4. A better sickness policy
If you’ve ever had a Disney vacation busted when someone in your party gets sick (particularly a child), you know where this is going.
I’ve seen Disney cast members go above and beyond to help out guests who are feeling sick (I recall many years ago when a cast member at a deluxe resort we were staying at sent chicken soup up to my grandfather when he missed a day at the parks due to a cold). The nurses at Disney’s First Aid stations are some of the friendliest, most helpful people in the parks, and they readily provide free OTC medications and assistance to guests who aren’t feeling well, even arranging visits to a nearby off-site urgent care, if needed.
Despite this, Disney parks have always had a glaring flaw in that it is pretty difficult to reschedule a park day or get a refund if a family member comes down sick. While stories definitely exist where guests have received some pixie dust assistance when illness crashes a trip, Disney just hasn’t had a solid policy for what guests should do in the event of illness. In the case of most trips, if the family planned months to years in advance for a parks excursion, many sick guests just choose to administer some medication and power through the day to avoid cancellation issues, meaning a lot of germs getting spread.
COVID-19 is going to force Disney to rethink how they handle guest illnesses across the board. As the parks reopen, temperature checks will become a requirement for guests to enter the parks, and assumedly, if a guest is visibly unwell, that may result in a Disney day being busted. To prevent future outbreaks, Disney may need to come up with some policies to give guests more options for if a family member becomes sick, which is probably a good thing since this policy hasn’t existed previously. Hopefully, it will lead to a healthier park experience overall and more options for families in this situation.
5. An impetus for creativity
COVID-19 may be one of the greatest challenges Disney parks have ever faced, but it certainly isn’t the first setback in the company’s history.
Creativity in the face of the impossible has always been a driving force at Disney. No one thought Walt Disney could make an amusement park a classy family destination. No one thought the concept for Epcot could work, and everyone told him he was daft for planning to build a castle in a swamp. Within the last fifteen years, we’ve seen Disney parks bounce back from brutal setbacks surrounding the initial failed opening of EuroDisney, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Disney’s California Adventure and other financial difficulties to produce some of the most innovative content in the company’s history.
Frustration can become a breeding ground for vision and adversity a crucible that produces creativity. The overseers of Disney parks can certainly just shake their heads, scale back park experiences, and hope things get better, but that isn’t really Disney’s style. We are hopeful that the setbacks of this year will prove an opportunity for innovation and creativity that will improve Disney parks experiences in the long run. Even with the financial hurdles the company has to overcome, if the creative minds and Imagineers behind Disney parks use their resources smartly, we could see some real gems produced out of this time for unique guest experiences and future attractions that wouldn’t have otherwise been considered.
It’s going to continue to be a weird time to be a Disney parks fan for the season to come, but it isn’t all bad. What are some other areas where you think Disney could turn the post COVID-19 reopening into a win?
Enjoy this article? Keep reading to find out the most off-the-wall ways we found to handle Disney parks withdrawals with STYLE or explore the conclusion to our series on Disney memories across the decades with 10 Things 2010’s Kids LOVED at Walt Disney World.
Comments
Or, just wait it out and save your money for something better then spending it on something that overrated. As expensive their price is, they won't be seeing that many people going to their parks for a while.