Disney and the Pandemic

It is hard to put into words just how surreal the last eighteen (18) months have been.  In the blink of an eye, the world as we knew it changed.  We were asked to stay home, isolate ourselves from friends and family, and wait for the virus to pass.  For months, things looked bleak.  Not only was the devastating loss of life a constant reminder of the severity of the disease, but month after month of being away from loved ones took an emotional toll on many of us.  

It has been just over a year since Walt Disney World reopened after being shuttered in March 2020.  Few things were more consistent in our day to day lives than knowing that every single day, the gates to the Magic Kingdom were open.  And if you think that statement is overinflated, consider the fact that the PGA Tour cancelled their flagship event, The Players, only after learning that Disney World was closing.   

And yet, week after week for over 17 weeks, Disney parks around the world remained closed.  When Disney World did reopen in mid-July, it was one of the first signals that the world might be ready to reopen (complete with social distancing, masks, and plenty of sanitizer).  And yes, some of the magic had to be put on hold (fireworks, parades, etc.), but the reopening of Walt Disney World provided a much needed sense of normalcy.  

For my family, Disney World provided so much more.  We live in a state that had some of the strictest lockdown rules.  For much of 2020, stores and restaurants were shuttered as we tried to navigate the pandemic.  And like so many, being isolated from family and being kept away from social activities began to take a toll.  I never imagined that I would take for granted the simple act of eating out at a restaurant - until I suddenly couldn’t for months at a time.  And as hard as it was for me, I much more worried for my child.  I saw the distress in my daughter from not being able to go to school or do gymnastics with her friends.  

About a month after Walt Disney World reopened, we took the trek from the North down to Orlando, Florida.  It felt strange being back at our happy place after having been isolated from so much of the world.  Even the park’s themselves looked different.  In those first few months, park limits were severe and it felt like a ghost town.  I’ll never forget walking through the Haunted Mansion queue, entirely alone, through the stretching room, and onto the platform without seeing another guest.  The Cast Members were  looking at me as if they had been waiting all day for me to arrive.  It was surreal to say the least.  

Thanks to capacity limits, the first couple months of Walt Disney World’s reopening looked very different.

But in spite of the restrictions, the requirements to mask and social distance, being at Disney World provided my family and I an escape.   Walt’s vision of creating a world where people could escape reality was never more true than during the last year.  Disney not only fostered a safe environment - something I feel comfortable saying after traveling down there four (4) times during the pandemic and never contracting the virus - but it provided an oasis from virtual school and lockdowns.  

Since that first trip a year ago, the world has slowly begun going back to normal - but we continue to face challenges with variants and vaccine hesitancy.  Disney isn’t perfect, and Lord knows we’ve talked at length about some of the questionable decision making coming from the top, but during this past year, Disney gave us what Walt had always envisioned - a place to escape.