I do not fault nor question anybody who will be back at Disney World as soon as it opens. I would encourage them to go and get their happy fix as soon as they can, because Lord knows we all need whatever happy we can get. To me, however, wearing a mask and having a stripped-down vacation is not happy. It’s sad. And every time I would look at one of my kids with a mask covering half of their face, it would be a reminder of sadness and not happiness. Some of my favorite Disney World memories involve the expressions on my kids’ faces, which I would be completely robbed of with everyone wearing masks. Will I eventually think differently? Maybe. But until then, I will definitely be holding off on any Disney vacations. I will live with those happy, smile-filled memories for now.
As soon as he wanders anywhere near anyone I bark at him to get back to me. I don’t want other people touching him with their COVID-infested hands. He and I share a bed.
And that’s the world we live in now.
Agree with every word.
It occurs to me to add that I really hate uncertainty. I felt a huge wave of relief when I cancelled my June trip, despite the enormous disappointment. I don’t have to cancel my October trip until August (UK booking terms suck) but I’m going to be tempted to do so before then. I know I should wait to see how things play out.
Ugh yes!! Agree seeing my kids in masks would make me just sad! I
I want to see there smiles when there favorite characters appear and I want my littlest to be able to hug their favorite characters.
My point is that after 9/11, the negative changes came and we felt them. We could no longer bring whatever we wanted into the parks like we could before. It changed for the worse. But now it seems so normal we don’t bat an eye at it.
I am not looking forward to masks…I actually despise them…but it is because we are not used to it. But, for example, Asian countries spent their days wearing masks without batting an eye for years.
I going to have a good time at Disney regardless. It is the new world order for now.
Bag check still rankles. And yes, we felt all kinds of icky when we first had to bag check. And then it was the metal detector.
sigh
As the guy in the movie says, it’s getting to be where a head start don’t mean nothing.
Or something to that effect. 
Perhaps my granny had it wrong: old isn’t when you’re surprised to wake up, it’s when every thing triggers ! ! ! 
It strikes me that this is comparable to my feelings about Zoom calls with family and friends as we celebrate special occasions. For a moment I’m delighted to see and talk with everyone and then I become quite depressed about the reality and severity of the situation. I’m afraid that wearing and seeing others wear masks will only serve as a constant reminder that things are bad and that will sadden me deeply. Perhaps I’ll feel differently about this in a few months, but my feelings after a Zoom call remain the same–I’m depressed about our new normal.
100% with you on this. My next “sort of” planned trip is not until late 2021, so I’ll have to see how things develop. But as long as masks will be required, I have no interest in returning.
I feel this way as well. I’m happy to see my friends and family, but video calls feel forced and unnatural to me. And, like you, they make me sad.
Two things come to mind for me. 1- I still wave and call out a good morning/ hello from across the street. I also smile because a smile can be seen in a persons eyes. 2- Now with the masks I wonder if people will begin looking each other in the eyes again. It’s been driving me bananas that as of late making eye contact is less and less common. Especially with “kids these days”.
I’d say I’m a fan, but some might say fanatical about it. I’m torn about going back anytime soon. I have an idea of the way it “should be” and I think I’d be disappointed without characters and many of the other experiences. I’d rather wait to experience it in all its glory! If we went several times a year I may be more inclined to go, but going once a year or two means I want it to be special. We will likely just do other trips in the meantime.
^This. Our boy likes people so much that he gets excited when a car drives towards us during walkies. So much so that people have actually stopped to say hello to him.
Physical security is not my field at all, but I suspect bag check and magnetometers have rather more to do with the prevalence of concealed handguns in this country than preventing terrorism.
Very real possibility. But then why didn’t they start before 9/11?
Security theater and “everything changed” gave Disney cover for something it probably wanted to do prior to then. Absent a triggering event, guests would’ve been put off by the inconvenience and the intrusion of the quotidian into the “magic” for no seeming reason.
Because consider that using a bomb or repeating rifle is going to cause as many deaths when used against a crowd waiting for bag check as it is in the middle of Main Street, and the psychological effect will be the same.
Not really. Disney was considered a primary target early on. All large venues and those things considered quinticentially American were. The bag check gate you have a few hundred targets. But Main Street during the Fireworks is thousands.
How security works now is not the prevention itself, but the fact that they check keeps people from trying.
So I disagree with you. Concealed handguns aren’t dangerous, relatively speaking. They are concealed, and actually dissuade violence when allowed. But when you check for any weapon or potential weapon in bags, etc, you also keep out the AR47s, bombs, etc, which can cause mass casualties.
Citation needed.
There’s one Florida State University study from 10 or 12 years ago that, shall we say, Second Amendment enthusiasts, like to cite for this claim. It falls apart under peer review, but never let facts get in the way of fervent belief.
I can’t find the original study, which is actually from 1995, is mentioned in this piece from Scientific American.
I’m still thinking it had a lot to do with 9/11…