What will it take for you to feel safe sleeping at Disney again?

JPKnapp

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 27, 2014
I'm struggling with when I'd feel safe for my family to sleep in a hotel again. For me, the additional risk of a hotel stay vs. all the other risks of Corona at Disney is hard for me to handle. Mainly because the duration of exposure to a "risky" area with no where else to go. I'd like to know what you'd need to see from Disney to feel safe? Right now, I'm stuck at bring pillows, buy a cleaning kit, do it myself and refuse housekeeping. Whatever time spent is better than not going.

I have no idea what kind of sneezes and coughs the person just a few hours earlier was in the room with. This virus lives for days on surfaces. I'm thinking of the uncovered coughs, sneezes, bathroom, shower, and just the thought of putting my face and sleeping on a pillow that was just 12 hours earlier used by someone seems crazy.

I'm really fine with the "going" to Disney part. The travel to/from and being at the parks feels a lot more in control for me. I can see the efforts of the cleaning staff around me. I can wipe down the airplane seat, I can wear a mask, etc. and it's not prolonged 8 hours in one place. Inside the parks, I am sure there will hand washing stations, masks, tons of queue handrail wipers, and the hopefully constant bathroom cleaners.

I've never considered myself a germaphobe. I travel(ed) for work constantly until this without a second thought. The risk was just getting sick or worst case bed bugs. The risk now is a much higher. Of all the companies who will get it right, I'm sure it's Disney.
 
You bring up an interesting topic.

Admittedly, I don't know much about the virus, but I have been thinking about what precautions I will take as an individual when I return to the parks.

We don't know what procedures WDW is going to put in place, but cleanliness is going to be at the absolute top of their priority list.

We can start thinking about how we, as individuals, will start taking back the feeling of control over this terrible situation, for our own physical and mental wellbeing.

So, what can YOU do that would give you a sense of safety and control, in regards to your hotel room? What reasonable/realistic measures can you take that will give you peace of mind without taking away any of the (remaining) "magic"?

It's a good question for us all to consider when we think about returning to the resorts and parks, and I would be interested to hear what others come up with.
 
I think that every individual will have to make their own decisions about what they feel comfortable with when traveling. For some it will be sooner than others. No amount of laws, vaccines, face masks, or sanitizer will change that. After the Pandemic of 1918, things got back to normal. Theaters, ball parks, restaurants all opened back up and the crowds came back. Yes, many will argue this pandemic is different, but I bet they said the same thing back then. The more things change, the more they will stay the same. Do what is best for you and your family.
 


We already had it so nothing, would go tomorrow!

It didn't really affect us much. My daughter had a sore throat, and my husband and I had a mild cough for a couple of days. Only know we had it because it was confirmed in a test at the time. My winter cold last year was worse.

That is the problem with Coronavirus, most people don't really notice they have it so they just keep going out even at the height of their illness and then an old or otherwise weak person gets it and they get very ill.

Honestly if you are healthy then maybe don't worry about it and just avoid contact with any vulnerable people in your family when you get back home for two weeks.
 


I'll be much more concerned about encountering crowds in the parks as opposed to staying in a WDW resort room. I'm confident housekeeping will do a thorough job preparing the room but we'll be disinfecting in addition. I hope, and expect, that Disney will require all guests to wear masks at all times except when eating or drinking and we hope to be there for F&W.

Bill From PA
 
I'll be interested to know what changes housekeeping will be implementing when everything re-opens. I hope Disney is forthcoming about their plan for resort rooms. In my own past experience, we have always found Disney housekeeping to be sub-par compared to other hotel chains. We've had a few instances where we know they did not vacuum/sweep or wipe surfaces. Seems it was a simple make the bed, remove dirty towels, add clean towels, done. If they are going to do things right, they need to lower the quota of rooms per housekeeper and add more housekeepers, add more housekeeping inspections (usually done by a supervisor), and include a wiping of surfaces and floor cleaning for each room.
 
From my point of view, there's nothing to be 'afraid' of.

Anyone can get sick at any time. There's all kinds of viruses, illnesses, etc. Some are more prevalent than others, some are more deadly than others. But being afraid of a virus is no way to live. At all. You can contract terrible things like cancer for no reason at all - some of the "fittest" or "healthiest" people I know have major health problems, and some of the most "unhealthy" people I have met or known have lived well into their 90's.

I'm not afraid of getting sick or dying, because death comes to us all. Its the one thing in this world that you can't control. Which is why I say that the goal of life isn't to avoid death....the goal of life is to enjoy it to the fullest and get the most out of it while you can, because you don't have much time - the first 18 years of your life are spent at school under the roof of your parents, and usually the final few years of your life is spent at home or in assisted living because you're too old and frail to do much of anything anymore. That doesn't leave a ton of time in between, especially if you are raising a family. My family still has a WDW trip planned this fall, and as long as the parks are open, we're going. I'm not going to rob my family of lifelong memories because of fear of something like this. To tell my kids that we won't go to WDW because they 'might get sick' is the ultimate cop out, and a sign that you've surrendered to fear.

I understand where the OP is coming from, and agree with others who say you have to make decisions for your family as you see fit. But hiding from a virus that you may get, may not get, or might get and not know it, is no way to live. And if these types of thinking dont change - and soon - our society as a whole will collapse. People need to trust each other. Trust that if you go on vacation, your destination will take care of you the best they can. Trust that your employer will take care of you the best they can. Trust that your neighbor will take care of you the best they can. And lets get back to living.
 
Last edited:
I always bring my own wipes and clean off the touchable surfaces like handles, remotes, light switches, etc because I don't fully trust others to do their job. Same as I don't trust those at the grocery now saying all carts have been sanitized. I bring a wipe with me every time. That being said...I'm not afraid of going, but I do not want to pay $$$ for a sub-par experience. Just cancelled our June reservation (and my fast passes were *kiss sound* excellent)....and probably will push this back 2 years.
 
From my point of view, there's nothing to be 'afraid' of.

Anyone can get sick at any time. There's all kinds of viruses, illnesses, etc. Some are more prevalent than others, some are more deadly than others. But being afraid of a virus is no way to live. At all. You can contract terrible things like cancer for no reason at all - some of the "fittest" or "healthiest" people I know have major health problems, and some of the most "unhealthy" people I have met or known have lived well into their 90's.

I'm not afraid of getting sick or dying, because death comes to us all. Its the one thing in this world that you can't control. Which is why I say that the goal of life isn't to avoid death....the goal of life is to enjoy it to the fullest and get the most out of it while you can, because you don't have much time - the first 18 years of your life are spent at school under the roof of your parents, and usually the final few years of your life is spent at home or in assisted living because you're too old and frail to do much of anything anymore. That doesn't leave a ton of time in between, especially if you are raising a family. My family still has a WDW trip planned this fall, and as long as the parks are open, we're going. I'm not going to rob my family of lifelong memories because of fear of something like this. To tell my kids that we won't go to WDW because they 'might get sick' is the ultimate cop out, and a sign that you've surrendered to fear.

I understand where the OP is coming from, and agree with others who say you have to make decisions for your family as you see fit. But hiding from a virus that you may get, may not get, or might get and not know it, is no way to live. And if these types of thinking dont change - and soon - our society as a whole will collapse. People need to trust each other. Trust that if you go on vacation, your destination will take care of you the best they can. Trust that your employer will take care of you the best they can. Trust that your neighbor will take care of you the best they can. And lets get back to living.
My original question had nothing to do fear/hiding/cop-outs. It was -- what changes (if any) would you want to see to be safe. I'm assuming your answer is "no changes."
 
My original question had nothing to do fear/hiding/cop-outs. It was -- what changes (if any) would you want to see to be safe. I'm assuming your answer is "no changes."


I understand. My point is that why do you think Disney won't do everything in their power to keep you as safe as possible? Cleaning a hotel room is cleaning a hotel room...i fail to see what "extra" they are supposed to do to give you a level of comfort. I mean, if you're talking about basically bringing your own cleaning supplies and refusing housekeeping because you don't trust the people being paid to clean your room, which is what you said in your original post, I'm not sure what you expect Disney to do, as it's clear you won't trust it.

Just to clarify, Im not saying you're 'wrong'. Everyone should do what they feel is comfortable for their family. But in the end, its going to be up to the people traveling to trust Disney (or wherever else they travel) that they'll be taken care of just fine.
 
I understand. My point is that why do you think Disney won't do everything in their power to keep you as safe as possible? Cleaning a hotel room is cleaning a hotel room...i fail to see what "extra" they are supposed to do to give you a level of comfort. I mean, if you're talking about basically bringing your own cleaning supplies and refusing housekeeping because you don't trust the people being paid to clean your room, which is what you said in your original post, I'm not sure what you expect Disney to do, as it's clear you won't trust it.

Just to clarify, Im not saying you're 'wrong'. Everyone should do what they feel is comfortable for their family. But in the end, its going to be up to the people traveling to trust Disney (or wherever else they travel) that they'll be taken care of just fine.
If your definition of "extra" is anything they didn't do before, then I guess I do want something extra. I would like them to be transparent about their cleaning processes - maybe even video what they do and post about it. But if they dont make any changes... you are right that I don't trust their housekeeping to do a good enough job. Whatever time I spend cleaning is far better than not going.

Disney is in a really hard spot right now. You used to be able to enter the Disney bubble and leave the outside world (even if it's just in my head) without constant reminders of the not-so-great things in life. If they can figure out how to make a close quarters, international public gathering feel safe, that would be magical indeed. I'm afraid even our world class Imagineers might struggle to solve that one.

Does anyone else want to share any changes they would need to see, if any, before they are comfortable sleeping in a room which was occupied by multiple strangers only a few hours prior.
 
If your definition of "extra" is anything they didn't do before, then I guess I do want something extra. I would like them to be transparent about their cleaning processes - maybe even video what they do and post about it. But if they dont make any changes... you are right that I don't trust their housekeeping to do a good enough job. Whatever time I spend cleaning is far better than not going.

Disney is in a really hard spot right now. You used to be able to enter the Disney bubble and leave the outside world (even if it's just in my head) without constant reminders of the not-so-great things in life. If they can figure out how to make a close quarters, international public gathering feel safe, that would be magical indeed. I'm afraid even our world class Imagineers might struggle to solve that one.

Oof.

Imagine having someone come over to your house. Maybe someone staying overnight for a sleepover or something with your kids, if you have any. You plan to host dinner at your house that evening. But before the person/family comes over for dinner, they ask you to video how you clean your house, how you clean your dishes, how you cook, and how you do your laundry....and they will only come over if the way you do things is satisfactory for them.

Feel kind of insulted, wouldnt you? Well, that's what you just asked Disney to do in order for you to be comfortable sleeping in a resort. And it would be one thing if the Disney reputation is somehow shady or cheap....of course, its not. They're top-shelf resorts.

I have a feeling you'll never be comfortable again, which is fine. But to do something as drastic as "video how they clean" is borderline absurd. At some point, you have to trust other people, no matter what you do in life. The entire service industry depends on trust in order to survive....whether its people staying in hotel rooms, people eating in restaurants, people flying in airplanes, etc. You're asking someone else to do something for you and take care of you. Are you going to eliminate everything in your life that happens outside of your home because you can't see first-hand and control yourself what is going on?
 
Last edited:
I may be in the minority, but I have always felt Disney properties were some of the cleanest (if not "the" cleanest) I have ever encountered. Truly I would not be worried about anything there with one exception - the poles on monorails. I have seen children actually lick them - but I did not let mine touch them before so it would be no different in the future.
 
I may be in the minority, but I have always felt Disney properties were some of the cleanest (if not "the" cleanest) I have ever encountered. Truly I would not be worried about anything there with one exception - the poles on monorails. I have seen children actually lick them - but I did not let mine touch them before so it would be no different in the future.

We saw a kid lick one in MK in January. Parenting will need to be stepped up a bit more than many parents are capable at Disney. Just sayin.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top