I have to say that I am a little worried that an era has completely passed us by, and the freedoms that once existed at Disney World and Disneyland are no longer going to be available to us. I have absolutely been 100% behind the actions that Disney has taken in regards to safety and the security of people who are visiting the parks. I have understood the efforts that have been made, and while some things do not quite add up for me, most everything makes sense to me.
The question that I have is whether or not this is ever going to end.
I used to have annual passes, first at Disney World when I lived in Florida, and then when I moved to California I got an annual pass for Disneyland. I loved having my passes, and I loved the freedom of being able to decide on a whim to go to the parks, and spend an hour or two if that was what was going to make me happy. I was even considering getting an annual pass for Disney World, despite not living in Florida anymore, and making the trip several times per year. I could still do that when they bring annual passes back, but it doesn't look like they're going to be bringing back annual passes for California anytime in the near future.
That freedom to be able to go for a couple of hours at a time without feeling like I was wasting a lot of money, and that ability to be able to go from one park to another without worrying too much about trying to fill an entire day, allowed me to spend a little bit of money on a pretty regular basis. In contrast to the amount of money that I would spend being there for a full day, it was probably quite a bit more per hour. The reservation system makes that near impossible, and while I understand why they put it in place, losing that freedom to hop and to be able to enjoy things surgically (you know, by picking and choosing without feeling like you have to spend an entire day) is very much missed.
So while I understand why some of the protocols may seem like a good idea, I am not entirely clear that it is something that should continue for much longer. As we move into the next quarter, and we begin to see even better numbers concerning the spread of the coronavirus, I believe that park behaviors and traditions should be put back at least to a certain degree so that the pleasure and joy that longtime users have can be experienced once again.
It is an extremely expensive trip to decide to go just to walk through the park, sit down to a good meal, and then go home.
Except that is exactly what I did for years, and I loved every minute of it.
Even as I try to get reservations in Disney World for some of the favorites, I realize most everything that I love best is unavailable or hasn't been opened yet. I do anticipate that these restaurants that are clearly not part of the coronavirus opening will eventually come back.
I really did love Afternoon Tea at the Grand Floridian. Considering that was difficult to get reservations even when the coronavirus was not a part of our lives, I imagine that it will come back eventually.
I can only hope that the Disney I remember will continue forward past these Dark Times, and that as we all learn to live in this new world that has been created, and it is a new world, that we are able to recapture some of those things that we lost.
It may be a small thing to some, but I always felt at home and comfortable when I was able to spend time and the lovely environment that was created for Disney World. I am not afraid of masks, and I am not afraid of using hand sanitizer and doing my best to protect myself and my community. However, I do want to regain some of the pleasures that we had in terms of socializing and being a part of a world that had wonders to behold.
I want to stress that I did believe in what we were doing, and I do believe that we need to continue many of the practices that we have put in place to protect each other during this time of a pandemic. I just have to have hope that not only the functional processes in Disney World will go back to what we knew and loved, but many of the practices that we had to abandon can be regained once we begin to live in a more social world.