Masks no longer required outdoors at WDW

[GPC0321]

OK, bring on the fireworks!

OMG, YES! Please, Disney!!!!

 

[ILuvCrush]

We are at Magic Kingdom now.... cast members are reminding people to put on a mask when entering the queues. The excitement is palpable people are so excited to be able to walk around mask free!

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

OK, bring on the fireworks!

 

[PaladinButters]

I actually think that Disney has been somewhat timid in their re-opening. They certainly have not been at the forefront of reducing restrictions.

That’s the thing. I never expected a two week warning or anything as that’s not like Disney to do that but it sure went from “slowly pulling back” to this fast. Killing the illusion that they are reevaluating our safety at every update instead of having 862 timelines already planned out and ready to drop.

My DD is at AK now. She had her mask on at the entrance & the CM told her she didn't need to wear it. Space markers are still there.

Interesting. Was it “you don’t need to wear that” or “you may remove your masks while outdoors but they will still be required elsewhere”?

.
Ahhh back to normal at Disney. I sure do miss it. Can't wait.

Uber about to blow up bigger than ever from people who can’t stand the thought of being smashed into a Disney bus like the “before times” ever again.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

We are at Magic Kingdom now.... cast members are reminding people to put on a mask when entering the queues. The excitement is palpable people are so excited to be able to walk around mask free!

Are the lines still spilling out far beyond ride entrances or has reduction to 3 feet distance moved them closer to the actual line entrance? If lines are still extending down the street, are the CMs who are directing masks to go on posted at the very end of the line, or once you get to the normal entrance?

I'm very curious to hear how they are handling this at other parks... Some specific examples I'm thinking of are SDD at DHS, and FoP at AK, where the queues have been extending to completely different sections of the park, all outdoors at the edge of a walkway. So, if you're standing in the line, you would maybe have to wear a mask, but if you're standing next to the line in that same location you don't?

 

[MATTERHORN]

Are the lines still spilling out far beyond ride entrances or has reduction to 3 feet distance moved them closer to the actual line entrance? If lines are still extending down the street, are the CMs who are directing masks to go on posted at the very end of the line, or once you get to the normal entrance?

I'm very curious to hear how they are handling this at other parks... Some specific examples I'm thinking of are SDD at DHS, and FoP at AK, where the queues have been extending to completely different sections of the park, all outdoors at the edge of a walkway. So, if you're standing in the line, you would maybe have to wear a mask, but if you're standing next to the line in that same location you don't?

Yep, that's what's confusing me too! And now CM's will have to spend their entire day reminding people to pull back up because if it's allowed to be off, you know everyone will conveniently and constantly forget when they enter an indoor space or line. It's sad.

 

[yorkieteacher]

I also think it’s not “mad” at Disney so much as in general but as a mix -
Part a lot of us who would very much like to be fully vaccinated are still waiting to be and the illusion of protection band aids are being ripped off quickly everywhere. We just needed a few more weeks. Especially those with kids.
And part we all know these new guidelines are about to descend into a free for all of obviously not vaccinated people in our personal space breathing in our faces everywhere we go. Risk just went up a ton for a lot of still vulnerable people and Disney is just the on- topic target for these boards.

I truly hope you are able to get vaccinated soon-it truly is a life changer. I was afraid to go very many places before the vaccine as I am 68 with asthma, and now I feel less threatened and more secure about my health. Maybe you can postpone going to Disney until you are able to be vaccinated? If not, I am sure many people will still have their masks on for their personal safety.

 

[MATTERHORN]

I am booked for late June, I am happy to lose the outdoor requirement, I just hope they keep the indoor requirements. Working in healthcare during all of this has shown that many people will lie and do the wrong thing if it avoids them even the most minor of inconveniences.

This exactly! Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[joedplumber]

My in laws in PA had to get a state senator involved to get their vaccines!

This is crazy my kids 12 & 15 both got there first round of Pfizer yesterday no problem.

 

[ILuvCrush]

Are the lines still spilling out far beyond ride entrances or has reduction to 3 feet distance moved them closer to the actual line entrance? If lines are still extending down the street, are the CMs who are directing masks to go on posted at the very end of the line, or once you get to the normal entrance?

I'm very curious to hear how they are handling this at other parks... Some specific examples I'm thinking of are SDD at DHS, and FoP at AK, where the queues have been extending to completely different sections of the park, all outdoors at the edge of a walkway. So, if you're standing in the line, you would maybe have to wear a mask, but if you're standing next to the line in that same location you don't?

7DMT the spillover cast member didn’t say anything when we went past to anyone... but the ones at the official queue entrance did. We haven’t ridden but did overhear as we were in the area. Not sure if this is standard or not...
Everything is still 6 ft apart.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

May I ask which state you live in where the vaccine hasn't been available to you? In my state, all adults (down to 16 years of age), have been eligible since the end of March. All of the US vaccines are highly effective at just 15 days after the first shot; the second shot for the mRNA vaccines increases the efficacy some but primarily makes your immunity durable.

Children have a very low risk of contracting symptomatic COVID, and an even lower risk of a bad outcome. Lower than the seasonal flu.

And as I just posted to another person, no one is preventing you from wearing a mask at all times should you personally feel the need to do so.

I'm in California. They just opened it to 16+ on April 15, and appointments were very hard to come by the first couple weeks as people were first eligible. It takes 6 weeks from first shot to full protection, so even assuming someone got an appointment the very first day, they wouldn't be protected until the end of this month. The effectiveness rate after the first shot isn't fantastic - it's much better than nothing, but nowhere near the level of protected I would want if I were at Disney and suddenly no one was wearing masks anymore.

Throughout this pandemic, people have made decisions based on whatever metrics or risk assessments they value. I know we did when we went last winter - considering what we felt comfortable with, what made us uneasy, even choosing airlines based on how full they were packing passengers and how good their mask enforcement was in general. There were things we chose not to do that others did, and that's perfectly fine. But this is a huge change with no warning whatsoever. Prior to this week, Disney had 6' distancing, mandatory masks everywhere except while actively eating and drinking, and a lower park capacity. Suddenly without any warning whatsoever, all of those protections are out the window. If I were at the parks this week, I would be really ticked off, because I would have been promised protocols to help reduce spread of the deadly virus, only to find that those protocols were no longer in existence without a change in the medical realities of the country. Only 1 in 3 adults is fully vaccinated, and no one under 16 is. While kids have a lower risk of severe covid cases, we know they can be carriers and transmit cases to adults who do get severe cases. Given how much of a struggle it was to enforce people wearing masks before, I can only imagine how much worse it will be if people only need to wear them intermittently. I can't imagine people will have the masks on in outdoor lines, even when packed together now, waiting for long periods of time because park capacity is back up to "normal busy day." So in essence, there are no longer precautions being taken at Disney - and people have a right to know that when making their decisions about trips.

No, no one is preventing me from wearing a mask. But as experts have pointing out consistently over the past year, the mask isn't to protect yourself - it's to protect others. It protects the wearer a little bit but certainly not completely. So if you have asymptomatic covid, and I'm wearing a mask but you're not, the chance that I will contract it is significantly higher than it would be if you were wearing a mask.

 

[Lsyves]

This is crazy my kids 12 & 15 both got there first round of Pfizer yesterday no problem.

Yeah, their county screwed up royally. Hopefully that’s an exception and not the norm in PA.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

7DMT the spillover cast member didn’t say anything when we went past to anyone... but the ones at the official queue entrance did. We haven’t ridden but did overhear as we were in the area. Not sure if this is standard or not...
Everything is still 6 ft apart.

Thanks! I think it makes sense to have a sign/CM posted at the actual entrance indicating the point where masks need to go back on. This would be similar to early on when they were allowing eating/drinking in the extended queues up to a certain point but you had to finish before reaching the actual entrance. I know some think that will be a nightmare to police, but it seems pretty simple to me. It's just a matter of where the CM/signage are located.

For example, to me, it makes sense to not require a mask while standing in the SDD line from the Star Wars Launch Bay to the bridge/entrance area. Or waiting for FoP starting at FotLK theater. When you get to the ride entrance (or wherever the CM is posted), you put the mask on.

ETA: In practice, it might actually be easier to police with the mask donning point being at the actual entrance. If it's at the CM holding the "end of the line" sign a mile away, what are the odds that people take them off in between that point and the ride? But if people aren't instructed to wear them until the actual entrance, I think you'll see better compliance.

 

[Cliffside]

Also because many of us who are getting vaccinated aren't fully protected yet. Keep in mind that they just opened it up to people 16-40 less than a month ago in many places, and it takes at least


I'm in California. They just opened it to 16+ on April 15, and appointments were very hard to come by the first couple weeks as people were first eligible. It takes 6 weeks from first shot to full protection, so even assuming someone got an appointment the very first day, they wouldn't be protected until the end of this month. The effectiveness rate after the first shot isn't fantastic - it's much better than nothing, but nowhere near the level of protected I would want if I were at Disney and suddenly no one was wearing masks anymore.

Throughout this pandemic, people have made decisions based on whatever metrics or risk assessments they value. I know we did when we went last winter - considering what we felt comfortable with, what made us uneasy, even choosing airlines based on how full they were packing passengers and how good their mask enforcement was in general. There were things we chose not to do that others did, and that's perfectly fine. But this is a huge change with no warning whatsoever. Prior to this week, Disney had 6' distancing, mandatory masks everywhere except while actively eating and drinking, and a lower park capacity. Suddenly without any warning whatsoever, all of those protections are out the window. If I were at the parks this week, I would be really ticked off, because I would have been promised protocols to help reduce spread of the deadly virus, only to find that those protocols were no longer in existence without a change in the medical realities of the country. Only 1 in 3 adults is fully vaccinated, and no one under 16 is. While kids have a lower risk of severe covid cases, we know they can be carriers and transmit cases to adults who do get severe cases. Given how much of a struggle it was to enforce people wearing masks before, I can only imagine how much worse it will be if people only need to wear them intermittently. I can't imagine people will have the masks on in outdoor lines, even when packed together now, waiting for long periods of time because park capacity is back up to "normal busy day." So in essence, there are no longer precautions being taken at Disney - and people have a right to know that when making their decisions about trips.

No, no one is preventing me from wearing a mask. But as experts have pointing out consistently over the past year, the mask isn't to protect yourself - it's to protect others. It protects the wearer a little bit but certainly not completely. So if you have asymptomatic covid, and I'm wearing a mask but you're not, the chance that I will contract it is significantly higher than it would be if you were wearing a mask.

I understand what you are saying. I am actually glad we went last month. I don’t know how I would of felt if they changed the rules while we were there. Many states including New York where I live have not changed any of our mask rules based on the CDC advisories this week.

 

[kylenne]

Yep, that's what's confusing me too! And now CM's will have to spend their entire day reminding people to pull back up because if it's allowed to be off, you know everyone will conveniently and constantly forget when they enter an indoor space or line. It's sad.

The only thing I care about right now is how CMs basically got thrown to the wolves with this. I feel even more sorry for them than I did before, having to enforce this with the Karens of the World.

 

[nikmasteed]

Yeah, their county screwed up royally. Hopefully that’s an exception and not the norm in PA.

I'm in southeast PA, the most populated part of the state. The counties surrounding Philly were experiencing far lower supply per capita than the rest of the state which led to alot of difficulty in getting vaccine appointments. This, however, drastically cleared up in late March and once J&J was authorized. Since then it's been very easy to get an appointment. Many places take walk-ups or even ask people on the street if they're interested.

Every single vaccinated person at this point gets us that much closer. The mask restrictions will continue to loosen over the coming months if Vax rates keep going up.

 

[Jaybrad]

Simple solution, just make mask optional everywhere. Visitors
who have been vaccinated or immune to Covid should not be required to wear a mask anywhere on property just to appease the "have to wear a mask" crowd. If you are concerned about your well being of being around visitors that are not wearing a mask then wear your all important mask, stay away from them or stay home.

 

[sabrecmc]

I’m watching an AK livestream and he is in the spillover line outside and no masks required, but when you get in the actual ride queue, mask up, even if the actual line queue is outdoors.

 

[nikmasteed]

The only thing I care about right now is how CMs basically got thrown to the wolves with this. I feel even more sorry for them than I did before, having to enforce this with the Karens of the World.

I'll be interested to see how stringently WDW actually enforces. At this point, with the CDC news this week, mask-wearing has (very generally speaking) become truly a personal choice risk-aversion assessment. Each business can decide their own policy and also how they will choose to enforce it-- with the new CDC guidance I see vastly reduced risk for businesses to post a policy and then to enforce it in a somewhat lax manner, as long as their posted policy is at least as stringent as CDC.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

In line to enter EPCOT now. Mask compliance in the queue has been great thus far. Looking forward to grabbing a drink and walking around World Showcase before the crowds pile in.