If you follow us on Instagram, you most likely know I was in Orlando for the New Year's, if you don't, what are you waiting for? Follow us here.
In this post, I am going to tell you all about how it was with the Covid pandemic, from the decision to go there, to the covid procedures and how it affected the trip.
Well, as I have told you in this post, going to Disney is always a good idea, and now more than ever, considering it is WDW (Walt Disney World) 50th Anniversary. As I am such a huge fan, I had to be there to see all the things they are doing to celebrate this important date, such as new foods, drinks, merchandise, fireworks show, the way the Cinderella castle looks and so on.
So, why go considering covid is looking terrible right now? First of all, when I decided to go, there were several less cases than we are having right now, second, US was finally open for brazilians and not requiring anything too difficult to get. To board my plane I had to show my proof of vaccine and a negative antigen rapid test (it could also be a PCR) and that was it!
In all the parks (I went to Seaworld, Universal and Disney parks) you can choose wheather or not to use your face mask when outside, but it was mandatory if you had any kind of roof over your head. Most people didn't wear them outside, including me in a few moments, although I did put it on every time I thought there were too many people around me. But, some people just ignored the rules and didn't put them on even when they were in closed spaces, which sometimes felt very unconfortable to those around them. Also, all the parks had hand sanitizers available through out them.
Universal was constantly reminding that masks should be used in any kind of close spaces and were very clear about it, like having their workers saying things like "if you can hear me, you are inside, please wear your mask" and also asking individuals to follow the rules. Disney also had signs and sometimes had their workers explaining to people when their masks should be worn, but it was way less than Universal. Seaworld didn't have anyone talking about it.
Covid didn't really affect my plans, as I was able to go to all the parks I wanted to and all the attractions. On the other hand, if I needed a medicine, I would have been in big trouble, pharmacies had empty shelves and no covid tests available. Besides, the restaurants had big lines due to lack of staff to cook or take orders.
To come back to Brazil, I had to get tested again(PCR or antigen) and it was REALLY hard to find a place that still had available tests. You can get them in the airport, the antigen is 65 dollars and it takes about 40 minutes to get the results, but there are places that provide them for free. I went to one of the latter, called Nomi Health, it was about a 40 minute drive from where I was staying and the line was huge, it took me about 2 hours to get tested and 2 more to get the results back.
Although I tested negative, when I got back to São Paulo, I decided to get tested once more, just to be sure before I saw my parents and guess what... I was positive.
Bottomline, you can still enjoy the parks, but the chances of getting covid are huge, specially considering they were absolutely packed with people from all over the world. The decision is up to you....