Disney CEO: Masks Likely Required for Disney World Guests
New Disney CEO Bob Chapek just gave a wide-ranging interview to CNBC following Shanghai Disneyland’s successful reopening day. Topics covered included the future of Walt Disney World and Disneyland, as well as the film slate, Disney+ and more. In this post, we’ll recap some of what was discussed and what clues Chapek gave about the Walt Disney Company’s roadmap for the next few months.
We’ll start with Shanghai Disneyland, the reopening of which was the likely impetus for the interview. Last night, we watched this 85-minute live stream of this Shanghai Disneyland’s opening plus a number of Instagram stories from people who know who live in China. By appearances, things went well. Attendance appeared modest, wait times were short, and guests were (mostly) complying with requirements of social distancing and wearing masks.
Watching Shanghai Disneyland’s reopening was probably the most excited and happy we’ve been in weeks. Even though we have “complicated” feelings about going back, it was nice to see. The entire world is going through a tough time right now, and it felt like a glimmer of hope during that. Having even one Disney park in the world open sends a symbol of returning to normalcy–people going back to enjoying fun and frivolous things…
Not to bring this crashing back to reality too quickly, but it’s worth emphasizing that Shanghai Disneyland is dramatically different from Walt Disney World and Disneyland for a number of reasons. Testing, tracing, and the prophylactic measures taken in China all differ from the United States. As do new cases–Shanghai was never the epicenter of the pandemic, and the city has had no new cases since March 3.
It also helps that the majority owner of Shanghai Disneyland is a state-controlled company, meaning the park has both the blessing and liability shield afforded by the government. There are myriad other cultural, demographic, and logistic differences between Shanghai Disneyland and Walt Disney World. All of which is to say that we don’t want to draw too strong of conclusions from that park’s reopening, even if the lessons there will undoubtedly be applied to the domestic parks.
During his CNBC interview, Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke about the reopening of Shanghai Disneyland. He described the local market there as “short book,” meaning that most guests plan visits and buy park tickets with little notice, as opposed to booking vacation packages months in advance (like at Walt Disney World).
Chapek indicated that Disney is significantly constraining attendance, and that nearly all advance reservations have been booked. “We’re pretty much booked out for the rest of the week. We have a few tickets available on a few days, but essentially, everything is gone.”
This claim is dubious–as of this morning, every day after today (going by China Standard Time) for the rest of the month had both full and half-day tickets available. Despite initial widespread reporting that reopening day tickets sold out in minutes, more availability was released and tickets were available through the weekend.
In any case, Chapek reported receiving countless emails from guests eager for the parks to reopen (that’s undoubtedly true). Chapek noted that for many people, Disney represents “some semblance of normalcy.” He further stated that Disney wants to reopen as soon as possible around the world, but is moving cautiously, responsibly, and slowly.
Chapek pointed to the reduced capacity reopening in Shanghai Disneyland as a small step towards reopening other parks, a “stair-step” towards prudently ramping up to normal operations.
The plan at Shanghai Disneyland is to go slow and steady, increasing capacity numbers by 5,000 guests per week in compliance with government health and safety guidelines.
Chapek praised guest compliance with the new safety measures, before being asked a couple of questions about the timeline for reopening Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort.
(Nothing really substantive was said about either. We know from recent social media photos that HKDL is preparing the parks with similar infrastructure to what was installed in Shanghai two weeks before that park reopened. Japan just extended its state of emergency, so Tokyo Disney Resort is unlikely to reopen anytime in the next month.)
When asked specifically about Walt Disney World reopening in July, Chapek indicated that he wouldn’t comment on any specific dates. (In case you missed it over the weekend, Walt Disney World Delayed Bookings Another Month, suggesting that July 1, 2020 is now the earliest reopening date for the Florida resorts.)
Instead, Chapek said in large part it will depend upon guidance from the state and local governments, plus healthcare experts and hospitals in the area where Disney operates, plus their capacities.
Chapek did strike an optimistic tone when discussing the reopening of Disney Springs, which he compared favorably to Disneytown at Shanghai Disney Resort. He noted that Disney dipped its toes in the water with Disneytown, and will be doing the same with Disney Springs.
He indicated that the soft opening of Disneytown went incredibly well in terms of guest cooperation, and hopes that this has paved the way for a “great rebirth” of Disney Parks. Chapek also stressed guest behavior and compliance, intimating that subsequent progress will likely hinge on how well guests do with the new rules imposed at Disney Springs.
When asked about health safety protocol and potential impediments to reopening Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Chapek spoke of cultural norms and environment.
He also broached the topic of face masks, which have already proven to be a lightning rod for controversy among some Disney fans.
Regarding face masks, Chapek said: “one of the things we’re likely going to require is masks for both the Cast and for the guests. And I think the masks for the guest will be something that culturally is different. In Asia, as you know, it’s fairly commonplace for folks to walk around in public with masks on.
That is not the case in the United States. So that will be something that will be a little trying for some of the guests, particularly in the hot, humid summers that we tend to have.”
From there, the interview bounced to the topic of Disney’s upcoming Mulan release, which Chapek confirmed will go forward with its July 24, 2020 release date. He believes there’s sufficient pent-up demand for the release, and it will be sufficiently safe for film-goers to return to theaters.
There was also talk about releasing more on Disney+ (or not), the stoppage of film production in California (including the upcoming season of the Mandalorian), live sports on ESPN, the Chapek-Iger relationship, and more.
You can watch Chapek’s full CNBC interview for yourself:
Overall, it’s interesting to hear directly from Disney’s CEO as to what’s on the horizon, and what the internal thinking is right now within the Walt Disney Company. While a lot obviously remains unknown (and is still subject to change) this is the second straight time we’ve found Chapek’s words encouraging (the first being the recent earnings call).
Chapek once again reinforced Disney’s resilience, and pointed to the (many) bright spots for long-term success even as many of Disney’s business units are hit especially hard right now. We’re not exactly “Chapek cheerleaders,” but we are certainly rooting for the company’s ongoing success. He’s demonstrated more poise and eloquence in the last couple weeks than we’ve heard in any previous interview, which bodes well. Some leaders are forged in crisis…maybe that’s exactly what’s happening here?
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this news? Think this bodes well for the reopening of Walt Disney World’s parks & resorts within the next few months? Are you excited to see that Shanghai Disneyland has reopened, even if you won’t be visiting anytime in the near future (or ever)? Any questions? Keep comments respectful, apolitical, and on topic. Anything not following these requirements will be removed.
This may sound silly, but I’m curious to see what kind of tan lines people will have from wearing masks all day in the Florida sun. Is something like that even important to people? It would be to me.
If Masks are still required in November, we will be saving ourselves $5,000.
We were hoping to get a week long trip out of our annual pass before it expires but just not worth to be uncomfortable all day on vacation.
Before I moved to Florida, I would take my kids to the pool in a modest body covering swimsuit with a little skirt. I would roll my eyes at the moms in their belly showing bikinis. My first day on the beach in the Florida summer changed all that. I was ready to strip down to nothing. Seriously. Those people saying they are going to have no problem spending all day in the park wearing a mask in the middle of June are delusional. No way. That’s an exercise in torture. July and August? You won’t even make it pass the bag check before you pass out.
Tom – Would you mind posting how we can obtain refunds of annual passes. Will it take a class action? The Disney company, has, with this unilateral requirement of face
masks for all guests- encumbered AP use with conditions that no passholder agreed to at the time of purchase? If this precedent by the company is not reversed, I believe it will just be the thin end of the wedge for anyone who has commercial relations with the Disney company. They are searching for ways to put all the risk of their business onto the shoulders of their customers, and it must be stopped.
Tom,
Sorry I’m posting this comment twice. I didn’t mean for it to be a reply to someone else’s comment. Just wanted it to stand alone and be separate. Thanks!
Tom,
I’m a fairly new DVC member and have been to WDW 3 years running. We just cancelled our July trip. It would have been our fourth. I can’t explain how fun and magical our previous trips have been for my family the past three years but we won’t go again until some of these restrictions are hopefully lifted. I read your blogs religiously and they were of tremendous help the first year we went. My wife was reluctantly going the first year and was not happy. By the end she said it was the best week of her life and the best trip vacation she had ever been on! Next thing you know we bought in at the Poly!
I think you can see how divisive of an issue the masks are and I’ll admit I fall squarely on the side of not returning until they are no longer required. From a few of your replies to comments I feel you probably fall on the other side. That’s ok and everyone has a right to feel how they do. I still love reading your blogs and think you do any awesome job!
My question is have you considered doing a post about the divisiveness and how you feel it may affect Wdw? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I think in the short term they don’t care because they want to keep attendance down anyway. What I would love to hear even more in your article if you did one was what measures they are implementing that you feel are temporary or what they may keep for the long run. I think what bothers me the most is I feel like the masks could become permanent which I personally think is crazy.
If they would come out and say masks or whatever other measures they are implementing are temporary until they feel they are no longer necessary I could handle that. I’d be fine with masks for the next 6 to 9 months. I’ll just wait to go back when they aren’t required anymore. It would be nice if they said they are required for now but we will reevaluate as the situation changes. I’d feel better if I heard that. I feel if they make masks a permanent requirement they would lose at least 50 percent of the families whe visit the park each year. I know it would prevent my family from returning. Just a thought but I would love to read an article on what measures you see as temporary or could become permanent. Thanks!
Hopefully, a lot of other people will feel the same way. Shorter lines for the rest of us.
It’s the same situation as smoking. A lot of people can’t go a day at Disney without a smoke break, and so they don’t go to the parks either. I’m sorry you’ll miss your trip!
I hope I’m not opening a can of worms here, but this situation reminds me of the comments when Disney banned big strollers and smoking. Maybe fuel rods too 😉 All extremely controversial with people feeling very strongly one way or another.
Personally I’m a rule follower, so regardless of how I feel about masks, if they are required that’s just the way it is and we (and everyone else) will have to make the personal choice to go or not based on what’s best for our family. I definitely encourage voicing your opinion to Disney, but to be honest I feel like masks will be short lived. They’ll be required when the parks first open (likely to locals only) and then as time goes on they’ll transition to more of a suggestion when the parks move towards luring in guests from farther away (and spending more money to get there) and the virus (hopefully!!) becomes less of an issue. Since we have a December trip we’d love to hear masks aren’t required by then. We aren’t huge mask fans here but we also are pretty sure we already had covid last December so maybe that helps (we’re in California and they have now determined it was here in December and possibly as early as last fall). Yucky respiratory bug. Lasted a long time! But in the end, we were fortunate and it was no worse than any virus for us.
There are definitely a lot of people on both sides of this and we’ll just have to wait and see how things play out before we decide the fate of our December trip…
Keep the updates coming Tom, and stay safe!
I hope you are correct and it becomes more of a suggestion. If Disney proceeds as you predict they will, I’d be all for it. I actually agree with you because at some point they will want to begin luring in guests from further away and I don’t think people are going to pay the money to travel that far and spend that much for a trip if it is “required” that they wear a mask for 12 hours a day. I agree there are people on both sides of this and I think a year from now if they decide to “recommend” them instead of “require” them, there will be people who wear them. That’s fine. I just hope that is the route they go. We can wait until then to return and I agree, Tom does a great job!
We travel every year to Disney sometimes multiple times a year from the Western NY (Buffalo) region. I completely understand their rationale for asking all guests and cast members to wear masks upon the initial phases of reopening. We however have canceled our trip has been rebooked 3xs since March with the latest being the end of June into early July. We are on the side of cancelling because of the heat and humidity in the mask. We’re coming out of our cold months to travel there (it snowed here yesterday in MAY) and it will be extremely hard to breathe all day at the park. We are open to going if masks were needed in stores only or in the social distanced lines. Our concern is how to stay hydrated, how do you eat? When your mask is down are they going to have areas designated where you can eat with a mask down and someone monitoring 6 feet? You can’t stroll the park and nibble a snack or sip a beverage. I as a medical professional worry that the masks are going to cause some heat stroke and dehydration issues, the majority of the population will be fine but there will be some underlying individuals that need to have them down to eat and drink and breathe deeply. There will need to be more clarification from Disney on this within each park. We also have children and I have no clue how to make my 11 month old twins keep masks on. I know for planes they are exempt but strongly encouraged to try to get them to wear one. They can’t tolerate the heat in a mask, they’ve never met a summer yet in NY let alone Florida. Ultimately, we also chose to cancel due to the restrictions with characters we heard they have in Shanghai that we anticipate carrying over here. Our dream is for the babies to meet “Mick Mouse” hug him live that magic not wave from afar their first trip how do we tell them there he is don’t run to him? And the lack or parades and fireworks. While our heart breaks we understand why they’re requesting and doing what they are and we’re grateful so that we can get through the phased openings and onto “normal” times though we know some things will forever be different
I wear a mask for 12-13 hours straight at work. I am fine with wearing one at Disney. If they open this summer we will be there.
My daughters (Dr/RN) also wear masks for 12+ hrs/3 to 5 shifts per week. We are very supportive of the mask requirement and will also be pre-ordering the Disney masks for the kids: 3 yr old twins, one 4 yr old, and one who will have just turned 5 at the time of our visit. Kiddos have been told that moms have to wear masks at work, and we will all need to wear one at WDW. Masks are kinda like bras…can be heat retainers and not really the most comfortable things in the world, but as millions of women will attest, we adjust to them and wear them without conscious thought even when it’s hot. Masks are the same. â€â™€ï¸
From all I read, you wear a mask to protect others. Others wearing a mask protects you. Seems perfectly logical and fair to require guests to wear masks, for the safety of cast members and fellow guests. There are all sorts of requirements to enter the park – clothing and no smoking come to mind. I recall quite a few guests that would never return to the park when smoking was banned. I get that some people may not want to visit the parks if they have to wear masks, and they can certainly skip out on going if that’s the case. I’m sure for some it truly is a deal breaker. For others, I’m guessing there is some hyperbole in their claim they will skip a visit until masks don’t have to be worn. But we shall see. For every person who won’t visit because of wearing a mask there is likely someone else who won’t visit if people aren’t required to wear masks. Seeing as health professionals are requesting it, it seems like the right decision to err on the side of safety, no matter how imperfect the solution.
Douglas, absolutely! And it’s for the greater good. And it’s going to be one measure among many measures until there is a reliable vaccine (and treatment). I’d rather wear a mask and get to go on our Disney vacation in December than not get to go on a vacation. We have already sacrificed a lot and it’s far from over. My daughter is likely not going on her treasured annual two week overnight camp in the summer and this will be heartbreaking for her. So if we can salvage something this year, it will be great if we can go to Disney. And we live in Canada so if the planes aren’t operating without a 14 day isolation requirement by December, we’ll drive. So yeah, we will wear masks – we already are! I’d say before making a decision to not go because of a mask requirement – try wearing a mask now and see if you can get used to it.
They won’t miss you
I don’t envy Disney’s position here as they want to reopen but risk alienating fans on both sides of the mask wearing coin. I also think it’s important to remember that while they are concerned about guest safety (and any liabilities that can come with that) they also have a duty to provide a safe work environment for cast members and are likely considering the ramifications that can come from a large influx of Workers Comp/Employers Liability claims. I am sure they are hopeful that mask wearing can reduce transmission and crowd capacity to hopefully help with that issue. There are just SO many factors that Disney has to consider, it’s hard for me to even grasp it all!
Closing the parks saved millions of lives. For now facial coverings should be mandatory in the parks. With the solidarity of all Disney parks world wide requiring guests to wear masks it would demonstrate that Disney cares about the health of the entire planet. How cool would that be!! When the second wave has extinguished its self then a re evaluation of mask usage should be made.
Tom,
I’m a fairly new DVC member and have been to WDW 3 years running. We just cancelled our July trip. It would have been our fourth. I can’t explain how fun and magical our previous trips have been for my family the past three years but we won’t go again until some of these restrictions are hopefully lifted. I read your blogs religiously and they were of tremendous help the first year we went. My wife was reluctantly going the first year and was not happy. By the end she said it was the best week of her life and the best trip vacation she had ever been on! Next thing you know we bought in at the Poly!
I think you can see how divisive of an issue the masks are and I’ll admit I fall squarely on the side of not returning until they are no longer required. From a few of your replies to comments I feel you probably fall on the other side. That’s ok and everyone has a right to feel how they do. I still love reading your blogs and think you do any awesome job!
My question is have you considered doing a post about the divisiveness and how you feel it may affect Wdw? I’d love to hear your thoughts. I think in the short term they don’t care because they want to keep attendance down anyway. What I would love to hear even more in your article if you did one was what measures they are implementing that you feel are temporary or what they may keep for the long run. I think what bothers me the most is I feel like the masks could become permanent which I personally think is crazy.
If they would come out and say masks or whatever other measures they are implementing are temporary until they feel they are no longer necessary I could handle that. I’d be fine with masks for the next 6 to 9 months. I’ll just wait to go back when they aren’t required anymore. It would be nice if they said they are required for now but we will reevaluate as the situation changes. I’d feel better if I heard that. I feel if they make masks a permanent requirement they would lose at least 50 percent of the families whe visit the park each year. I know it would prevent my family from returning. Just a thought but I would love to read an article on what measures you see as temporary or could become permanent. Thanks!
Oh come on! There is no measure or combination of measures anyone could actually state with any sense of reality saved millions of lives. That’s absurdity from way back!
@Mrnico – what? Not sure what you are trying to say here. Are you are saying that safety measures can not be proven? That lives aren’t saved by taking precautions? If that’s what you are saying, then perhaps you can clarify to which measures and the combination thereof you see as “absurdly from way back”.
Kay, Julie stated that closing the parks saved millions of lives. That’s an absurdly farcical claim from any viewpoint. And there is zero way to show mathematically or logically that any particular measure or combination of measures has saved any particular number or even rough order of magnitude of lives. There are simply too many variables.
@Mrnico – then you will need to provide evidence that the opposite is true in order for me to take you seriously. I don’t know if millions is true, but I don’t know that it isn’t true. I don’t care that they show love for the entire planet, but I do know that the projected death rates were much higher in the models when the conditions were that nobody did anything to slow the virus spread down. You just reiterated your original statement and I agree there are too many variables to know an exact number. However, I do know about livestock. When you have one that is sick, you separate and isolate them from the herd. At WDW, they operate in a herd mentality if you will. They do the same protocols at zoos. When bringing in new animals, you assume they are all sick, not that they are all healthy. You separate new animals until a certain amount of time has gone by, then you release them to play and live with the others. Nobody likes the herd mentality of medicine – we like the genetic specific treatments for individualized health care. However, that is not possible at this time for this crisis and also the herd mentality is proving extremely difficult to implement even on a basic level. My husband took statistics during his grad degree work and I know some about variables and projections from his conveying information to me, but I know more about animals and keeping them healthy. I think if anything good can come out of this entire mess, it will be basic sanitation protocols will be increased, some common sense standards that don’t seem to be sensical to as many as they should be. I spotted the flaw of letting too many people into grocery stores at once before they started anti-crowding measures. I’ve heard what this virus can do while spending 6+hours at an ER a couple months ago , listening to the sounds of someone, and it’s horrid. I’ve read that Scientists are studying a certain allele In humans genetic makeup that may predict how a persons body will respond to the virus. It would be so nice to have that piece of individualized information if they are correct. However, if your argument is just a simple “we don’t know if it saved millions and we’ll never know” , then such simpleton speak is just as annoying as the over generalized “it saved millions”. The one thing we do know that less exposure does not equal never catching the virus, it does however decrease your chance of catching it.
Hello Kay,
First, I agree with you in hoping people learn (finally) to always wash their hands after using the bathroom. It’s unbelievable to me how many you see not doing it!
No, I do not need to provide any evidence that her assertion is false; it’s obvious. If she has anything to explain why she believes that then she needs to produce it. That’s how science works.
Yes, I know about isolation of theoretically infected specimens. I was the manager of the fish department at a local pet store many, many moons ago in college. Especially for the more exotics, we’d separate the new ones each week. The goldfish we got by the thousand, not so much! Nurseries do the same with new plants, looking for disease. As an engineer, I always look for the problems first. Statistics? Well, we all know what Mr Twain said about that and he was right. Any set of data can be manipulated to get the answer you want. Just look at polls…
Just for the sake of argument, let’s say there are 300,000 guests in the parks on an average day, plus maybe 50,000 cast members between parks and resorts (100,000 total at WDW). So over 2 months, say 18M guests and 100k CM. If we assume an 80% infection rate on exposure and say all of them got exposed due to close conditions, unsanitary habits, bad luck, etc, that’s 14.48M infections. Of those, how many might get actually sick? Looks like less than 5% so far but let’s say it’s 10% so 1.45M sick cases. With a mortality rate less than 0.1%, we have 1448 deaths. If we make a WAG and assume each of those 14.5M potential carriers infected ten others, it’s still less than 15k deceased. That’s ignoring the fact that an average trip is maybe 4 days, since they are still exposed every day they are there. And that they were exposed before going there, or after being there. And the ones those guests are in close contact with traveling or afterwards, who are also exposed from other people not associated with WDW travel. Let’s not even get started on ‘global warming’ pseudoscience.
I have a July trip booked with Free Dining. The masks on airlines may be tolerable(I do not know if I would even do that), but no way am I going to pay over $8,000 to have to have my face covered everywhere I go while at Disney. Besides the heat that sometimes makes it hard to breathe without a mask, I have not seen anyone mention the fact that every time you take a sip of water to stay hydrated in the heat, you will have to remove the mask. If you are putting it on and taking it off every 10-15 minutes, what exactly is the point? Masks = No Disney for me….
Agree, I have my vacation planned for July aswell, and with 3 toddlers aging 1-5 there is no way they are going to keep a mask on! Also taking it on and off multiple times would be so beyond backwards and defeat the entire reasoning for wearing them In the first place…
Ya know what they say Jane: “Give me liberty, or give me death.” That’s your choice depending upon your actions.
I’ll take liberty over a little perceived safety any day. â€â™‚ï¸
@Kay – Thank you. No, the situation with the kids seems isolated to kids, so far, from what I have read. My mom suddenly developed gall stones, which were never an issue for her before. My mom’s doctors told us that roughly 30% of their post-Covid patients have returned to the hospital with “organ issues,” that have primarily been in the heart and kidneys, but also in the liver and gall bladder. She had been in a coma and ventilated for 9-days, and her medications were lipid-dense. We’re told they can be quite difficult for a body to process. My mom needs to have her gall bladder removed, but her doctors think it’s too risky to intubate her for surgery again so soon. She’ll have to eat a highly restricted diet to try to postpone further attacks for as long as she can to give her lungs more time to heal from the Covid. As upsetting as the situation is, the Disney nut in me immediately thought, “Oooh, Disney restaurants are great at accommodating restricted diets!” Lol.
@Kelly, It sounds as though your mom has been through so much. I didn’t know that many return with other issues – as you mentioned with the medications, no wonder they have issues. I know what you mean about being Disney oriented – they are good with special diets! 🙂 I had my gallbladder taken out in my 30’s (I’m in my 40’s now) due to loss of function (biliary dyskinesia). We took a trip to WDW while I was awaiting surgery and they did special diets wonderfully! If I could have maintained that diet, I would be so much healthier. I’ll be praying for your mom to fully recover. I hope we all get to someday put this virus behind us.
@Kay, thanks for your prayers – they are appreciated. I’m sorry that you went through that – I’m seeing how painful gallbladder issues can be. Coincidentally, my good friend had her gall bladder out in early January and we visited Disneyland together at the end of January. The chefs couldn’t have been more accommodating. The Lamplight Lounge, which is, hands down, my favorite Disney restaurant, made her the most beautiful plate and of herb-grilled chicken with citrus-dressed vegetables – none of which were on the menu. My mom joins all my family’s trips to WDW, and I’m really looking forward to seeing her strong enough to go again. â¤ï¸
No one is forcing or bullying you to wear a mask…if you stay home. However, if you come to Disney and they require you to wear a mask, then you must adhere. Are you one of those people that refuse to follow speed limits and other laws? Don’t bully others by your refusal to care about infecting someone else. You are no higher in importance than the next person who does not want to be infected because of your rebellion and selfisness. Stay home and don’t wear a mask. You are not being bullied…you are being required to obey the rules if you go to Disney. I hate masks, too. I don’t think anyone likes them…they are just necessary so that you won’t sneeze or cough your possible covid19 germs in my direction.
Masks only work if people wear them properly…99% of the people do not!
Exactly! This has been my biggest annoyance of the mask wearing, practically every person I see out wearing them are wearing them incorrectly! I see many people wearing them below their nose & constantly pulling the mask down & back up, adjusting on their face – all that is resulting in is more touching of the face, which is the bigger problem, especially when people are not washing their hands properly.
Tom – Thank you for the well wishes. I actually have seen that Galaxy’s Edge coverage and that is how I generally picture Chapek..
I agree with Jessica. No way will we be wearing masks in the heat of Florida. We have a son with Autism and has sensory issues. We’d never be able to get him to keep a mask on. Since Disney is the only place we can vacation with him that’ll be awful. Already can’t breathe wearing it at the store, can’t imagine wearing it in the parks.
Absolutely RIDICULOUS!!!! I say I can’t believe they are going to require guests to wear masks but then again I absolutely knew they would. Give me a break. Look at the number of people who won’t return. Maybe that is what they want for now so they can keep attendance down but I sincerely hope these are temporary precautions and by next Spring or Summer they are lifted. My family and I will never walk into a park with a mask on….ever!!! I will sell my DVC points if they are still like this next summer. Who in their right mind would pay that kind of money to walk around for 12 hours in Florida heat with a mask on their face. Wow, that sounds like a magical, fun time! Give me a break. And, good luck enforcing it. As most of these posts point out, they don’t work when people are removing them left and right for because they get hot, want to eat, or whatever else they feel the need to touch or remove them for. It is insanity!!! We don’t live in China!
Read the posts on this thread. Absolutely there are people who “feel” they need them. That is there right to feel that way. But, look at the number of people who will refuse to wear them. The number of comments far outweigh those who would. Disney is crazy
Well then stay home! Don’t come to Disney if you are not going to obey the rules, it’s as simple as that!
Masks are a no go, they do not help anything if your not sick. Read articles before making decisions. People will know what type are walking into it should be people’s choice. The ones scared will already stay home as is. I have a visit scheduled later this year, if masks are forced upon my family we will not be coming.
I feel the exact same way. My mom and I have a visit planned for mid-September, and as much as it breaks my heart to have to postpone it after waiting so long for this to become a possibility, I am paying good money so I do not want to be forced to be uncomfortable. I am not trying to be selfish, but if you are afraid of getting sick, stay home and don’t impose your restrictions on me.