FLORIDA (WSNN) – Walt Disney World reopened its magical doors again on Saturday. And people across Florida have some mixed feelings about it.
“We are actually supposed to currently be at Disney right now,” Lakeland resident, Jennifer Miranda, said.
But, avid Disney goer, Miranda, canceled her family birthday plans, not knowing when Disney would reopen again. And, it did.
After nearly four months of being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Walt Disney World in Orlando reopened two of its four parks; the Magic Kingdom and the Animal Kingdom.
These are the first Disney parks to open in the United States, with limited capacity, of course.
Cast member, Noelle Jahnsen, was one of the first to return on Wednesday’s cast member-only day.
“I was really impressed with the amount of attention and safety precautions Disney put into the park,” Jahnsen said. “I felt very safe and I would definitely go again because I missed the magic feeling Disney creates in its parks.”
All guests are required to wear face coverings, undergo temperature checks, and socially distance themselves from others, including on lines and rides, and when dining.
Disney-lover from Oldsmar, Cristal Gutierrez, says this is enough for her to go back. She’s already gone to the reopened Universal Theme Park.
“As long as they’re taking cautionary measures, I’m totally fine with it,” Gutierrez said. “Universal did the right thing; masks, temperature checks, and social distancing. So, as long as they’re doing everything that they’re supposed to, I’m totally fine with it.”
There are hand sanitizer dispensers at every entry and exit of the ride, stand-alone hand washing stations throughout the park, and staff members disinfect rides about every 30 minutes.
But for others, like Miranda, this is still not enough.
“I have little ones,” Miranda said. “For little ones, it’s tough for them to understand the whole social distancing and not touching. They want to get out, they’re curious; they want to see, touch, feel everything. So, it’s a big risk in my opinion to take them out right now.”
But she says she understands why they need to reopen.
“I feel horrible for the people who’ve lost their jobs, I mean that’s their life, they’ve lost their jobs,” Miranda said. “So I understand the economy needs to reopen and get back to it.”
Mixed feelings all the way around, but nonetheless, Disney is open and people who wish to go have to reserve ahead of time.
Epcot and Hollywood Studios plan to resume operations on Wednesday, but California’s Disneyland doesn’t have a reopening date.
