My Worst Takes from the Pandemic
Two years ago, I wrote several articles like this one. At the time, we were still early in the pandemic, although we didn’t know it at the time.
We were roughly five weeks into what became two years of aggravation. A few times, I tried to boldly predict the future. Frankly, it could have gone better.
Here are my worst takes from the pandemic and why they were wrong.
A Renewed Emphasis on Guest Safety
Okay, please don’t take this one the wrong way. Disney hasn’t done anything to cut safety standards during the pandemic. In fact, the opposite is true.
The parks have focused more on guest safety than ever before…but not in the way I predicted.
During the pandemic and its aftermath, Disney has used roughly the same cleaning products that it had before. This is because they’re already industrial strength in nature.
However, I expected Disney to coat most of its surfaces with a specific kind of bacteria-killing agent. It’s a more expensive product, but it also lasts much longer.
What I didn’t anticipate at the time was how quickly the math would change for Disney CEO Bob Chapek.
Once Disney had enough people in the parks, it no longer needed to spend extra for super-expensive, longer-lasting bacteria-killing projects.
In truth, this was one of my earliest encounters with the Chapek leadership style wherein every Disney decision comes down to money.
I had hoped Disney would go the extra mile from now on, but there’s been no need. The public would need to push for it for Chapek to justify the cost.
No More Buffets
I remember saying this one often during the first six months of the pandemic.
Videos were everywhere of the dangers of buffets. Since people must touch all the serving utensils at a buffet, it’s like shaking hands with hundreds of strangers.
This video displays the problem (in blue):
I wasn’t the only one thinking that buffets wouldn’t return in their current form:
However, restaurants adapted to the changing times:
Roughly a year ago, the tide turned, though:
What has changed? The prevalence of vaccines and the frustration of a house-bound society have combined to change the tenor of the conversation.
Not everyone is willing to return to buffets. Still, enough are to justify the business model, especially at tourist locales like Walt Disney World.
In fact, this month represents the first time that all Vegas buffets have reopened since the pandemic’s start.
In April 2020, I envisioned robot servers for cleanliness purposes:
While those will continue as a niche, I still severely missed the boat here.
What I never anticipated was that society would do everything it could to forget COVID the second everyone could. My fault!
The Disney Transportation Miscalculation
When I borrowed Madame Leota’s crystal ball and peered within, I managed to get some stuff right.
Here’s an article with mostly accurate assessments of Disney transportation.
A point that bears stressing involves the Disney Skyliner. Before it debuted, critics assailed Disney for building gondolas with vents rather than air conditioning.
During the pandemic, we realized that Disney might have borrowed Madame Leota’s crystal ball, too. They looked prescient.
Still, I did get one thing very, VERY wrong. Here’s the quote:
“Disney’s Magical Express service isn’t likely to change much.”
Oof.
In my defense, nobody at the time could have predicted that Mears Transportation and Disney would suffer such a dramatic schism.
Still, I cringed a little when I re-read that one. We all miss Magical Express, and I sincerely hope that Disney brings something like it back soon.
That hope circles back to Chapek’s underlying business philosophy, though…
Reliance on Facial Recognition
I somehow got this one right and still missed it. Yes, that’s a confusing statement. Please allow me to explain.
In 2020, I argued that the fingerprint tech at entrance kiosks wasn’t very sanitary because it’s not.
Even worse, this method is slow, which is a more significant concern for Disney. Bottlenecks at the front gates slow down everyone.
For this reason, I presumed that Disney would adopt the same approach as some cutting-edge airports. They employ facial recognition for more accurate identification.
Disney clearly liked the concept, at least in theory. In March 2021, the parks quietly started testing facial recognition as a form of park admission.
At the time, a permanent implementation appeared all but certain. Then, for reasons we still don’t know, Disney quietly ended the program in May 2021.
Since then, we’ve heard no more about the return of facial recognition.
Instead, Disney has favored MagicMobile, a smartphone-based entrance system that also debuted in March 2021.
I still fully expect Disney to switch to facial recognition and other tech in future years. It just doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. And speaking of tech…
The Coldest Take
For many years, I’ve had a running joke about Disney vacations. Every time I take one, I know that I’ll spend the following week sick in bed.
Seriously, it’s quicker for me to count the times I didn’t get sick over the past decade than when I did.
A lot of the problem stems from the fact that my immune system has to focus on other stuff, but it’s also a self-fulfilling prophecy to an extent.
Because I go out so little, I’ve developed fewer natural antibodies/resistances. A Disney trip means airports, public transportation, and theme parks.
Those are breeding grounds for bacteria, especially airports. Dey nasty.
Since many people visit airports before heading to Disney, I anticipated that temperature tents or the like would become a permanent part of the parks.
Folks, I’m someone who once thought Ichiro Suzuki and Albert Pujols were flash-in-the-pan rookies who wouldn’t have long careers.
Somehow, the temperature take is STILL the worst one I’ve ever had in my life.
Disney officials couldn’t wait to get rid of them. Seriously, they lasted less than a year.
Management quickly realized that people disliked the sight of temperature tents due to what they represented.
Nobody wants to think about getting sick during a fun day. So when they watched potentially unhealthy guests standing in line, they couldn’t help but worry.
That, too, is a self-fulfilling prophecy, one that damaged theme park morale. Even worse, it made customers testy during their interactions with cast members.
So, nobody wanted the job, either. In short, while a theoretically excellent solution, temperature checks proved wildly impractical and utterly unwelcome.
That was a *terrible* take on my part.
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Feature Photo: USA Today