Hello from another week in Disney World! 

Some things around Disney are starting to look more like how we remember them from before the parks closed. It’s not the first time we’ve seen changes made to some of Disney’s policies since the reopening. Little by little, things have started to go back to “normal.” Some restaurants and resorts have reopened, Park Hopping has returned, and some character dining has even come back. And recently, we spotted 3 BIG changes in Disney World that show even more things are returning to some semblance of pre-pandemic “normalcy.”

Maskless Outdoor Photos

This is probably one of the biggest updates that have been made recently. At Disney World, everyone ages 2 and up is required to wear an approved face covering at all times, unless they are in a situation where they are specifically allowed to remove their mask. Guests are allowed to remove their masks when actively eating or drinking while socially distanced and stationary from others, when swimming, and when at a mask-free relaxation station.

Guests who do not wear an approved face mask appropriately will be asked to leave.

Previously, this policy required guests to wear masks when taking photos in the park. But, recently, Disney has started to allow for maskless photos to be taken outdoors.

With the new policy, guests can temporarily remove their masks while taking an outdoor photo, as long as they are socially distanced from others and stationery. After they take the photo, guests must put their masks back on.

We noticed PhotoPass Cast Members being very helpful in letting guests know about the new policy and keeping guests distanced from one another. This is certainly a big change from Disney’s previous policy and one signal of things returning to the pre-pandemic sense of “normalcy.” Just keep in mind that Disney’s mask rules are subject to change.

Click here to see how the new maskless photo policy works

Hand-washing Stations Have Been Disappearing

Last year, prior to the park closures, Disney installed a number of hand-washing stations throughout Disney World. Those then continued to be available for guests to use, in addition to hand sanitizing stations, as part of Disney’s overall set of health and safety measures.

But, recently, we’ve noticed a change when it comes to these hand-washing stations. Throughout the parks, the hand-washing stations have started to disappear!

Spots where these hand-washing stations used to be are generally now empty. In many cases, you can actually see the spots in the ground where these stations used to be.

When we first noticed this change, we asked a Cast Member in Disney’s Animal Kingdom about it. Specifically, we asked if the removal was permanent, but unfortunately, the Cast Members didn’t seem to know if the hand-washing stations would return or not. We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more updates on that.

The next time you’re in the park, just keep in mind that you might find that the hand-washing station you used before is now gone! You’ll still find hand sanitizer around the park though and, of course, you can pop into the restrooms to wash your hands there.

Click here to see some adorable hand sanitizers we found last year in Disney World!

Some Self-Serve Drink Stations Are Changing

Since the parks and hotels in Disney World reopened, self-serve drink stations (whether you’re dealing with a refillable mug or just a regular drink) in Disney World have been operating differently. Generally, Cast Members have been stationed behind some tables or barriers. They will get your drink and hand it to you. In order words, you generally haven’t been able to just walk up to the self-serve drink areas and serve yourself a soda, coffee, or other drink.

We first noticed a change to this policy when Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park reopened! There, Cast Members were NOT filling the park’s refillable mugs for you. Instead, you were able to fill them all by yourself at Refill Stations.

Recently, at a few spots around Disney World, we started noticing that some self-serve beverage areas have also fully accessible by guests once again. In other words, at select locations in Disney World, guests can now fill their own drinks.

So far, we’ve noticed this at a few Disney World hotel restaurants and even some restaurants in the parks.

Signs in the area generally specify that only one party is allowed to be at the drink station at a time. We’ve also noticed that some of the self-service drink areas now have social distancing markers, directional arrows, and other things all aimed at helping guests maneuver through the space while safely keeping their distance from others. So, just be sure to look out for those.

While we haven’t seen this become available in all restaurants, the fact that even a few spots have it in place is a big change from what the existing policy has been. We’re keeping an eye out for any more developments on this.

Click here to see where we’ve spotted these changes being made to the self-serve drink areas.

While these three changes may seem relatively small, they are actually quite significant compared to Disney’s previous policies. They’re all also changes that seem to point to things getting closer to the pre-pandemic “normal,” or whatever the “new normal” will be.

And more changes are on the way. A modified form of the Festival of the Lion King is set to return next month, and more Disney World hotels now have reopening dates. What changes could be next? It’s not clear yet, but you know we’ll be looking out for them and bringing all the latest updates to you.

If you’re heading to Disney soon, be sure to check out our ULTIMATE guide to planning a Disney World vacation!

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When are you planning to visit Disney World next? Let us know in the comments!

The post 3 Things that Are Back to Normal in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.