It looks like we will see Disney World reopen their gates this July! This is wonderful news for the diehard Disney fans out there, but it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to take precautions in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. For some, this will mean postponing trips until later in the year. However, this isn’t an option for others.
Those who will be going immediately after the reopening will be expected to do things a little bit differently. Queuing for rides will involve standing 6 feet apart, hand sanitizing will be the norm before and after every experience, and ordering food online will be encouraged.
Another thing that will be different? What you pack in your park bag. Obviously, you will still need the usual things such as sunscreen and your wallet, but there are a few extra things you’ll want to toss in for good measure.
Hand Sanitizer
First and foremost, you will want a way to sanitize your hands when a sink and soap aren’t nearby. While the parks do plan to have plenty of hand sanitizing stations scattered throughout the parks, you never know when one of those might be out of stock. Therefore, keeping your own sanitizer with you is definitely a good move.
Sanitizing Wipes
Another great sanitizing product to keep on hand is a small package of sanitizing wipes. Sure, Disney plans on wiping everything down regularly, and yes, Disney is excellent at keeping things clean. However, it is impossible that they will be able to wipe every surface every time someone touches it.
Wipes can be used to clean and sanitize tables, benches, or any other objects used by others that you plan on touching, ensuring they are clean even if a Cast Member hasn’t reached them yet.
Can’t find sanitizing wipes? You can make your own pretty easily. Make several batches so you have enough for the whole vacation.
Face Mask
Face masks will be required for all employees and guests. This is because even with reduced capacity, you could potentially find yourself in an enclosed space with dozens of other park goers, increasing the risk of infection.
Because you never know what may come up, wearing a mask isn’t a bad idea, and keeping an extra on hand is even better.
Smartphone
As mentioned earlier, it is likely that Disney will be encouraging the use of mobile ordering when it comes to eating at restaurants in their parks. Additionally, we anticipate more FastPass+ style virtual queuing.
Of course, participating in these types of queues requires having a smartphone on hand for making and changing orders and reservations. Therefore, it is more important than ever that you carry your phone with you into the Disney parks.
Just note that it is very easy to contaminate your phone by touching it after touching handrails, ride bars, and other high-touch items. For this reason, we recommend using the aforementioned sanitizing wipes to clean your phone often.
Portable Phone Charger
Smartphone batteries don’t stay charged forever. In fact, many don’t even stay charged for a full day, especially when being used to check, make, and move reservations. For this reason, it’s important to bring some way to recharge your device.
A wall charger could work for this, as there are a few outlets scattered throughout the parks. That said, some sort of portable charger is ideal. These can be purchased for next to nothing and are super easy to use and carry around, making them a no-brainer.
Hair Ties and a Headband or a Hat
In order to prevent the virus from entering your system, it’s important that you avoid touching your face. Because we all touch our faces so often without even thinking about it, this is more difficult to accomplish than you might imagine. It’s even more difficult when your hair is in your eyes and tickling your face, tempting you to move it every few minutes.
Fortunately, you can avoid this issue. Simply pull your hair up using a hair tie, and secure all those wispy hairs with a headband. Alternatively, you could just throw a hat on, securing your hair underneath. Either way, those hairs that typically tickle and annoy you will be trapped, and you can enjoy the parks without touching your face.
Stroller
Okay, so a stroller doesn’t really go into your bag. Still, it’s a super important thing to have when taking small children to Disney World. It becomes even more important when social distancing is required. In fact, we recommend packing a stroller even for slightly older children during this time of social distancing.
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Why do we recommend this? Because it allows you to secure your children and keep them close at all times. You won’t run the risk of a little one running into the space of another person. Instead, they will have their own little bubble of safety wherever you go.
Packing these items is a quick and easy way to be prepared, stay healthy, and help keep others healthy during your time in the parks. Considering how simple it is to throw these few extra items into your bag, we can’t see any reason why everyone shouldn’t have these things on hand.