14 unusual Covid protocols in effect at Disney parks

Question: will more people stay home because of the fear of Covid, or because of all the restrictions?

While some live entertainment has returned to Disney Parks, Resorts and Spas (the spa live entertainment is worth the extra charge!), guests have noticed something unusual: the perfomers stay away from each other, never touching. Not even in the climactic romantic parts of Beauty and the Beast Live: Belle and the prince just smile and hold out their hands towards each other. So… romantic?

With those odd rules, all of the changes to the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, and making guests wind through plexiglass corridors like rats in a maze (good thing air can’t pass over those barriers, right?), we here at Uncle Walt’s Insider got to wondering: what other unusual Covid-19 prevention protocols are in effect at Disney Parks?

Every food item is thoroughly doused with hand sanitizer before it is served. 

This might change the taste a wee bit, but if it saves one life…

All toilets are hover only.

Even the urinals.

Paper straws will no longer be dried and re-used for other guests.

We’ve long suspected this.

There is a Cast Member aboard every Skyliner cabin to make sure you don’t take your mask off as soon as the doors close.

Not that anyone we know would ever do that.

Bus drivers are required to sit backwards so they can ensure guests do not remove their masks.

A repositioned rear-view mirror helps them steer. Priorities, you know.

That creepy Cast Member who enters your room at night sits on a chair to watch you sleep.

You know, instead of next to you on the bed.

Proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test is required when arriving by plane, boat, monorail, car, old time fire truck, double decker bus, or horse drawn carriage.

Guests arriving by authentic steam trains are exempt.

Anyone coughing or sneezing audibly is quickly seized by Disney security and dragged backstage.

Never to be seen again.

All guests who visit the Space 220 restaurant are required to show a negative Covid test.

Both before ascent and again before returning. A positive test while onboard will result in a 14-day space quarantine at the guest’s expense.

Disney’s Genie and Genie+ app services will not work if your phone camera shows you are unmasked.

Also, all of the Genie+ AR photo filters now automatically add a triple-layered mask and face shield to every person in the photo.

Animals on the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction will be masked for their safety.

Or your safety. Wait, whose mask protects who again? [Ed.: Frankly, we’re more concerned about the safety of whoever’s job it is to put the masks on the animals!]

The Friendship boat jump through the ring of fire in Harmonious will only be performed at the 3PM show.

Oh, so that’s why we didn’t see it at night.

To prevent crowding, all Christmas decorations will be removed.

Chanukah decorations will remain in place, since no one can ever find them anyway.

Finally, Disney is implementing new queues for every attraction: Stand-by Vaccinated; Stand-by Unvaccinated; Stand-by First Booster; Stand-by Second Booster; Lightning Lane Vaccinated; Lightning Lane Unvaccinated; Lightning Lane First Booster; Lightning Lane Second Booster; and, of course, Single Rider. 

Per CDC recommendation, only the Second Booster queues ever actually move.

Walt, Ub, X & Marty all contributed to this article. So don’t just blame Marty.

 But is Disney doing enough? Let us know in the comments below!

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Cover photo: Oh, yeah. There’s also a giant mask on Cinderella Castle. Photo by Michael Gray [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr.