In trying to persuade California Governor Gavin Newsom to allow theme parks to reopen, managers at Disney highlighted all the things they have changed at Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort and will use at Disneyland to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
I do not have a medical degree, so I cannot pass judgment on how effective those new procedures are at stopping the virus. But I can say that many of them have the potential to make visiting a theme park a much more pleasant experience, so I hope that they stick around as industry standards long after this pandemic is over.
Capacity limits: COVID-19 has inspired many parks to develop advance reservation systems to maintain limited capacity levels. That’s a far more precise way to restrict daily attendance than the date-specific pricing plans that Disneyland and some other parks have used to discourage people from visiting on traditionally busy days. Even when we no longer need six feet of safe physical distancing around us, we still need some space to keep from feeling like sardines in a can. Parks should continue using advance reservation systems during peak vacation periods to make visits more pleasant.
Temperature checks: No one wants to get sick on their day off, much less on their vacation. Temperature checks won’t catch everyone carrying the COVID-19 virus, but they do allow parks to deny entry to people with obvious fevers, which can help limit the spread of many illnesses in the parks.
More mobile ordering and payments: Once I tried mobile ordering, I never wanted to stand in another food line again, and I suspect that many theme park fans feel the same way. It’s just easier and more efficient. COVID-19 accelerated parks’ rollout of mobile ordering, and I hope that trend continues until all locations offer it. Now, we just need all businesses to support the use of their gift cards as payment when using mobile ordering, too.
Better maintenance of dining areas: Having attendants jump in to wipe down tables between every group of diners was a dream before the pandemic made this standard operating procedure. So was having open tables available for everyone when they get their food. If I never again have to circle around a dining area with a tray of food, waiting for another party to leave, then busing their table myself before I can sit down to eat, I will be a very happy theme park fan.
Replace Fastpass with virtual queues: Disneyland fans never had to deal with the hassle of logging in online exactly 30 days before their visit to snag Fastpass reservations the way that Walt Disney World visitors have. But even Disneyland’s system of assigning same-day Fastpass ride reservations frustrated many visitors. I get that people don’t want to stand in line for hours on end. But new virtual queues systems offer a more fair and efficient alternative to Fastpass. It’s first-come, first-in, just like a physical queue. But you don’t have to wait in person, and no one gets to “cut the line.” Walt Disney World did away with its Fastpass system temporarily after reopening this summer. I hope that change becomes permanent.