Credit: DisneyIn the post-COVID-19 world, the topic of what you should and should not do when sick is hotter than ever.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, theme parks across the world closed their gates overnight. While Shanghai Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disney Resort were the first to lock down in January and February 2020, Disney World, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris soon followed in March of the same year. It was only in June 2021 that all six Disney Resorts opened at the same time (even if several more closures did follow for Shanghai and Hong Kong in the following years).
While COVID-19 is still very much present, the pandemic has reached a stable enough level that Disney parks are, for the most part, back to normal. Gone are the days of enforced social distancing and masks. Park reservations are one of the remnants left over (for now) from Disney’s early reopening days, and even those have loosened dramatically over the years, with date-based ticket holders no longer required to make reservations at Disney World.
But does that mean guests shouldn’t be imposing any restrictions on themselves?
Guests Question The Ethics of Visiting Disney Parks While Sick
A Reddit thread posed the question of why guests continue to visit Disney parks while sick, with the original poster recounting their recent experience at Disneyland.
“Stood next to a lady last week that was coughing, blowing her nose, kept saying she didn’t feel well,” they wrote. “I tried to wash hands and sanitize as much as possible, but basically as soon as I got home I came down with a severe flu like illness. Tested negative for COVID and flu. En route to hospital now. Look I get it, this could be a once in a lifetime trip. But how are you even enjoying yourself feeling anything like this?? I’m glad the rest of my family seems to be okay, but jeez.”
Others chimed in with the same sentiment. Another user shared their pre-COVID experience, where a visit to Disney left one of her family members in the emergency room. “I went in 2019 and got hella sick, my sister even ended up in the ER,” they wrote. “It was awful, we ended up missing 3 days worth of reservations and park visits but we knew better than to try and go into the parks. I get it’s a lot of money but it’s utterly selfish to bring your sick ass out and get others sick.”
As one user phrased it: “People are so disgusting in Disney World tbh.” While they continue to mask up, they still caught COVID-19 on their most recent trip, “either from the airplane or the 20 something woman coughing her lungs out in the AKL bathroom. Just gross.”
Some were okay with guests visiting the parks while sick – as long as they wear a mask. “I don’t mind them coming (could be months/years in the making), but just wear a mask,” wrote one user. “Masks aren’t just for Covid. If you’re sick or have any symptoms, wear a mask and try to keep your distance if possible.”
Another agreed, lamenting that the pandemic hadn’t incorporated wearing a mask while sick as a commonplace, every day factor. “I had hoped masking when sick would become acceptable,” they wrote. “But no instead people have gone hard in the other direction and have no consideration.”
Related: Disney “Does the Right Thing,” Rewards Guest Who Admitted to Having COVID
There were also those who blamed the reservation system for forcing people to continue visiting Disney parks while sick. “Thank you Reservation System,” wrote one user. “It may be the only day the park they wanted was available or they didn’t want to risk it so suck it up and go. The irony that a system designed to prevent spread of disease encourages people who are sick to go regardless is super heavy.”
However, others were fully in favor of visiting while sick – after all, it’s your choice. “It does suck, but when you plan a trip for years, you’re not going to cancel when you come down with a cold before your vacation,” one user wrote. “It sucks, but that’s just how things are.”
What do you think? Would you visit a Disney park while sick? Let us know in the comments!