A Recap on the Restrictions Lifted This Week at Disney
Disney fans and travelers alike are buzzing at the news of the last week- Disney’s new normal is here, and hopefully here to stay.
We started the week on the right foot. On Monday, April 18th, character meet and greets returned in a pre-covid capacity! Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Aulani and Disney Cruises began allowing us to get up-close and personal with our friends again. Many tears were had as people got to embrace their favorite characters after two long years. In addition to hugs, characters also resumed signing autographs. Characters are not available at all locations, however Disney reassured us that they are working on slowly having all normal characters return.
A Recap on the Restrictions Lifted This Week
Character Dining Resumes in Normal Capacity
With several restrictions lifted this week at Disney, one of them was the return of normal character dining experiences. If you hadn’t experienced character dining during social-distancing, the characters would do their rounds, stay at least 6 feet from the table, and pose for a distanced selfie, before moving on. Now, they are back to being able to come right up to you, hug you, sign an autograph, and pose for pictures right next to you.
At some locations, characters had not returned at all since reopening, such as at the ‘Ohana Character Breakfast. With this new change, we are hoping that some of the characters will return as they slowly begin reintegrating our pals.
Final Mask Restrictions Lift
Tuesday, April 19th, we got a second piece of good news- Disney lifted their mask mandates for transportation! Our own Mousekemom, Jen was able to snap a mask-free selfie in celebration! Now you are able to go mask-free on any Disney transportation, including buses, the Skyliner and Monorail. This means no more having to tote a mask around Disney. This sure simplifies having to un-mask and re-mask your entire family every time you need to get somewhere (as a mom, it fell to me to be the coordinator of such duties- and boy am I thrilled to be relieved of that position!)
Some Airlines Abandoning Mask Mandates
As if to create the perfect trifecta in your Disney travels, many airlines were able to lift mask mandated for the first time since February 2021. Many airlines are going this way, leaving guests the choice of whether or not they’d like to wear a mask.
Airlines who have dropped these restrictions include:
Please keep in mind, that depending on where you are flying from, the airport you fly out of or have a layover at, may have independent mask guidelines. It is a good idea to double check, so you’re not stuck without a mask if you need one.
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