Throughout the pandemic, nothing has been "for sure." Places closed, reopened, lifted mask and vaccine policies, and then brought them back again.
Walt Disney Company (DIS)'s parks have not been an exception to this pandemic fluctuation.
Given Florida's conservative leadership, Disneyland followed California state guidelines while Disney World was largely left on its own when it came to masking and vaccine requirements.
As vaccines became accessible, Disney World moved to drop mask requirements for vaccinated guests but, in a strange twist, had no way of enforcing them since Florida law prevents checking guests' vaccination status.
Amid the omicron wave in the fall, Disney once again asked guests to wear masks indoors — a rule that was dropped by February.
It has been a confusing period for Disney World guests as the parks went from very strict mask-wearing rules to ones that were looser and location-based, Since those changed multiple times, it was not always easy to know exactly where you needed a mask (although Disney did have a lot of signs and even cast-member helping out).
Wait, The Rules Are Changing Again?
As of March 16, face masks are once again optional on the inter-park gondola system known as Disney World Skyliner and the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser vehicles.
While the changes may seem small and hard to follow, Disney had previously made an exception for indoor transportation and required guests to wear face coverings on all Disney buses, monorails and the Skyliner.
This means buses and monorails are the only Disney areas in which masks are mandatory.
"All face coverings (whether disposable or reusable) should be made with at least 2 layers of breathable material [and] fully cover the nose and mouth and secure under the chin," Disney writes in its updated policy.
Disney
How Has Disney Been Doing During The Pandemic?
As with most industries, amusement parks have seen a lot of ups and downs over the last two years.
Most parks shut their doors in March 2020 and, according to a report by the Themed Entertainment Association and AECOM, attendance at the 25 biggest parks in the country fell by 67% between 2019 and 2020.
By the time Disney World and Disneyland re-opened their doors, many were tired of lockdowns and turning to the parks to get away from it all — and average spending at all the Disney parks increased by 30% since 2019.
The pandemic has also not stopped Disney from working on new rides and other developments.
A copy of the 60-mile-per-hour ride at Shanghai Disney, the Tron Lightcycle is currently undergoing testing. Disney is also currently building the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for Epcot.
That said, not everything has fully reopened from the pandemic – Disney is currently working to restart nightly shows like "Fantasmic!" and "World of Color" as well as fine-dining restaurants like Victoria & Albert's.
