First Day of Updated Mask Rules at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
Today is the day! MickeyBloggers are coming to you from Disney’s Animal Kingdom, on the first day of the updated mask rules at Walt Disney World resort, which sees vaccinated guests no longer required to wear face coverings in indoor areas throughout the park.
Good morning from rope drop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! We are here on the first day of the mask change rule. Masks are now optional for all guests both inside and outside with the exception of Disney transportation services. #WaltDisneyWorld #DisneyWorld50 #DisneyParks pic.twitter.com/iMuAXW0Ur8
— MickeyBlog.com (@MickeyBlog_) February 17, 2022
As you can see from the above rules, the wearing of face masks is now optional for fully vaccinated guests at all indoor locations, as well as in outdoor locations. The wearing of face masks is still compulsory whilst riding enclosed transportation, such as buses and monorails. Unvaccinated guests must wear face masks at all times whilst indoors.
So, with today being the first day of these new rules in place, let’s head on into Disney’s Animal Kingdom to see what impact the changes are making!
After all, the sun is shining, so let’s go see some smiling faces!
The first thing we’re noticing is that a lot of the signage which was formerly used to enforce mask-wearing has now been removed.
Well, the signs themselves have been removed. The boards and A-frames are still in place, just with blank faces.
As we proceed through the security checkpoint, we can see that some Cast Members are still wearing their masks as they search guests’ luggage.
Got your bags and scanned your ticket? Awesome, let’s head into Animal Kingdom!
And boy, look at that sea of people! Disney’s Animal Kingdom sure is busy today, full of people ready to explore the park!
When you arrive for Rope Drop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which way do you head first? I’m a Kilimanjaro Safaris kind of gal, I love seeing the animals first thing in the morning!
But, that’s not where MickeyBloggers are headed today…
First on the agenda, a trip to Discovery Trading Company! As you can see, the doors are spread widely open to welcome guests, with not a face mask sign in sight.
Previously, there was signage on these doors reminding guests to put their masks on.
Now, we can see clearly out of those sparkling windows, and admire the lush greenery outside!
The store is kind of quiet at the moment, but we can see guests are happily browsing the shelves mask-free.
And lining up at the checkout, also mask-free!
It almost feels kind of weird, doesn’t it? It has been so long since we could stand in an indoor queue at Disney without wearing a face mask!
There is always so much to see in Discovery Trading Post, it really is an awesome store.
From what we can see, some Cast Members are still wearing face masks, whilst others aren’t. If you are fully vaccinated, you are welcome to do whatever feels most comfortable, and both options are fine.
Of course, for guests who are unvaccinated, face masks do remain compulsory indoors.
Whilst we’re passing, we should definitely give a shout-out to these amazing new green Minnie ears, which are brand new in the parks today. Aren’t they the cutest?
Now we’re heading out of Discovery Trading Post and into Mombasa Market, where we can see even more guests opting to remove those face masks.
The Plexiglas screen is still in place in front of the till point, forming a strong barrier between guests and Cast Members.
Guests can even order snacks without face masks!
Can you guess where we have headed to now?
That’s right! We’re in the Tree of Life, to watch the It’s Tough to be a Bug show. This attraction makes me shiver, but we have to see what’s going on in here today!
As this is an indoor, theater-style attraction, guests would previously have had to keep their masks on throughout the experience.
Maybe, with some of the less-cute 4-D effects, having a face mask on could have helped guests endure the show a bit more comfortably? I guess that depends on you and how you feel about this show!
This morning, MickeyBloggers were also over at the Magic Kingdom to check out the atmosphere there on this first day of eased face mask rules. You can read our report and see photos over here.
And that’s it for our trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom today! Thank you for joining us, and we look forward to seeing you real soon!
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