Good news for those of you out there with the Disney travel bug! On Thursday, Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out regarding the mask mandate, social distancing requirements, and park capacity at Disney Parks. And we couldn’t believe what we heard…

While on the Quartet 1 financial call, Chapek shared that he does not expect the current requirements to exist at Disney Parks by 2022, stating that they are paying close attention to vaccination rates during the COVID-19 pandemic and basing the great majority of their decisions on positivity rate.

“And that could accelerate our expectations and give people the confidence that they need to come back to the parks. Will there be overlap until we know that we have herd immunity? Sure, there will. But do we believe we’ll be in the same state of 6-foot social distance and mask-wearing in 22? Absolutely not.” – Bob Chapek, Disney CEO

Chapek went on to mention that he anticipates the current regulations to remain in effect for the duration of the calendar year. In addition, he also added that Disneyland and Disneyland Paris are unlikely to open during the current quarter (ending in March), although there is still hope for Hong Kong Disneyland. Until then, The Walt Disney Company will continue to revisit and reassess all health and safety regulations.

While 2022 may seem a long way away, it is really just around the corner as far as travel and vacation planning is concerned. It is safe to assume that there will be some form of health and safety guidelines that remain for the foreseeable future, long after this virus hits the bricks! However, any reduced measure will surely be a welcomed change, especially when one can presume that this change will be brought on by positive news regarding our ability to eradicate the virus.

If we wish to minimize this entire pandemic from a theme parkgoer's perspective, we could just call it an “inconvenient learning experience.” That being said, a learning experience, nonetheless. Frankly, it has not all been bad. In many ways, there are elements of the health and safety guidelines that should probably remain.

A Few Predictions

We have put together a list of predictions of which processes and procedures will be kept in place throughout 2022 and the foreseeable future.

  • Mandatory temperature checks
  • Expedient metal detector checks
  • Some level of social distancing
  • Suggested mobile ordering.
  • A few blocked-off seats and rows
  • Regulated and distanced viewing for Nighttime Spectaculars

In addition, we have put together a list of things we are most excited to see comeback to the Disney parks!

  • Nighttime Spectaculars
  • Live Entertainment
  • More Dining Experiences (O’hana, Monsieur Paul, etc.)
  • Pre-shows
  • Character Experiences
  • Passholder Giveaways (Magnets, etc.)

As a reminder, Walt Disney World presently requires masks for all guests over the age of 2 years old and may only remove their masks when eating or drinking and remain stationary throughout.