’s part of it), but because physical distancing lowers the limit on attendance levels.
At the other end of the spectrum, there’s a belief that Disney won’t relax rules until risk drops to zero. That also makes no sense. There is no such thing as a zero risk life. Once vaccines are widely available and have almost entirely eliminated the worst outcomes–hospitalizations and deaths–that’s going to be good enough for a broad swath of the general public, governments, and businesses. It’s impossible to put a specific end date on all of this, but as previously discussed in When Will Walt Disney World Stop Requiring Face Masks?, I think it’s probably sooner than many people expect.
Finally, some good news! As Walt Disney World gears up to honor its 50th anniversary through a celebration kicking off in Fall 2021, Disney Editions Deluxe is releasing Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century. The book is authored by Kevin M. Kern, Tim O’Day, and Steven Vagnini and will be released on September 28, 2021.
We are personally ecstatic about this, and had feared that the anniversary wouldn’t be commemorated with a new book since nothing had been announced previously. Since the World Began: Walt Disney World’s First 25 Years is still one of our favorite Disney theme park books, and we’re hoping this lives up to that legacy. We have every reason to believe it will–Disney Editions Deluxe has really upped its book game in the last ~5 years. Plus, Tim O’Day and Steven Vagnini have done exceptional work with D23, and both are clearly passionate about Disney history. The Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary coffee table book is now available for pre-order via Amazon (with price-match guarantee).
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 do you think of this Walt Disney World news? Any merchandise you plan on picking up with the new AP or DVC discount? Thoughts on the changes to physical distancing and face mask rules? Do you expect rule changes once vaccines are widely available to the general public? Thoughts on the changes to park hours? Excited for the Walt Disney World: A Portrait of the First Half Century book? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
I’m planning on visiting the parks April 1- 4th, flying from Cali, it’s our first time. We want to take advantage of the limited capacity, but I’m afraid they’ll increase capacity by that time, do you think this will happen?
A thoughtful article and well written. I would only add that guests who are already fully vaccinated truly should NOT have to wear masks if they can prove they are vaccinated. I also think that for young children (under age 10) it has been pretty much clear that they have almost zero statistical chance of mortality from COVID and it seems cruel and unnecessary to thus require masks for children that age.
I would add those who have had covid and fully recovered to that list. A vaccine isn’t the only path to immunity.
So how would a cast member look at a crowd of guests and tell who’s been vaccinated, or recovered? A sign around their necks saying “vaccinated” or “recovered”?
The vaccine does not offer 100% protection, and neither does a mask, or being a recovered positive case. And none of these prove that you won’t still be CONTAGIOUS. The masks will go away when, and ONLY when CASES go down, and not before. If more people get vaccinated, and we see a subsequent drop in CASES, then MAYBE the mask rules can be cautiously lifted.
you can still transmit the virus even after vaccination, it just stops you having severe effects of covid
It would be wrist bands not signs. Likely the government would have to issue a vaccine passport with a QR code you could show at the gate and you’d get a wristband like at the parties.
Recovery doesn’t mean you have enough antibodies to prevent reinfection nor do they know how long antibodies last. Those people would likely need a single shot booster and proof of that.
Honestly it sounds like a major hassle so I don’t think we’ll see it anywhere except maybe customs and airports.
Hi Tom,
I’ve been making plans to go to Disney World every day. Seriously, every day I come up with a different plan while trashing the plan from the previous day. However, I am not ever going to Disney World until covid is gone and Disney World is back to normal, with all hotels open and every show/ride/etc back on, which I expect (hope) to happen this time next year, and I can resume my yearly trips. That means I would have missed 2 years worth of Disney World.
Also, I think the mask requirement is just for show, being that Disney doesn’t require it at restaurants or pools. It’s like the old saying, “There’s a hole in your bucket, dear Liza.” It doesn’t matter how carefully you make the rest of the bucket leak-proof, if you do nothing to the hole, all your water will be spilled soon enough. Everybody who takes off their masks to eat or swim in public in WDW will be exposed to covid no matter how n95 a mask they are wearing. The safest way of dealing with Disney World during a pandemic is to not go.
“most groups do this on their own—or the party behind them allows an extra marker as buffer. So no major change here.”
I actually disagree and think requiring splitting this makes a big difference. The problem with large groups filling the space between distance markers is not the party behind them (since as you note, they can simply leave an extra maker gap), it’s in switchbacks like the Pirates of the Caribbean queue, where different rows have alternating “brick pattern” markers are designed ensure you are not right up next to the party in the next row. Large groups need to split up for this to work properly. Whether this is enforced remails to be seen, but it is a much needed correction.
Recently booked two weeks at Pop Century from 27th November from the UK. The end of Pop Warner combined with you sharing my (relative) optimism about the end of distancing and masks has made me even more excited than I already was. I’ve never been at Christmas before and probably won’t get the opportunity again – really hoping we have the full Christmas at Disney experience that you’ve gushed about over the years!
RE: 30% off discount. Do you know if it’s going to be valid on ShopDisney and what the code is? We were supposed to be in WDW from yesterday 2/1-2/11 but cancelled at the last minute due to hearing about the UK and South African variants in Orange County.
Why continue to debate about masks? No matter your position, it’s Disney’s policy at this time to wear one inside the park.
Personally, if they wanted me to wear a pink tutu in order to enter the park I would.
“Personally, if they wanted me to wear a pink tutu in order to enter the park I would.”
You might want to check the weather forecast before agreeing to that. While pink tutus are perfectly reasonable in July, I think the current temperatures might give you pause.
Steve, I could not agree more. Businesses can require whatever they want, and if people do not like it their “freedom” is to choose not to go. Just like No Shoes, No shirt, No service has been going on for decades now.
I would be a little surprised if WDW required better masks when the masks that they are selling/have been selling would likely not be in the “higher filtration” group. It would be a nightmare to enforce when people would be saying “but I bought this here! It’s a Disney mask!”
Excellent point.
I’ve gone back and forth on how “soon” Covid numbers will drop to a point where Disney starts to relax masking and social distancing.
Vaccine rollout is going slower than expected. And signals from Disney are that they will be VERY conservative in relaxing social distancing. The announcement about Festival of the Lion King suggests they expect social distancing through the summer.
What would actually make the most sense: During the “transition” period to normal, relax social distancing but keep mask requirements. As masking does not impede capacity, and still provides some protection.
A bit of a wildcard is Universal — which is being far more aggressive in bringing back entertainment, relaxing social distancing, etc. If Universal normalizes by April-June, will Disney feel pressure to follow suit?
As of now, I’m expecting Disney to remain heavily restricted until at least October. That’s just reading the signs and signals coming from Disney. By March/April, we should get a good sense of whether they are starting to bring back more entertainment staff for summer.
Let’s also remember, Disney does not currently have the staff for “full capacity normal operations.” Not just talking about entertainment staff layoffs.(and they can’t just be brought back overnight. Some of those cast members will have new jobs and won’t want to come back. Meaning, all new entertainers, training, rehearsals, etc). But a huge amount of theme park staffing comes from the Disney College program, and International — both suspended currently.
So that raises another question — Even if the health crisis abates quickly, how quickly could Disney staff up for greater capacity??
Reduced capacity may be required for quite a while, simply because there is insufficient staff for full capacity.
I think Disney will always be the more strict of the 2. Among my moms groups families are already planning trips for late this year or next year after seeing the initial groups come home without Covid. They are only going because Disney is so cautious.
It’s a voting with your dollars situation and suburban moms have a lot of dollars and will pay a premium for safe.
Do you know if the AP discount is only in person? Someone on an AP Facebook group bought the LEGO castle last fall and I didn’t think to ask if they did it online. I generally assumed… But as we’re in Michigan and cancelled this month’s trip, we won’t be there to shop in person. The castle is something I’ve really wanted but he’s not buying for $350. However he was interested in the discount. We have ID cards.
Right now as far as I’ve heard it is in person only. They did previously offer the 30 off online for a brief period of time in the fall. At that time it started after the in person discount. It think there is still hope they’ll run it briefly online but nothing announced yet to my knowledge.
Sarah might try a kf-94. They’re made in South Korea and the fit is more adjustable than the kn-95 imo. Though I have some kids ones that are a hair small and adult ones are a hair big. They’re comfortable and I wear a cloth homemade mask over it to help hold it securely in place and feel I get a good fit/seal while still being able to breathe well!
Are the dates listed anywhere for Pop Warner competitions? I was thinking of going to Universal in December 2021 and want to plan dates accordingly. Thanks.
Not sure since pop Warner will be now at Universal!
Wow this is huge!
I can’t wait for toms take on this!
I know in the past Pop hotels were crammed with all those kids. I would think Disney would loose most of those rooms and maybe see a reduced amount of them in the parks. Maybe they will shift to universal more for park attendance. Very interesting shift!
Thank you for supporting masks and human safety!
Thanks for the heads-up about the anniversary book and ‘Since the World Began: Walt Disney World’s First 25 Years’ is also a favorite of mine. Here are a couple of books that I wondered if you owned and what you thought of them:
‘Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks’ by Pete Docter 2019
‘The Art of Disney Costuming: Heroes, Villains, and Spaces Between’ by Rebecca Cline and
Jeff Kurtti 2019
‘Eat Like Walt: Disney’s Love of Food and Flavors’ by Marcy Carriker Smothers 2017
I loved all three of them and Eat Like Walt was unlike any other Disney book I’ve ever read.
I love the gigantic Marc Davis books and like Eat Like Walt. I’ve paged through The Art of Disney Costuming but haven’t read it; I generally like both of those authors, so I suspect it’s also very good!
OK, new rules for park entry coming soon, I predict (with a touch of sarcasm, please note): 1- Triple masks… the middle one has to be a N95 compliant mask, the outer one is cloth, the inner one is your choice (just to make it easier on you). 2- While standing in any queue or stationary for any reason, everyone should stand at 90 degrees to the person in front of you. Only when walking can you face forward and only then until you stop for any reason. 3- While dining, you must hold a cloth napkin over your mouth while chewing or swallowing. Remove the napkin only to allow the amount of time to insert another bite. 4- Wash your hands continually while repeating the entire narration to SPACESHIP EARTH. 5- If you feel a sneeze coming on, you must exit the park and get a “sneeze pass” for re-entry. Re-entry with a “sneeze pass” will have to be accompanied with a “Negative for Covid” certificate (available for $99.95 from the nearest customer service kiosk).
All of this is just in jest, of course, but maybe I shouldn’t be giving them any ideas.
This made me giggle. Sneeze pass.
Love it! Funniest thing I’ve read in a while!!!!!!
You made me giggle
I would be very careful about ordering any KN95 masks. They are all made in China and there are many reports of shoddy construction and apparent fakes. Chinese manufacturing and export is the Wild West; are you willing to trust your life to their quality?
Those are definitely issues with KN95 masks, so some skepticism is healthy. Powecom ones mentioned here sold on Amazon have a scratch-off authenticity code due to the issue of knock-offs. They’ve been tested and rated (very well) by the FDA.
What I read from independent authorities gave me confidence to purchase and use them. YMMV.
tom just wanna say the news about pop warner getting cancelled made my week, so thanks for that!
Haha, you’re welcome!