If the 26.23 billion dollar question is “When will Disney World reopen?”, the next question is “what changes will there be when Walt Disney World reopens?”. While we aren’t quite ready to tackle the first question due to the indefinite theme park closures (maybe June?, probably later), we wanted to put together a list of operational changes that we think will likely take place when Walt Disney World reopens.

Guest Temperature Checks

While most of this post will be speculative in nature, the implementation of body temperature checks came straight from the top – Bob Iger. No, Iger isn’t CEO anymore, but he’s actually still at the top of the company hierarchy, with newly minted Disney CEO Bob Chapek still reporting to him. Iger also recently reasserted control over Disney.

Iger recently sat down (virtually, of course) for an interview with Barron’s in which he stated that guest health screenings is one of the changes Disney is looking to make when the parks reopen.

Iger also tipped his hand a bit by saying that Disney is “studying very carefully” what China has been trying to do to return to normal. Of course, with a couple of Disney theme parks in China we can see what might be coming down the pipeline for the domestic parks. Shanghai Disneyland has already reopened one of its hotels and the Disneytown shopping district…with guest temperature checks.

Iger said that a potential guest health screening could take place alongside the standard bag check procedure that guests have been accustomed to for years. We anticipate a touchless process that would check for an elevated guest temperature and further mitigation if necessary.

Instead of arguing the merits of a temperature screening, we’ll simply say that it’s better than nothing and will likely be used in conjunction with other mitigation procedures listed below.

More Hand Washing Stations

Shortly before the theme parks closed, Disney had rolled out portable hand washing stations around the theme parks and Disney Springs. These hand washing stations were a constant reminder of the times and were provided in addition to the hand sanitizer stations at the entrance to the theme parks.

While a hand washing station installed at the entrance to Adventureland isn’t the theming that Imagineers designed the park for, it’s the reality of the world that we live in. Perhaps we’ll even see some themed portable hand washing stations in the future. We put portable hand washing stations second behind a direct statement from Iger because these are likely a shoo-in for a park reopening and washing your hands is listed higher than social distancing on the CDC website.

Virtual Queues and Social Distancing

Speaking of social distancing, queues are a wonderful spot to pack guests in tightly (FILL IN ALL AVAILABLE SPACE). While a Virtual Queue may have been something that we all hoped would quickly fade from memory once the Rise of the Resistance crowds eventually died down (maybe…one day), it seems very likely that we’ll see an expansion of the system for Disney’s busiest rides when the parks reopen.

With social distancing likely a staple of society for months, if not years to come, Disney will likely look at some of the most densely crowded scenarios at their parks and look to implement change. That leads us to the next change we anticipate seeing once the parks reopen – changes to entertainment.

Entertainment Changes

When thinking about social distancing, we think about the most crowded spaces during any given day and we immediately think of three things: fireworks, parades, and shows. In short, entertainment.

There is a little bit of precedent here when we look at international Disney parks. Yes, Walt Disney World is a beast when compared to other parks, but we’re talking about possible best practices here, which will always need to be balanced against business and customer expectations. There is a reason that safety comes first at Disney, and we think that Disney has demonstrated that safety will be put ahead of the bottom line. We only have to look at the completely unprecedented length of time that the parks, which are Disney’s largest business segment, have been closed to help stop the spread. To that end, here’s what we could see on the entertainment front:

Fireworks

This is probably the hardest to predict due to how iconic the fireworks have become over Cinderella Castle to end the day. At Disneyland Paris, their nighttime fireworks show was canceled in the days leading up to closure. At Walt Disney World, Happily Ever After played to packed crowds right up until the last night of operation.

It’s really hard to imagine a Magic Kingdom without a nighttime fireworks show, but between the crowds that pack Main Street USA and the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle to the mass of guests that all exit the park at the same time, perhaps the best thing is to not show nighttime fireworks for some time.

Parades

We will look to Disneyland Paris once again, and the cancellation of their Disney Stars on Parade. Domestically, Walt Disney World and Disneyland rolled their parades down Main Street USA to packed crowds on the last day of operation.

In hindsight, that likely wasn’t a good move as there is no possible way to social distance and still allow tens of thousands of guests to watch the parade. The parade routes are packed as it is with no social distancing of any sort in place. With Disney looking to create a more efficient (financial) operation in the future, it seems like the cutting of the parade and performers for social distancing reasons would make sense.

Shows

Shows, more specifically indoor shows, are the next item on the entertainment list. We look towards Disneyland Paris and the choices made there to limit number of guests in indoor venues including shows, restaurants, and attractions in an effort to promote social distancing. We think the same will be implemented at Walt Disney World. Indoor shows with seating areas would be a much easier spot for Disney to promote social distancing while continuing with a performance. Capacity will be greatly limited and guests will be spread apart in the seating areas, but the show could go on.

That said, you have to look no further than the stage itself to see that it’s not just guests that Disney should be worried about, it’s the performers too. Close contact isn’t uncommon in stage shows, including dancing, fighting, audience participation, and even a shared kiss in Beauty and the Beast-Live on Stage

Fingerprint Scanning

When considering the spread of the virus, it’s essential that guests not only wash their hands, but that Disney keeps surfaces clean in the park. One of the spots that we can see an immediate and easy change would be bypassing fingerprint scanning at the front of the park.

About a week before the parks closed, we wrote an article on How to Enter Walt Disney World Theme Parks Without Scanning Your Finger. With a surface that is touched by hundreds of guests an hour, it seems like Disney could utilize the bypass feature of the touchpoints that are usually put in place during high traffic periods and allow guests to enter the park in a “touchless” manner by simply scanning their MagicBand or park entry card.

As outlined in our article, Disney is able to combat fraud by checking against a file photo that would show that you are in fact the person who purchased an Annual Pass or similar park entry ticket.

Mask Requirements

We think that Disney will follow CDC guidelines to a T, and either allow or require a face covering of some sort. With a face covering now a recommended mitigation strategy, it would reason that if that continues to be a strategy moving forward, Disney will relax their rules on no masks and allow all guests to utilize a face covering if they want to. We know that Disney has begun to allow essential workers in the parks right now to use a face covering if they’d like, and we think that Disney will allow guests and Cast Members alike to cover their face if the CDC continues to recommend it.

Phased Reopening

Another item that we’ve seen thrown around a bit is a phased reopening of the parks and resorts. We think it’s likely…to an extent. It’s possible that we may return to 1971 where only Magic Kingdom and some Magic Kingdom area resorts are open, at first. With all of the new attractions now open at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we think that Disney will want to get guests back into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and onto Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway shortly thereafter. Disney’s Animal Kingdom has one of the most popular attractions at the entire resort still in Flight of Passage. EPCOT could be the last park to reopen for a variety of reasons. Perhaps the most pressing would be getting Cultural Representatives back to the United States to work in the countries that still have a staffing contract. We could also see Disney wanting to clean up the central spine area of EPCOT with some of the long-term plans possibly defunded and likely delayed.

It remains to be seen if guests will flock back to Walt Disney World or not when it opens, but if demand isn’t high, we can see some of the resorts not opening with the rest of the resort. Disney will be cleaning extensively when the parks and resorts open, and having resorts with just 10-30% occupancy might not be the most efficient use of Cast Members.

Dining Experiences

We anticipate a reduction of capacity in restaurants at the very least, and possibly a shift away from buffets and the like at the most extreme. If social distancing is put in place and restaurant capacities are cut to 50% or less, we also anticipate the removal of characters from any meals that they might have attended. If the goal is to social distance, having a character walk from table to table and interact with guests logically defeats that purpose.

Building off of that a bit, we think that face characters won’t meet for some time after initial opening. We saw a limitation of costumed characters only at the Asian parks shortly before they closed and we can see that “best practice” coming to the domestic parks.

How Long Will These Changes Last?

If some or all of these changes come to pass, we think that the logical move would be to implement them until there is a vaccine for COVID-19. With a virus that is passed from person to person from even just holding a conversation while standing too close, it’s tough to imagine that Disney will want to remove mitigation procedures before there is a vaccine widely available. That means that these changes, if they were to take place, could last into 2021 or beyond. Just like we said at the beginning of this post, this is a speculative post, so none of it should be taken as official unless and until Disney confirms what changes will go into effect. That said, I think it’s safe to say that there will be changes and the parks could be very different the next time you visit.

What do you think? Can you see some or all of these changes going into place when the parks and resorts reopen? Is there something that we missed that you think is a possibility? Let us know on our Facebook Page, Twitter, or in the comments below!

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com for the latest Disney Parks news and photos. We’ll continue to bring you news and photos, where possible, through the Disney Parks closure due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) and will resume our normal coverage once the parks reopen to guests on July 11th!