2
Credit: DisneyIt wasn’t long ago Walt Disney World updated its face mask policy to allow Guests to remove their masks for a few seconds while taking a photo, as long as it is outdoors, the Guests are stationary, and everyone maintains a safe social distance from others.
As Disney World continues to adapt to the current times, will it encourage Guests to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth quicker than originally planned?
Disney World Adapts to Pandemic
As the world continues to move forward amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Walt Disney World is adapting to the current times. For example, when Walt Disney World first opened to Guests in July 2020, they were operating at a 25% limited capacity. Since reopening, Disney CEO Bob Chapek confirmed that Walt Disney World Resort has increased its capacity limit to 35%.
Additionally, when visiting the Walt Disney World Resort, Guests must abide by the face mask policy, which originally stated that Guests age 2 and over had to wear a proper face-covering unless actively eating or drinking while stationary. As mentioned, this rule was also updated to coincide with the progress with the ongoing pandemic and now allows Guests to remove their masks while also taking a stationary outdoor photo that is socially distanced from others.
When Will Guests Visit Disney World?
After CEO Bob Chapek expressed he felt safety measures, such as six feet social distancing and face mask-wearing would not be the same in 2022 as it is now, Inside the Magic asked our audience if they would postpone their vacations to 2022 in order to get a more “normal” vacation. A majority of our respondents said yes.
Now, after Walt Disney World continues to adapt to the now, including adjusting the face mask policy to allow maskless photos in certain conditions, we wanted to know if this had changed the perspective of our audience on when they plan to visit Walt Disney World next.
Out of nearly 2,300 responses from our Inside the Magic audience, almost 42% said they still will not be visiting Walt Disney World until 2022. On the complete opposite of the spectrum, almost 30% said they are ready to visit Disney World as early as this summer!
Other Guests expressed they are planning to visit as early as fall 2021 or winter 2021, but those answers did not add up to the near 42% saying they will visit in 2022 or the 30% saying they will visit as early as summer 2021.
Related: Postponing Your Disney World Trip Could Get You a “Normal” Vacation
So, it is clear that even though a majority of our audience said they will still be waiting until 2022 to visit, many also feel comfortable visiting the Most Magical Place on Earth as early as next month.
Planning a Disney World vacation?
Please keep in mind that if you want to visit Walt Disney World in the near future, not only will you need a valid park ticket but also a valid Park Pass reservation.
In case you aren’t familiar, the new reservation system is called Disney Park Pass and requires those who wish to visit a Walt Disney World theme park — including Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom — to have both a valid ticket and a reservation for the park you wish to visit on that day.
At this time, the Disney Park Pass system currently allows Guests to book available theme parks through January 2023, indicating that theme park reservations are not going away anytime soon, so Guests should get familiarized with the system if they are wanting to visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.
And, if you need help planning a Disney vacation, don’t hesitate to contact our friends at Academy Travel, who will be with you every step of the way when navigating the current operations at the theme parks. Get started with a free quote today.
Do you plan on visiting Disney World this summer? Or will you be waiting until 2022? Let us know in the comments below.