The Orange County Government’s Economic Recovery Task Force is a group of Florida business owners who have banded together to restart the local economy. Walt Disney World is represented on the panel, obviously, as the group believed the larger theme parks would need their own guidelines rather than placing them under the same blanket guidelines for all businesses.
The initial proposal outlined some important guidelines and mandates Walt Disney World will follow when its theme parks, hotels and restaurants reopen.
Theme Parks
Guidelines
- Tape marking of 6 feet apart in ride/attraction queues
- Staff to regularly wipe down surfaces at random
- PHASE 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
Mandates
- All employees required to wear face masks
- Touchless hand sanitizer at each ticketing entry and turnstiles
- Touchless hand sanitizer at each ride/attraction entry and exit
- Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temps above 100.4 must not enter premises)
- All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay at home
- Wipe down of all railings and surfaces after every use
- PHASE 1: 50% capacity
- PHASE 2: 75% capacity
It’s worth noting that some of the guidelines are on the vague side. Previously, we heard that Disney discussed wiping down each ride vehicle after every use, but the initial guidelines only mention wiping them down at random.
Restaurants
Guidelines
- Paper/disposable menus
- Encourage takeout/online orders
- Touchless sanitizer at entry
- PHASE 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encouraged to stay home
Mandates
- Hand sanitizer at every table
- Hand sanitizer at entry to be in plain visible sight
- All employees required to wear facemasks
- Temperature checks for staff prior to shift (temps above 100.4 must not enter premises)
- All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home
- Doors to be wiped regularly
- All staff behind counters must wear gloves (except for bartenders)
- Bartenders to sanitize hands after making each drink order
- Seated tables to be six feet apart
- PHASE 1: Limit restaurant and bar capacity to 50%
- PHASE 2: Limit restaurant and bar capacity to 75%
Many of these ideas match what other parts of the country are doing when reopening restaurants. Walt Disney World will likely rely heavily on its mobile ordering system, but they’ll have to keep guests distanced when they’re ready to pick up their food. Buffets aren’t specifically noted in this list, but they’ll have to take on a different format to reopen.
Hotels
Guidelines
- PHASE 1: Housekeeping services to be limited and allow for minimal guest and employee exposure
- PHASE 1: Promote, if available, mobile check-in
- PHASE 1: Housekeeping services only clean upon request, or when guests depart
- PHASE 1: Allow employees to work from home if not playing a critical role in serving guests
- PHASE 1: Only deliver room service to guests’ door
- PHASE 1: Provide self parking
- Promote social distancing for all guests and staff
- Recommended touchless sanitizer at entry
- Increase cleaning services/additional sanitation services through cleaning companies
- PHASE 1 & 2: Staff who are 65+ are encourage to stay home
Mandates
- All employees required to wear facemasks
- Hand sanitizer at entry to be in plain visible sight
- All employees with flu-like symptoms advised to stay home
- Front desk to sanitize themselves on a regular basis
- Consistent cleaning of all guest areas
- Front desk to utilize sneeze-guards
- Remove all service items in guest rooms to include glassware, coffee cups etc.
- Mini bars not to be stocked
- Do no offer self food services
- Space pool furniture according to distancing guidelines
- Pool gates and pool chairs to be sanitized regularly
- Door handles, elevator button and railing to be sanitized regularly
- Remove all coffee makers from guest rooms
- Remove all guest collateral items, except for those that are single use
- Sanitize guest keys before and after each use
- Sanitize bell carts after each use
- PHASE 1 & 2: No conferences
- Promote social distancing for all guests and staff
There’s a few very interesting items of note here. Guests will need to get their caffeine fix elsewhere with coffee makers removed from the rooms. Following that line of thinking, we have to wonder if Disney will also resort back to single-use shampoo and conditioner bottles after shifting to pump bottle toiletries over the last few years. It will also be fascinating – and really, really bizarre – to see sneeze-guards installed at the front desks.
Summarized, there’s a lot Walt Disney World is going to need to do before they can reopen. They’ve already started notifying guests with upcoming reservations that online check-in is now a requirement. Look for more details to be revealed in the near future.
