Hey folks. We hope everyone is ok. It’s been a bit of a mad week hasn’t it?? We’ve had a flurry of emails from different airlines telling us that they are starting flying again. We are not saying anything else in case we jinx it! You will have read our adventures in Fast Passes and what happened next – spoilers! – WDW cancelled them all! But it seems a new park booking system will be in in operation, and if it means that we can all still get into the parks then we are ok with that. (More on this at a later date as soon as we know what’s happening and if indeed it IS happening).
This last week we’ve been glued to YouTube watching all the events from Universal Studios and how they are dealing with the social distancing measures. With Ear to Ear Magic, Rix Flix and Resort TV1, it’s been hard going keeping up with all the information that’s about! We haven’t even got time to start with all the Instagram posts and stories – it’s a real storm of information being thrown at us.
So lets start with what you have to wear for current entry into the Universal theme parks, and and why. Brace yourself, masks have got to be worn! It’s gotta be masks. These are mandatory. No ifs, buts or coconuts. The ONLY exception we’ve heard of is if you have a very severe medical condition, there MAY be an exception. But it’s not very likely. Some people have been seen to be wearing the clear face shields, again the information we’ve seen is you STILL need to wear a mask UNDER the face shield, so we really can’t see the point of wearing both? Universal are selling masks for $6 each or 3 for $15, so thats not too bad we think. They are branded with the Universal Studios logos.
You can go through the parking garages and up to the medical checks without your masks on according to our sources. But by the time you get to security/bag check you have to be wearing your mask. If you turn up at that point without a mask you will be escorted to the nearest kiosk to buy one. Please not Universal are not providing free of charge masks, you have to purchase them. We think it’s best to take a few with you to keep swapping them through the day. It’s very hot and muggy in Orlando (yes really…) so it will be more comfortable if you have few spares.
Lots of people have commented about wearing them on rides. The information we have is that you do not have to wear them on water rides such as Jurassic Park or Bluto and Popeye’s Bilge-Rat Barge Wash as it may be a bit tricky to breathe with a wet mask on. You do have to wear them on all other rides. As yet we’ve not heard of anyone losing a mask on The Hulk or Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket, apparently they stay on fairly well. It’s maybe going to be a case of possibly putting one hand on the mask to hold it on instead of holding the sissy bar. (You shouldn’t be holding this anyway!!! – where’s your sense of adventure).
One good thing we have seen is that Universal have set up “U-REST” areas where you can sit (or stand) and take the mask off and get some sweet Florida sunshine on your face. There are a few of these dotted about the parks and in the areas around City Walk. At the moment we don’t know if there is a time limit in these rest areas, we are constantly checking and double checking the info that’s coming out. These areas are all outdoors and everyone will be socially distanced to be safe enough to take their masks off.
You are also able to remove your masks obviously to eat or drink. That not only means you can remove them at a table in a cafe or restaurant etc, but also if you purchase a bottle of water as your wandering around, you ARE able to take your mask off to do that, as well as to eat snacks, ice-creams etc even if you are not in a restaurant. Personally we’re with Rix Flix here, we rarely wander around with a snack or drink, but it’s nice to know we can pull up a kerb or a step or bench somewhere and remove our masks for a little ice cream break.
We have also heard just today from Molly at Allears that you are allowed to take your mask off for a photo as well so that has cheered us up too – although some may argue we would look a lot better in the photos with our masks on, and maybe we’d agree!
One of the other big debates is what style of mask to go for? Do you have one that fastens behind the head or one you loop around your ears? We don’t think anyone has lost a mask yet, yet being the word, but personally we’d go for the ones that loop around the neck and back of the head. But hey, still dealers choice. All these masks, I want to do my Bane impression..
Florida is opening up more as we speak. It’s currently going into ‘phase 2’ so that means more seating is available in restaurants and bars etc., but still with social distancing in place. If you’ve ever been to Orlando you’ll know that the bars and restaurants are pretty big anyway, it just means you wont be sat next to strangers while eating. No bad thing…
Lots of places are using throw away menus and or QR code to scan with with a mobile device and order via an App. So it all feels good and safe.
We’ve seen whilst watching our friends in Universal parks, that they have placed LOTS of social distancing markers out and are leaving rows empty on ride cars and vehicles, and also spraying down and sanitising ride cars and safety rails etc between each ride before the next party get on, so understandably there may be a little longer wait sometimes. However, crowd levels are pretty low at the moment so hopefully that’s not too big a deal. They are also using the “virtual queues” so these will help. So far it’s looking like the “big” queues are for the lockers to put your stuff in before the rides so plan ahead or travel light. (We’ve often seen families carry so much stuff they look like they are going on a walk around the world, not a park! People you don’t need everything!) When you see the shows and entertainment, such as the Blues Brothers etc, there are socially distanced markers on the floor to help spread folks out. They have also placed social distancing markers wherever there is likely to be a line, such as a coffee stand or kiosk. How long this lasts when crowd levels increase we don’t know, but we are sure the staff will be on hand to keep order.
Another thing we’ve seen is the Hogwarts Express social distancing measures. The queue looked pretty big to board, but we found out that they are only letting one family group at a time in each carriage, rather than filling the carriage completely, so if you have a ride booked in the other park and you want to travel over it may be quicker to walk across. It’s not that far anyway. (Side note, we’ve seen both the good folks from Ear to Ear Magic and Rix Flix both duck out the queue. Unless you are REALLY desperate to ride it as a ride,we’d say leave it and walk from park to park).
The photo op’s with the Universal characters are still going ahead, but obviously with the social distancing measures in place. No more standing next to Spidey and chatting about how you get your hair to spike up, or having Homer Simpson sit on a bench and flirt with your wife…….. the characters will be standing on a plinth/platform and you stand just in front (6 feet obviously…) and get your pic taken. You can still chat to them but it will be from your position in front of the stage. One thing to note in BOTH WDW and Universal with the introduction of the new stricter hygiene measures the staff/cast members will no longer use your phone or camera to take the pic. So either split your group up OR get your selfie skills on point. Or use the photographer and pay for the pictures – and if you have Photo Pass with WDW those photos will be free anyway. Either way its still a cool memory of the visit. (And it’s theme park law that you MUST have a pic with Spider-man).
Will it be the same as our usual visits when we are there? Nope. Will it still be fun? Hell yeah! We have had to change our plans and our itinerary so much in the last few weeks its not even funny anymore. And we still don’t even know if the holiday is going ahead yet?
But we are really flexible because we have been there so many times before and can change and swap what we are doing, so we think that’s the way forward for ANY Orlando holiday. You can never set your plans in stone, for one thing mother nature has quite a sense of humour where Floridian weather is concerned, so you need to be flexible.
With all that’s going on its best to arrive early, and we MEAN early, be there for park opening or an hour before. Get in choose your rides and experiences with the virtual queue feature on the app and then chill, go with the flow. We absolutely guarantee that if you take a walk around you will always find something you’ve never seen before. The place is loaded with fun stuff to see and do so take this time to explore and take it all in.
Maybe if you’ve never had a meal before at CityWalk now’s the time, or get on the crazy golf course and let off a bit of steam. The new measures in place will not stop you having fun at all in our opinion, so don’t let the mask issue worry you too much.
Lots and lots of people have asked us “will you still go if you can”? Yes. Emphatically yes. It’s all about being sensitive to people and the situation. It’s always busy in a theme park and you quite often have to bite your tongue if someone in the queue is being annoying or if a parent slams you in the shin with a pram.. I’ve personally lost count of the number of times I’ve had to walk away and just smile… this experience in the parks WILL be testing for a lot of people, it WILL be a longer and potentially more difficult day, especially if you have young children, but you have to adapt. The parks have adapted and so can we. I will be totally honest and say that 99.9% of the community will be accommodating to all the changes, so we have to “guide” the 0.01% that think it will be ok just to carry on as a normal. Let the staff deal with these guys. Enjoy the holiday and the adventures.
Keep everything crossed that things get moving soon and people who want to travel this summer (including us) are able to do so. If 2020 is too scary a prospect for you, we understand, by all means hang on until next year. The magic will still be there for you, we promise.
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