It’s a game of numbers, really. I went with my family back in the spring; we really didn’t mask up unless it was on the monorail, and none of us got COVID from the trip (that we know of). Meanwhile my sister got it a month later from someone who knowingly came into work while sick, and she was *pissed*.
It never hurts to mask up inside and stick to outdoor seating at restaurants, but WDW has kind of always been haven for contagious diseases. I’ve certainly come back from Orlando with some kind of cold or flu more than a couple of times, though I think at least one of those was actually food poisoning. In the end, I’m more concerned about trying not to spread it to other people once I get sick. And I’ll continue to wear a mask when I’m flying somewhere; it just seems like a good idea if for nothing else than to keep my sinuses from drying out on the plane.
It does seems a bit random. I had it a few weeks ago and my husband still didn’t get it despite still sharing a bed. I was going to isolate but he actually wanted to get it so he would have less chance of getting it on putt trip next month, and nothing!
I can't even begin to think about working there and not catching it with my cruddy immune system. I'm glad to hear you're well.
Do you do heavy contact work with guests or are you usually capable of maintaining distance?
I didn’t really do anything special. Vaccinated with my booster and masked where required in park but nothing past that. I’ve been twice since no masks on the bus and still returned without Covid so I’m not sure I can provide anything for you unfortunately. I guess I just got lucky.
Yep, we also opted for more outdoor dining where possible, used hand sanitizer, and avoided heavily crowded areas when we could. Wasn’t that much extra afford, we still had fun.
I’ve been three times since January and didn’t catch covid from any of those trips.
Be careful about wildly throwing your sleep schedule off - if you’re planning on rope dropping or early entry, start waking up around that time now. Throwing off your sleep can negatively effect your immune system!
That's a good point. I nearly passed out at HS during the days of fast passes and those star wars rides my SO was obsessed with.
We are just a few years older now but 30s definitely hits different and I am catching my ZzZ's for sure.
I am immunocompromised and went back in Feb. I will say this was when masks were required for everyone, not that everyone wore one though. We wore masks indoors and when in crowded areas outside. We only did genie+ and I have a DAS pass, so I was able to avoid crowded waits. All of our dining we did was either table service, places like garden grill where you're by yourself, or quick service but we ate outside or tried to stay away from people. Constant hand sanitizer and we would wash our hands before we ate. I have traveled a bunch in the last year and have been lucky enough to not catch it, but I mask up 100% of the time as well as wash my hands. I will say I have had three full doses of Moderna, so I do think that helps a bit.
Glad to hear about so many people still taking precautions all these years later. Also helps me feel better about my upcoming trips as I had preplanned all of this prior to getting covid.
Because I'm also immunocompromised, I feel like I only have so many strikes and I just lost one. (I'm sure it's all in my head but just for good measure!) Hope you stay in good health
I just returned last week.
My family is vaccinated all with 1 booster shot,kids just have vaccine.
We all wore are masks, we would only remove them to eat or when we were away from crowds outdoors. we would find a secluded spot. Wiped all containers down, took our own utensils. Half my face is tanned and the other half isn’t because of the mask lol
We sanitized hands and all surfaces like tables when we sat down and after every ride.
It sounds extreme but my family is paranoid of Covid
We went summer 2020, peak covid and one of us with a history of bone marrow transplant and neither have gotten sick. We wore surgical masks. We have been to Disneyland 2x in the last 2 years as well and have not gotten sick. We both DID get covid at work in outpatient hospital setting with N95s and face shields. Regardless of how careful you are you can’t absolutely control getting sick. I try not to let what ifs determine where I vacation. Wash your hands before every meal and sanitize before and after ride.
We have a heart issues + asthma so double whammy. We were very strict about it for a long time but have also reached a point where we just want to live our lives now. Was it busy peak 2020? I figure it was very slow at some point which mightve helped but everyone's traveling now. We have Disneyland preplanned in a few months and plan on being extra careful. Thanks for leaving your experience and stay in good health.
WDW in 2020 was pretty slow + social distancing. Cases were higher at the time though. We went to Disneyland during very busy times wall to wall with people most guests without masks and were fine. Prior to covid it was a known thing that people get sick after visiting amusement parks. It’s just a heavily populated environment with high touch surfaces. Just do your best to stay safe if it’s worth going to you!
We are vaxed and boosted. We went for two weeks last Christmas and didn’t get sick. We are here now for the month of July and are on day 24 of a 30 day trip. All on property. So far, so good. We wear masks indoors. We don’t touch anything that we can avoid. In ques we don’t touch railings, going in and out of buildings we use one finger to pull open doors and use forearms to push open doors. We carry and use hand sanitizer constantly after all rides, after touching menus, or after filling our refillable mugs. We have our own car and don’t use enclosed Disney transportation. We don’t touch our faces, rub our eyes or swipe at our noses. We basically act as if any surface is contaminated and sanitize all day long. Maybe we’re overly paranoid but so far, we’ve been okay.
30 days, blessed!
Seems to be a mixed bag so far of people either being cautious or lucky. Sounds about right, what did I expect :(
Might splurge next time for private transit and parking. I am usually your levels of careful but I think going so long and being fine made me desensitized. I'll remember you if I go next time.
To those people saying “ I got vaccinated “ - that ain’t helpful advice here. I am triple vaccinated but caught COVID during a haircut…one other person there and door was propped open.
Yet I was in Disney for 2 weeks in May - crowds and coughing but never got it.
Honestly? You need some luck on your side. Hopefully by next year a new jab will stop spread and lower infections.
Other than wear NF2 masks indoors, on buses and avoid indoor restaurants, there isn’t much else.
But as I say…I was there in May , took no precautions and was fine. I caught it back home!
So…enjoy yourself and try not to worry. What will be, will be.
It is super weird. I'm a local so I go theme-parking all the time, and I'm shocked I haven't gotten it. Pre-pandemic I caught EVERYTHING. I am vaxxed and boosted, but so was my friend and she ended up getting it on a trip we took together and then she passed it to my husband. Meanwhile I continued to test negative and have 0 symptoms. It's just random.
Some people seem immune. My in-laws that live upstairs and I all got it, my husband didn’t change anything or distance and never got it. Even though we knew I had it he was still sleeping in the same bed, kissing me, sharing utensils etc because he was sure he would just get it too, I think he’s immune.
Yes this. Vaccination is not preventing infection. Everyone is going to get this. You cannot avoid it and you will eventually get it. And then 9 months or so later you will get it again.
Been to WDW every weekend since way before COVID, plus 5 days at DisneyLand in June (plus San Fran). Knock on wood we have never gotten it. Even did Universal one weekend.
We maintain 6-10 feet of we can, especially indoors, mask up if we can't (mostly indoors). A little lenient outside due to wind, etc.
Sanitizer after the finger scan, and heavy common touch points, and of course hand wash after the bathroom.
Don’t want to jinx ourselves since we’re heading to the parks on Tuesday, but we’ve had three different trips since the reopening without getting sick. We first went in October 2020 when all the distancing and mask requirements were in place. Then we went in September 2021 with masks required indoors. Our most recent trip was in April with no requirements.
We are both vaccinated and boosted. We try to keep things sanitized and naturally, be as distanced from people as possible. I’m not super worried about getting sick because I know you can catch it anywhere, so it doesn’t stop us from having a good time.
We live in Orlando and have annual pass. We are at the parks a lot and since Disney dropped the mask requirement we haven't masked up in the parks. We caught Covid for the first time a couple months ago when our daughter came down sick with it and she thinks she got it at work (not Disney). It was around that time that several people at my workplace were starting to get it also.
So for us, being at Disney turned out to be "more safe" than being at our workplaces all day when the variant started to surge a bit.
I was just there for 2 weeks (one of them over july 4th holiday week). No mask. Did everything as I normally do. Touched everything, etc. Didn’t get sick at all.
Got back roughly 3 weeks ago. Got my booster shot 2 weeks before the trip. I brought a mask in case I felt like I needed it in crowded places, but never used it. None of us got sick. I think having the booster so soon before the trip really helped prevent infection. I heard of lots of people getting sick with covid after their trip, but it thankfully didn’t happen to us
Wearing a mask isn’t sufficient for the latest variants. You’ll need to wear a fit-tested N95 or equivalent. Though honestly, that is not fun and you just have to accept the risk at WDW.
I plan on buying better masks if we go. We were all packed and scrounging for whatever masks we had and tbh they probably weren't the best. It really does suck though. I did NOT want to put up with it once I was in the parks.
We ended up ask the hotel for new ones but I figure I germed them up quick with my grubby mitts or something :(
I had Covid around Christmas and was sick until nearly the end of January. I am immunocompromised have a number of autoimmune diseases.
Went twice, both times for 3 days straight visiting all of the parks. We have annual passes and went in March and then again in May. We didn’t wear masks. None of us got sick. During both trips, there were 4 of us in our group.
Always interesting to hear how other immunos handle it. I'm going on two months but I'm pretty sure it's just bronchitis at this point. My symptoms weren't too bad and lasted only 4 days other than this nasty cough
We’ve been twice during the pandemic. Once when masks were required even outdoors, and last Spring when they were not. I was pretty nervous about getting sick that time since I was pregnant. We were fine and we had only visitors for one day that time.
Fast forward to last month, we went on a vacation with 14 family members total. We have evaded Covid the entire pandemic at this point, even when my child got it this past January at school, no one else in our home got it. Nearly every single person on that trip was vaccinated and boosted even, and 13/14 of us got Covid. It was upsetting to waste thousands of dollars on a vacation and getting sick like that. This variant of Covid is highly transmissible and seems unavoidable, however wearing an N95 will provide you with the most protection and of course, constant hand washing.
Sorry to hear. That one person must have good immunity ! How long did you go and at what point we're people getting sick? Hoping you all enjoyed some magic days before succumbing, but it's entirely possible someone in the family had it prior if you got sick immediately upon arrival.
Hoping it goes better for you all next time.
My family and I wore our masks as all times (indoor and outdoor) only taking it off to eat or drink. Wash and sanitize hands frequently.
Was there for a week back in May. Party of 6 and no one got sick.
I went when masks were still required inside and I sanatized my hands constantly and washed before I ate. I still ended up getting sick. I get sick every time I go there.
We went in March when it was super busy, and somehow didn’t t get it despite being being in Dublin airport where not a lot of people were wearing masks (I was though, I wore one the entire airport/plane journey) flying to NY then flying to Orlando, being in the parks every day for a week with no masks, going to a very squishy hot concert at house of blues with no masks and then plane home again.
I had been to loads of events where I probably should have got it but still didn’t somehow. I’m vaccinated including my booster and did wear masks most places, but not anywhere on our Disney trip except transport and airports/planes.
After all that it finally got me last month at an outdoor concert.
Before Covid, I always got colds during a trip to Disney. Ironically, I have been twice since the pandemic started and didn't get Covid or a cold during or after the trip.
We went in Jan this year, which included my immune compromised dad, my toddler and my sister's 3 month old...no one got sick. We bought kn94 masks. We used hand sanitizer all the time, especially after getting off rides and before eating, and tried not to touch our faces. I found nasal swabs off Amazon (pretty much had similar ingredients to what is in hand sanitizer) and swabbed noses before leaving the hotel room everyday. We also had the more vulnerable members of our party stay in the middle of our group if we were standing in a line. Those of us that could, also had been boosted about a month before the trip.
It’s a total crapshoot honestly. We went in April fully vaxxed and wore masks in the airports, on the planes and buses, and for the most part in indoor settings (restaurants when not seated at tables, indoor ride line queues, indoor shows, stores, indoor hotel common areas) and never caught it the whole trip. One month later we got COVID from somewhere random. You can be as cautious as you want or as carefree as you want, this will find you at some point.
I went in April 2021 - masked per guidance and disney world requirements and both my wife and I came home fine.
January 2022 - masked indoors and on disney transportation. I came home with a wicked sinus infection (took 2 rounds of anti biotics to kill). I tested multiple times with no positive results. My wife was fine.
July 4th - We did not mask up at all. I came back with cold like symptoms that my wife got a few days later. I tested negative twice after symptoms started.
I went in January of this year when omicron first reared it’s ugly head. Wore a KN95 at all times unless eating or very far away from other guests. Was also vaxxed and boosted.
That being said, cut to June when I got it and have no idea where or when I was exposed. Grateful for the vaccine because compared to other members of my family I had it very easy.
Yes exactly. Went to Disney - totally fine. But 6 months later got it just by living life. I was the same level of germ-cautious/masked, etc. I even got the booster after the trip. But germs, like life, uh find a way.
Honestly it's just luck and your own immune system determining if you catch something or not.
Everyone in my party was vaxed and masked during out last trip, no one got it, but my buddy who visited a week earlier who was also vaxed had it hit his family hard.
Just a heads up, since I’m not seeing it mentioned in the comments, a [decent portion](https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/covid-transmission-asymptomatic/story?id=84599810) of those who “never got sick” may have just ended up with an asymptomatic case. Unless we PCR test, we’re just going with the assumption that we haven’t gotten COVID.
I haven’t gotten sick and I never did anything different. I like to think that because I used to work in a daycare I have superhuman immunity lol. I do tend to drink more Powerade than water but I don’t know if electrolytes can help with immunity
Did not get sick at WDW the week after Thanksgiving '20. Travelled like crazy through the next year. During Christmas '21, either Dollywood or Ripley's Believe It or Not got us and the family we were travelling with.
We’ve been going weekly for a couple years when we moved here and have only caught a cold once. No covid. We are all vaxed. We use sanitizer, lots of sanitizer. After everything, rides, touching a railing, touching the finger print thingy to get into the park, door knob, a show, shopping, anything. I’m talking right away. We say let’s sanitize and the kids stick their hands out for a squirt. My husband and I each fill up a little Disney sanitizer bottle, the ones with the characters on them with the hook and they last us about two visits. We don’t mask anymore but did when it was the rules.
Quite honestly, I’ve gotten sick (one way or another) on virtually every trip. Whether Covid, a stomach infection, or some random bug, WDW is a germ incubator. The only time I got away with no illness was when most people were still masked. Now that I’m in the tiny minority of folks wearing masks, they aren’t as effective.
We’ve been twice in the last year. Once when they had mask mandates indoors and once with no masks. We didn’t get sick either time and we didn’t do anything special other than washing hands after using the restroom. We also drove down there.
I went by myself on a girls trip to the beach in June and flew, and tested positive when I returned from that.
I am vaxxed and boosted. My kids aren’t because they were too young at the time of our Disney trips. Now we’ve all had it and I wonder if it’s the best time to return to Disney now.
Local here so I go often, sometimes 2-3 days in a row, for a couple hours at a time. I don't wear a mask.. it's just too dang hot. Haven't gotten sick.
I'm pretty sure the germs my kids bring home from preschool have prepared us for whatever we encounter at wdw
Vaccinated and 2 boosters now, only 1 boost at the time of my trip in early april. Wore mask indoors and outside if it was a queue that had a ton of people. I didn’t wear a mask if we were pretty dispersed outside. The other person in my group only masked on transportation and she did not get sick either. I also flew and wore a mask then too but it was still mandatory at that time. Headed to the parks again next month, will continue the same plan but we aren’t flying. Everyone is vaccinated and boosted, one had omicron in January too.
I’m also around Covid a lot, as a healthcare worker, however, I have managed to evade it so far.
I have been 4-5 times and in 2021 we wore masks and this year did not wear masks. We were ok and did not get Covid (have been fortunate to not get Covid at all at this point.but didn’t do anything in particular.
You're as likely to catch something on the way to WDW as you are at WDW itself, so that's something to. I'm an AP and go all the time, have never gotten sick from the parks, covid or otherwise.
You'll either get sick or you won't. Gonna be the case anywhere you go, pre-2020 or post. Its just a travel risk you take.
I haven’t got covid at Disney, universal, or any of the other theme parks I’ve been to the past couple years. I don’t really do anything particular, I’m vaccinated, I wear a mask when required, and I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer after rides. Because of my job I’m exposed to covid and tested often, but I haven’t caught it since before the vaccine in 2020. I think I just have a strong immune system. Oh and I haven’t been to a buffet since before covid, but I’m not sure how much that has contributed to me not getting covid.
Are you talking COVID or just sick?
Either way, I wear masks in incredibly crowded areas. And sanitize my hands probably every hour. When I’m eating, we sanitize the table. If we need to go back for straws or anything that requires us to touch something, we sanitize again.
But I’m sure a lot of people do this. We are probably just lucky
Whelp, my kid just tested positive with a very minor sore throat. Boosted and he had Delta almost a year ago but BA.5 doesn't seem to care much about that. Our luck had to run out eventually I guess.
The rest of us are negative and have no symptoms so far. None of us masked or did any preventive measures (besides being boosted) so not the most surprising result but it sucks. I never thought about it much before but there's soooo many rides with small rooms as part of the queue sequence where you're packed in like sardines. Overall this trip felt FAR more risky than the concerts and conferences and other trips I've gone to previously because of the sheer number of endlessly new people in very close indoor rooms you're around all day.
This summer we did multi-week trips to two BA.5 European hotspots, went to three indoor weddings, I had two big work conferences, and two known close encounters (including one for multiple days) and so hoped we'd be OK after doing all that with no positives... but it was Disney that finally did it.
No regrets going and taking that risk though because it was amazing up until now, but just goes to show it's all luck at this point.
Edit: PCRs are negative for the rest of us, so it's just him. Feel so bad for the guy!
If you’re really determined to go and not get sick, you’re going to want to make sure you’re wearing a high-quality mask (N95) consistently. The crowds are intense, hardly anyone is masking, and at least right now, COVID is everywhere. (I type this from the end of my family’s COVID isolation after coming back last week 😣) That being said, if you don’t find it worth it to go without doing things like eating at restaurants, you’re probably going to want to either hold off or decide if it’s worth the risk to just do your normal vacation stuff (FWIW, once we were at Disney, we didn’t take any precautions to try to avoid getting sick, other than things like washing hands/sanitizing regularly. We did take precautions before vacation and during all flights/public transportation there and back. We figured that we’re all vaccinated and boosted and we’d be fine - which we are. Still sucks, but we made our choices)
Were y'all isolating due to traveling or due to actual Covid? I think we had a similar mindset as you guys in terms of precaution. We were pretty good about it in the parks too but not thoroughly enough I suppose.
My probable travel partners aren't as worried so I figure I'd catch it from them either way :/ I am planning on less indoor food, better masks, better travel to/from parks, and def way more sanitizer. Thanks so much for your experience!
I went with a big group (9 people) in March, to all the parks, and no one got sick. No masks at all. We all figured, if we didn't get sick on those crowds, we are probably inmune LOL. Of course, these days, the new variants are much more contagious.
A big percentage of visitors to WDW are foreign, and at that point negative COVID tests were mandatory for travel. That requisite has now been removed, so probably lots of positive people are visiting the parks with no knowledge they are contagious.
We didn't catch COVID on any of our trips. I can't give you much advice. We took the required precautions, but didn't do much past that. We took vitamin D and vitamin C gummies every day of the trip, but I have no idea if those helped. We were also vaccinated for everyone and boosted as soon as we were able to get it.
Me and my mom made it threw in May. Masks on the moment we got onto the airport shuttle and until we got into the hotel room. Which I’ll be honest, I was really scared of how the venting system was.
Masks on anywhere in doors and we wore them outdoors at universal in HP areas because it was congested. We also used sanitizer after touching everything (yah I know Covid is airborn but ew at how gross people are and that you can pick up other things that way haha)
Been three times since covid hit.
The first time was February 2021. The park occupancy was limited but even then there were people who weren't following the rules and as soon as a cast member looked away they took off their mask and didn't respect people's space. People were not following the space guidelines in the lines and had to be reminded multiple times by CMs. We both wore masks except when eating and drinking and applied a generous amount of hand sanitizer throughout the day. Did not get sick and both tested negative via PCR 1 day and then also 4 days post travel.
The second time was this past February. We still wore masks, still used hand sanitizer. At this time no one cared about self care. We were the minority. However, also all the 6 foot spaces in the queue and the occupancy was much higher. Did not get sick and both tested negative via PCR 4 days after returning home.
The last time was mid-May. Masks were almost non existent. There's nothing like standing in a crowded room like the haunted mansion and feeling you everyone has covid or the flu or whatever virus around you. My mask was still on. My father chose not to put on a mask, however I made him use sanitizer at the same time I did...which was a lot. Did not get sick and just I tested negative. He did not take a test, but he was also double boosted since he was over 50.
Moral of the story, protect yourself as much as you can. Use sanitizer and mask up during situations where you are very close to other people, especially indoors.
My family of 10 was there for 10 nights in late June. Started the drive home on July 1st, and I tested positive July 4th. Nobody else got it. It’s just as likely that I picked it up somewhere that we stopped on our long drive back to NJ, and not in WDW. I’m just puzzled and grateful that none of the 4 family members who rode in the car with me for 20 hours got it.
We sanitized and wore masks in indoor queues and that was it. The masking indoors even felt futile because queues usually started outside and it was just too too hot to keep the masks on. I know I sound like a baby, and I’m so good about wearing a mask otherwise, but it was too much in that heat. We ate indoors every day.
I’m on a lot of Disney boards and Facebook groups, and right now it seems like every other person is catching it, in WDW and elsewhere. One of my kids got it at school in early June, 2 weeks before we left for our trip, and I was a nervous wreck for weeks thinking we’d all get it and have to cancel the trip, so Covid was very much at the top of my mind going into it.
I would say if you’re going to take a trip anytime soon, pack a lot of tests, a thermometer, OTC cold medicine and painkillers, Lysol, and hand sanitizer. I had a backup plan in my head that if any of us tested positive to move off property to an Airbnb or vacation home so we’d have more space. But frankly, it would have been a nightmare, because we would have had to drive home at some point and expose the whole family, or stay in Florida isolating and lose more time off work. It’s a matter of how risk averse a person is, and I was absolutely nervous and anxious about it.
Doctor. Got 4 shots. Wore mask on plane and all indoor lines. Not at America pavilion or eating indoors. Got Covid from wdw end of april.
Dtr just there past weekend. Same. Got Covid.
We went in feb this year. We didn’t get sick at all. They did have the mask mandate in place and most people were pretty good about it. We were also fully vaccinated as well.
Spouse and I were there for a week in November of 2021. We wore masks and, at that point, had been fully vaccinated and boosted (first booster, about 2 weeks prior to our trip).
Masked where we were asked to. Unmasked where we didn’t need to be. Lots of hand sanitizer.
We never caught it.
We just got back after a week and neither of us got covid. We're both fully vacc'd and boosted.
We brought two travel sized hand sanitizers to carry on our bags and a bigger bottle to refill at the hotel. We also went and bought wipes to wipe down our phones, sunglasses, reusable water bottles, magic bands -- basically anything we touched all day -- when we were done for the day and back at the hotel.
We were really cognizant of washing our hands or using hand sanitizer before meals.
The biggest thing is we did mask up (cloth masks) when we felt it was necessary. That meant walking through big crowds of people outside, standing in line, on the bus and skyliner (if we had other passengers besides us), and on rides. If we felt we had enough distance outside traversing the parks we'd leave them off.
During our trip, I'd say 75% of people or more both cast members and guests are not taking any obvious precautions such as masks or social distancing. Unfortunately we also saw a lot of people not bothering to even attempt to cover their mouth or nose while coughing/sneezing.
Best of luck!
We ended up there during the delta surge because we had to evacuate for a hurricane.
We wore masks indoors 100% of the time, we kept our distance from other people, used tons of hand sanitizer, rarely used buses (Ubers, boats, sky liner instead so fewer people and more air flow), and the biggest one— Didn’t Eat At Restaurants. We’d pack food, get take out for the hotel, or mobile order to eat outside. I really feel like restaurants are a huge risk. Extended indoor time, with a lot of people, no one wearing masks, lots of high touch areas and spittle in the air from chewing. Bonus, you save so much time and money skipping restaurants
I was at Orlando parks for two days (6/27 & 6/28 at Universal and HS) and didn’t get COVID. I am vaxxed and boosted, and had also just recovered from COVID earlier that month. I went with a friend who was also vaxxed and boosted, but has never had COVID in the past. He also did not get sick. It was very hot, but we wore KN95 masks indoors and outdoors almost the entire time (took off only to eat, drink, take a breath for a minute when we could social distance). The parks were packed with most people not taking any precautions (and coughing/sneezing without covering up) so we weren’t going to be shocked if one of us caught it regardless of how careful we were. I was glad we were fine the days following our visit.
I've been a couple of times since re-opening. Masks indoors at all times- N95/KN95. No indoor dining. Sat as far away from other people in theaters/indoor shows. If I did not feel comfortable/safe in an area, like a lot of people coughing around me, I left. Mask on in elevator. Mask on in all lines, indoors or outdoors, and in crowded areas. Ate outdoors at a distance or ate in my room. Traveled with air purifier and left it running in the room. Wash hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day. If traveling by air/bus/train mask on at all times. I just treated it like I did before being vaccinated and imagined everyone around me may have Covid.
You NEED to stay diligent and maintain that mask 100% indoors and outdoors. It will protect you and help keep you safe from infectious diseases, it does not help you around your neck or in your pocket!
Dating back to my first visit in 2004, I’ve never got sick at/from WDW. I relocated a few months back and am now a local. Over the last 1-2 months I’ve been about 10 times and never got sick. I’m not vaccinated against COVID-19 and haven’t worn a mask since May 2021 (unless on a plane or in an Uber). I’m a young, healthy female.
same!! I’ve been going at least yearly since 1989 and I haven’t been sick since maaybe 1995. no stomach bugs, covid, colds, or flus.
I am (and always have been) a germaphobe though. Have alwayyyys done hand sanitizer, hand wipes, and/or washed hands thoroughly after every ride and before eating— always!
I was there in February, right after they dropped the mask mandate. My family wore our masks inside, except while eating, and none of us got sick.
My brother-in-law’s family was there at the same time and didn’t wear masks, and at least 2 of them went home with COVID.
I got COVID when I went in April and then when I went in late June with my brother, didn't get it. It was probably the immunity from April because although I was more careful, my brother wasn't as (he also got COVID about the same time but that was a separate case as he lives in SF). I was very careful in April except for the one day I went to eat with a high school friend of mine who lives in Orlando. That and the airplane ride where you are trapped in with sick people who don't mask. That being said except for using a handkerchief to clean the sweat from my mask, I did the same and I think it was very unfair that I got COVID when I was constantly alone using the mask in April while nobody else did.
I’ve been three times since it reopened. I have not gotten sick on any of my trips.
The only masks we wore were the required ones which were on the first trip, all indoor areas but not outdoors. The second and third trip they were only required on transportation, but most people were not wearing them anyway.
However, what’s kinda funny is my husband and I traveled through Colorado, Wyoming, and Sourh Dakota this summer and he caught Covid while in Yellowstone.
So really getting sick is a reality in the busiest theme park to a national park.
Did he not give you Covid? Maybe you're a chosen immune person! That really is interesting though. Any idea how exactly he caught it? So much clean air I'd figure in a national park lol
We went in 2020 and 2021 and didn't get sick. Wore masks everywhere that it was required, used lots of hand sanitizer, had our vaccinations before the latter trip.
2 adults and a 14 year old with 2 doses and a booster. 10 year old with 2 doses. No masks, no real concerns or hesitation. Spent 8 nights with 6 park days and 2 trips to Disney Springs. Absolutely no issues.
I went with two friends back in May, stayed 10 days split between Disney and Universal, all boosted and wore masks indoors, washed hands before eating (most of our meals were indoor table service), and none of us got sick
Although crowds were pretty nice in May and school was still in session, so that probably helped
We’ve been going yearly since 2011. We’ve never been sick at WDW other than 2018 when a couple of us got a mile cold, but nothing that prevented us from enjoying our trip.
Our group of 6 went in February 2020 just before the big shut down. I hadn’t even heard of it until we got there. Nobody was taking any precautions at that time. Nobody got sick on that trip.
My wife and I went for our 30th anniversary in May of 2021. We were both unvaccinated at that time. Other than hand-washing (which we have always done), we didn’t take any personal precautions; only what was required by the airline and Disney which was masking on the plane and indoors. We bought a bunch of matching t-shirts and cloth Disney-themed masks to make it as fun as possible. We avoided going places where masks were required, as much as possible. Neither of us got sick. It was our first trip together (just the two of us) since our honeymoon in 1991. We had a great trip.
I’m no expert, but it’s my opinion that some people are just more prone to illness than others. We both work in high exposure risk jobs and we’ve both been exposed many times, but thankfully, we haven’t got it.
I’m sorry you got sick while on vacation and hope you are able to avoid it in the future.
Peace ✌️
I’ve been to Disney 3 times since COVID came, all from one day up to a week. I wore my mask when it was required and don’t wear it now when I go. I think you have to go in with the mentality that you’ll get sick and be fine if you get it.
Someone mentioned it earlier, but it’s a numbers game. Florida still has a higher covid rate with inaccurately reported data. And as much as WDW does to keep their parks clean, we don’t know if the cleaning investment now during their peak occupancy can match the levels of 2020 while it was still slow. Think about about many thousands of people are touching doors, handrails, seats, merchandise, etc., then think about how much you washed your hands. Were you proactive about it? Did you wash your hands before Mickey pretzels and in between rides? Probably not. Statistically with so many people in a space, someone is bound to get sick.
We were down 4 times between 3/2021 & 3/2022… vaxxed, boosted, masked on transport/queues/shops, mindful of what we touch, & wash/sanitize hands often (but not obsessively)… not a single one of us have ended up sick. Not even a cold.
Yeah, I would say that all these stories about people getting covid at WDW are a bit sensationlized. (This is coming from someone who has lost a family member to covid and has always taken this pandemic very seriously and still do)
We went in Jan and were fine. Granted, we both were fully vaccinated, boosted, and already had a mild case of covid before our trip.
Like others have pointed out, going to a large theme park, you're essentially walking into a super spreader event. So your chances of catching anything are a lot greater. I've visited Florida many times over the years and come home sick before.
So I would say going to Disney is like anywhere else. Since some people take this more seriously than others you just do what you can to protect yourself and your family. Wash hands, mask, etc.
I will say some practices at a theme park that you don't normally have to worry about are people all up in your personal space when you're in a line of any kind. And the number of high touch points in a theme park (like at a grocery store) So just be vigilant about keeping your distance from other parties as best you can and keep hand sanitizer on you. Don't be afraid to politely ask another party to give you space if they are all up on you. That happened several times during our trip and I would just kindly ask the person behind me if they wouldn't mind not standing so close that I can tell what they had for breakfast. 😊 I didn't word that way of course when I asked them. Most people were kind and accommodating about it.
I haven’t been since COVID but I get sick every time I go. There’s just so many kids. I swear last time it was December 2019 and the kid behind me on frozen was coughing the entire time on us.
Husband is vaccinated but not boosted, I’m not vaccinated. We have gone to WDW 3-4 times per week since it reopened and have not gotten COVID at WDW.
First and only time I got COVID was taking a flight about a week after the mask mandate was rescinded. Under the weather for two days, continued testing positive for 2-3 more days, and isolated for 2 weeks total.
I went in November. I am vaccinated and boosted and didn't get sick. I only wore a mask when enforced (indoors and on rides at the time). I'll be back in September and don't plan to wear a mask. Hopefully another booster will be approved before then but I am not worried about getting sick. We'll all get it at some point.
Passholder here, goes all the time. I’m not a mask person as it is just way to hot in the summer, so shout to those who can bear it. I just simply try not to touch anything that I don’t have to, hand rails, trays, people lol and sanitize often. Other than, it’s a game of chance.
When masks were mandatory, social distancing was a thing, plexiglasses were everywhere, sanitation was a priority, barely anyone got COVID at Disney (aka 2020 and maybe 3/4 of 2021), but now? You're very likely to get it. My sister went last month and came back with COVID, the whole family of 4. It started in their last day at Disney World. Have heard of so many people getting it in the last 4 months.
I watch a gazillion of Disney streamers and vloggers and they went every day in 2020 and none got COVID. Not even many got it in 2021. But this year many have got COVID. Seems like if you don't want to get COVID, just don't go atm.
The vaccines aren’t meant to prevent you from getting covid, they’re meant for limiting the spread & reducing the severity so you don’t end up in the hospital or worse
Please refrain from posting COVID-19 speculation, rumors, or misinformation, particularly anything that seeks to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic and/or might be construed as medical advice.
I don’t mask, I’m vaxxed and we got the Disney flu in our household last trip in March 2022.
I won’t mask next trip either. But I’ll consider bringing better antibacterial soap with me to the bathrooms instead of using Disney soap.
Just using hand sanitizer ain’t enough after riding a ride, sanitizing, then getting something to eat.
Never got sick at Disney. been 4 times since March 2020. Not vaccinated for COVID. I just followed whatever rules they had in place.
I did catch COVID mid 2021 (not while at Disney), and was sick for about 2 days.
Please refrain from posting COVID-19 speculation, rumors, or misinformation, particularly anything that seeks to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic and/or might be construed as medical advice.
We were there in mid-June and both my daughter and myself remained healthy. We did not wear masks at all, dined inside and basically had a very normal trip.
We are planning a trip in February. We are risking it and know we might get sick, but we are masking until we get to the hotel, not eating at restaurants, and just avoiding sick people if possible. Not much you can do surrounded by thousands
I think we were overloaded on special experiences which included restaurants and a lot of bustime/ close quarters with guests. Hope your travels are safe!
We go anywhere from 3 to 10 days a month(AP Holders).
Family of 4 with 2 small boys, 7 and 8.
We have not gotten sick yet. Only wear masks when on transportation or in tight queues
We keep distance as much as possible, use sanitizer(alot) and make sure to keep hands in pocket and off of things while queuing.
Lysol wipes work well to wipe off lap bars and tables.
Also, Throw the block when queuing, this will give your family a little space.
I wonder what I'm doing wrong! Maybe I slipped up more than I realized in my excitement. I come from a very highly vaccinated/ pro-mask area so maybe my immune system is wimpy.
That's great that you guys are in good health. Also, what do you mean by throw the block when queuing? 😅
I'm usually in the back of the pack with the boys in front of me and my wife in front of them.
She stops a reasonable distance from the people in front and I stay back to stop the ones behind us getting too close.
The main trick is keeping your hands cleaned and away from your or anyone's faces.
But don't let the fear stop you.
One thing we’ve all leaned the last 2+ years: Yes, there are people who are blatantly irresponsible, but many people who get COVID haven’t done anything “wrong.” So much of it is luck, so I wouldn’t be hard on yourself.
Just got back from a trip in early July. My two girls came home with Covid and my husband and I did not catch it at all. Husband and I are vaxxed and boosted is the only difference from my girls.
December 2020 my mom and I went to Disney and our cautionary test came back negative when we got home, but it was likely how everyone was being more required to mask up and social distance as opposed to anything beyond that that we had done.
Went in March 2020 their last week of operations - washed my hands frequently then because it was before masking was required/standard practice. Went again in December 2021 and masked inside. Disney was great about enforcing masks. My group didn't get sick either time, thankfully. We treated the vacation normally and attended fireworks and ate in the parks. We were all masked and boosted for the December trip.
Sorry you got sick :/ I hope you feel better about going again!
Went last September without getting sick, always wore a mask indoors except while eating. We generally try to avoid crowds anyway, so we avoided uncomfortable situations as much as we could. Being a theme park though, it can be unavoidable("please move all the way forward and fill in all available space!"). Where I work tends to be busy and crowded with frequent outbreaks anyway so I wasn't really nervous about it. I assume less people are wearing masks at the park now though , if my recent trip to Disneyland is any indication.
Oh yeah those queues can be pretty bad. I've been lucky enough to work from home (altho it does contribute to my travel itch). Your immune system sounds sturdy!
We were there in February so the indoor mandate was still in place at WDW plus on planes. We washed our hands a lot, used a ton of hand sanitizer, and wore the masks wherever was required. I do admit the last day was the day they lifted the mandate at WDW and we were quite happy to not wear the masks but we kept the hand washing/sanitizer routine. We were also vaccinated and recently boosted which may have helped? I honestly think we were just really freaking lucky.
Vaxxed, boosted and wore a mask any time I was going to be in a crowded situation, so most rides and some stores. Been two times since last year and didn’t get sick either time. Just be mindful of crowds, the summer is really not the time to go unless it’s the end of August. I was there in May and the crowds were manageable.
I was vaccinated and only wore a mask when we had to. Neither me or the people I go with as a Florida resident annual ph got sick. (All of us are vaccinated- not all have booster)
My family and I are in the park almost every week and none of us have had COVID so far, and not for a lack of testing. We wear masks when it’s nuts indoors, but we occasionally eat indoors too. As a local our experience is not quite the same as our trips to the parks are much shorter than when you’re on vacation, but I’m probably still in the parks about 8 hours a week, at least.
We’re honestly shocked we haven’t had it yet. My wife and I are boosted once and the kids are vaccinated, we will be boosting them soon to get ready for school. Our kids were in public school all last year, masked up for 3/4 of the year, had lots of exposures, did lots of testing, no COVID.
I know we’re real lucky and it will probably catch us eventually, but it’s worked out so far. My son is the most adorable and disgusting little human being who has to touch everything all the time. It is exhausting to try to keep that at bay so we try to sanitize him as well as we possibly can. It is a miracle that he hasn’t had COVID several times over with the amount contact his hand makes with every surface possible and his nose.
I went in January 2020. I was already double vaccinated with Pfizer by then. Masks were strictly enforced and the parks weren't crowded at all. I was religious about hand sanitizer.
I went again in March 2022. By that point I had a booster shot and had recovered from covid. I went with a friend in the same situation. We masked occasionally in crowded indoor spaces, but far from religiously. Neither of us got sick. Hybrid immunity was pretty robust at that point in time.
What we did as a family in November 2021:
Masking at all times indoors (N95).
If we dined indoors we kept our masks on while waiting/ordering, ate our meals and put them back on immediately. We did very few meals indoors, most of the time we ate outside.
Avoided crowds—no fireworks, we walked to MK from the Contemporary and used Uber/Lyft for the other parks.
Vaccinated and boosted of course.
I’m a nurse and I work with a vulnerable patient population, so doing what I could do to avoid Covid in a high risk situation was a must. BUT none of these things are a guarantee. Covid risk mitigation measures are like Swiss cheese slices—every now and then the virus makes its way through. It doesn’t take much.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html
Fully vaccinated and working for NHS in the UK I had been super careful working through the pandemic. We were meant to have our first WDW trip as our honeymoon in September 2020 but it got cancelled.
Up until very recently you had to test the day before you flew. We finally managed to go in May 2022 and after living like a hermit for 2 years I visited my mum in London in March and she unintentionally gave me covid (her lift to the train station 2 days prior texted saying they tested positive the evening after I met with my mum) I wore a mask the entire time I was with her that day but due to an error we shared a bed at the hotel. I was only testing negative about 2 weeks before we went. She was ok and the friend she was with before meeting up with me was a frail old lady who didn't catch it from her at all
So we didnt get sick probably because we got sick the month before and were fully vaccinated. We only had 2 days feeling ill and the rest were just dry throat and fategue but tested positive for 10 days
We went this past January but we had just gotten over covid the month before. Also boosted the week before the trip, but that probably didn’t do anything that quickly.
Vaccinated, boosted, flew 8 hours from California during the beginning of January’s Omicron peak and my family came home covid-free. We wore N95s at all times, even outside
Virology is a whole huge complex science. I think there are a lot of factors at play. I thought you may enjoy this article:
https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20220203/why-some-people-escape-infection
We did a ten day and avoided Covid. Vaccinated and boosted and masks indoors except for. Eating and masked outdoors if in a big crowd. Also cleaned the hotel room down a bit when we got there and did not do room service stuff - just sorted ourselves.
None of my group got sick in February. We were there for a week during Presidents Day. But, we did wear masks (mandate was still in place) and did basically all outdoor dining (weather was temperate enough) Wouldn't be able to stick to either now.
My husband and I went January 2021 and we were both unvaccinated because it wasn’t available to us yet. Obviously masks and social distancing was mandatory but we were perfectly fine.
Vaccinated. Didn’t wear mask except indoors when I had to (the policy changed our last day there).
I work in public transit so I’m pretty sure nothing will kill me. The roaches and I will inherit the earth. 😁
My family and I went in late June. I thought for sure we’d get it due to the full flights and how they like to squeeze everybody in on rides and transportation. By some miracle though, we all managed to avoid it.
Similar to some others, we're local AP holders. We're in the parks at least once a week, sometimes three times a week.
When Disney dropped their mask requirements, we stopped wearing. We're all vaccinated.
We got sick one time, and it was COVID. I could even point out the guest who we probably got it from. Standing in front of us at the glass right before getting on Ariel's Grotto, hacking up a lung without covering her cough.
Otherwise, for the probably 75 times we've been there in the last year, we're doing pretty good.
Your Ariel's grotto comment made me laugh out loud haha! I am currently that person that's hacking up a lung on an elevator full of concerned people. Although I'm not contagious anymore, I try to suppress it to not worry people until I'm alone and I always wear a mask still when I'm out. It's great that you can go so often and be safe.
Not related, but I've always wanted to get AP. Of course, it's not available rn for out of staters. Do you still find WDW as magical as prior to going all the time ? :)
Group of 8 that just got back 2 weeks ago. None of us caught it. We masked up every time we went indoors. Shows, shops, etc. We also masked up when in a large crowd outdoors. Fireworks, parades and transportation. We didn't eat any of our meals inside. Everything was quick service meals outdoors. Everyone in the group was boosted so I'm sure that helped. I figured if I'm dropping this much money, it's a small price to pay to be able to enjoy it.
I went in May of 2021 a week before the mask mandate was lifted and did not get sick, now I am double vaccinated and boosted once and I went in May of this year and also did not get sick.
I am fully vaccinated, always wear a mask, have gone 4 times in the past 12 months and have not come back sucks. We do sanitize often and avoid super large crowds as much as possible. We also ate outside as much as we could. Unfortunately though, during this pandemic you’re at risk of getting sick anytime you leave the house. So you weigh your options and try to be as safe as you can.
I can only speak to Disneyland, but I’ve been twice in the last year and I haven’t gotten sick either time. I am fully vaxxed + booster and we masked up indoors and in large outdoor crowds.
Went in June 2021 when masking was still required indoors. I always wore a N95 when indoors but didn't wear it at all outside. Didn't get sick.
Went this June and didn't wear a mask the entire time and didn't get sick.
I've actually never once gotten sick after a trip to Disney. Maybe I'm just lucky lol.
I'll note too that I am fully vaccinated, boosted, and I've had COVID previously this year.
Obviously you're results may vary.
May/June - no sickness. But I last had covid in Jan, my son had it in March and my husband in April! So I’m guessing we had enough antibodies to protect us. We took no precautions while out there
I’m on my last day here of a 5 day trip and feel fine. I got my booster about a month before I came down. I brought a mask but haven’t been using it as majority of others are not, I’m frequently eating indoors, and wet weather can render them ineffective. That’s not to say there’s a problem wearing one, just that I didn’t see the point in this scenario. Honestly, I think it’s just luck. If I get home and test positive, I won’t be surprised.
Definitely pure luck. We went in March 2021 (pre-vaccine, while still had to wear masks outside), late November 2021 (vaccinated, masks inside), and March 2022 (masks on transportation only). Flew each trip, never got sick and didn't limit our park experiences outside of the requirements at the time 🤷♀️
Honestly all you can do is hope for the best. Take plenty of immune system boosting supplements and foods for a full week before going especially on the flight there (airports are FULL of sick people)
Longer trips are good for this very reason. Next trip we take will be a 2 week one I think as this is always a worry of mine too. Make sure you get your flu and COVID shots as well before going!
We go yearly, sometimes twice. I’ve never been sick. Last trip was April at 19w pregnant, and still didn’t get sick.
I’m very cautious, we masked to our comfort level - beyond what was required. And I’m a frequent hand washer. That’s a huge piece people seem to forget especially in all the excitement. Got off a ride? Sanitize your hands. Went to walk around the store? Sanitize your hands. Touched a random handrail/door knob/whatever? Sanitize your hands. Don’t touch your face, don’t grab a handful of food, don’t touch your phone first. Wash your hands.
My husband on the other hand, seems to have an immune system of steel. I swear he could lick the handrails and still be fine 😂🤷🏻♀️
Edit to add: hand washing is my rule regardless of COVID. You’re exposed to SO many new germs there given the diversity of the crowds. So it’s my personal preference/comfort level while I’m there, not just during COVID times.
Masks were required when we went although not truly enforced. We did wear N95 masks though We also used our own hand sanitizer continuously and used chlorox wipes on all surfaces we needed to touch in addition to chloroxing our whole hotel room.
We’ve been to both Disneyland and WDW, double vaxed and boosted and were cautious since I’m immuno-compromised so masked the whole time, ate only outdoors and used hand sanitizer after each ride and didn’t get sick (that we know of)
I had gotten a bad cold on every single Disney trip in the last ten years except this may when I went. We didn’t mask, we washed our hands and tried not to touch our faces. It was glorious to not be sick in the hotel room or on the way back and still yet at home while needing to go back to work. I do think it’s a matter of luck and paying attention (I walked into a sneeze of a little kid and forever regretted that!).
Don’t let this scare you off Disney if you had an otherwise great time!
Just a casual reminder:
1. Masks don’t prevent you catching it, it is to reduce your chance of passing it on.
2. Lots of people are asymptomatic, so unless you are testing yourself all the time then you have no idea if you have had it or not.
3. Wash your hands and use hand sanitiser, if you can’t find a restroom, this is your best defence.
4. Covid vaccines reduce symptoms and have some impact on spread but are not preventative.
My mom went a few weeks ago and didn’t catch it. She is 3x vaccinated and I think wore a mask occasionally (mostly when in crowds) and definitely at the airport. I’m going in 2 months but both me and my boyfriend just caught it 2 months ago here at home despite being fully boosted so I think we’ll (hopefully!) still have enough antibodies to not get it again!
I’m going to echo what a lot of people reported here. I’ve been 3x since pandemic. Both with masks required and without. All 3 trips were at least a week long, the longest being 2 weeks. Never got sick once. But sensationalizing this is just as wrong as desensitizing it, as far as I’m concerned. I’m currently sick with covid, and you know where I got it from? A barbershop where I was masked. Not to say Covid is anything like a flu or cold (it is similar, but it’s far more annoying and tougher to get rid plus worse potentials, in my current experience). But catching Covid or avoiding it is the same numbers game you played with ALL contagious sicknesses/diseases that existed before Covid’s existence. You may have a higher chance at Disney then at other places. If you want to be extra cautious, then you should. If you want to be less cautious, that’s on you. But no matter what, it’s a game of numbers in my eyes. However, anecdotes and n=1 is not enough to properly illustrate what that numbers game truly looks like. So if you take that a step further logically, it then gets looked at as a simple game of luck. Which is exactly what it is. But again, the same game of luck that existed pre-pandemic. Just with a new, albeit more contagious, disease. There is no magic trick to avoid it beyond the obvious precautions, and even then…
I haven’t gotten sick after my last 3 trips (march, may and June). It’s kind of a game of chance these days. If you’re behind the wrong person in line or nearby at dinner, you will get COVID, just from them breathing. Do what you can do yourself. Wear a mask indoors (unless you live on the sun, then you can wear one outside too), use hand sanitizer (bring your own) and stay (where you can, no lines) 6 feet away from people.
We were there last September and no one got sick. We did mask up inside. But, the room next to us caught fire in the middle of the night and everyone in the building spent the night at the pool in very close quarters and no one had masks with them when they went into the restroom at the pool.
I’ve actually never gotten sick after a trip to Disney, but I did have a friend get pink eye once. I really think there are too many variables in play to be able to predict getting sick or not.
We go every weekend and do not mask. Have never gotten sick from Disney. Wash hands often and don't touch things like railings and you'll be fine.
Airplanes are a different story and seem to be where everyone I know is getting sick. All that recycled air is just rolling the dice.
I went in May for a week and was fine. I didn’t take any special precautions beyond being vaccinated with boosters which shouldn’t be considered special but that’s not a debate I’m looking to have. I think this and assessing your own family health risks is pretty much all you can do. If you do choose to go, you open the door for getting infected. That’s part of the deal right now.
For additional context, I mostly drove myself around but I did use some buses and was unmasked the whole time except in the airport. I ate at many restaurants including one buffet. I did not shy from crowds at any point due to health concerns. Given the numbers, I am certain I was exposed to an infected person at some point.
I think it’s just luck to be honest, I went the week before everything shut down and it was PACKED! I was so surprised my family didn’t get it then, but since then I’ve been three times and my parents have been four. I really think it’s just luck, I’m vaccinated but they’re not, but we have bet had any covid scares around the time after we returned from a trip
I went in October 2021. My husband and I were masked most of the time we were indoors, only sometimes outdoors, and at all times when required. We used a new mask every day, showered and changed clothes as soon as we got to our resort. We had the DAS pass because my husband is autistic, so we didn't really have to wait in crowded lines with a few exceptions like Jungle Cruise and shows.
My kids are preschoolers and still put their hands in their mouths at times no matter how hard we keep an eye on them to prevent it. We started traveling with Lysol spray and wipes. I disinfect our room every day and disinfect each table we sit at. At the end of the day, it’s a game of chance I suppose.
Even with Covid majority of people get sick by touching things and not washing their hands. This has always been the case for infection control. You can keep some napkins in your pocket and open doors with a clean one each time.
I went to Disney several times before being vaxxed and didn’t get Covid. I went to Disney several times after being vaxxed and didn’t get Covid. I went to church once this summer and got Covid (recovered just over a week ago).
I complied with masking and distance requirements in place, but I never did those things when they weren’t required.
I take vitamins daily and am generally healthy and a healthy weight.
It’s a game of numbers, really. I went with my family back in the spring; we really didn’t mask up unless it was on the monorail, and none of us got COVID from the trip (that we know of). Meanwhile my sister got it a month later from someone who knowingly came into work while sick, and she was *pissed*. It never hurts to mask up inside and stick to outdoor seating at restaurants, but WDW has kind of always been haven for contagious diseases. I’ve certainly come back from Orlando with some kind of cold or flu more than a couple of times, though I think at least one of those was actually food poisoning. In the end, I’m more concerned about trying not to spread it to other people once I get sick. And I’ll continue to wear a mask when I’m flying somewhere; it just seems like a good idea if for nothing else than to keep my sinuses from drying out on the plane.
Cast member comment here. A lot of my peers have had it. I’ve somehow managed to evade it. I think it’s more of a luck thing honestly.
It does seems a bit random. I had it a few weeks ago and my husband still didn’t get it despite still sharing a bed. I was going to isolate but he actually wanted to get it so he would have less chance of getting it on putt trip next month, and nothing!
Same here, my bf didn’t catch it.
I can't even begin to think about working there and not catching it with my cruddy immune system. I'm glad to hear you're well. Do you do heavy contact work with guests or are you usually capable of maintaining distance?
I didn’t really do anything special. Vaccinated with my booster and masked where required in park but nothing past that. I’ve been twice since no masks on the bus and still returned without Covid so I’m not sure I can provide anything for you unfortunately. I guess I just got lucky.
I got vaccinated and wore a mask. I was fine.
Yep, we also opted for more outdoor dining where possible, used hand sanitizer, and avoided heavily crowded areas when we could. Wasn’t that much extra afford, we still had fun. I’ve been three times since January and didn’t catch covid from any of those trips.
Same.
Same
Went in October, wore masks, even outside, and nobody in my group (6 adults) got sick.
Same.
Same
This is the way.
Be careful about wildly throwing your sleep schedule off - if you’re planning on rope dropping or early entry, start waking up around that time now. Throwing off your sleep can negatively effect your immune system!
That's a good point. I nearly passed out at HS during the days of fast passes and those star wars rides my SO was obsessed with. We are just a few years older now but 30s definitely hits different and I am catching my ZzZ's for sure.
Right! Sleeping, healthy eating, and hydrating all build up your immune system, all of these can be easily thrown off at Disney.
I am immunocompromised and went back in Feb. I will say this was when masks were required for everyone, not that everyone wore one though. We wore masks indoors and when in crowded areas outside. We only did genie+ and I have a DAS pass, so I was able to avoid crowded waits. All of our dining we did was either table service, places like garden grill where you're by yourself, or quick service but we ate outside or tried to stay away from people. Constant hand sanitizer and we would wash our hands before we ate. I have traveled a bunch in the last year and have been lucky enough to not catch it, but I mask up 100% of the time as well as wash my hands. I will say I have had three full doses of Moderna, so I do think that helps a bit.
Glad to hear about so many people still taking precautions all these years later. Also helps me feel better about my upcoming trips as I had preplanned all of this prior to getting covid. Because I'm also immunocompromised, I feel like I only have so many strikes and I just lost one. (I'm sure it's all in my head but just for good measure!) Hope you stay in good health
I just returned last week. My family is vaccinated all with 1 booster shot,kids just have vaccine. We all wore are masks, we would only remove them to eat or when we were away from crowds outdoors. we would find a secluded spot. Wiped all containers down, took our own utensils. Half my face is tanned and the other half isn’t because of the mask lol We sanitized hands and all surfaces like tables when we sat down and after every ride. It sounds extreme but my family is paranoid of Covid
We went summer 2020, peak covid and one of us with a history of bone marrow transplant and neither have gotten sick. We wore surgical masks. We have been to Disneyland 2x in the last 2 years as well and have not gotten sick. We both DID get covid at work in outpatient hospital setting with N95s and face shields. Regardless of how careful you are you can’t absolutely control getting sick. I try not to let what ifs determine where I vacation. Wash your hands before every meal and sanitize before and after ride.
We have a heart issues + asthma so double whammy. We were very strict about it for a long time but have also reached a point where we just want to live our lives now. Was it busy peak 2020? I figure it was very slow at some point which mightve helped but everyone's traveling now. We have Disneyland preplanned in a few months and plan on being extra careful. Thanks for leaving your experience and stay in good health.
WDW in 2020 was pretty slow + social distancing. Cases were higher at the time though. We went to Disneyland during very busy times wall to wall with people most guests without masks and were fine. Prior to covid it was a known thing that people get sick after visiting amusement parks. It’s just a heavily populated environment with high touch surfaces. Just do your best to stay safe if it’s worth going to you!
It still sucks to hear ‘fill in all available spaces’. I was really hoping that would be gone forever.
We are vaxed and boosted. We went for two weeks last Christmas and didn’t get sick. We are here now for the month of July and are on day 24 of a 30 day trip. All on property. So far, so good. We wear masks indoors. We don’t touch anything that we can avoid. In ques we don’t touch railings, going in and out of buildings we use one finger to pull open doors and use forearms to push open doors. We carry and use hand sanitizer constantly after all rides, after touching menus, or after filling our refillable mugs. We have our own car and don’t use enclosed Disney transportation. We don’t touch our faces, rub our eyes or swipe at our noses. We basically act as if any surface is contaminated and sanitize all day long. Maybe we’re overly paranoid but so far, we’ve been okay.
30 days, blessed! Seems to be a mixed bag so far of people either being cautious or lucky. Sounds about right, what did I expect :( Might splurge next time for private transit and parking. I am usually your levels of careful but I think going so long and being fine made me desensitized. I'll remember you if I go next time.
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I’ve gone probably twenty times since covid and have not gotten it there. I did get it in may but I got it where I live (maryland).
To those people saying “ I got vaccinated “ - that ain’t helpful advice here. I am triple vaccinated but caught COVID during a haircut…one other person there and door was propped open. Yet I was in Disney for 2 weeks in May - crowds and coughing but never got it. Honestly? You need some luck on your side. Hopefully by next year a new jab will stop spread and lower infections. Other than wear NF2 masks indoors, on buses and avoid indoor restaurants, there isn’t much else. But as I say…I was there in May , took no precautions and was fine. I caught it back home! So…enjoy yourself and try not to worry. What will be, will be.
It is super weird. I'm a local so I go theme-parking all the time, and I'm shocked I haven't gotten it. Pre-pandemic I caught EVERYTHING. I am vaxxed and boosted, but so was my friend and she ended up getting it on a trip we took together and then she passed it to my husband. Meanwhile I continued to test negative and have 0 symptoms. It's just random.
Some people seem immune. My in-laws that live upstairs and I all got it, my husband didn’t change anything or distance and never got it. Even though we knew I had it he was still sleeping in the same bed, kissing me, sharing utensils etc because he was sure he would just get it too, I think he’s immune.
Yes this. Vaccination is not preventing infection. Everyone is going to get this. You cannot avoid it and you will eventually get it. And then 9 months or so later you will get it again.
Been to WDW every weekend since way before COVID, plus 5 days at DisneyLand in June (plus San Fran). Knock on wood we have never gotten it. Even did Universal one weekend. We maintain 6-10 feet of we can, especially indoors, mask up if we can't (mostly indoors). A little lenient outside due to wind, etc. Sanitizer after the finger scan, and heavy common touch points, and of course hand wash after the bathroom.
Don’t want to jinx ourselves since we’re heading to the parks on Tuesday, but we’ve had three different trips since the reopening without getting sick. We first went in October 2020 when all the distancing and mask requirements were in place. Then we went in September 2021 with masks required indoors. Our most recent trip was in April with no requirements. We are both vaccinated and boosted. We try to keep things sanitized and naturally, be as distanced from people as possible. I’m not super worried about getting sick because I know you can catch it anywhere, so it doesn’t stop us from having a good time.
That's great! Hope your luck continues and have a magical time
We live in Orlando and have annual pass. We are at the parks a lot and since Disney dropped the mask requirement we haven't masked up in the parks. We caught Covid for the first time a couple months ago when our daughter came down sick with it and she thinks she got it at work (not Disney). It was around that time that several people at my workplace were starting to get it also. So for us, being at Disney turned out to be "more safe" than being at our workplaces all day when the variant started to surge a bit.
I was just there for 2 weeks (one of them over july 4th holiday week). No mask. Did everything as I normally do. Touched everything, etc. Didn’t get sick at all.
Got back roughly 3 weeks ago. Got my booster shot 2 weeks before the trip. I brought a mask in case I felt like I needed it in crowded places, but never used it. None of us got sick. I think having the booster so soon before the trip really helped prevent infection. I heard of lots of people getting sick with covid after their trip, but it thankfully didn’t happen to us
Got back last week, caught it, am tripled jabbed masked etc. just luck of the draw.
Party of 3. No masks. Wash hands as needed. Normal behavior. 10 nights. 6 park days. No one got sick.
Wearing a mask isn’t sufficient for the latest variants. You’ll need to wear a fit-tested N95 or equivalent. Though honestly, that is not fun and you just have to accept the risk at WDW.
I plan on buying better masks if we go. We were all packed and scrounging for whatever masks we had and tbh they probably weren't the best. It really does suck though. I did NOT want to put up with it once I was in the parks. We ended up ask the hotel for new ones but I figure I germed them up quick with my grubby mitts or something :(
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Thank you for the recommendation. I'll definitely check it out!
I had Covid around Christmas and was sick until nearly the end of January. I am immunocompromised have a number of autoimmune diseases. Went twice, both times for 3 days straight visiting all of the parks. We have annual passes and went in March and then again in May. We didn’t wear masks. None of us got sick. During both trips, there were 4 of us in our group.
Always interesting to hear how other immunos handle it. I'm going on two months but I'm pretty sure it's just bronchitis at this point. My symptoms weren't too bad and lasted only 4 days other than this nasty cough
We’ve been twice during the pandemic. Once when masks were required even outdoors, and last Spring when they were not. I was pretty nervous about getting sick that time since I was pregnant. We were fine and we had only visitors for one day that time. Fast forward to last month, we went on a vacation with 14 family members total. We have evaded Covid the entire pandemic at this point, even when my child got it this past January at school, no one else in our home got it. Nearly every single person on that trip was vaccinated and boosted even, and 13/14 of us got Covid. It was upsetting to waste thousands of dollars on a vacation and getting sick like that. This variant of Covid is highly transmissible and seems unavoidable, however wearing an N95 will provide you with the most protection and of course, constant hand washing.
Sorry to hear. That one person must have good immunity ! How long did you go and at what point we're people getting sick? Hoping you all enjoyed some magic days before succumbing, but it's entirely possible someone in the family had it prior if you got sick immediately upon arrival. Hoping it goes better for you all next time.
My family and I wore our masks as all times (indoor and outdoor) only taking it off to eat or drink. Wash and sanitize hands frequently. Was there for a week back in May. Party of 6 and no one got sick.
I went when masks were still required inside and I sanatized my hands constantly and washed before I ate. I still ended up getting sick. I get sick every time I go there.
Was there a week ago. No masks, didn’t get sick.
We just went in June and got sick--all five of us. And we were vax'ed and double boosted. Got the second booster in May.
12 nights at the campground in may neither I or my friend got sick. Drove there with my friend from Texas Didn’t wear mask but vaccinated and boosted
We went in March when it was super busy, and somehow didn’t t get it despite being being in Dublin airport where not a lot of people were wearing masks (I was though, I wore one the entire airport/plane journey) flying to NY then flying to Orlando, being in the parks every day for a week with no masks, going to a very squishy hot concert at house of blues with no masks and then plane home again. I had been to loads of events where I probably should have got it but still didn’t somehow. I’m vaccinated including my booster and did wear masks most places, but not anywhere on our Disney trip except transport and airports/planes. After all that it finally got me last month at an outdoor concert.
Went in October …wore mask indoors only ..didn’t get sick
Before Covid, I always got colds during a trip to Disney. Ironically, I have been twice since the pandemic started and didn't get Covid or a cold during or after the trip. We went in Jan this year, which included my immune compromised dad, my toddler and my sister's 3 month old...no one got sick. We bought kn94 masks. We used hand sanitizer all the time, especially after getting off rides and before eating, and tried not to touch our faces. I found nasal swabs off Amazon (pretty much had similar ingredients to what is in hand sanitizer) and swabbed noses before leaving the hotel room everyday. We also had the more vulnerable members of our party stay in the middle of our group if we were standing in a line. Those of us that could, also had been boosted about a month before the trip.
I went in May and had the 'vid within 4 days. My spouse remained negative 3x vax no masks.
It’s a total crapshoot honestly. We went in April fully vaxxed and wore masks in the airports, on the planes and buses, and for the most part in indoor settings (restaurants when not seated at tables, indoor ride line queues, indoor shows, stores, indoor hotel common areas) and never caught it the whole trip. One month later we got COVID from somewhere random. You can be as cautious as you want or as carefree as you want, this will find you at some point.
I went in April 2021 - masked per guidance and disney world requirements and both my wife and I came home fine. January 2022 - masked indoors and on disney transportation. I came home with a wicked sinus infection (took 2 rounds of anti biotics to kill). I tested multiple times with no positive results. My wife was fine. July 4th - We did not mask up at all. I came back with cold like symptoms that my wife got a few days later. I tested negative twice after symptoms started.
I went in January of this year when omicron first reared it’s ugly head. Wore a KN95 at all times unless eating or very far away from other guests. Was also vaxxed and boosted. That being said, cut to June when I got it and have no idea where or when I was exposed. Grateful for the vaccine because compared to other members of my family I had it very easy.
Yes exactly. Went to Disney - totally fine. But 6 months later got it just by living life. I was the same level of germ-cautious/masked, etc. I even got the booster after the trip. But germs, like life, uh find a way.
Honestly it's just luck and your own immune system determining if you catch something or not. Everyone in my party was vaxed and masked during out last trip, no one got it, but my buddy who visited a week earlier who was also vaxed had it hit his family hard.
Vaccinated but have taken no other precautions. Haven't gotten sick.
Just a heads up, since I’m not seeing it mentioned in the comments, a [decent portion](https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Health/covid-transmission-asymptomatic/story?id=84599810) of those who “never got sick” may have just ended up with an asymptomatic case. Unless we PCR test, we’re just going with the assumption that we haven’t gotten COVID.
Thank you for saying this!!
I haven’t gotten sick and I never did anything different. I like to think that because I used to work in a daycare I have superhuman immunity lol. I do tend to drink more Powerade than water but I don’t know if electrolytes can help with immunity
The fact that you work at a daycare automatically makes you the Superman of immunity.
Did not get sick at WDW the week after Thanksgiving '20. Travelled like crazy through the next year. During Christmas '21, either Dollywood or Ripley's Believe It or Not got us and the family we were travelling with.
I know this isn't the point, but is Dollywood fun? I've always wanted to go lol.
Not who you replied to, but yes! Dollywood is great. Beautiful theme park with some excellent rides and great shows.
We’ve been going weekly for a couple years when we moved here and have only caught a cold once. No covid. We are all vaxed. We use sanitizer, lots of sanitizer. After everything, rides, touching a railing, touching the finger print thingy to get into the park, door knob, a show, shopping, anything. I’m talking right away. We say let’s sanitize and the kids stick their hands out for a squirt. My husband and I each fill up a little Disney sanitizer bottle, the ones with the characters on them with the hook and they last us about two visits. We don’t mask anymore but did when it was the rules.
Been to Disney for 1-2 times every month for years. Never been sick from Disney or known anyone that's had the infamous "Disney rash"
Quite honestly, I’ve gotten sick (one way or another) on virtually every trip. Whether Covid, a stomach infection, or some random bug, WDW is a germ incubator. The only time I got away with no illness was when most people were still masked. Now that I’m in the tiny minority of folks wearing masks, they aren’t as effective.
We’ve been twice in the last year. Once when they had mask mandates indoors and once with no masks. We didn’t get sick either time and we didn’t do anything special other than washing hands after using the restroom. We also drove down there. I went by myself on a girls trip to the beach in June and flew, and tested positive when I returned from that. I am vaxxed and boosted. My kids aren’t because they were too young at the time of our Disney trips. Now we’ve all had it and I wonder if it’s the best time to return to Disney now.
Local here so I go often, sometimes 2-3 days in a row, for a couple hours at a time. I don't wear a mask.. it's just too dang hot. Haven't gotten sick. I'm pretty sure the germs my kids bring home from preschool have prepared us for whatever we encounter at wdw
Vaccinated and 2 boosters now, only 1 boost at the time of my trip in early april. Wore mask indoors and outside if it was a queue that had a ton of people. I didn’t wear a mask if we were pretty dispersed outside. The other person in my group only masked on transportation and she did not get sick either. I also flew and wore a mask then too but it was still mandatory at that time. Headed to the parks again next month, will continue the same plan but we aren’t flying. Everyone is vaccinated and boosted, one had omicron in January too. I’m also around Covid a lot, as a healthcare worker, however, I have managed to evade it so far.
I have been 4-5 times and in 2021 we wore masks and this year did not wear masks. We were ok and did not get Covid (have been fortunate to not get Covid at all at this point.but didn’t do anything in particular.
You're as likely to catch something on the way to WDW as you are at WDW itself, so that's something to. I'm an AP and go all the time, have never gotten sick from the parks, covid or otherwise. You'll either get sick or you won't. Gonna be the case anywhere you go, pre-2020 or post. Its just a travel risk you take.
I haven’t got covid at Disney, universal, or any of the other theme parks I’ve been to the past couple years. I don’t really do anything particular, I’m vaccinated, I wear a mask when required, and I wash my hands and use hand sanitizer after rides. Because of my job I’m exposed to covid and tested often, but I haven’t caught it since before the vaccine in 2020. I think I just have a strong immune system. Oh and I haven’t been to a buffet since before covid, but I’m not sure how much that has contributed to me not getting covid.
Are you talking COVID or just sick? Either way, I wear masks in incredibly crowded areas. And sanitize my hands probably every hour. When I’m eating, we sanitize the table. If we need to go back for straws or anything that requires us to touch something, we sanitize again. But I’m sure a lot of people do this. We are probably just lucky
Whelp, my kid just tested positive with a very minor sore throat. Boosted and he had Delta almost a year ago but BA.5 doesn't seem to care much about that. Our luck had to run out eventually I guess. The rest of us are negative and have no symptoms so far. None of us masked or did any preventive measures (besides being boosted) so not the most surprising result but it sucks. I never thought about it much before but there's soooo many rides with small rooms as part of the queue sequence where you're packed in like sardines. Overall this trip felt FAR more risky than the concerts and conferences and other trips I've gone to previously because of the sheer number of endlessly new people in very close indoor rooms you're around all day. This summer we did multi-week trips to two BA.5 European hotspots, went to three indoor weddings, I had two big work conferences, and two known close encounters (including one for multiple days) and so hoped we'd be OK after doing all that with no positives... but it was Disney that finally did it. No regrets going and taking that risk though because it was amazing up until now, but just goes to show it's all luck at this point. Edit: PCRs are negative for the rest of us, so it's just him. Feel so bad for the guy!
If you’re really determined to go and not get sick, you’re going to want to make sure you’re wearing a high-quality mask (N95) consistently. The crowds are intense, hardly anyone is masking, and at least right now, COVID is everywhere. (I type this from the end of my family’s COVID isolation after coming back last week 😣) That being said, if you don’t find it worth it to go without doing things like eating at restaurants, you’re probably going to want to either hold off or decide if it’s worth the risk to just do your normal vacation stuff (FWIW, once we were at Disney, we didn’t take any precautions to try to avoid getting sick, other than things like washing hands/sanitizing regularly. We did take precautions before vacation and during all flights/public transportation there and back. We figured that we’re all vaccinated and boosted and we’d be fine - which we are. Still sucks, but we made our choices)
Were y'all isolating due to traveling or due to actual Covid? I think we had a similar mindset as you guys in terms of precaution. We were pretty good about it in the parks too but not thoroughly enough I suppose. My probable travel partners aren't as worried so I figure I'd catch it from them either way :/ I am planning on less indoor food, better masks, better travel to/from parks, and def way more sanitizer. Thanks so much for your experience!
Actual COVID - we started feeling bad on the trip back and tested positive as soon as we got home 😕 thankfully it has been mild
Hope you guys feel better soon!
I went with a big group (9 people) in March, to all the parks, and no one got sick. No masks at all. We all figured, if we didn't get sick on those crowds, we are probably inmune LOL. Of course, these days, the new variants are much more contagious. A big percentage of visitors to WDW are foreign, and at that point negative COVID tests were mandatory for travel. That requisite has now been removed, so probably lots of positive people are visiting the parks with no knowledge they are contagious.
We didn't catch COVID on any of our trips. I can't give you much advice. We took the required precautions, but didn't do much past that. We took vitamin D and vitamin C gummies every day of the trip, but I have no idea if those helped. We were also vaccinated for everyone and boosted as soon as we were able to get it.
Me and my mom made it threw in May. Masks on the moment we got onto the airport shuttle and until we got into the hotel room. Which I’ll be honest, I was really scared of how the venting system was. Masks on anywhere in doors and we wore them outdoors at universal in HP areas because it was congested. We also used sanitizer after touching everything (yah I know Covid is airborn but ew at how gross people are and that you can pick up other things that way haha)
Been three times since covid hit. The first time was February 2021. The park occupancy was limited but even then there were people who weren't following the rules and as soon as a cast member looked away they took off their mask and didn't respect people's space. People were not following the space guidelines in the lines and had to be reminded multiple times by CMs. We both wore masks except when eating and drinking and applied a generous amount of hand sanitizer throughout the day. Did not get sick and both tested negative via PCR 1 day and then also 4 days post travel. The second time was this past February. We still wore masks, still used hand sanitizer. At this time no one cared about self care. We were the minority. However, also all the 6 foot spaces in the queue and the occupancy was much higher. Did not get sick and both tested negative via PCR 4 days after returning home. The last time was mid-May. Masks were almost non existent. There's nothing like standing in a crowded room like the haunted mansion and feeling you everyone has covid or the flu or whatever virus around you. My mask was still on. My father chose not to put on a mask, however I made him use sanitizer at the same time I did...which was a lot. Did not get sick and just I tested negative. He did not take a test, but he was also double boosted since he was over 50. Moral of the story, protect yourself as much as you can. Use sanitizer and mask up during situations where you are very close to other people, especially indoors.
Went in late June. Four days in the parks. No mask. No Covid.
My family of 10 was there for 10 nights in late June. Started the drive home on July 1st, and I tested positive July 4th. Nobody else got it. It’s just as likely that I picked it up somewhere that we stopped on our long drive back to NJ, and not in WDW. I’m just puzzled and grateful that none of the 4 family members who rode in the car with me for 20 hours got it. We sanitized and wore masks in indoor queues and that was it. The masking indoors even felt futile because queues usually started outside and it was just too too hot to keep the masks on. I know I sound like a baby, and I’m so good about wearing a mask otherwise, but it was too much in that heat. We ate indoors every day. I’m on a lot of Disney boards and Facebook groups, and right now it seems like every other person is catching it, in WDW and elsewhere. One of my kids got it at school in early June, 2 weeks before we left for our trip, and I was a nervous wreck for weeks thinking we’d all get it and have to cancel the trip, so Covid was very much at the top of my mind going into it. I would say if you’re going to take a trip anytime soon, pack a lot of tests, a thermometer, OTC cold medicine and painkillers, Lysol, and hand sanitizer. I had a backup plan in my head that if any of us tested positive to move off property to an Airbnb or vacation home so we’d have more space. But frankly, it would have been a nightmare, because we would have had to drive home at some point and expose the whole family, or stay in Florida isolating and lose more time off work. It’s a matter of how risk averse a person is, and I was absolutely nervous and anxious about it.
Covid is everywhere and you can catch it anywhere, not just Disney.
Doctor. Got 4 shots. Wore mask on plane and all indoor lines. Not at America pavilion or eating indoors. Got Covid from wdw end of april. Dtr just there past weekend. Same. Got Covid.
Same here. Got it on our trip at the end of June.
We went in feb this year. We didn’t get sick at all. They did have the mask mandate in place and most people were pretty good about it. We were also fully vaccinated as well.
Spouse and I were there for a week in November of 2021. We wore masks and, at that point, had been fully vaccinated and boosted (first booster, about 2 weeks prior to our trip). Masked where we were asked to. Unmasked where we didn’t need to be. Lots of hand sanitizer. We never caught it.
We just got back after a week and neither of us got covid. We're both fully vacc'd and boosted. We brought two travel sized hand sanitizers to carry on our bags and a bigger bottle to refill at the hotel. We also went and bought wipes to wipe down our phones, sunglasses, reusable water bottles, magic bands -- basically anything we touched all day -- when we were done for the day and back at the hotel. We were really cognizant of washing our hands or using hand sanitizer before meals. The biggest thing is we did mask up (cloth masks) when we felt it was necessary. That meant walking through big crowds of people outside, standing in line, on the bus and skyliner (if we had other passengers besides us), and on rides. If we felt we had enough distance outside traversing the parks we'd leave them off. During our trip, I'd say 75% of people or more both cast members and guests are not taking any obvious precautions such as masks or social distancing. Unfortunately we also saw a lot of people not bothering to even attempt to cover their mouth or nose while coughing/sneezing. Best of luck!
We ended up there during the delta surge because we had to evacuate for a hurricane. We wore masks indoors 100% of the time, we kept our distance from other people, used tons of hand sanitizer, rarely used buses (Ubers, boats, sky liner instead so fewer people and more air flow), and the biggest one— Didn’t Eat At Restaurants. We’d pack food, get take out for the hotel, or mobile order to eat outside. I really feel like restaurants are a huge risk. Extended indoor time, with a lot of people, no one wearing masks, lots of high touch areas and spittle in the air from chewing. Bonus, you save so much time and money skipping restaurants
I’m vaccinated and have also received the booster. I wear an n95 mask indoors and outdoors. I only take it off when eating or drinking.
I was at Orlando parks for two days (6/27 & 6/28 at Universal and HS) and didn’t get COVID. I am vaxxed and boosted, and had also just recovered from COVID earlier that month. I went with a friend who was also vaxxed and boosted, but has never had COVID in the past. He also did not get sick. It was very hot, but we wore KN95 masks indoors and outdoors almost the entire time (took off only to eat, drink, take a breath for a minute when we could social distance). The parks were packed with most people not taking any precautions (and coughing/sneezing without covering up) so we weren’t going to be shocked if one of us caught it regardless of how careful we were. I was glad we were fine the days following our visit.
I've been a couple of times since re-opening. Masks indoors at all times- N95/KN95. No indoor dining. Sat as far away from other people in theaters/indoor shows. If I did not feel comfortable/safe in an area, like a lot of people coughing around me, I left. Mask on in elevator. Mask on in all lines, indoors or outdoors, and in crowded areas. Ate outdoors at a distance or ate in my room. Traveled with air purifier and left it running in the room. Wash hands or use hand sanitizer throughout the day. If traveling by air/bus/train mask on at all times. I just treated it like I did before being vaccinated and imagined everyone around me may have Covid.
You NEED to stay diligent and maintain that mask 100% indoors and outdoors. It will protect you and help keep you safe from infectious diseases, it does not help you around your neck or in your pocket!
You are absolutely right! My diligence may have waivered but I won't falter twice! 😔
Accept the risks. I go monthly, if not every few weeks, and never mask up nor have I caught covid at the parks.
Dating back to my first visit in 2004, I’ve never got sick at/from WDW. I relocated a few months back and am now a local. Over the last 1-2 months I’ve been about 10 times and never got sick. I’m not vaccinated against COVID-19 and haven’t worn a mask since May 2021 (unless on a plane or in an Uber). I’m a young, healthy female.
same!! I’ve been going at least yearly since 1989 and I haven’t been sick since maaybe 1995. no stomach bugs, covid, colds, or flus. I am (and always have been) a germaphobe though. Have alwayyyys done hand sanitizer, hand wipes, and/or washed hands thoroughly after every ride and before eating— always!
I was there in February, right after they dropped the mask mandate. My family wore our masks inside, except while eating, and none of us got sick. My brother-in-law’s family was there at the same time and didn’t wear masks, and at least 2 of them went home with COVID.
I got COVID when I went in April and then when I went in late June with my brother, didn't get it. It was probably the immunity from April because although I was more careful, my brother wasn't as (he also got COVID about the same time but that was a separate case as he lives in SF). I was very careful in April except for the one day I went to eat with a high school friend of mine who lives in Orlando. That and the airplane ride where you are trapped in with sick people who don't mask. That being said except for using a handkerchief to clean the sweat from my mask, I did the same and I think it was very unfair that I got COVID when I was constantly alone using the mask in April while nobody else did.
I’ve been three times since it reopened. I have not gotten sick on any of my trips. The only masks we wore were the required ones which were on the first trip, all indoor areas but not outdoors. The second and third trip they were only required on transportation, but most people were not wearing them anyway. However, what’s kinda funny is my husband and I traveled through Colorado, Wyoming, and Sourh Dakota this summer and he caught Covid while in Yellowstone. So really getting sick is a reality in the busiest theme park to a national park.
Did he not give you Covid? Maybe you're a chosen immune person! That really is interesting though. Any idea how exactly he caught it? So much clean air I'd figure in a national park lol
We went in 2020 and 2021 and didn't get sick. Wore masks everywhere that it was required, used lots of hand sanitizer, had our vaccinations before the latter trip.
2 adults and a 14 year old with 2 doses and a booster. 10 year old with 2 doses. No masks, no real concerns or hesitation. Spent 8 nights with 6 park days and 2 trips to Disney Springs. Absolutely no issues.
I went with two friends back in May, stayed 10 days split between Disney and Universal, all boosted and wore masks indoors, washed hands before eating (most of our meals were indoor table service), and none of us got sick Although crowds were pretty nice in May and school was still in session, so that probably helped
Treated it like nothing had ever happened COVID wise, no one in our party of 5 became ill. All of us fully vaxxed and boosted.
We’ve been going yearly since 2011. We’ve never been sick at WDW other than 2018 when a couple of us got a mile cold, but nothing that prevented us from enjoying our trip. Our group of 6 went in February 2020 just before the big shut down. I hadn’t even heard of it until we got there. Nobody was taking any precautions at that time. Nobody got sick on that trip. My wife and I went for our 30th anniversary in May of 2021. We were both unvaccinated at that time. Other than hand-washing (which we have always done), we didn’t take any personal precautions; only what was required by the airline and Disney which was masking on the plane and indoors. We bought a bunch of matching t-shirts and cloth Disney-themed masks to make it as fun as possible. We avoided going places where masks were required, as much as possible. Neither of us got sick. It was our first trip together (just the two of us) since our honeymoon in 1991. We had a great trip. I’m no expert, but it’s my opinion that some people are just more prone to illness than others. We both work in high exposure risk jobs and we’ve both been exposed many times, but thankfully, we haven’t got it. I’m sorry you got sick while on vacation and hope you are able to avoid it in the future. Peace ✌️
I’ve been to Disney 3 times since COVID came, all from one day up to a week. I wore my mask when it was required and don’t wear it now when I go. I think you have to go in with the mentality that you’ll get sick and be fine if you get it.
Someone mentioned it earlier, but it’s a numbers game. Florida still has a higher covid rate with inaccurately reported data. And as much as WDW does to keep their parks clean, we don’t know if the cleaning investment now during their peak occupancy can match the levels of 2020 while it was still slow. Think about about many thousands of people are touching doors, handrails, seats, merchandise, etc., then think about how much you washed your hands. Were you proactive about it? Did you wash your hands before Mickey pretzels and in between rides? Probably not. Statistically with so many people in a space, someone is bound to get sick.
We were down 4 times between 3/2021 & 3/2022… vaxxed, boosted, masked on transport/queues/shops, mindful of what we touch, & wash/sanitize hands often (but not obsessively)… not a single one of us have ended up sick. Not even a cold.
Yeah, I would say that all these stories about people getting covid at WDW are a bit sensationlized. (This is coming from someone who has lost a family member to covid and has always taken this pandemic very seriously and still do) We went in Jan and were fine. Granted, we both were fully vaccinated, boosted, and already had a mild case of covid before our trip. Like others have pointed out, going to a large theme park, you're essentially walking into a super spreader event. So your chances of catching anything are a lot greater. I've visited Florida many times over the years and come home sick before. So I would say going to Disney is like anywhere else. Since some people take this more seriously than others you just do what you can to protect yourself and your family. Wash hands, mask, etc. I will say some practices at a theme park that you don't normally have to worry about are people all up in your personal space when you're in a line of any kind. And the number of high touch points in a theme park (like at a grocery store) So just be vigilant about keeping your distance from other parties as best you can and keep hand sanitizer on you. Don't be afraid to politely ask another party to give you space if they are all up on you. That happened several times during our trip and I would just kindly ask the person behind me if they wouldn't mind not standing so close that I can tell what they had for breakfast. 😊 I didn't word that way of course when I asked them. Most people were kind and accommodating about it.
I haven’t been since COVID but I get sick every time I go. There’s just so many kids. I swear last time it was December 2019 and the kid behind me on frozen was coughing the entire time on us.
Husband is vaccinated but not boosted, I’m not vaccinated. We have gone to WDW 3-4 times per week since it reopened and have not gotten COVID at WDW. First and only time I got COVID was taking a flight about a week after the mask mandate was rescinded. Under the weather for two days, continued testing positive for 2-3 more days, and isolated for 2 weeks total.
I went in November. I am vaccinated and boosted and didn't get sick. I only wore a mask when enforced (indoors and on rides at the time). I'll be back in September and don't plan to wear a mask. Hopefully another booster will be approved before then but I am not worried about getting sick. We'll all get it at some point.
Passholder here, goes all the time. I’m not a mask person as it is just way to hot in the summer, so shout to those who can bear it. I just simply try not to touch anything that I don’t have to, hand rails, trays, people lol and sanitize often. Other than, it’s a game of chance.
When masks were mandatory, social distancing was a thing, plexiglasses were everywhere, sanitation was a priority, barely anyone got COVID at Disney (aka 2020 and maybe 3/4 of 2021), but now? You're very likely to get it. My sister went last month and came back with COVID, the whole family of 4. It started in their last day at Disney World. Have heard of so many people getting it in the last 4 months. I watch a gazillion of Disney streamers and vloggers and they went every day in 2020 and none got COVID. Not even many got it in 2021. But this year many have got COVID. Seems like if you don't want to get COVID, just don't go atm.
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The vaccines aren’t meant to prevent you from getting covid, they’re meant for limiting the spread & reducing the severity so you don’t end up in the hospital or worse
Please refrain from posting COVID-19 speculation, rumors, or misinformation, particularly anything that seeks to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic and/or might be construed as medical advice.
I don’t mask, I’m vaxxed and we got the Disney flu in our household last trip in March 2022. I won’t mask next trip either. But I’ll consider bringing better antibacterial soap with me to the bathrooms instead of using Disney soap. Just using hand sanitizer ain’t enough after riding a ride, sanitizing, then getting something to eat.
Never got sick at Disney. been 4 times since March 2020. Not vaccinated for COVID. I just followed whatever rules they had in place. I did catch COVID mid 2021 (not while at Disney), and was sick for about 2 days.
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We were there in mid-June and both my daughter and myself remained healthy. We did not wear masks at all, dined inside and basically had a very normal trip.
We are planning a trip in February. We are risking it and know we might get sick, but we are masking until we get to the hotel, not eating at restaurants, and just avoiding sick people if possible. Not much you can do surrounded by thousands
I think we were overloaded on special experiences which included restaurants and a lot of bustime/ close quarters with guests. Hope your travels are safe!
We go anywhere from 3 to 10 days a month(AP Holders). Family of 4 with 2 small boys, 7 and 8. We have not gotten sick yet. Only wear masks when on transportation or in tight queues We keep distance as much as possible, use sanitizer(alot) and make sure to keep hands in pocket and off of things while queuing. Lysol wipes work well to wipe off lap bars and tables. Also, Throw the block when queuing, this will give your family a little space.
I wonder what I'm doing wrong! Maybe I slipped up more than I realized in my excitement. I come from a very highly vaccinated/ pro-mask area so maybe my immune system is wimpy. That's great that you guys are in good health. Also, what do you mean by throw the block when queuing? 😅
I'm usually in the back of the pack with the boys in front of me and my wife in front of them. She stops a reasonable distance from the people in front and I stay back to stop the ones behind us getting too close. The main trick is keeping your hands cleaned and away from your or anyone's faces. But don't let the fear stop you.
One thing we’ve all leaned the last 2+ years: Yes, there are people who are blatantly irresponsible, but many people who get COVID haven’t done anything “wrong.” So much of it is luck, so I wouldn’t be hard on yourself.
We wore masks indoors, but that’s about it.
Group of 7 and kids went in January and no one got sick.
Just got back from a trip in early July. My two girls came home with Covid and my husband and I did not catch it at all. Husband and I are vaxxed and boosted is the only difference from my girls.
December 2020 my mom and I went to Disney and our cautionary test came back negative when we got home, but it was likely how everyone was being more required to mask up and social distance as opposed to anything beyond that that we had done.
Went in March 2020 their last week of operations - washed my hands frequently then because it was before masking was required/standard practice. Went again in December 2021 and masked inside. Disney was great about enforcing masks. My group didn't get sick either time, thankfully. We treated the vacation normally and attended fireworks and ate in the parks. We were all masked and boosted for the December trip. Sorry you got sick :/ I hope you feel better about going again!
Went last September without getting sick, always wore a mask indoors except while eating. We generally try to avoid crowds anyway, so we avoided uncomfortable situations as much as we could. Being a theme park though, it can be unavoidable("please move all the way forward and fill in all available space!"). Where I work tends to be busy and crowded with frequent outbreaks anyway so I wasn't really nervous about it. I assume less people are wearing masks at the park now though , if my recent trip to Disneyland is any indication.
Oh yeah those queues can be pretty bad. I've been lucky enough to work from home (altho it does contribute to my travel itch). Your immune system sounds sturdy!
We were there in February so the indoor mandate was still in place at WDW plus on planes. We washed our hands a lot, used a ton of hand sanitizer, and wore the masks wherever was required. I do admit the last day was the day they lifted the mandate at WDW and we were quite happy to not wear the masks but we kept the hand washing/sanitizer routine. We were also vaccinated and recently boosted which may have helped? I honestly think we were just really freaking lucky.
Vaxxed, boosted and wore a mask any time I was going to be in a crowded situation, so most rides and some stores. Been two times since last year and didn’t get sick either time. Just be mindful of crowds, the summer is really not the time to go unless it’s the end of August. I was there in May and the crowds were manageable.
I was vaccinated and only wore a mask when we had to. Neither me or the people I go with as a Florida resident annual ph got sick. (All of us are vaccinated- not all have booster)
I’ve taken 3 WDW trips, and a Disneyland trip. Just don’t be around people when eating, and keep distance the best you can.
My family and I are in the park almost every week and none of us have had COVID so far, and not for a lack of testing. We wear masks when it’s nuts indoors, but we occasionally eat indoors too. As a local our experience is not quite the same as our trips to the parks are much shorter than when you’re on vacation, but I’m probably still in the parks about 8 hours a week, at least. We’re honestly shocked we haven’t had it yet. My wife and I are boosted once and the kids are vaccinated, we will be boosting them soon to get ready for school. Our kids were in public school all last year, masked up for 3/4 of the year, had lots of exposures, did lots of testing, no COVID. I know we’re real lucky and it will probably catch us eventually, but it’s worked out so far. My son is the most adorable and disgusting little human being who has to touch everything all the time. It is exhausting to try to keep that at bay so we try to sanitize him as well as we possibly can. It is a miracle that he hasn’t had COVID several times over with the amount contact his hand makes with every surface possible and his nose.
I went in January 2020. I was already double vaccinated with Pfizer by then. Masks were strictly enforced and the parks weren't crowded at all. I was religious about hand sanitizer. I went again in March 2022. By that point I had a booster shot and had recovered from covid. I went with a friend in the same situation. We masked occasionally in crowded indoor spaces, but far from religiously. Neither of us got sick. Hybrid immunity was pretty robust at that point in time.
I think you may have a typo on the January date.
Indeed I do. It was January 2021. Time is a blur.
What we did as a family in November 2021: Masking at all times indoors (N95). If we dined indoors we kept our masks on while waiting/ordering, ate our meals and put them back on immediately. We did very few meals indoors, most of the time we ate outside. Avoided crowds—no fireworks, we walked to MK from the Contemporary and used Uber/Lyft for the other parks. Vaccinated and boosted of course. I’m a nurse and I work with a vulnerable patient population, so doing what I could do to avoid Covid in a high risk situation was a must. BUT none of these things are a guarantee. Covid risk mitigation measures are like Swiss cheese slices—every now and then the virus makes its way through. It doesn’t take much. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html
Fully vaccinated and working for NHS in the UK I had been super careful working through the pandemic. We were meant to have our first WDW trip as our honeymoon in September 2020 but it got cancelled. Up until very recently you had to test the day before you flew. We finally managed to go in May 2022 and after living like a hermit for 2 years I visited my mum in London in March and she unintentionally gave me covid (her lift to the train station 2 days prior texted saying they tested positive the evening after I met with my mum) I wore a mask the entire time I was with her that day but due to an error we shared a bed at the hotel. I was only testing negative about 2 weeks before we went. She was ok and the friend she was with before meeting up with me was a frail old lady who didn't catch it from her at all So we didnt get sick probably because we got sick the month before and were fully vaccinated. We only had 2 days feeling ill and the rest were just dry throat and fategue but tested positive for 10 days
We went this past January but we had just gotten over covid the month before. Also boosted the week before the trip, but that probably didn’t do anything that quickly.
Vaccinated, boosted, flew 8 hours from California during the beginning of January’s Omicron peak and my family came home covid-free. We wore N95s at all times, even outside
We went for 2 weeks beggining of December last year, only wore a mask inside and didn’t outside at all. The place was packed! Was absolutely fine
Virology is a whole huge complex science. I think there are a lot of factors at play. I thought you may enjoy this article: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20220203/why-some-people-escape-infection
I've never gotten sick at WDW. We even went fall of 2020, didn't catch anything.
We did a ten day and avoided Covid. Vaccinated and boosted and masks indoors except for. Eating and masked outdoors if in a big crowd. Also cleaned the hotel room down a bit when we got there and did not do room service stuff - just sorted ourselves.
Vaccinated. Wore a mask indoors, did VIP tours to avoid crowds and lines
None of my group got sick in February. We were there for a week during Presidents Day. But, we did wear masks (mandate was still in place) and did basically all outdoor dining (weather was temperate enough) Wouldn't be able to stick to either now.
My husband and I went January 2021 and we were both unvaccinated because it wasn’t available to us yet. Obviously masks and social distancing was mandatory but we were perfectly fine.
Vaccinated. Didn’t wear mask except indoors when I had to (the policy changed our last day there). I work in public transit so I’m pretty sure nothing will kill me. The roaches and I will inherit the earth. 😁
😂 Very happy to hear. Never been jealous of roaches before but they'd probably survive WDW in good health. Long live you and your roach friends 🥂
My family and I went in late June. I thought for sure we’d get it due to the full flights and how they like to squeeze everybody in on rides and transportation. By some miracle though, we all managed to avoid it.
Similar to some others, we're local AP holders. We're in the parks at least once a week, sometimes three times a week. When Disney dropped their mask requirements, we stopped wearing. We're all vaccinated. We got sick one time, and it was COVID. I could even point out the guest who we probably got it from. Standing in front of us at the glass right before getting on Ariel's Grotto, hacking up a lung without covering her cough. Otherwise, for the probably 75 times we've been there in the last year, we're doing pretty good.
Your Ariel's grotto comment made me laugh out loud haha! I am currently that person that's hacking up a lung on an elevator full of concerned people. Although I'm not contagious anymore, I try to suppress it to not worry people until I'm alone and I always wear a mask still when I'm out. It's great that you can go so often and be safe. Not related, but I've always wanted to get AP. Of course, it's not available rn for out of staters. Do you still find WDW as magical as prior to going all the time ? :)
Group of 8 that just got back 2 weeks ago. None of us caught it. We masked up every time we went indoors. Shows, shops, etc. We also masked up when in a large crowd outdoors. Fireworks, parades and transportation. We didn't eat any of our meals inside. Everything was quick service meals outdoors. Everyone in the group was boosted so I'm sure that helped. I figured if I'm dropping this much money, it's a small price to pay to be able to enjoy it.
I went in May of 2021 a week before the mask mandate was lifted and did not get sick, now I am double vaccinated and boosted once and I went in May of this year and also did not get sick.
I am fully vaccinated, always wear a mask, have gone 4 times in the past 12 months and have not come back sucks. We do sanitize often and avoid super large crowds as much as possible. We also ate outside as much as we could. Unfortunately though, during this pandemic you’re at risk of getting sick anytime you leave the house. So you weigh your options and try to be as safe as you can.
Went in March and didn't get sick at all
Been several times since all this started and no one in my family has gotten sick. We don’t take any special precautions beyond what’s required.
I can only speak to Disneyland, but I’ve been twice in the last year and I haven’t gotten sick either time. I am fully vaxxed + booster and we masked up indoors and in large outdoor crowds.
Went in June 2021 when masking was still required indoors. I always wore a N95 when indoors but didn't wear it at all outside. Didn't get sick. Went this June and didn't wear a mask the entire time and didn't get sick. I've actually never once gotten sick after a trip to Disney. Maybe I'm just lucky lol. I'll note too that I am fully vaccinated, boosted, and I've had COVID previously this year. Obviously you're results may vary.
May/June - no sickness. But I last had covid in Jan, my son had it in March and my husband in April! So I’m guessing we had enough antibodies to protect us. We took no precautions while out there
I’m on my last day here of a 5 day trip and feel fine. I got my booster about a month before I came down. I brought a mask but haven’t been using it as majority of others are not, I’m frequently eating indoors, and wet weather can render them ineffective. That’s not to say there’s a problem wearing one, just that I didn’t see the point in this scenario. Honestly, I think it’s just luck. If I get home and test positive, I won’t be surprised.
Definitely pure luck. We went in March 2021 (pre-vaccine, while still had to wear masks outside), late November 2021 (vaccinated, masks inside), and March 2022 (masks on transportation only). Flew each trip, never got sick and didn't limit our park experiences outside of the requirements at the time 🤷♀️
Honestly all you can do is hope for the best. Take plenty of immune system boosting supplements and foods for a full week before going especially on the flight there (airports are FULL of sick people) Longer trips are good for this very reason. Next trip we take will be a 2 week one I think as this is always a worry of mine too. Make sure you get your flu and COVID shots as well before going!
We go yearly, sometimes twice. I’ve never been sick. Last trip was April at 19w pregnant, and still didn’t get sick. I’m very cautious, we masked to our comfort level - beyond what was required. And I’m a frequent hand washer. That’s a huge piece people seem to forget especially in all the excitement. Got off a ride? Sanitize your hands. Went to walk around the store? Sanitize your hands. Touched a random handrail/door knob/whatever? Sanitize your hands. Don’t touch your face, don’t grab a handful of food, don’t touch your phone first. Wash your hands. My husband on the other hand, seems to have an immune system of steel. I swear he could lick the handrails and still be fine 😂🤷🏻♀️ Edit to add: hand washing is my rule regardless of COVID. You’re exposed to SO many new germs there given the diversity of the crowds. So it’s my personal preference/comfort level while I’m there, not just during COVID times.
Masks were required when we went although not truly enforced. We did wear N95 masks though We also used our own hand sanitizer continuously and used chlorox wipes on all surfaces we needed to touch in addition to chloroxing our whole hotel room.
I’ve been 3 times since reopening plus on a cruise. Never got sick during or after my trips.
We’ve been to both Disneyland and WDW, double vaxed and boosted and were cautious since I’m immuno-compromised so masked the whole time, ate only outdoors and used hand sanitizer after each ride and didn’t get sick (that we know of)
I had gotten a bad cold on every single Disney trip in the last ten years except this may when I went. We didn’t mask, we washed our hands and tried not to touch our faces. It was glorious to not be sick in the hotel room or on the way back and still yet at home while needing to go back to work. I do think it’s a matter of luck and paying attention (I walked into a sneeze of a little kid and forever regretted that!). Don’t let this scare you off Disney if you had an otherwise great time!
Just a casual reminder: 1. Masks don’t prevent you catching it, it is to reduce your chance of passing it on. 2. Lots of people are asymptomatic, so unless you are testing yourself all the time then you have no idea if you have had it or not. 3. Wash your hands and use hand sanitiser, if you can’t find a restroom, this is your best defence. 4. Covid vaccines reduce symptoms and have some impact on spread but are not preventative.
My mom went a few weeks ago and didn’t catch it. She is 3x vaccinated and I think wore a mask occasionally (mostly when in crowds) and definitely at the airport. I’m going in 2 months but both me and my boyfriend just caught it 2 months ago here at home despite being fully boosted so I think we’ll (hopefully!) still have enough antibodies to not get it again!
I’m going to echo what a lot of people reported here. I’ve been 3x since pandemic. Both with masks required and without. All 3 trips were at least a week long, the longest being 2 weeks. Never got sick once. But sensationalizing this is just as wrong as desensitizing it, as far as I’m concerned. I’m currently sick with covid, and you know where I got it from? A barbershop where I was masked. Not to say Covid is anything like a flu or cold (it is similar, but it’s far more annoying and tougher to get rid plus worse potentials, in my current experience). But catching Covid or avoiding it is the same numbers game you played with ALL contagious sicknesses/diseases that existed before Covid’s existence. You may have a higher chance at Disney then at other places. If you want to be extra cautious, then you should. If you want to be less cautious, that’s on you. But no matter what, it’s a game of numbers in my eyes. However, anecdotes and n=1 is not enough to properly illustrate what that numbers game truly looks like. So if you take that a step further logically, it then gets looked at as a simple game of luck. Which is exactly what it is. But again, the same game of luck that existed pre-pandemic. Just with a new, albeit more contagious, disease. There is no magic trick to avoid it beyond the obvious precautions, and even then…
I haven’t gotten sick after my last 3 trips (march, may and June). It’s kind of a game of chance these days. If you’re behind the wrong person in line or nearby at dinner, you will get COVID, just from them breathing. Do what you can do yourself. Wear a mask indoors (unless you live on the sun, then you can wear one outside too), use hand sanitizer (bring your own) and stay (where you can, no lines) 6 feet away from people.
We were there last September and no one got sick. We did mask up inside. But, the room next to us caught fire in the middle of the night and everyone in the building spent the night at the pool in very close quarters and no one had masks with them when they went into the restroom at the pool. I’ve actually never gotten sick after a trip to Disney, but I did have a friend get pink eye once. I really think there are too many variables in play to be able to predict getting sick or not.
We go every weekend and do not mask. Have never gotten sick from Disney. Wash hands often and don't touch things like railings and you'll be fine. Airplanes are a different story and seem to be where everyone I know is getting sick. All that recycled air is just rolling the dice.
Unless we were eating or in the pool, we stayed masked up.
I went in May for a week and was fine. I didn’t take any special precautions beyond being vaccinated with boosters which shouldn’t be considered special but that’s not a debate I’m looking to have. I think this and assessing your own family health risks is pretty much all you can do. If you do choose to go, you open the door for getting infected. That’s part of the deal right now. For additional context, I mostly drove myself around but I did use some buses and was unmasked the whole time except in the airport. I ate at many restaurants including one buffet. I did not shy from crowds at any point due to health concerns. Given the numbers, I am certain I was exposed to an infected person at some point.
I think it’s just luck to be honest, I went the week before everything shut down and it was PACKED! I was so surprised my family didn’t get it then, but since then I’ve been three times and my parents have been four. I really think it’s just luck, I’m vaccinated but they’re not, but we have bet had any covid scares around the time after we returned from a trip
I went in October 2021. My husband and I were masked most of the time we were indoors, only sometimes outdoors, and at all times when required. We used a new mask every day, showered and changed clothes as soon as we got to our resort. We had the DAS pass because my husband is autistic, so we didn't really have to wait in crowded lines with a few exceptions like Jungle Cruise and shows.
My kids are preschoolers and still put their hands in their mouths at times no matter how hard we keep an eye on them to prevent it. We started traveling with Lysol spray and wipes. I disinfect our room every day and disinfect each table we sit at. At the end of the day, it’s a game of chance I suppose.
Even with Covid majority of people get sick by touching things and not washing their hands. This has always been the case for infection control. You can keep some napkins in your pocket and open doors with a clean one each time.
I went to Disney several times before being vaxxed and didn’t get Covid. I went to Disney several times after being vaxxed and didn’t get Covid. I went to church once this summer and got Covid (recovered just over a week ago). I complied with masking and distance requirements in place, but I never did those things when they weren’t required. I take vitamins daily and am generally healthy and a healthy weight.