Name: Don't make the same mistake I did by visiting Disney World during the pandemic. It's just not worth it.
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Don't make the same mistake I did by visiting Disney World during the pandemic. It's just not worth it.

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Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for by Morning Brew to get the best recs for smarter livingSomething is loading.This story is part of our inside look at how Disney has dealt with COVID-19.&nbsp;&nbsp;In recent weeks, there has been a in new COVID-19 cases nationwide, and in the country. But it seems many people aren't afraid to visit Walt Disney World for the holidays.In a press conference during the week of Thanksgiving, Orange County, Florida, Mayor Jerry Demings said . At the same event, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer acknowledged that many people flying in around the holiday were going to Disney World.I was one of them, making the decision to take my family to Disney World the week after Thanksgiving, my concerns assuaged by along with the Walt Disney Co.'s thorough .To mitigate safety risks on our travels, we drove ourselves to Salt Lake City's international airport and booked seats in the back of the plane, as we learned that to decrease contact among passengers, and we didn't want to pass others as we boarded or be surrounded by people in the rows behind us as well. (Thankfully, our young children — even our 2-year-old — are so accustomed to wearing face masks that we didn't have any issues complying with Delta's once onboard.)We also called ahead to make sure our transportation from the airport to our Disney hotel had safety measures in place. We confirmed that Disney's bus would go directly to the resort without making additional stops and had mask requirements, as well as empty rows or plexiglass dividers to keep parties distanced.Despite all the precautions we took to travel safely, I was stunned by our experience at the "happiest place on Earth."My wife and I frequently saw throngs of crowds — sometimes shoulder to shoulder — as they gathered in front of Cinderella's castle or made their way through the Magic Kingdom's meandering pathways connecting each "land" to another. I experienced a crowd of people so thick at one point in Adventureland that a woman near me shrieked out to the people in her party: "Get me out of here! This is crazier than a frat party!"Though a representative for Disney World told Insider the company did not publicly share attendance numbers, Disney CEO Bob Chapek in a November 12 earnings call with investors that the park increased capacity from 25 to 35% — which represented up to a 40% increase in the number of guests — in October.Chapek also &nbsp;holiday reservations were 77% booked two weeks before Thanksgiving and that the week of Thanksgiving was, at that time, "booked close to capacity." I don't know what attendance was like the week after Thanksgiving when my family arrived, but it seemed very crowded to me. And many of the Disney World annual pass holders and employees I spoke with during my visit said they thought the parks were much busier than they were a few months ago.&nbsp;"When we first opened in July," one employee said, "we were a ghost town."&nbsp;One local annual pass holder told me the park was "unrecognizable" today compared with how it appeared to her a few months ago.And there's no reason to believe the number of Disney-bound travelers won't continue to rise now that the Food and Drug Administration has data from Skyscanner showed on November 9, the day news of Pfizer's vaccine broke — suggesting that more people were starting to plan trips again.In the meantime, Disney has continued offering to incentivize cost-conscious families like mine to travel to the area during the pandemic — a move that's paying off for the company. The uptick in visitors has improved Disney's revenue in the past few months, with the company's fiscal earnings reports from to the showing that Disney World's profits increased dramatically.While having more visitors has helped Disney's business, the health risks of visiting the park during the pandemic remain high.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that "large in-person gatherings where it is difficult for individuals to remain spaced at least 6 feet apart and attendees travel from outside the local area" are among the "highest-risk" level of activity that a person can engage in during the pandemic — among the to consider about a trip to Walt Disney World.In fact, before allowing guests to secure a park-pass reservation, the company requires them to acknowledge that says "an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present" and that they "voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19" by visiting Disney World. It also reminds guests "COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death" and says that by entering the park, visitors confirm they aren't experiencing any of the COVID-19 symptoms outlined by the CDC.&nbsp;Though Disney World has made several operational adjustments since it reopened (click for the most up-to-date park information), at the time of our visit we found many of our favorite park staples were understandably lacking or absent altogether in the interest of safety.&nbsp;Character interactions have been suspended, and lavish parades have been replaced with impromptu drive-bys of a vehicle or two and a handful of spaced-apart characters waving. Many of the rides now have plexiglass dividers between rows that make it difficult to see the attraction, and you can't capture the smiles on your children's faces when they're behind a mask. Many of the park's most popular restaurants are closed too.And long lines are inevitable with empty rows left on rides to keep guests apart and . An employee told me the FastPass line was closed to the general public with some exceptions for those with disabilities, rider-switch parties ( that lets ridegoers hold their place in line as they wait with nonriders, often children, while others in their party enjoy the attraction), and Club 33 members who pay steep membership fees for perks ( is $12,000 annually on top of a one-time ).&nbsp;As such, we spent the majority of our vacation waiting in line, and we weren't able to experience nearly as many attractions as we have in previous visits. In the past, at least in my experience, the posted wait-time estimates at Disney parks were much longer than the actual wait, but now actual waits often exceed posted wait times.My family's stay at Disney's Art of Animation Resort was splendid. We experienced the same hospitality and friendly service throughout the days we were there, and the crowds seemed significantly smaller around our hotel, where we could escape the packed theme parks. Twice, we even had the hotel pool almost to ourselves. Though I never saw a line form at the pool while we were there, a lifeguard told me the resort did limit the number of people in the area and that masks were required when walking or lounging around the pool — though not while swimming.When we booked the room, we were told that "" was used to "thoroughly sanitize" our room, and the resort gave us the option to opt out of housekeeping altogether during our stay or have a "light cleaning" every other day. We were also told our hotel room would not be adjacent to other occupied hotel rooms, and we appreciated that all the purchases we made at the resort were contactless through the My Disney Experience app.What's more, Disney's bus and Skyliner transportation systems ran like clockwork throughout our stay. Though one Disney driver told me they are allowed to load buses only to half-capacity during the pandemic, Disney World has increased the number of buses running — so much so that my family never waited longer than five minutes for a bus to take us anywhere. Each party boarding the bus is assigned a numbered seating section, and large dividers and empty seats are placed between them to ensure distance between travelers once onboard. And Disney transportation systems are , according to the company's health and safety measures.&nbsp;I was also relieved to be in a place that enforced mask-wearing more strictly than my home state of Utah, where have driven up the number of new COVID-19 cases. Loudspeaker announcements frequently reminded parkgoers to wear face coverings properly, signs were posted everywhere warning that "guests not properly wearing an approved mask will be asked to leave," and employees immediately asked guests to adjust their masks if they ever fell below their nostrils. And while I never saw any measures in place to limit massive crowds of people from forming around the thruways of the parks, I rarely saw a ride queue where people weren't appropriately spaced at least 6 feet apart by adhering to markings on the ground.One other upside we experienced was that quick-service restaurants throughout the parks and at our resort now require mobile ordering. As a result, there weren't any physical lines at food-pickup windows because everyone was entered into a virtual queue instead.Ultimately, though, none of these upsides began to make visiting Walt Disney World during the pandemic worth the money and effort. Though we tried to make the most of an unexpected situation, I wish my family would have saved the small fortune we spent in going there when we did to instead visit the magical world of Disney at a time when it would have been both safer and more enjoyable.A representative for Disney World declined Insider's request for comment on this article.Sign up for notifications from Insider! Stay up to date with what you want to know.Subscribe to push notificationsAn icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.Keep readingIt indicates an expandable section or menu, or sometimes previous / next navigation options.Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.

Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders. It often indicates a user profile.Redeem nowSign up for by Morning Brew to get the best recs for smarter livingSomething is loading.This story is part of our inside look at how Disney has dealt with COVID-19.&nbsp;&nbsp;In recent weeks, there has been a in new COVID-19 cases nationwide, and in the country. But it seems many people aren't afraid to visit Walt Disney World for the holidays.In a press conference during the week of...

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Daryl Austin

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Don't make the same mistake I did by visiting Disney World during the pandemic. It's just not worth it.

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