Disney vs universal - covid

[Kyhome]

We spent a few days at Universal parks and resort in June and then again this week (Royal Pacific). We also added a few days at Disney this week but stayed off property.

I think overall, they are both fairly comparable in terms of safety. Mask compliance was high at both places and I saw guests with masks pulled down asked to pull them up at both sets of parks. I did like that Universal put hand sanitizer directly on the guests prior to boarding a ride. On the other hand, I liked that Disney had sanitizer available at the exit of each ride (at Universal, we used our own sanitizer after each ride). Both sets of parks paused rides for cleaning, both had very clean restrooms, and I saw things being wiped down in both sets.

I never thought I personally would go to an amusement park during a pandemic (a few months ago, I would have never considered). But due to the safety precautions and low crowds, we decided to go in June. And after the June trip, I felt safer at Universal and the resort than my local grocery stores. I think both Universal and Disney are doing a great job.

This trip was one of the best ever, we maximized rides and low wait times and had a blast!

 

[randumb0]

Not sure exactly what you mean. People at SW were less inclined to follow the mask rule but the ambassadors were very protective and told them to wear them properly

You said that you've visited all 3 parks so I wanted to hear your thoughts on Sea World. That can be saved for another thread though

 

[DisneyOma]

What if you refuse the hand sanitizer? Will they let you ride?

Good to know they put it on you right before you ride. Makes a little more sense, as the most obvious things you are going to touch are the ride vehicle restraints, handles, sides, etc.

 

[yulilin3]

What if you refuse the hand sanitizer? Will they let you ride?

Good to know they put it on you right before you ride. Makes a little more sense, as the most obvious things you are going to touch are the ride vehicle restraints, handles, sides, etc.

No, unless you have a wristband that shows you're allergic in anyway, you get the band at guest relations. If you can't use sanitizer the wil clean your spot when you get off

 

[yulilin3]

You said that you've visited all 3 parks so I wanted to hear your thoughts on Sea World. That can be saved for another thread though

All 3 are pretty much on par in terms of procedures.

 

[DisneyOma]

No, unless you have a wristband that shows you're allergic in anyway, you get the band at guest relations. If you can't use sanitizer the wil clean your spot when you get off

Shouldn't they clean it before (with something besides hand sanitizer) the person gets on, to keep that person safer? And then after, for the next person? All that hand sanitizer isn't good for you, BTW. I think they are overdoing it at Universal.

 

[yulilin3]

Shouldn't they clean it before (with something besides hand sanitizer) the person gets on, to keep that person safer? And then after, for the next person? All that hand sanitizer isn't good for you, BTW. I think they are overdoing it at Universal.

Disney doesn't sanitize after every ride either, the difference is at universal almost everyone riding has sanitized hands at Disney we really don't know who has.
Also they don't clean with sanitizer, they clean with a cleaning solution

 

[MischaOz]

Did anything stand out at Sea World?

In Orlando now for a Seaworld trip and went to Seaworld for the very first time last night! We were only there for a few hours and are going for a full day today, but anyway, these are my observations.

There were very few ppl there as we were only there from 6pm-9pm and there was a big storm right before that. Went straight to Mako and walked in 4x in a row. There are hand sanitizers before and after rides, but I did not see a single person use them... I tried using one but it was empty, so after that I just used my own that I brought with me. Did not see any workers wiping down the ride at all either so again I just used my own sanitizer before and after.

After that we walked on infinity falls 2x. They are seating one party per raft which is nice. Again didn’t see any sanitation of the ride vehicles or surrounding surfaces.

Mask compliance was sketchy. I did see a couple workers ask ppl to pull up their masks, but there were not a lot of workers around, and if the person didn’t comply, there was no follow up. I’m personally not a big fan of mask use outside when socially distanced, so it didn’t bother me too much, but that might bother some.

We stayed for the fireworks last night and it was really nice that the park was open til 9:00! I know Disney isn’t doing fireworks at all right now, not sure about Universal.

In sum, the only thing that made me a little uncomfortable was the lack of sanitizer and cleaning that I observed. But, as a pp mentioned, if you use your own sanitizer it shouldn’t matter what others are doing. So today in addition to my own sanitizer I am going to keep a packet of Purell wipes in my side pocket.

 

[jsmla]

In Orlando now for a Seaworld trip and went to Seaworld for the very first time last night! We were only there for a few hours and are going for a full day today, but anyway, these are my observations.

There were very few ppl there as we were only there from 6pm-9pm and there was a big storm right before that. Went straight to Mako and walked in 4x in a row. There are hand sanitizers before and after rides, but I did not see a single person use them... I tried using one but it was empty, so after that I just used my own that I brought with me. Did not see any workers wiping down the ride at all either so again I just used my own sanitizer before and after.

After that we walked on infinity falls 2x. They are seating one party per raft which is nice. Again didn’t see any sanitation of the ride vehicles or surrounding surfaces.

Mask compliance was sketchy. I did see a couple workers ask ppl to pull up their masks, but there were not a lot of workers around, and if the person didn’t comply, there was no follow up. I’m personally not a big fan of mask use outside when socially distanced, so it didn’t bother me too much, but that might bother some.

We stayed for the fireworks last night and it was really nice that the park was open til 9:00! I know Disney isn’t doing fireworks at all right now, not sure about Universal.

In sum, the only thing that made me a little uncomfortable was the lack of sanitizer and cleaning that I observed. But, as a pp mentioned, if you use your own sanitizer it shouldn’t matter what others are doing. So today in addition to my own sanitizer I am going to keep a packet of Purell wipes in my side pocket.

Thanks for the SeaWorld report. I’m having a hard time finding info for my trip next month.

 

[MischaOz]

Thanks for the SeaWorld report. I’m having a hard time finding info for my trip next month.

You are welcome, and I will be happy to report back after the rest of our trip! We were at Discovery Cove yesterday and will probably go to Aquatica tomorrow or Monday. It’s killing me to be in Orlando and not go to Disney, but my daughter was ready to try something new, lol!

 

[jsmla]

You are welcome, and I will be happy to report back after the rest of our trip! We were at Discovery Cove yesterday and will probably go to Aquatica tomorrow or Monday. It’s killing me to be in Orlando and not go to Disney, but my daughter was ready to try something new, lol!

How was Discovery Cove? I impulsively booked the DC + SeaWorld (no-dolphins) package when it was 40% off last week. I have 1 DC day and 1 SW day planned.

 

[MischaOz]

How was Discovery Cove? I impulsively booked the DC + SeaWorld (no-dolphins) package when it was 40% off last week. I have 1 DC day and 1 SW day planned.

We LOVED it! My 8yo daughter said it was one of the best days of her life! I had originally booked the no dolphin day and then upgraded to the dolphins when it went on sale. Although it was cool meeting the dolphins, my daughter said that was her least favorite part of the day and we wouldn’t do it again, so don’t second guess your decision. The photo packages are insanely expensive (like $200), which is pretty ridiculous imo when you’ve already paid so much to be there.

The park opens at 9:00 but you can get there as early as 7:30however, since you do not need to sign up for a dolphin time, there is no need to get there that early. We got there at 7:45 and had to wait in line about 15 min to get in. If you are planning on eating the breakfast (which is included) I would recommend getting there around 8:15-8:30. The breakfast wasn’t great, similar to a free hotel breakfast, but it is included. After that, you can get your vests or wetsuits and locker, and kind of get the lay of the land before they open the swimming areas at 9:00.

I had read somewhere that the birds are more active in the morning, so we went to the aviary first. The aviary was closed for awhile due to covid, but it IS back open now and you can feed the birds as much as you want. There are two lazy rivers in that area, a smaller one where you can see otters and little monkeys, and a larger one where you swim through the aviary. The larger one does get deep in spots, and there are life vests if you want them. We did not need them, but we did see a family that had to be “rescued” when they started to struggle. There are lots of lifeguards and they are very professional. The water is warmer in these areas so it is also a good choice for earlier in the day before it gets really hot. The water in the saltwater reef is much cooler due to the rays and fish living there, so we enjoyed doing that later when it got hotter.

There are large jugs of animal-friendly sunscreen near the lockers. Honestly, it didn’t work very well. I was slathered in that stuff and still burned. So, it you are prone to burning like I am, I would recommend a swim shirt or else wearing one of the provided wetsuits.

They will assign you a time for lunch (12:00, 1:00 or 2:00) but they didn’t even check the times. I think they are trying to spread ppl out due to COVID, but it is very flexible. I thought the lunch was pretty good, and you can go back for as much as you want. In fact, we are at noon and I went back for a little snack around 2:30.

There are self serve soda and icee machines throughout the park, and help yourself snacks like bags of chips. We were able to walk right up and it was not busy at all. Beer and win are included but I did not partake in that. I did notice there tended to be a short line for the bar, but usually only 4-5ppl.

Those are the main things I can think of, but if you have any questions lmk! Have a great trip!!

 

[jsmla]

We LOVED it! My 8yo daughter said it was one of the best days of her life! I had originally booked the no dolphin day and then upgraded to the dolphins when it went on sale. Although it was cool meeting the dolphins, my daughter said that was her least favorite part of the day and we wouldn’t do it again, so don’t second guess your decision. The photo packages are insanely expensive (like $200), which is pretty ridiculous imo when you’ve already paid so much to be there.

The park opens at 9:00 but you can get there as early as 7:30however, since you do not need to sign up for a dolphin time, there is no need to get there that early. We got there at 7:45 and had to wait in line about 15 min to get in. If you are planning on eating the breakfast (which is included) I would recommend getting there around 8:15-8:30. The breakfast wasn’t great, similar to a free hotel breakfast, but it is included. After that, you can get your vests or wetsuits and locker, and kind of get the lay of the land before they open the swimming areas at 9:00.

I had read somewhere that the birds are more active in the morning, so we went to the aviary first. The aviary was closed for awhile due to covid, but it IS back open now and you can feed the birds as much as you want. There are two lazy rivers in that area, a smaller one where you can see otters and little monkeys, and a larger one where you swim through the aviary. The larger one does get deep in spots, and there are life vests if you want them. We did not need them, but we did see a family that had to be “rescued” when they started to struggle. There are lots of lifeguards and they are very professional. The water is warmer in these areas so it is also a good choice for earlier in the day before it gets really hot. The water in the saltwater reef is much cooler due to the rays and fish living there, so we enjoyed doing that later when it got hotter.

There are large jugs of animal-friendly sunscreen near the lockers. Honestly, it didn’t work very well. I was slathered in that stuff and still burned. So, it you are prone to burning like I am, I would recommend a swim shirt or else wearing one of the provided wetsuits.

They will assign you a time for lunch (12:00, 1:00 or 2:00) but they didn’t even check the times. I think they are trying to spread ppl out due to COVID, but it is very flexible. I thought the lunch was pretty good, and you can go back for as much as you want. In fact, we are at noon and I went back for a little snack around 2:30.

There are self serve soda and icee machines throughout the park, and help yourself snacks like bags of chips. We were able to walk right up and it was not busy at all. Beer and win are included but I did not partake in that. I did notice there tended to be a short line for the bar, but usually only 4-5ppl.

Those are the main things I can think of, but if you have any questions lmk! Have a great trip!!

Thank you so much for the detailed report! I copied it and reposted on the SeaWorld forum, hope that’s okay!

 

[chicagoshannon]

We LOVED it! My 8yo daughter said it was one of the best days of her life! I had originally booked the no dolphin day and then upgraded to the dolphins when it went on sale. Although it was cool meeting the dolphins, my daughter said that was her least favorite part of the day and we wouldn’t do it again, so don’t second guess your decision. The photo packages are insanely expensive (like $200), which is pretty ridiculous imo when you’ve already paid so much to be there.



Those are the main things I can think of, but if you have any questions lmk! Have a great trip!!

What is the mask situation? I know you have to wear one to meet the dolphin but what about in the aviary or around the park? Also did they have cookies and ice cream at the soda/snack area? (they did last year when we were there)

 

[buzznina]

Disney doesn't sanitize after every ride either, the difference is at universal almost everyone riding has sanitized hands at Disney we really don't know who has.
Also they don't clean with sanitizer, they clean with a cleaning solution

Lot's of great points, but I get the feeling you're just banging your head against a wall Neither park wipes rides down between each ride, but just knowing US makes people use sanitizer before each ride is much better than leaving it up to the guests. Also, if you're washing your hands regularly, then you shouldn't be worried about using too much sanitizer.

 

[yulilin3]

Lot's of great points, but I get the feeling you're just banging your head against a wall Neither park wipes rides down between each ride, but just knowing US makes people use sanitizer before each ride is much better than leaving it up to the guests. Also, if you're washing your hands regularly, then you shouldn't be worried about using too much sanitizer.

You're quoting the wrong person thats my point exactly.

 

[andieb0602]

I didn't see it mentioned here but Universal also has sanitizer available *after* all the rides (or at least the ones we rode). You have to look for them - they're grey and look like soap dispensers and are mounted on the wall - and there are usually two of them mounted near each other to prevent bottlenecks. We became very skilled at grabbing sanitizer without having to stop walking. There was only one time that we found both dispensers were empty. I kept a small thing of sanitizer clipped to my hip pack for those situations.

 

[buzznina]

You're quoting the wrong person thats my point exactly.

No, I quoted you correctly but didn't verbalize very well The first part was that I do not think you will get anywhere with the other poster and then I should have started the 2nd line with , "I agree with you about rides not being wiped down... Sorry about the confusion

 

[yulilin3]

No, I quoted you correctly but didn't verbalize very well The first part was that I do not think you will get anywhere with the other poster and then I should have started the 2nd line with , "I agree with you about rides not being wiped down... Sorry about the confusion

no worries.

 

[buzznina]

no worries.

I think I am suffering from quarantine brain