Disney Nerds COVID Travel Tips!
Hello Disney Nerds!
I’m back from my first trip to Walt Disney World since COVID began! I have to say my packing has changed. I realized they were different and I thought I’d share some tips with you.
Check the Health & Safety Guidelines
First things first, always follow the health and safety guidelines of your area as well as Florida and the Orlando area. One thing you want to check to make sure that your state is allowing travel to Florida. The last thing you want to do is go on a Disney vacation only to come home and realize that you and/or your travel party have to self-quarantine for two weeks. Also, you want to check the guidelines Disney has put in place since they might be different than the guidelines at home.
Masks
Once you know that you’re in the clear to travel to Disney, it’s time to pack! As we all know, you are required to wear a mask at all times while at Walt Disney World. The only exception is when you are actively eating or drinking. They ask for you to not walk around while doing so. Since you have to wear a mask every day, this is something to add to your packing list.
Personally, I packed a LOT of masks. I wanted to make sure I would always have a clean, useable mask on me while on vacation. I have a travel bag packed of all of my masks and another smaller bag to have a couple packed in my park bag. This was very handy for me. I walked out of my hotel room once without a mask on my face and instead of running back to my room, I just used a mask I already had in my bag! This is also great for hot days in the park when your mask might get sweaty or if you go on a water ride and your mask gets soaked. Having extra masks on hand can be very helpful at Disney. I also recommend having them in their own bag in your park bag just to keep things more organized.
Cleaning Your Masks
Since we’re talking about masks, I also thought ahead about how I’m going to clean my masks. My tip is to pack a mesh laundry bag. I use them at home because they still get washed but this helps them from snagging and also gives them some protection during the wash cycle. During this trip, I stayed off-property for half and on-property for the other half. While I was off-property, I was in a room that had a washing machine so I wash my mask just like at home. But once we moved on-property, I didn’t have a washing machine in my room. I could’ve utilized the laundry room on site of my resort but I didn’t want to spend part of my vacation sitting & waiting for laundry.
What I did to clean my masks while staying on the property was to clean them in the bathroom sink. I used the mesh laundry bag I packed. I placed the laundry bag in the sink, ran the water (on cold), and placed my masks in the mesh bag. I then used the bar of soap provided in the room and scrubbed my masks by hand. I plugged the bathroom sink and then let the masks soak for about an hour (I just felt better having them soak for a bit) and then pulled them out and let them hang dry.
Hand Sanitizer
Now besides masks, I also made sure I had plenty of hand sanitizer packed. What kind you use is completely up to you but I always made sure I had some in a bag of “essentials” I have in my park bag for the day. I actually found some Disney ones at my local Target. I always had a small bottle with me in my park bag. I packed a couple of extras and kept them in the room if I used up the small bottle and had to replace it for the next day.
This being said, Disney does an excellent job providing hand sanitizer throughout the park. I think there was a hand sanitizer station at the entrance and exit of every ride, restaurant, and more. There were also handwashing stations which I thought were helpful if you needed to wash your hands but not go to a nearby bathroom. But I still had hand sanitizer with me and being the Disney Nerd that I am only wished I would’ve grabbed one of the extremely cute hand sanitizer holders for sale on property! (I’ll probably reach out to our friends and official park shopper of The Disney Nerds Podcast, Pixie Purchases with April, and have her pick one up for me.)
Optional Items
Some optional items you might want to consider packing would be sanitizer wipes. I know this might be more preferable for some people than sanitizer. Also, even though the resort rooms have been cleaned, if you want to wipe down and surfaces in your room these are good to have on hand. If you are considering wipes then you also might want to pack a can of Lysol for your room too. These optional items are only recommended if prefer them.
Some other items you might want to think about packing would be laundry detergent. If you plan on washing your masks every day like mentioned, you might want to use laundry detergent instead of soap. You can wash your mask in the same method, in the sink but just use some detergent instead. There’s even laundry detergent designed for hand washing items in the sink, like these I found online.
Now there are some things you might not have thought of to pack or prepare for. One thing would be a pen. I’d say the majority if not all hotels, including Disney resorts, have removed pens and notepads from their rooms. So if you have a tendency to need to jot something down, I’d pack a pen and maybe a notepad.
Cell Phone Tips
Also, think ahead of any contactless payment systems you might want to utilize. The My Disney Experience App asked before the pandemic for a credit card on file for your room stay. You can allow this card to be used for room charges or place another card on file. Remember that you will need a credit card on your My Disney Experience app for dining mobile ordering.
Beyond these new things, I still always recommend packing a portable power bank so you can keep your phone charged while in the parks. Right now, we are using our cell phones more in the parks. Between mobile ordering, checking ride wait times, dining reservations, park and resort maps, and more, it seems like I had the My Disney Experience app up on my phone more than ever. This, of course, means that my cell phone battery was dying quicker, and having that portable power bank was extremely helpful in the parks. I have my own rechargeable power bank, in fact, I have three, and I recharge it every night when I get back to my room. Disney is still offering the Fuel Rods in the parks too if you prefer. Here’s the information on where the Fuel Rod kiosks are at Walt Disney World.
Walt Disney World is still a great vacation, even during this pandemic. If you choose to go to Disney during this time then you will still have a great trip and I hope my tips help!
Did I miss any tips? Let me know what changes you’ve made since going to Disney right now!
Need help booking your trip? Then look no further than Welcome Home Travel Co! They are the official travel agent of The Disney Nerds Podcast! Also, they’re fee-free so it doesn’t cost anything extra for their expert advice!
