Guests Can Remove Masks at Disney World, But Are They?

If you have not heard, Guests at Disney World are now allowed to remove their masks while walking outdoors.

This major change was implemented over the past weekend and is a huge step towards normalcy at the Walt Disney World theme parks. Previously, masks were only allowed to be removed when Guests were actively eating or drinking while stationary, or taking a socially distanced photo outdoors.

Now, masks can be removed outdoors, including when walking into a theme park. The only time Guests are required to wear a face covering is when indoors or in an attraction queue/the actual attraction itself.

The CDC recently stated that fully vaccinated people are now able to remove their masks safely. Although Disney World is not checking the vaccination status of Guests, the theme parks are complying with the rules and regulations set out by Florida Governor DeSantis.

All this being said, it is one thing to allow Guests to remove their masks, but seeing if Guests will actually do so is entirely another question. Inside the Magic was at Disney World this weekend to see how the change was implemented, and we noticed some interesting things!

First of all, on May 15, signage and reminders were not reflecting the new rules, but rather the old which alerted Guests to keep their masks on.

We noticed while walking around that approximately 50% of the Guests had their masks removed while the other 50% did not. Now, this may be for personal comfort purposes, as some Guests may not be ready to remove their masks, or, considering how new the change was implemented, it is possible that some Guests may not have known they were allowed to remove their masks while outdoors.

We noticed that more A-frame signage was added on May 16 to alert Guests of the change. However, it seems that a good handful of Guests are continuing to choose to wear their masks.

When asking our audience what they thought of the new mask mandate, it seems that most Guests are happy with the change, so it would not be surprising to see fewer Guests wearing masks in the parks as tourism picks up, along with the blistering Florida heat.

When walking in attraction queues, merchandise stores, or any indoor location, we noticed that Guest compliance to wearing a mask was done quite well. So it seems that Guests are continuing to follow the rules, even with the added freedom.

What do you think of the new mask rules at Disney World? Would you want to continue wearing a mask while outdoors at the parks?