Will Disney World drop their mask mandate as Orange County leaves emergency state?
Walt Disney World is currently the only major theme park in Florida still mandating masks indoors for its parks, hotels, and retail locations. This summer Walt Disney World, the Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Busch Gardens Tampa Bay all dropped their mask mandates in favor of mask suggestions and recommendations. When infections temporarily went back up, Disney went back to masks, unlike their competitors. Now, as infections have plummeted, Disney holds onto their mandate. When will this requirement end?
Walt Disney World brought back their indoor mask mandate July 30, 2021. They haven’t gone back since. There were 2,319 new cases June 30, 2021 in Florida. By July 30, 2021 there were 38,776 new COVID-19 cases in Florida. Now, as of the latest numbers October 28, 2021 there are 2,021 cases, with the weekly average below 2,000.
Orange County, Florida has ended their Emergency Executive Order which included mask mandate suggestions for businesses. The state of Florida has been outright against enforcing a mask mandate for many months now. But, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends masks indoors for those who are unvaccinated.
The CDC even goes on to suggest masks indoors for those who are vaccinated in high or substantial community transmission counties. Disney Parks and Resorts have said that they follow the CDC’s guidelines, Disney’s board of health advisors, and local committees to provide a safe park experience.
Walt Disney World also announced that union and non-union cast members must be vaccinated against COVID-19. The Service Trades Council Union, which represents many of Walt Disney World’s front-line cast members, agreed to a vaccine mandate. The Disney and Union contract states, “Employees will be notified of the new requirement and must provide verification of their COVID-19 vaccination by October 22, 2021.” Therefore, we know a majority of cast members at Walt Disney World are now vaccinated.
Walt Disney World has brought back a version of character meet and greets, now called sightings. These character sightings are indoors, where guests must wear masks. But the princesses that guests are meeting do not wear masks. Disney, from the very beginning, has never had one of their characters wear masks. Whereas the Universal Orlando Resort initially had their characters masked up.
This makes for situations where safety is touted as number one, but it appears Disney’s other key of business, show, wins out. Letting the characters remain mask free, but enforcing it upon young children doesn’t seem like a long-term plan. This is another reason it appears Disney may drop their mask mandate. For now, Disney has not changed their requirements.
Do you believe Disney will change this mask mandate soon? Has the indoor mask requirement stopped you and your family from visiting the parks this year? Let us know in the comments below.
As avid fans and yearly visitors of Disneyworld for the past 35 years , this antisciencific approach to
indoor mask wearing is absolutely the reason my family canceled our trip to Disney this spast summer. Additionally, we will not return, along with thousands of other likeminded fans, until the indoor mask mandate is dropped. I am an educated woman and a registered nurse. My opinion is based on broad knowledge and understanding of this Covid virus. All the other theme parks in and around Orlando have now wisely dropped the mandate based on a prepoderants of all the latest medical data. The CDC has been so wrong and off base in their recommendations throughout this pandemic. Disney needs to broaden it’s base of medical knowledge and join the majority of America in moving on and forward as this pandemic is waning . We remain loyal Disney fans with the expectation that within days we will here Disney has become enlightened and we are so excited about making new and long awaited reservations to return !
For every anti mask Disney fan, there are just as many pro masks. I am going now with my family BECAUSE they still require masks indoors. As soon as they drop masks we won’t go back until Covid is under control everywhere, and that may still be a couple years. It really doesn’t matter how low rates are in Florida when the majority of people are from elsewhere. And no, I am not ‘afraid to live my life’, I am vaxed and certain I will be fine if I got it, but I don’t want to put others at risk for my good time.
go hide in your bubble.
Until Disney World ends all of the mask mandates and returns to normal activity and regular shows and parades, etc. I and my family will not be back. The new annual passes, pseudo fast passes and genie are also an absolute mess!
DROP THE MASKS DISNEY.
I will never visit Disney world if masks are required anywhere ! We visit Disney usually 3 x yearly and are vacation club members. I won’t be muzzled. It’s time for masks to be done !
You know what’s worse than a muzzle? A ventilator
Dumb
We were passholders for 7 years. Had to cancel because of these ridiculous mandates. Stop the mandates and we will come back.. keep them and we will never be back! You are causing your own business to lose money, I thought Disney was smarter than this.
I love the mask mandates – glad Disney is being responsible and cautious. Can you imagine ditching masks and then having an outbreak among Disney’s smallest visitors (who are unlikely to be vaccinated)?! I already visited once this year (spent way more than usual) and will be back in a few weeks to happily give Disney more of my dollars!
Not going back until masks are done. Spending our time and money at Universal right now. Kids can get the vaccine now, so even though it has always been silly, virtue signaling, nonsense, it really will seem to make zero sense now.
Remove masks!! It’s ridiculous that Disney has this in place still. It annoys me and will not go to Disney until masks are no longer required. That’s why I got vaccinated.
Disney is more concerned with hiring woke clowns with orange and blue hair who have attitudes. Been coming to this park for 39 years where every worker respected the guests. NOw only nasty people with no greeting.
If Disney woke world cares about the respiratory cold and other health problems why is the filthy finger machine back
I asked a woke head last week when was the last time this disgusting thing was cleaned.
I was told every hour. So the last seventy people who just picked their nose or came out of the
Bathroom stuck their finger into the same thing thousands do
They don’t care about covid it’s just a crappy attitude
Done coming after 39 years
I was pro-mask throughout the pandemic. However, I rarely wear a mask now that I am vaccinated and especially not now that I have the booster. It’s time for Disney to lift the mandate.
Disney needs a major shakeup in leadership. I have never seen a company go downhill so fast. Get rid of masks, stop price gauging at the same time reducing quality and access.
Not going back until masks are in the past. Can you say 2025. Or maybe never? I figured I have got this long without. There are so many other places to take the family.
My family and I will not spend 15K on a vacation and wear masks. We wear masks all day at work and school not on vacation. We will not go to Disney until they lift their mandate.
I will no longer be muzzled by the government or Disney! Went to Disney once with Mask mandate indoors and outdoors! Want to take my daughter and granddaughter to Disney and found out it is still a mandate indoors so that being said, I will NEVER go back to Disney until they lift all mask mandates! Wayyyy too expensive to be controlled on our freedoms! With a mask 😷 it is NOT the most magical place on earth… sorry! We need out freedoms back…. This is America 🇺🇸!!
My family will not go to Disney until they completely drop the masks! My son has Down syndrome and I will certainly not force him to wear a mask. None of us can breathe correctly wearing a mask. We feel like our beautiful, free, United States is being taken over by communist.
Thank you for speaking up!!
disney should be sued for forcing any kind of mandate on the free people of america. the cdc and its body of supporters have changed their course of information during this whole plandemic. its quite obvious at the point that disney is infringing on the rights of every american that enters their park. i will this to disney this year and follow the laws of governor de santis and the constitution of the united states. i will not follow tyrannical suggestions, that are trying to be forced down our throats. As a free american i can and will make my own decisions in determining what is the best for the health of myself and family. If my rights are intruded on, I will use every source that governor de santis has in his exposal to sue disney on the grounds of vioating the sovereign state of florida’s laws! if you wanna to wear a mask indoors then wear one but i will not! Do Not Tread On Me!
I’ve been wanting to take my Children to Disney the last 2 years. They are 8 and 9, kind of that sweet spot for them. Two kids that Love everything Disney do not want to go if they have to wear a mask at any given time. I’m so proud of my kids at this age to know right from wrong and what is best for themselves. So we will not be going to Disney Parks. It leaves such a sour taste , that even when they do pull the mandate back I may not want to ever go back. It is such a poor decision, the park has taking something so innocent and special and made it so political and unjustified.
As long-term Disney shareholders and nearly three decades of regular visits to Disney World, for the first time in years, did not visit in 2020 or2021 because of the “pandemic.” We’ve been waiting for the mandates to end before planning another Disney visit and have been disappointed in Disney continuing to push mask mandates. Our tentative plans are to – finally – make a return visit in November of 2022 in the hopes that masking mandates will be dropped by then. Universal parks in Orlando have dropped all mask mandates and I sure hope Disney follows suit soon!
The mask mandate is the reason my family not have not visited Disney this year