Premature though it might be, Universal and Disney have heard tourists’ demand for a return to normal. Both parks are lifting COVID-19 regulations as the tourist season approaches.
Bob Chapek, CEO of Walt Disney World announced that starting today, guests who are vaccinated will not have to wear masks at Disney.
Exceptions include travel on any Disney transportation. Guest will still be required to wear masks on Disney transportation like buses, monorails, and the Skyliner. The House of Mouse will also be relaxing social distancing guidelines in many of its experiences like attraction boarding, shops, restaurants, transportation, and theaters.
However, some experiences like restaurants, shops and attractions are going to maintain being closed until they find a way to make those safe again for guests.
Earlier this week, Chapek revealed his intentions at the Credit Suisse Annual Communications Conference.
“We want to open up responsibly and we want to do so in a way that is going to maintain the guests’ experience,” he said of the move.
Elsewhere in Orlando Universal has lifted all capacity restrictions on their parks, operating as if there is not still a pandemic at a time when the majority of American adults are not vaccinated.
NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell said during a virtual conference call on Monday that “11 million people have visited the parks since they reopened in June 2020 after their one month closure of COVID-19.”
Universal’s comeback also includes the lifting of temperature screenings, social distancing guidelines and the mask mandate.
“So people are not only coming back to our theme park and enjoying the experience out of their house but they are buying stuff,” Shell said during a Monday conference call. “So we are very pleased with how the theme park in Orlando is doing… and you know, we really have no capacity constraints there anymore and the summer is looking pretty, pretty strong,”
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This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2021.