Disney World News: July Hours, Wait Times, Face Mask Rule Relaxation Reaction
We’re back with another Walt Disney World news roundup. This one covers the “aftermath” of the bombshell Friday news that face masks would no longer be required outdoors, more park hours for summer, additional dining options returning, physical distancing wait time dynamics, and more.
Let’s start with an update on new park hours as Walt Disney World approaches what’s likely to be a busy summer travel season. All four theme parks, Disney Springs, and Blizzard Beach have had hours for another week added to the DisneyWorld.com park hours calendar. Added dates are the week of July 25-31, 2021. Here are that week’s hours:
- Magic Kingdom: 9 am to 9 pm
- EPCOT: 11 am to 9 pm
- Hollywood Studios: 9 am to 7 pm
- Animal Kingdom: 8 am to 6 pm
- Blizzard Beach: 11 am to 6 pm
- Disney Springs: 10 am to 10 pm (11 pm on weekends)
Keep in mind that Walt Disney World’s normal practice is to release boilerplate hours before extending those based on attendance and hotel occupancy projections. These are simply placeholder or “lorem ipsum” Walt Disney World hours–the minimum hours the parks will be open for those dates. We would expect an hour or two could be added to many of those closing times, and perhaps some of the opening hours–especially if this summer is as busy as predicted…
Speaking of hour changes, Kali River Rapids now begins operating at 9 am, which is an hour after Animal Kingdom opens. This change currently lasts through July 2021. No reason was given for this change, but it’s presumably a cost-savings measure. It’s not like Kali River Rapids sees less demand in summer.
As covered in our 1-Day Animal Kingdom Itinerary, the vast majority of rope drop guests head directly to Pandora, resulting in low waits for the first 90 minutes of the day everywhere else. We honestly wouldn’t be surprised to see a couple more attractions open later at Animal Kingdom.
On the topic of attraction wait time dynamics, we’re starting to see the first fruits of reduced physical distancing on attractions. Waits for the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror plunged on Saturday as the attraction began loading every row (not experiencing downtime with the elevator shafts undoubtedly helped, too).
Other attractions have also reduced guest spacing, including theaters. There’s still no party mixing and many rides are still loading every other row, including Splash Mountain. Look for further gradual reductions to on-ride guest spacing coupled with the removal of plexiglass barriers. This should at least partially offset increased attendance.
Next, Walt Disney World has announced that this summer, the Market at Ale & Compass in Yacht Club Resort will sell exclusive Disney Cruise Line merchandise. More notably, DCL themed treats available on the restaurant side of the market, including a blueberry cream cheese trifle, Mickey-shaped rice crispy treat and lemon tart with raspberry mousse. Adults can also take an excursion to the Ale & Compass Lounge or Martha’s Vineyard for the Pirate’s Nest specialty drink.
As we noted the last time Disney announced something like this, there’s already a place to buy Disney Cruise Line merchandise in Orlando: Disney’s Character Warehouse Outlet. That’s usually where unsold DCL merchandise ends up, and often for 70% off.
While fairly minor snack stands, Terra Treats at Animal Kingdom has reopened, and Dino Diner will return on June 13, 2021.
More significantly, Fairfax Fare at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has reopened with a new menu. I’m personally looking forward to the California BLTA Hot Dog. On the other hand, Sarah is now regretting her commitment to try “all things plant-based,” as that unfortunate decision has put her on a collision course with the Chicago-style “Hot Dog” Salad.
Finally, some thoughts on the aftermath of Walt Disney World’s huge policy change, ending its outdoor face mask rule over the weekend. Now that face coverings have been optional in most outdoor settings at Walt Disney World for a couple days, we thought it’d be worthwhile to return with some commentary and feedback.
As regular readers know, we get a lot of feedback about face mask rules on this blog from a variety of perspectives. In counting the comments on blog posts and social media, we found that over 95% of our readers in support of this change. Even assuming some selection bias in who speaks up and who stays silent, that’s an overwhelming majority.
Elsewhere, it was much more of a mixed bag. Most of those who were opposed to the change were concerned about it being more complicated, or offering a loophole that guests would exploit. This, in turn, could cause more headaches for Cast Members tasked with enforcing the rule in queues or indoors. There was also a lot of frustration about the late hour of the announcement and immediate implementation of the change, blindsiding Cast Members.
While some of those are valid concerns, slippery slope arguments are unpersuasive. Guests who want to find an excuse to break the rules will find an excuse to break the rules. Loopholes already existed, and guests who want to push the envelope have been able to try exploiting those for months.
My view is that the greater risk was Walt Disney World being absolutely unyielding and maintaining policies that have virtually no impact on actual safety (the science on unlikelihood of outdoor transmission has been clear for months–we won’t rehash that yet again, as we’ve been doing so since last July), but do lead to lower guest satisfaction and are burdensome for Cast Members to enforce. Burn-out and high turnover in the roles dealing with this have been problems for months.
There’s a reason that so many cities, states, and businesses dropped their mask mandates and rules following the earlier-than-anticipated new CDC guidance last week. After that, it was simply untenable to maintain and expect service industry workers to enforce these rules; it would amount to swimming upstream against the flow of government advice and public behavior. We’ll never know how the alternative reality of Disney maintaining strict rules in the face of more lax CDC guidance would’ve played out, but it’s safe to say that fewer people would accept the rules without pushback. That’s exactly what’s happening elsewhere.
As we’ve said for months, Walt Disney World needs to comport with guest expectations if they want to maintain a high degree of compliance for the health safety rules. Our bullish predictions about face mask rules being relaxed might now seem prescient, but that’s hardly the case. They were foreseeable if looking at this from a sociological perspective.
Despite what some people might fear, reasonable rules are better for ensuring compliance than heavy-handed ones. This is a well-established principle of public health. My favorite current illustration of this came from a Harvard epidemiologist who spoke with mask skeptics last year. When she explained that masking wasn’t as important outdoors, they became more–not less–willing to wearing face masks indoors.
In a more recent article in The Atlantic advocating for the lifting of outdoor mask rules, that same epidemiologist was baffled by the notion that the best way to get people to wear masks inside is to require that everybody wear one when they’re outside. She offered this analogy: “We don’t recommend condom use when people are enjoying themselves alone to get them to wear condoms with their sexual partners.” Hopefully that doesn’t offend anyone’s sensibilities, but it was too apt not to share.
Reports from readers and friends in the parks this weekend suggest that the rule relaxation has gone well thus far. Whether good or bad, we’d love to hear your accounts in the comments if you’re at Walt Disney World right now. (We aren’t in Florida and won’t be able to do any firsthand reporting until next week.)
In a nutshell, there were instances of Cast Members having to remind guests to put on masks when entering attraction queues, but that hardly “vindicates” the aforementioned fears. The same thing happened consistently with walking and eating or drinking for months, and Cast Members were quick to shut that down.
More notably, there was a reported “mood shift” in the parks, with tension between guests and Cast Members dialed down dramatically. There was a night and day difference in demeanor and atmosphere, with better overall rule compliance.
If a lot of this sounds familiar, it’s because this is almost identical to our observations after Walt Disney World relaxed the mask rule for outdoor photos. History repeats itself here, from the initial “sky is falling!” social media outrage to actual consensus among guests to there being fewer reports of actual problems in the parks.
With all of that said, we are sympathetic to those who are not personally ready for this change, have a lower risk tolerance, or are parents of kids under age 12. It has been a difficult and downright traumatic year, and a lot is changing quickly thanks to the highly efficacious vaccines. Many people are going to have a hard time easing back into “normal” situations; it’s going to be a gradual process that requires adjustment, acclimation, and time. We can extend a little courtesy and compassion as everyone’s circumstances and comfort levels are different.
Moreover, the United States is going from unprecedented collective action and societal efforts to one of personal responsibility where, as the CDC Director said, “your health is in your hands.” It is not going to be easy for a lot of people, and we should all be understanding of that. (Certainly, no one should be shamed or given the side-eye for continuing to wear a mask if they so desire.) Where the problem arises is when people have the expectation that policy or rule-making revolve around their individual feelings of discomfort, rather than a science-based assessment of actual risk.
As cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to decline and vaccinations continue to increase, we anticipate further rule relaxations this summer at Walt Disney World. However, you shouldn’t expect anything even remotely on par with the pace of last week’s changes again anytime soon–think July at the earliest for the next big health safety protocol changes. In the meantime, the focus of Walt Disney World news should switch gears with more on new and returning substantive offerings. We’ll keep you posted of the details!
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? Have you experienced the new outdoor optional face mask policy in the parks? Optimistic about wait times dropping at attractions that are starting to load every row, even as attendance increases? Hoping for more dining options returning in the next couple months? 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!
The new DCL treats look/sound yummy!!! A pop up add for swim suits reminded me that I’m going to have to loose some weight before my next trip. Gone are the days when the extra walking balances the extra eating.
Here to echo the other parents with kids under 12. Masks off outside should be fine, but trusting unvaccinated people to wear them indoors when they’re just on an honor system is too much trust to ask. Even here, I see people claiming that going unmasked while not vaccinated only poses a risk to themselves, totaling ignoring the people (kids are people, too!) who cannot get vaxxed for age or medical reasons.
I come to this blog pretty rarely now because I cannot currently plan a trip under these circumstances, but if Tom is going to keep making statements about how “most” people feel based on reactions here, I feel required to be a voice for the people who simply are not at this site right now because they know a park where only half the adults, and none of the “Disney kids” are vaxxed is not a place to take their unvaxxed children so there’s no reason to keep up on the news for now.
If anything, because of the difference in local vax rates (which might get exacerbated when young children are eligible, but some parents won’t get their kids vaxxed), Disneyland is more likely to be our next trip than WDW.
Readers of any internet blog are not a representative sample of the population, not even the population of “people planning a Disney trip in the next six months.” Now, there’s some real social science for you.
I was surprised by the new CDC guidance for indoor settings, especially since it’s pretty clear where operating on the “honor system” would lead. It definitely feels like they caught so much criticism for being overly cautious that the pendulum swung a bit too hard in the other direction. Tying that recommendation to local vaccination and positivity rates might’ve been wise.
Hopefully for the sake of all the parents out there (and everyone else who is concerned) Disney holds out at least a couple more months on indoor rule changes until community case and positivity rates have bottomed out.
Sooooo happy to hear about the perceived mood shift! One of the big draws of Disney to me has always been sharing the “magic” with cast members and other guests. We have a trip coming up in 2 weeks and I’d been apprehensive about if it’d “feel” like Disney. This report fills me with hope!
Just got back from a morning at Disney springs and it was nice walking without a mask, however it was annoying constantly putting it back on to enter shops, especially with the kids. That said I’m happy about the change now that I’m vaccinated. Also I feel the kids were safe enough given we were outside. We head to MK tomorrow so it should be interesting to see how it goes!
Definitely more on/off in a place like Disney Springs (or even Magic Kingdom), but you should really feel the difference if/when you’re in EPCOT or Animal Kingdom!
Although most of the general public are happy about the new CDC decision regarding no masks for the vaccinated, I personally am not. I am a kidney transplant recipient and, therefore, immunosuppressed. Although I have been fully vaccinated, I have not acquired immunity due to my immunosuppressant drugs. There is no way to determine who is, or isn’t vaccinated. Many unvaccinated people will not wear masks just because they can. There are hundreds of thousands out there that are just like me. Cancer patients need to be very careful to because of chemo therapy. We need to be kept safe too. Please don’t tell us to stay home if we feel uncomfortable. That is not the answer. Why won’t people just wear a mask to preserve and protect for the greater good? Since when have we become such a selfish people?
I write this while dealing with ANOTHER lockdown/stay at home order in my Province. It’s been extended AGAIN for 2 more weeks. I am done, I have had ENOUGH. ( and I’m still not back to works after 14 mnths!!) I’m not a fan of masks, but I will wear one wherever or whenever I have to so I can live my life! I’ve had first vaccine and waiting for 2nd. Not sure why Canada is so slow and behind the ball, it’s frustrating.
When Disney first reopened, I felt that I would not be going back until all the Covid stuff was done and over with. Hahaha, what dufus eh? lol I quickly realized that life will never be back to the way it was, so I have to adapt. I turned 50 this year and I was damned if I was going to sit home and mope. I already canceled vacation twice early in 2021. In October I took myself to Florida/Disney for a week. Family was not happy with me, but you only live once. I took all precautions seriously and followed all protocols . While Disney/ Universal was a different experience and sometimes disappointing with all the changes, I’m happy I went. But I tell you, masks in the hot Florida weather, even in October, was rough on me lol If I came back to Disney next month, I’d still be wearing mine just to be cautious, especially in ride lines and crowded area. I don’t mind if I can get back to living. Your life is in your hands. Do what is best for yourself and your family, and let others do the same….aka mind ya own business lol. How hot is Florida in June/July?? lol
“How hot is Florida in June/July?”
First, sorry about your experience–that sounds incredibly frustrating, and really puts into perspective the ‘debate’ being had here.
As for how hot it is…that’s a matter of perspective, I guess? Last summer, we had absolutely no issue wearing masks all-day, everyday. Totally fine. This month, on a day that was probably a good 10-15 degrees cooler, I told Sarah that I don’t think I could do this for another summer. I’m not sure how I did it before.
I think that difference is in us. Last summer we were just so happy to get out of the house again and do anything that anything would’ve been tolerable! 🙂
Tom I love reading your articles and they are my “go to” for updates on Disney. We have rescheduled our trip twice now, the last time moving it from Sept to Nov of this year with the hopes of having cooler weather if we still needed to wear masks and really hoping more things come back. With the recent changes to mask guidelines and physical distancing any predictions on Fireworks, Shows such as Fantasmic and character meet and greets returning or is that for another article? We are bringing some Disney first timers with us this trip and I am hoping for as close to the Disney “experience” as we can get. I understand only Disney really knows and sometimes wonder even wonder if they do with how things are changing these days lol.
We were at Epcot on Saturday, the first day of the new change. It was wonderful being able to walk around all of the outdoor areas and not have to wear our masks. We made sure to put them back on for the rides and stores that we visited; but at Epcot it seems like you spend most of the time walking outdoors anyway so it wasn’t a big hassle taking it off and putting it in so frequently. Maybe other parks like MK may be different.
To those of you that are already admonishing people who will still wear masks: Some of us are fully vaccinated but, because we are on immunosuppressants due to cancer or autoimmune disease, we get only a marginal benefit from the vaccine. We will be stuck wearing a mask long after the rest of you can rest easy. If the rules say you don’t have to wear a mask, then don’t wear a mask if you don’t want to but keep your judgement and comments about others who continue to wear a mask to yourself. You don’t know their reasons and it’s really none of your business if they want, or have to, take extra safety precautions. My 2 cents.
As for me and my family, we will not be returning until ALL mask mandates are lifted. Disney is supposed to be about fun and relaxing. Having to deal with masks every 5 minutes isn’t fun or relaxing. I refuse to pay someone to gripe at me while on vacation to put a mask on. If people are vaccinated, they need to take comfort in that. At some point masks will go away and you need to be good with it and happy with what you have done to protect yours and your family’s health.
I have been very cautious, but I’ve also missed Disney so much (we’re locals). When my 13 year old is fully vaccinated, I think we’ll take a day trip and see how we feel and if it’s good then we can see if we can apply the day ticket price to an annual. We’ve been Florida Resident Platinum Plus passholders for going on 20 years–what are the odds Disney will let us reinstate our passes, you think? I know I’m out of luck with the renewal discount, but I’m fine with that.
For me the highlights are: “TZTOT plunged” and “…downtime with the elevator shafts”.
I’m so conflicted. Our last Disney trip was right before our Fantasy cruise (2nd to last that sailed) last March. My spouse and I both work in healthcare and our 17 year old daughter has epilepsy triggered by even a cold, so the kids have been virtual all year and we have been super careful. Three of us are now vaccinated (son is only 11), which was our hope when we canceled a Disney cruise and booked an October return-to-Disney trip that is desperately needed! (We wanted Christmas time but spouse’s work banned all time off in Nov/Dec :-/) I was imagining it with masks, however, and even splurged on Fort Wilderness so we could mitigate some risk with outdoor fun and a kitchen at our disposal (the latter I’d never usually want at Disney!). I’m glad there are no masks outdoors now, but I worry about crowded areas and if they will follow the CDC soon and lift the indoor mandate. I’ve even considered canceling but am holding out to see what the variants do, how numbers look in the fall, and if they release the vaccine for the 5-11 age earlier than expected. Augh. I’m wondering how or if they will track the data of potential transmissions from parks.
Thanks for keeping the info flowing in real time. You’ve been my go-to all year as I’ve been planning!
We have 5 kids under 12 and my husband and I will be wearing our masks along with them at Universal tomorrow. I would LOVE to take mine off (yay science!) but my kids would rebel and fight me on wearing theirs. The mask is a small price we pay for doing something special.
We took a trip to Disney the end of last week for a wedding and it was like night and day. For the wedding and reception which were after hours in 2 of the parks on Thursday evening and Friday morning we had to jump through all the hoops (temperature checks, masking, distancing even amongst family) but by Saturday temperature checks were gone, masking was only in-queue or indoors, and even the distancing on rides had started to shift from when we arrived. As two fully vaccinated people we were personally happy about the mask change as my husband and I even noted how much harder the masks seemed on us this time compared to our previous trip in September which seemed odd since I was 6-months pregnant and we had 2 little ones in-tow then. We will be back again this September but there is a small part of me that has slight reservations about the kids, especially the baby. We’ve always felt Disney is a much cleaner place compared to many other parks and travel destinations and we’ve taken many yearly trips before this without masks and never come back sick. I personally think most of my worries are ones stemming from being repeatedly told how important masks were over the past 14 months and as much as I want to it’s hard to just turn that off. I’m hoping since there’s 4-months until our next trip that we’ll have had enough time and positive maskless experiences that those worries will have melted away.
We just cancelled our trip for the end of May because of the changes. We have a 2 year old and I don’t think we would have cancelled if we weren’t concerned for his safety as my husband and I are vaccinated. My fear was less about the masks outside, and more about that happening while increasing capacity and reducing social distancing. It was a lot of changes all at once for a very risk averse mom! I agree with other readers in saying that it is very hard to suddenly flip a switch on how we feel after the past year, especially when it comes to the safety of a child. I was incredibly grateful to Disney for refunding us for our tickets , and I am hoping so much that we can go later this year when either we feel safer, or younger children can be vaccinated. Thank you so much for covering all of this!
I have reservations for October with my son and his family. I have heard “follow the science” for a year now. The “science” says we are safe if vaccinated. Therefore, the mask are gone for us. If Disney continues this silly masking rule, they can lose my 10,000.00. Who in their right mind spends that kind of money for half the experience?
Came here Friday and leaving later today. Dropping masks is great. Only a few still wear them outdoors actually. The queue line and cast members need to go next. Outdoor queues really make no sense. Same with outdoor cast members. It’s the science. Being slow to acknowledge the science hurts Disney- it dies not help. Same with cast members. I think we will see some action this week once the powers that be get to digest the latest news and react. Obviously staff guidance has to be very specific and detailed. And that takes time. Also outdoor rides should have no masks. Dumbo is never going to kill anybody. Likewise slinky fig and even mine ride has plenty of breeze. Also they could also announce the suspension of certain restrictions until fall or further notice. I fully expect a big drop off in cases nationally over the next couple of weeks. And it is very unlikely to see a new spike until fall based on history. By then even kids will be vaccinated.
Some will never be comforted. Fine wear a mask and be proud. I am a big believer in masks but you have to show the need or mist of the population will not follow. As you have been saying. The twist on most rules still in effect has to do with the vaccinated vs. the unvaccinated. It seems herd immunity is starting to work. We have to dial down in the same way as the threat or we lose credibility.
As best I can tell most here are fine with it being over. We don’t want to start new problems but we can’t fight last years war either. We got our shots. People expect Disney to be smart. So far not too bad on that front. But the next hurdle awaits and it won’t be July before it needs to be addressed. And it will
And by the way it has been almost perfect weather. Low to mid 80’s but a stiff breeze. Comfortable with just a little effort to stay out of the sun. And still grate at the pools most of the time. Enjoying it immensely until we leave fir up north at three today. From now on the Disney issues will all be too big of crowds! Just need more eating area and shows to start. No reason not to have fireworks now!
We arrived in WDW the day the change went into effect. It seems that the vast majority of people are compliant with masking in queues and shops. Less so in bathrooms. Cast members are reminding folks to mask up when needed, but I haven’t seen any major pushback yet. Overall, this is a much more pleasant experience than our trip October.
Laura: if you are so scared for you and your kids safety I think you should stay home and not go to Disney World.