Disney World Quarantine Rules & Travel Guidance
Quarantine rules to Florida from many states apply to Walt Disney World visitors returning home. This covers travel restrictions, mandates & recommendations, international testing requirements, updates on numbers, and relaxation of rules for fully vaccinated people by the CDC. (Updated April 26, 2021.)
In addition to travel rules, this post has become our monthly status report for progress and setbacks by states and the U.S. as a whole. As always, we’ll begin with the above map, which has stalled in its improvements. In some states, new cases have plateaued and even increased in hot spots. The silver lining there is that hospitalizations and deaths continue to drop throughout the United States, and that trend will likely continue with older and higher risk populations vaccinated.
Speaking of which, more positive news: the vaccination rollout continues to accelerate. The United States has now administered more than 225 million doses, fully vaccinating over 92.9 million people or 29% of the total U.S. population (42% are at least partially vaccinated). The United States is now averaging 3 million vaccines per day in the last week. We’re among the best countries in the world for vaccine rollout, on par with the United Kingdom and well ahead of the rest of Europe and Asia.
The fruits of these improved numbers are starting to impact policy. After months of cautionary messaging that has been slow to evolve, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will release new recommendations this week. This is expected to include a lifting of outdoor face mask guidance.
Per multiple news outlets, President Biden will announce several changes on April 27, as part of remarks on the state of the pandemic. The will likely include more rule relaxations for fully vaccinated people, though the final language of the announcement is unclear, as is to whom the outdoor mask rules will apply.
This comes after prominent publications like Slate and The Atlantic proposed an end to outdoor mask mandates. Israel, which offers a potential preview into what the U.S. numbers will look like in another month if vaccination rates hold, lifted its outdoor mask mandate.
There has also been a growing chorus for ending outdoor mask rules among experts. Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told CNBC: “People could choose to wear a mask if they want to. I think there shouldn’t be requirements that they have to wear masks outdoors…We know activities outside are lower risk than things done indoors.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci essentially said the same thing on ABC with regard to outdoor mask rules: “The CDC is a science-based organization. They don’t want to make any guidelines unless they look at the data and the data backs it up. But when you look around at the common sense situation, obviously the risk is really very low, particularly if you’re vaccinated.”
As we reported last week, Orange County is weighing a timeline to phase out some restrictions, including face masks and physical distancing. New CDC guidance could preempt that, and be a potential game-changer for Walt Disney World. However, that’s likely only going to be the case if dropping masks outdoors encompasses both the vaccinated and unvaccinated.
If you’re wondering why Walt Disney World probably won’t change its mask rules if that relaxation applies only to the fully vaccinated, it comes down to logistics. Theme parks, airlines, hotels, and various other businesses cannot have two classes of people. That would be a nightmare scenario for enforcement, and overly burdensome to frontline Cast Members and other employees of the aforementioned businesses. As we’ve reported previously, vaccine passports could sidestep this issue, but will not be allowed in Florida.
Prior to this, the CDC released new travel guidelines for fully vaccinated individuals. This is a big step that reflects a shift in messaging and better balance, which is necessary if the CDC wants its advice to remain relevant to real world behavior.
For domestic travel, people who are two weeks past their final shot (first dose of Johnson & Johnson; second dose of Moderna or Pfizer) do not need to get a test before or after trips and do not need to self-quarantine after travel. That means, for example, fully-vaccinated grandparents can fly to visit their grandchildren without testing or self-quarantining, provided they follow the other recommended public health measures, such as wearing masks on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation.
For international travel, the CDC guidance indicates that fully vaccinated people do not need to be tested before their trips unless it is required by the destination. When returning to the United States, fully vaccinated people should get tested and have a negative result before boarding an international flight back to the United States.
Of course, this international travel guidance is somewhat meaningless for most countries that have barred travel. However, that could change in the coming months. The U.S. Travel Association has pushed the government to lift travel restrictions on international visitors. As many of these are reciprocal in nature, this is first likely to occur with other countries–like the United Kingdom and Israel–that are also vaccinating at high rates. (Vaccine passports remain likely for international travel, with the European Union and many other countries working on implementing such systems.)
In tandem with this travel guidance, the CDC also stated that “if grandparents have been vaccinated, they can visit their daughter and her family, even if they have not been vaccinated so long as the daughter and her family are not at risk for severe disease.”
Extrapolating from that quote, this could be a precursor to how the CDC will handle bigger picture guidance given that most kids likely will not be vaccinated in 2021. That’s very relevant to Walt Disney World’s rules given its core demographics. With all adults now eligible to be vaccinated and ample availability throughout most of the country, it’s entirely possible that things are closer to normal and public health measures can be further relaxed by Memorial Day.
We’re already seeing some states ditch their rules, and more will undoubtedly follow suit as the early-movers are “vindicated” by numbers that continue to decline. Based solely on seasonality, current trajectory, and vaccination rates, that seems likely. Moreover, public tolerance of face masks, especially once vaccines are widely available, is going to plummet.
Being fully vaccinated is effectively the end of this for most people, and they’ll want to behave accordingly. No matter how people might feel about masks right now, the vast majority won’t want to continue having to wear them long after they’ve been vaccinated, especially on vacation.
We’ve been predicting precisely this for months. (See When Will Walt Disney World Stop Requiring Face Masks? among many other posts.) Even late last year as the holiday surge started, we stressed that there was light at the end of the tunnel and numbers would start to come down as the season of family gatherings ended (contact tracing has shown over 70% of cases are a result of “living room spread“) and vaccines rolled out.
On the last earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek recently stated that Walt Disney World could have some level of physical distancing and mask-wearing for the remainder of 2021 but called vaccine availability a game-changer. Most other sites emphasized the “remainder of 2021” part of that, saying it meant face masks until 2022.
We disagreed, emphasizing the some level and game-changer parts. In parsing Chapek’s words, it appears to us that Disney is laying the groundwork for changing its approach to health safety protocol so rules can be relaxed on an earlier timeline. (Just reiterating all of that here to double-down on our past predictions, which have been criticized for being too bold and optimistic.)
Even with variants posing some cause for concern and making it premature to declare mission accomplished, our view is that “cautious optimism” is still the appropriate perspective. In Europe there has been a plateauing of numbers or even spikes in some countries, but the United States’ vaccine rollout has been markedly better. Again, we’re on par with the United Kingdom, which is still seeing cases and deaths drop despite their variant.
Obviously, things could still go wrong–as has happened several times throughout this–but hopefully the U.S. can outrun the variants with vaccinations. Anyway, let’s move along to the travel restrictions and quarantine recommendations & rules…
Domestic Travel Restrictions & Quarantine Rules
Now let’s turn to the state-by-state quarantine rules. For its part, Florida does not have any quarantine requirements, travel bans, or restrictions in place for those arriving from other states. Governor Ron DeStantis issued a series of executive orders rescinding all of those in fall of last year, and Florida Fully Reopened in September.
In short, there is no quarantine rule that will impact you going to Walt Disney World. However, returning from Walt Disney World is another story entirely. Many states have quarantine rules in effect for residents returning from Florida or visiting from out of state. Here’s a rundown of quarantine rules for various states and cities. (Note: the aforementioned CDC travel guidance for vaccinated people was just released on April 2, 2021 and many states haven’t yet had a chance to update their rules accordingly–within a few days, all will align with the CDC guidance.)
New York has announced that domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. State or U.S. Territory. It’s still recommended as an added precaution, and completing a health form is still necessary.
New Jersey has already shifted from a mandatory to a voluntary quarantine, as has Connecticut. This is significant, and the Tri-State Area is all lumped together up top, because this trio has had some of the more stringent rules in the contiguous United States.
California‘s travel advisory has been relaxed for the fully vaccinated. If you are unvaccinated, avoid non-essential travel. If you must travel, get tested 1-3 days before travel and 3-5 days after travel. After travel, self-quarantine for 7 days, no matter what your test results were. If you didn’t get tested, self-quarantine for 10 days.
Maryland‘s emergency order to limit all travel to essential purposes only still appears to be in place. All Marylanders who do travel outside of Maryland or any individuals who do travel to Maryland must either obtain a negative test result or self-quarantine for 10 days upon return home.
Kentucky‘s travel advisory now discourages all out-of-state leisure travel until further notice. Those who do travel out-of-state for leisure travel are urged to voluntarily self-quarantine upon return to Kentucky or follow CDC guidance for alternate options to shorten the quarantine period.
Minnesota highly discourages out of state travel for non-essential purposes. Incoming visitors and Minnesotans who travel out-of-state are asked to stay home and quarantine for 14 days. Consistent with CDC guidance, a shortened quarantine period may be possible.
Rhode Island‘s rule is that those arriving will need to quarantine for 10 days or provide proof of a negative test result taken within 72 hours prior to arrival. Quarantines can be shortened with post-arrival testing. Those who are fully vaccinated do not need to quarantine if asymptomatic.
Both Maine and Massachusetts have nearly identical rules in place, right down to the exception for fully vaccinated individuals.
Pennsylvania has rescinded its quarantine rules. Now, travelers are simply advised to practice appropriate public health measures to slow the spread.
New Mexico also rescinded its mandatory quarantine rule. Visitors from anywhere outside of the state will instead by strongly advised to self-quarantine for a period of 14 days.
Vermont no longer requires quarantine for those who are fully vaccinated (it has been 14 days since your final vaccine dose). Anyone else traveling to Vermont must quarantine for 10 days.
New Hampshire requires a 10-day quarantine upon arrival, except for fully vaccinated people. If you have not had any symptoms, you have the option to get a PCR test and end your quarantine with a negative test result. You must continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.
Kansas no longer has a quarantine requirement for Florida. However, it does have one for mass gatherings of more than 500 where you did not socially distance and wear a mask. Walt Disney World has such rules, so this arguably does not apply.
Both Alaska and Hawaii have very similar mandatory 10-day traveler quarantine and passenger verification process for anyone traveling to those states. This has nothing to do with Florida, specifically.
Out-of-state travelers have the option to get tested via a trusted travel provider prior to their arrival, and show proof of a negative result, to avoid the quarantine.
Washington DC requires anyone engaging in non-essential travel to or from Florida and other states to self-quarantine for 14 days when they come to the District.
Same deal with Chicago’s Emergency Travel Order, which directs travelers entering or returning to Chicago from Florida and other surging states to self-quarantine for a 10-day period from the time of last contact within the identified state.
If your state has a test-out option, there are numerous diagnostic testing sites within a short drive of Walt Disney World. The closest is unquestionably the Disney Maingate Complex, which is near Animal Kingdom (and actually on-property). The Florida Division of Emergency Management operates this walk-up testing site daily from 8 am to 5 pm, and appointments are not required at this location.
The Disney Maingate Complex offers rapid testing, with results available in about 15 minutes. We’ve used this site and have had great experiences–never a wait, quick & easy, and friendly staff. Highly recommended!
Two alternatives with less convenient locations are the no-contact rapid tests at Walgreens or CVS. Walgreens has two locations: one in Kissimmee east of Disney’s Hollywood Studios (2274 Fortune Rd) or near Universal Orlando (5280 S John Young Pkwy).
CVS has two Orlando locations (13454 South Orange Blossom Trail & 7001 Old Winter Garden Road). Both have eligibility and appointment requirements right now, but are in the process of scaling up testing so it should become easier in the next month or two.
(If your state or city has a Florida quarantine order or advisory, we’d greatly appreciate it if you’d leave a comment letting us know. There is no nationwide database with this information, and searching state-by-state is a tough task. Thanks!)
International Travel
The CDC is expanding the requirement for a negative test to all international air passengers entering the United States. A test will be required before departure to the United States, and that will be combined with the CDC recommendations to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and quarantine for 7 days post-travel.
The new administration issued an executive order reaffirming this rule, which is now in effect. It also requested that these policies be reviewed by the State Department, Homeland Security, Transportation Department, HHS, FAA, TSA, and CDC leadership.
Canada and the United States issued a mutual ban on non-essential travel across the land border last spring, and have extended that order each month since. People driving into Canada must provide proof of a negative PCR test taken in the United States within 72 hours or proof of a positive test result between 14 and 90 days before arrival, which is long enough for the illness to have passed, but not so long that immunity might have waned.
Travelers arriving at Canada’s land border points will also be required to take tests upon arrival. That is also the date that air travelers will be forced into a mandatory three-day hotel quarantine at their own expense and required to take multiple tests.
United Kingdom citizens are currently barred from entering the United States, with some exceptions–including those with close family members in the US, and certain other limited categories of visas holders such as diplomats. The limited categories of people who are allowed entry to the US must self-isolate for 14 days upon arrival.
Previously, were some flickers of hope about a New York to London “air bridge” that would restore flight routes between those two cities without a quarantine, thanks to rapid testing. We would caution against too much hope about this–there had been rumors of a travel bridge between the UK and US, but those have been quiet for months.
The same proclamation that bans travel to the United States from the United Kingdom and Ireland also applies to the European Schengen area. That means no one will be completing any Chateau to Castle challenges anytime soon.
This ban includes Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
It is presently unclear when and how this travel ban will be lifted–it could occur on a country-by-country basis, or a blanket proclamation. At this point, it is not expected to occur until Summer 2021 at the earliest.
In addition to United States-issued travel bans regarding arrival, Australians are restricted from traveling overseas. Exceptions exist for New Zealand and other countries that have the pandemic under control; the United States is not one such exception.
With vaccine distribution likely to take several months, there are concerns that these non-essential travel bans could last until 2022 if nations don’t come up with ways for people to safely cross borders. One such possibility is a rapid polymerase chain reaction test prior to travel. Airport testing is a viable option with results possible within 10 minutes, but the degree to which such a system could scale is debatable. (Although lack of demand for international travel may render that concern a moot point.)
In summary, a variety of international travel bans remain in place–by both the United States and other countries–that will make visiting Walt Disney World a non-starter for at least the next few months, if not the remainder of the year. Past estimates have pegged international tourists as accounting for 18-22% of all guests to Walt Disney World, so this could be a big blow for park attendance.
With regard to domestic travel restrictions, visitors from all 50 states are now welcomed to Walt Disney World without restriction upon arrival. When returning home, it’s a different story, as over one-dozen states have mandatory quarantine requirements or recommendations. Unfortunately, after some of these were rescinded, we’re now likely to see more quarantine rules reinstated or implemented due to Florida’s upward trends. If you have a 2021 trip to Walt Disney World and are visiting from out of state, plan accordingly, as a quarantine could be required when you return home.
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
Are you located in a state that has quarantines on travelers from Florida? How far into 2021 do you expect the travel restrictions to be extended? Do you have plans to visit Walt Disney World this spring or summer? If you’re an international reader, what’s your expectation regarding travel between your country and the United States? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? 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!
We canceled our 2 week trip to WDW as COVID -19 took hold and Disney was closed. Yes, we were extremely disappointed but we fully supported the move to close.
As a Canadian I would recommend all others traveling from abroad to ensure their TRAVEL INSURANCE will cover them. We have a long standing and robust travel insurance policy. We were just informed that we would not be covered for COVID or related illness while traveling. I would expect that even if I suffered an unrelated injury or illness the insurance company would find some way to tie the problem to covid and not pay hospital expenses if they could find a way out.
AT this time Canadians cannot travel to the US (and vice-versa) under any circumstance that is non-essential. This is mutually agreed upon in both directions by both governments.
(Unfortunately) WDW is not considered essential travel.
Look forward to booking a trip when we have this situation under better control. It might be a while, but it will happen.
That’s technically not true. We can’t cross the land border except for essential services. We can fly. Check out the recent CTV News article.
I know this site mainly deals with Disney and I am a big Disney fan and had an annual pass last year. This year on my annual Orlando visit I wanted to visit Universal for a change. I was at Universal June 5 and 6. IT WAS GREAT. No crowds, no lines. We did everything we wanted in one day but returned to do Hagrid’s. The masks were hot but they had rest areas you could go and take them off for a break. Everyone stood on their marked 6 foot line and kept their distance and this was the best compliance with nose coverage with a mask I have seen at any public space.
I was not planning to visit Disney this year as I got my monies worth last year but my experience at Universal makes me rethink that.
So if your trip is planned and parades and fireworks after not crucial to you…GO.
What if I have a connecting flight in Newark? (Arriving Internationally from outside the US, through Newark, switching a plane in Newark to Orlando). Do I need self isolation for that case too?
It’s crazy that they still use the Tri state which is some of the only areas in the country seeing decreases. How is Arizona and Texas not on there with their huge percent positive and hospitalization rates? I’m glad Disney is following the Governor, but the Governor needs to be pressured to update where he’s concerned about in a much more consistent manner. We are going to have to be able to respond much quicker to keep things open than we did before.
Florida’s governor needs to be pressured to change his mind? Says who?
FL residents don’t particularly share that sentiment. We have enough infections to deal with among our own residents. Once that is resolved, we’ll talk about opening the state without restrictions.
Tourists seem to think FL residents welcome all the extra crowds, or at least feel we should welcome them with open arms. Well, tourism-based businesses do, but it’s the residents who must deal with the added traffic, longer restaurant waits, etc. And there are a lot of industries in FL that do not rely on tourism. (aerospace, banking, insurance, healthcare, light manufacturing, to name a few) We’re not particularly fond of pushy out-of-staters telling us what we should or shouldn’t do with our own state.
When I was in high school, a popular bumper sticker was (no, I’m not making this up):
“Happiness is 100,000 Canadians headed north with a New Yorker under each arm.”
We were going in Nov 2020, but character dining at Cinderella’s Royal Table and bibbidy bobbidy (sp?) boutique was the main thing we wanted the 4 little girls to get to experience. How do I tell a 4 year old she cannot hug Minnie or Elsa? Also, if I’m going to spend $4 grand on a vaca, I’m not wearing a mask the whole tone I’m there. We’ll wait til 2021. Maybe you’ll relax your rules a bit so a family can actually get the whole Disney experience they paid for. See ya later Mickey! ✌
Tom
Thanks for summarizing there have been conflicting reports on this lately.
The orders are confusing to say the least.
I would never violate them but how are they enforcing?
Does Disney refuse you even though you have a reservation? I guess we will find out July 7th. I have a July 18th trip keeping my fingers crossed also hope Florida’s cases don’t keep spiking.
I’m sorry if I missed it, but there seems to be no mention of WDW’s top international demographic and country 2nd only to the US in covid-19 new cases and deaths: Brazil. Seeing how not-seriously people are taking the pandemic in my neighborhood, what is this going to be like in the parks? SARS-CoV-2 is primarily spread through aerosol – you know, the kind of thing that is generated simply by breathing or talking. How many are going to keep their masks on while riding a slow moving dark ride? Aerosol can remain in the air for up to three hours.
I’m really concerned about this Gov. DeSantis science experiment. If you’re going, please exercise an excess of caution.
As far as Brazil is concerned, there’s a general ban for anyone entering the US from Brazil at the moment and US citizens who return from Brazil have to quarantine for 2 weeks (same as with the Europe ban).
Thank You for all this info. Just one question how is the 14 day Quarantine Order enforced are there now border patrols on the state line and at the airports ? If going to WDW can I isolate out of it ? I would like to have a clear understanding of the Quarantine Order.
As a Western NY resident, I am kicking myself for getting an Annual Pass for this year.
“Things are now under control in and around New York..”
What could you possibly be looking at that would give that impression?
Below is an excellent resource to keep yourself informed about how states are performing. The Tri-State Area is experiencing ~40% decline in new cases over the past 2 weeks, and some of the lowest test positivity rates in the nation.
https://www.covidexitstrategy.org/
Tom
I’ve been waiting for you to summarize this topic. I’m from NJ and have been following the EO’s from Gov DeSantis as well and I read them the same way you explained.
July 7th I guess we will know.
I have a July 18th trip booked but am worried about Florida’s cases spiking.
Question for you or anyone..I would never violate the order but does anyone know firsthand how they are enforcing?
After signing the paper at the airport do they check on people? Will Disney refuse to let you stay on property if your from the areas? Just curious because it sounds like an enforcement nightmare.
From what I have heard, they are checking on people daily to make sure the 14 day quarantine is enforced and effective.
Still doesn’t make sense to me considering Florida and just about every state is now in worse shape than NY/NJ/CT. Where is the quarantine for Texas and Arizona residents?
I’m from the Netherlands and have a trip planned for November. If numbers keep going down like they’re currently are, I don’t foresee a lot of problems. Although I assume that temperature checks, masks, etc will still be mandatory by then.
A big chunk of the travel restrictions within the EU have actually been lifted as of today, that even includes Italy and Spain, so as of now it will mostly depend on the US (and/or an increase in confirmed cases).
My family was/is from the Netherlands. I am a Canadian.
I saw that the travel restrictions were lifted in parts of the EU so I am sure you will know in 2 – 3 weeks if that was a good idea, or what best practices should be. Additionally it would be good to check out what the governments are allowing (US / EU Benelux) and check what the Johns Hopkins website is showing as far as number of cases in Florida (or any places you may have a layover on your flight) .
I hope you have a great time at WDW- whenever you go. We cancelled our spring trip (and were able to do so without much trouble) – you may consider that as a factor in your decision to go in Nov. ( Cancel now when it is easier , or later when it is impossible. ) Also, many things at WDW will not be operating / offered as before. We are looking to re-book when WDW is closer to normal as far as content (fireworks, rides etc).
We have purchased masks for any future plane use (they are durable and have changeable filters) . [ I always catch some cold/ flu on a plane – so why not stop that too! ] And will have disposable masks for large crowd events if covid persists without a vaccine or to be used as required or requested.
Hi Emma!
Please understand that the travel bans implemented by our president were political, and not necessarily grounded in science or policy. With that said, I expect a lot of unpredictability in the US this autumn, both in terms of policy and how SARS-CoV-2 is spreading here.
I’m sorry – I know this situation makes for some difficult decisions surrounding your vacation plans. As will all things, though, there are always back doors if you want to find them. Be well.
Thanks for your comments and advise! It’s tricky indeed as no one knows what the world will look like in a couple months. At the moment we still have good hope that we can go, but of course we’ll keep an eye on the numbers and possible travel restrictions in place. We’re deciding later this summer what we’re going to do, depending on how it all develops. There’s always next time.
I’ve collected several durable masks (with changeable filters) in the meantime, so the plane ride as well as the days in the parks wouldn’t be a problem.
All these restrictions suck ass. Not worth spending more than $3,000 just to get there. See ya next year because this year I’m staying home.
Tri-state area means NY/NJ/CT. Hence, no Disney this year.
glAmtrak? NYC-WAS in two hours. WAS-ORL in an overnight sleeper car? I’m game!!
Honestly, I’d be shocked if Gov. DeSantis and the state legislature didn’t want your money. There’s a good chance the “ban” would lift in concert with the resort reopening. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go to any large public places yet, but everyone has their own risk tolerance.
It’s frustrating that Florida seems to define the “Tri-State Area” as a broad region extending through the entirety of those states, from Buffalo, to Storrs, to Cape May. No one in the region uses the term for anything outside the reasonable commuting range of NYC; maybe Poughkeepsie to New Haven to Trenton. And this would make more sense, to the extent that any “quarantine zone” makes any sense at all…
The travel ban with Canada only applies to the land border. Canadians are free to fly to the US with the only restriction being that we have to quarantine for 14 days upon return to Canada.
Thanks for the clarification.
When initially researching the article, I found nothing distinguishing between the land border and air travel. I now see the differences and have updated the article accordingly.
Interesting post! From the UK perspective, I’ve been following this extremely closely and the messaging has been quite mixed. Fauci’s recent comments are in contradiction to Trump’s comments about reopening to certain countries in Europe “very soon”.
One thing to note is that the travel ban is no longer US only, but has been responded-to (by the UK) in the form of a mandatory quarantine on all arrivals. The UK’s quarantine applies universally so can’t be construed as a “retaliatory” action – but by having the ability to carve out exceptions, it achieves a similar outcome in terms of creating an incentive to negotiate. I wouldn’t expect either country’s control to end by anything other than mutual arrangement.
We have been optimistically going ahead with planning our December 1st trip to WDW with the hope that there will be enough time btwn now and then for restrictions to ease up. We booked this trip in January. Some days I feel like it’ll be fine and other says I am resigned to the fact that we will most likely have to cancel. Coming from Niagara Falls, Canada we usually skip across the border and fly out of Buffalo as it’s closer and smaller than flying from Toronto. I’m now starting to think that even if WDW starts reintroducing a somewhat normal experience by December, border closures and our “international” travel status would still be an obstacle. Guess I have a few more months to wait before I’ll know for sure.
We as a family have decided that if masks are still being required we would cancel. Because it’s not a first trip fireworks and parades not happening aren’t necessarily as big of a deal breaker. Airlines and borders may turn out to be what stops us from going in the end. 🙁
I’m in the same boat. Not worth the money with all the restrictions to come from Canada. We originally had May 5-15 booked. Was offered the free dining for Sept. So rebooked flights and everything for Sept 7-18. Then dining taken away and offered 35% off rooms if we rebooked. Which later found out that’s only if it’s in 2020. Right now we are waiting to be able to switch ours until May 4-15 or 16, 2021 ideally. Atleast the southwest fund 2 year extension has an end day of Sept 7th so lucked out there. Now just have to call to cancel and see what they offer for the early bird cost we spent.
We’re in CT where things are very well under control with hospitalizations down consistently for the last several weeks, no spikes since phase 1 reopening on May 20th. We go into phase 2 this Wednesday with the opening of gyms, nail salons and limited indoor dining. There are states that are far worse off than us whose cases have started going up again. We’re booked for the end of Sept, first part of October. We won’t travel if we have to quarantine (although I don’t see how they can possibly enforce it), and we plan to downgrade from the Beach Club since we booked it knowing we could pop into Epcot whenever we wanted. With the extension of our AP’s, we’ve booked a post-Thanksgiving trip and hopefully will be able to take one in March too. Fingers crossed!
“It’s Disney’s business; they can do what they want!” Well, it’s the Florida governor’s call; he can do what he wants! Don’t like it? Don’t go to Florida. Worried about Florida’s rising numbers? Stay home. With all the people flooding the streets for the last few weeks, It will be interesting to see if ANY STATE’S numbers continue to decline. But that’s a different issue.
Wow Tom, thanks for interpreting all of that for us! Put that JD to work 😉
Also love the old airline posters.