Disney Springs and Universal Orlando’s CityWalk reopened a few months ago and brought about several big changes — some of which are taking a little more getting used to than others! 😉
Both shopping and dining districts mandated the use of masks for both guests and employees. Making the change to wearing masks in daily life has been a bit of a transition — but add a little Florida heat and walking around all day to the mix and things start to get a little swampy pretty FAST.
Our Disney Springs days while wearing face masks were good practice (and gave us some idea of what to expect!) but now that Universal Orlando theme parks and the Disney World theme parks have reopened, we can finally give you the official scoop on what it’s like to wear a face mask at a theme park ALL. DAY. LONG!
Masks vs. the Heat
We’d be kidding ourselves if we said wearing a face mask wasn’t really, REALLY hot at times. It definitely the hardest part of the whole face mask-wearing lifestyle we’ve recently procured for ourselves (along with everyone else)! Mid-day when the sun is beating down (not to mention Florida is VERY humid) we’ve been noticeably sweating uncontrollably!
But here’s the thing — if you’re like us, you’re already used to shvitzing half of your body mass in sweat and having your clothes cling to your body! Being outside this time of year can be hot, sticky, and uncomfortable even without a mask.
Luckily, we did a little pre-theme park conditioning before we hit Universal Orlando and Disney World — and we highly recommend taking some long walks outdoors with your face masks and see how well you handle the heat. Chances are you’ll find it tolerable — but you’ll probably have to work up to it!
Click Here For Suggestions To Find The Most Comfortable Masks
Masks vs. Thrill Rides
We weren’t exactly sure what would happen to our face masks once we went on a rollercoaster for the first time since we know what usually happens to loose articles! Bye-bye favorite sunglasses!
But with face coverings that fit snugly against your nose and mouth, this isn’t an issue! The only time we felt our mask start to slide was on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit — one of Universal’s more-intense rides. And even then, our face mask stayed in place. We recommend giving your mask a quick tug to make sure it’s secure before take-off!
Check out 6 things that really surprised us about Universal’s reopening here!
Mask vs. Excitement
Does wearing a face mask take away from rides? This was something we were the MOST curious to find out!
So what did we think? We still had a great time on the rides, despite wearing face coverings. In fact, on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal and Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios, there were moments we totally forgot we were wearing them!
But here’s the thing — if this is your first time visiting Universal Studios, Disney World, or just experiencing any of these rides, you might not get the full experience! We’ve been on the rides before, so for us, it’s just exciting to get to enjoy them again. If you’re only planning on visiting Universal or Disney World once, you might want to wait until face masks aren’t mandatory.
Check out 6 things we learned at Universal this week that you’ll need to know for Disney World’s reopening!
Masks vs. Eating
We weren’t about to let a face mask stop us from consuming as much Butterbeer (and Butterbeer Ice Cream!) as Muggle-ly possible! And if you think a face mask is going to get between us and a Mickey Ice Cream Bar, think again! And like our experience at CityWalk and Disney Springs, eating and drinking with a face mask isn’t much of an issue.
Guests are allowed to lower their masks while eating or drinking and since tables at restaurants have been spaced apart, you’re free to remove your face covering while you enjoy your meal. Universal employees and Disney Cast Members respectively were keeping a watchful eye on everybody and any time a guest had their mask lowered but wasn’t holding a snack or drink, they were asked to re-cover.
Keep in mind that Disney World has instituted the added policy of having to be stationary and distanced while eating or drinking in order to remove your face mask.
Masks vs. Breathing
Getting in some practice with wearing a mask definitely helped us get more acclimated to breathing through a mask while outside. We also noticed the material of your face mask will make it easier or harder to breathe. Click here for some suggestions as to the most comfortable face masks you can choose.
Universal has set up several U-Rest Areas and Disney has implemented Relaxation Stations where guests can remove their masks temporarily while social distancing. You can stay in these areas for however long you need to get a break.
Click here to learn more about Universal’s U-Rest Areas!
Masks vs. Children
We didn’t have any children with us on our trips to the theme parks this week, but we understand many of our readers are concerned about being able to get their young children to wear face masks for the duration of their visit. The kids we’ve seen so far have been doing a really good job keeping their face masks on, and waiting until they got to a restaurant or U-Rest Area before taking them off!
While we think this will be a matter each parent will need to address with their children individually, we think having the flexibility to remove face coverings when sitting down for a meal or in a designated U-Rest Area or Relaxation Station will provide some extra relief for families with younger kids. It’s also possible you might need to plan shorter park days than you’re used to — at least for the time being!
Overall, face masks do take some getting used to. But that being said, wearing a mask in a theme park didn’t feel TOO much different from a mask all day at Disney Springs. We found out some lessons the hard way, so we have some top tips for wearing a face covering here!
Our most important tip is probably to have back-up. Bring at least two masks (and maybe three) for each person in your party, just in case one does fly off on a ride, or you’re stuck in a rainstorm and the mask you’re wearing is no longer effective.
And remember — YOU get to decide when you’re ready to go back out in public and if you’re ready to go to a theme park right now. But we were pleasantly surprised that face coverings didn’t actually put too much of a damper on our day!
Check out all of our live coverage from Universal’s reopening here!
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation. Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Do you have any questions about wearing a mask in a theme park? Please let us know in the comments below!
This just sounds nightmarish especially with kids. When will masks get lifted? What phase?
I’m curious to what you mean by “you won’t get the full experience of the ride” and if it’s your first and only time going you may want to wait till face masks are no longer required?
I go back and forth thinking there will never be a day they are no longer required.
But we were planning to go down in October and again in December, but with Disney not doing hotel reservations yet we may not get in the Disney parks, but since Universal does not have such levels of admission requirements we figured we would go to Universal. It would be our first time in almost 20 years, and probably not go back for another 10-20 yrs.
So what experience are we missing out on? Are they cutting short rides or eliminating parts of the rides?
Thanks for writing, Jennifer. What our team members who’ve been on the ground (and on the rides) mean is that if you’re worried about your mask or uncomfortable in it, you may be distracted while on the rides. And that splitting of your attention — trying to enjoy the ride but ultimately preoccupied by the mask — might diminish the overall effect of your experience. Their recommendation is to work up to wearing it for long periods, in the heat, etc. so that when it’s time, it’s more familiar and not so distracting. I hope that makes sense and helps give some perspective.
Ryan, unfortunately there’s no news on this front. We will be updating every step of the way.
I am one that has to use an ECV and would it be best to wait out for less crowds? Most of my time is spent exploring the park and being a foodie.
Glad you had a good time in your mask. To me, they are a terror and, if you do the research, they cause more problems than they solve. They create a warm, moist environment, which is what viruses and bacteria love. You touch your face more (this has been shown to be true for most people), therefore moving the bacteria / virus to your hands (or from your hands to your mask). You then touch other things…so the bacteria / virus is not only happily multiplying in the warm, moist environment of your mask / face, but it’s now also on your hands and you are transferring it to everything you touch and transferring everything you (and everyone else) touches back to your face.
Yeah, great idea…..in the heat of Florida this will work well. NOT
I’m ready to go right now, but not with the ridiculously pointless mask policy in place. We’ve had reservations at Poly for late September for a while so I am hoping this “feel good” (that doesnt) measure is over by then.
Work up to it? Get USED to it?? Right. No thanks. I live in NY where it is usually miserably hot and humid in the summer too. So far its been coolish here , and I wore my mask outside to take a mile walk yesterday. It was not quite 80 degrees, but the humidity was growing. Gasping for air is not my idea of fun. Most certainly not when I am paying HUNDREDS of dollars for the experience. As for taking the mask off in the restaurants, well, its known that Disney does not have ENOUGH restaurant seating, and never has. Hence the ridiculous need to book restaurants a year in advance. Now with maybe half the amount of seats???? Good luck. I am not looking for a hot dog outside in the heat at every meal. Unless Disney REALLY restricts the number of people allowed to enter the park I predict LOTS of unhappy customers and lots of problems. I pass.
Thank you, DBF Sarah – for your response to what experience will be missed is a great point I’m not sure why I didn’t think of it. The only thing I can think of is, I have avoided places I would have to wear a mask in, and the mask I do use for required places is really secure, not sure if I’d have concerns about it coming off, even on a roller coaster. But I do know that the second I can take it off it comes off, I am distracted when I wear a mask.
As to Ryan, I don’t think it is so much a phase thing – Disney may choose to continue the mask requirement to avoid lawsuits. Especially since they receive visitors from around the world and places that may have higher numbers and I doubt they will want to lose revenue saying no visitors from …
Even though we already have accepted the risk of contagion by walking onto property, and personally if that is the case I wish we had the choice of how we take on that risk. And others have that choice also knowing some may choose to wear a rated mask and others a now rated mask, and then others no mask at all. But I understand their liabilities are high here.
Short answer for what it’s like to wear a mask all day in a park…awful, useless, and unnecessary!!!
This is such great impartial info, I’m impressed by the way your blog and videos have navigated recent events. Literally nothing is ideal right now, but I appreciate you for taking one for the team and testing this out for us. Our Disney fandom will be tested and measured by our willingness to wear a smile under our masks in the parks, it seems. Bright side: gives us a new official merch category to collect? I’m trying here!
If they don’t lift the face mask requirement or at least make it optional or something inside only we will not be going back. It breaks our hearts as we live in Florida and have been to a Disney countless times. We love it so much. We listen to park music during the day and even have some of the hotel scents essential oils. We are long time pass holders but with the ridiculous mask policy it will make Disney unbearable and kill the magic. We are hopeful they will get this right after initial opening but if the mask requirements stay we will find other places to spend our money. 9 months a year of heat and humidity will make for pure misery with a mask. What about the cleanliness of constantly taking your mask off to drink. Disney will also be getting a lawsuit from the families who had loved ones pass out from heat exhaustion, who are prone to faint when breathing their own CO2 for extended times, someone who died of heat stroke because they did not drink enough. Simple solution make the mask optional except for inside the ac. There is no reason to walk around outside in the open with a mask. This policy will cause more problems than not. I just hate to see the magic go away.
I agree with Pris. Mask are unnecessary and do to the loss of revenue that all the amusement parks need to meet their budgets won’t last long! Per phase 2 in Florida which started last Friday it says mask are recommended not required every where in the language (business discretion) by phase 3 back to normal life and normal life is not Americans walking around anywhere with a mask on! We could be in phase 3 before Disney even opens up on July 11th I believe the end is coming .
I highly doubt you will ever forget you are wearing a mask in the Florida heat. And its going to be sweaty and gross. You suggest taking 2-3 masks per person/per day. That could end up being a lot of masks, which is very expensive. I can’t even imagine the number of people passing out and/or vomiting because of the heat. I hope Disney doesn’t require them on rides. I haven’t heard yet. If I paid for Memory Maker, I want to see my face on the rides – not a mask.
Ditto to everyone that strictly does not like the mask. I totally agree with Trixie. The mask do more harm than good. I’m just over all the ‘Know
better for U than U do for yourself’ people. I love Disney with a
passion BUT I will not be back until the Must Wear Mask is no longer imposed on us. This is ridiculous.
Thank you so much for your comment, Craig.
Better plan on taking a minimum of 3 or 4 masks for EACH HOUR in the park. They are supposed to be replaced after removing – yes, even for a sip of water – and hands thoroughly washed before putting a new one on. They have to be replaced when they get damp as well, and with the way most people sweat, that will be very frequently. Don and doff masks (put on and take off) by handling only by the strings or ear loops with freshly washed hands. Adjust the nose piece and ensure a gapless fit all around the face, then do not touch it again. Men will need to be clean-shaven. If the mask is touched for any reason, hands must be washed thoroughly.
Cloth masks must be sanitized before wearing again. That means laundering in detergent and bleach, in water at least 200F or dried for 30 minutes or more. Staying in a hotel? Good luck with that. Soiled masks must be kept in a sealed bag or container. Disposable masks need to be put into biomedical waste bags.
If you can’t do all that, then wearing a mask actually increases the risk of spreading infection.
I understand that you are pro theme park, after all your blog Is You livelihood, but wearing a face mask at one is simpley not what a normal guest would even want to consider. We need a cure, a Vaccine to concours this devil, so we can all get back to Normal!, Trying to run Universal or Disney under these restrictions is plane crazy!
Masks are not intended to protect the wearing person as much as the wearing person to others! Don’t understand the opposition, it’s selfish!
Agree , we canceled our trip for early September. When DDP was taken away which by the way our trip qualified for free dining (bummer) , no character dining, fast passes gone.
Family said why go will not be fun.
And mandatory masks we will wait .
Hopefully next year but who knows.
Thank you to Sarah and team for keeping us updated. Stay well.
I live in the West…as long as Disneyland charges $100+ for a one-day, one-park ticket, I will not be going to Disney…mask is not an issue.
Thank goodness Disney has scientists and medical professionals advising them on this important health issue. I’m glad they have implemented a mask policy.
Thanks for the informative writeup, The Disney Food Blog. I very much enjoyed reading about your experience with wearing masks inside a theme park.
Thank you, June. Take care.
WHO says itscrare for assyptomtic individuals to transmit. So no need for healthy people to wear a mask “to protect the vulnerable” please stop the madness #nomasks
My goodness there is a lot of fantasy alive and well amongst your readers! I must say I’m glad theirs isn’t the kind making it’s way into Imagineering, I don’t think I could handle the “vomit and pass out” attraction lol, though it could make an interesting addition to The Haunted Mansion! “Practicing their terror with ghoulish delight!”
Part of Disney magic for me is the idea that we care about people other than ourselves. I have 4 different friends with Lupus, one of whom has Lyme as well, and then another friend with Lyme. I’m seriously happy so many of your readers have such healthy friends and family but my life experience has taught me a different set of values. It seems there’s a strangely popular superpower your commenters have of loving Disney stories and somehow distilling a message of shameless self entitlement from them. Now that’s some kind of magic!
Unless the US Government passes a law to protect corporations from being sued for negligence ( which you do not want ) you’re not going to see Masks being removed anytime soon. Not this year and definitely when no vaccine is out.
Adapt and overcome.
Masks dont really help. I can’t wear a mask due to a medical condition. What about us? Are we going to be judged and bullied? No thanks. I will wait till Phase 3.
My boyfriend and I have annual universal studios passes and have been there more times then we can count and have never complained about weather, waiting times or crowds however, we went one day this week and wearing a mask was terrible. Especially in this heat! The park was not packed at all and they did have markers for standing in line which wasn’t bad but if it was busy it wouldn’t be a fun experience. We just bought Disney annual passes before the shut down started and went once but we will be calling for a refund after the experience at universal. We will patiently wait for the mask policy to be lifted. Can’t get the full Disney experience with masks and social distancing especially when that aren’t even having the famous Disney parades!
I’m a Florida residents I.. I’m a pass holder for Disney and also universal I won’t go back until the masks are lifted .. I’ll just have to find something else to spend my money on
I am an internationnal traveler and was supposed to go to Walt Disney World in April. My airline company issued us a 24 month credit but we will not reschedule our trip unless Disney stops the mandatory mask policy. I work in a federal jail with a mask on my face and I certainly don’t want to put a mask on when I’m on vacation. Who really want to spend thousands of dollars to go to Disney with no parades, no character greetings and no fast passes? The mask policy is also a burden and takes the joy away. We need to see smiles and have fun!
I’m kind of excited that all of the anti maskers are saying they won’t be visiting the parks. It will make the rest of us less likely to catch something that they caught. Also, less people in the park! This is kind of great news.
If you don’t like wearing a mask, you will really HATE a ventilator!
We were at Disney in August and November. I’m not a fan of the masks at all, but wear them when I have too. With that being said, wearing one constantly at Disney, I noticed I have very little energy at the end of the day. Now keep in mind, the park hours are shorter now at the parks, so this should tell you something about wearing masks ALL the time. I’m not sure if I’m the only one who felt like this, and I’m hoping it doesn’t have any long term health issues. We are planning on going back this coming April , and next November. Hopefully with the vaccines coming out, the fear mongering will ease up, and they make mask wear optional or eliminate it completely.
I am supposed to go to Disney in April and I am already dreading wearing a mask, and not seeing any fireworks or getting any magic hours. There is no fast pass either and this is my first trip there too and this is not how I wanted it to be. I get that Disney has a lot riding on its decision to enforce masks or forgo them, but they are making a trip to Disney sound very unpleasant. Requiring a mask in the boiling heat outside is CRAZY!!!! Inside restaurants and stores I can kind of see, but walking around outside and on rides, with social distance markers in place, is ridiculous. It would be really nice if Disney would operate under the guidelines of common sense. Making a guest leave because they move the mask under their nose to get some air is unreasonable and over the top. If Disney wants better business, they better start restoring some of the magic or it they are going to lose a lot of Disney fans.