Walt Disney World has now been reopen for just over a month and so far it has felt like one change after the other and fans, particularly Annual Passholders, seem to be getting more and more despondent regarding the lack of experiences and choices they have.
Attendance has been sparse and numbers have been down on what was expected. This has led to slashed park hours in the fall and the offering of freebies, deals and special perks. But, on a very postive note, the guests that have visited, have reported experiences of feeling safe and have enjoyed the short queues and fewer guests in the parks.
Many people have said it is a different experience, not a half experience, although others would argue that with no parades, fireworks or meet and greets it is lacking in value for money. Not to mention, mandatory mask wearing! I will leave that there.
Disney came under particular scrutiny when it came to it's reopening, in that it was at a time when Florida's reported COVID-19 was increasing considerably. This week Disney has announced it will add an on-site COVID-19 testing site which is a clear sign that Disney is taking the virus seriously and is wanting to take positive steps to ensure the safety of cast members, guests and the wider community at this difficult time.
It has been a depressing time to be a Disney theme park fan, which leads me to our new debate. Disney is supposed to be magical, when I think of our Disney vacations I can't help but smile and laugh at the wonderful memories. When you think of Disney you want escapism from the real world, you don't want anything to taint that sparkle. There has been the good news this week that we will see live shows returning soon to Walt Disney World.
There has had to be so many changes in order to make sure Disney are following government guidelines and so many health and safety measures put into place to ensure the safety of all cast members and guests during a time when COVID-19 is still present. Can it be the Disney you loved so much again sometime soon? Perhaps you find the lower number of guests and short queues makes it the perfect Disney for you? Let's find out...
The Big Debate - Will You Visit Walt Disney World in 2021?
We all want and need that magic back and for many, to fall in love with Disney again. In a recent poll published by Morning Consult and The Hollywood Reporter it revealed that 78% of U.S. parents say it’s too soon to return to any theme park this summer. On a more positive note, when asked specifically about Disney, 26% of parents said they were interested in going to Walt Disney World this summer.
Okay, I totally get it, with reported COVID-19 cases as high as they are in Florida, it is understandable that these results appear as they do but surely it is a good sign that even in these unprecedented times 26% of parents still said they were interested in going to Walt Disney World this summer. Based on this, we should see attendance increasing in 2021 and positivity returning to Disney.
Based on everything that has happened so far during the COVID-19 pandemic regarding Disney and with the reopening of Walt Disney World at a time when cases were at a record high, will you get the urge to return next year or has Mickey Mouse lost his charm?
VOTE NOW
As usual we try to keep the choices simple so, will you visit Walt Disney World in 2021?:
- Yes
- No
- Maybe - It depends on the number of COVID-19 cases, measures in place and costs
CLICK HERE to vote and don't forget to share this with your friends and family. We always love to hear your comments and are proud of our community on Theme Park Tourist so we ask you to be respectful of all other readers views. You can leave comments on our Facebook Page or below.
A selection of comments from each side of the debate will be shared in our The Big Debates RESULTS article which will be published soon.
This should give a clearer picture as to where we stand right now regarding what Disney fans plans are for next year. It will be very interesting to see how things pan out over the next few months and how further changes, both positive and negative) that are made by Disney will affect fans choices as to whether they will visit Walt Disney World in 2021.
I guess for many it will be dependant on the things we have talked and heard so much about; number COVID-19 cases, mandatory mask wearing, financial situations, special offers, return of parades, fireworks, meet and greets etc.
A few readers have commented that these polls are pointless because it won't make any difference anyway, which is inarguably a valid point in most situations. For those that see no value in taking part, that is of course your choice and be sure you check out our News or Features Page for other articles.
To read two of our top articles this week, click on one of the links in the content box below, and if you click on page 2, you can find out what else Theme Park Tourist has to offer to help you plan for your next theme park trip. We have also included links to the results article for our most recent Big Debates and listed our new featured articles for you to check out...
Comments
Not likely. I REALLY want to go, and miss the parks greatly, but I work as a manager in a casino and it's a constant fight to get people to properly wear masks, even with a state mandate (and the fact that we get fined anywhere from $25,000 to $250,000 every time our regulatory agency sees someone not wearing one properly in our place of business -- and we've been cited six times so far despite our best efforts to get people to comply -- so that's anywhere from $150,000 to $1,500,000 that our company has had to pay in fines because our guests refuse to take this seriously).
I had to tell one guest ten times in 15 minutes to put their mask back on before I lost patience and threw them out of the casino. And we have a bunch of guests AND employees who feel the need to pull down their mask to speak -- even though speaking is specifically a thing that spreads the aerosols that carry the virus and one of the reasons masks are necessary (fun fact: if the Gaming Control Board sees an EMPLOYEE doing that, the minimum fine jumps from $25,000 to $100,000).
Are Walt Disney World guests any better? I doubt it. I know I've read that compliance is good, but I don't trust it. Masks are required to keep other people safe. But there are so many people who don't take a GLOBAL PANDEMIC seriously that, given my own experiences in having to enforce mask rules, I don't trust the general public to comply and think it's only a matter of time before theme parks become a mass-spread location. I truly hope I'm wrong about that, but...I don't see a way that it doesn't happen soon.
What would make people at Walt Disney World not also try to cheat the system, when people in a small town where everybody knows everybody else don't care about spreading it?