Travel

/

Home & Leisure

Taking the Kids: As Orlando reopens

By Eileen Ogintz, Tribune Content Agency on

For example, more than 200 hand-sanitizing stations have been added throughout LEGOLAND and masks will be distributed. A Tip: Download the LEGOLAND Florida mobile app in advance, which will be updated daily with what’s open.

Reservations for rides at Universal Orlando are now made via the resort’s smartphone app, which also can be used to order food in the parks, reducing lines. But be forewarned that the virtual lines for top attractions sell out soon after the parks open.

Universal and SeaWorld have now created “relaxation areas,” where people can sit socially distanced without their masks.

More Orlando restaurants are hosting diners outside or indoors at 50 percent capacity, but don’t expect to see buffets or even condiment stations.

Still, is it safe?

“I wouldn’t take my kids. … You can make it safer but not safe,” said University of Florida professor Dr. Mobeen Rathore, the president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Dr. Rathore is a nationally known epidemiologist and chief of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

You can, however, relax enjoying Orlando resorts’ pools and water play areas as the virus is not thought to survive in chlorinated water, Dr. Rathore said, as long as you social distance outside the water and wear masks.

“I understand people want to get back to normal but wherever people gather can cause outbreaks,” he said. “That’s my concern,” including recent demonstrations that have drawn so many to cities across the country.

The hospitality and travel industry have been the hardest hit in recent months as families were forced to shelter at home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Now, as the country begins to open—though there are still growing numbers of cases in many states, nearly 2 million in the country -- the hospitality industry, including theme parks and cities like Orlando that rely on tourism, are doing all they can to make sure families who visit are safe.

Theme parks elsewhere have started to reopen too including Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Cedar Point, famous for its coasters, has been cleared to reopen by Ohio authorities. Hersheypark in Pennsylvania plans to open in July Disneyland Resort in California now also has announced phased reopening plans: Downtown Disney District will begin opening on July 9. Pending state and local government approvals, Disneyland park and Disney California Adventure park will plan to reopen on July 17 and Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa and Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel on July 23. Fun fact: The theme parks are reopening 65 years to the date after the historic opening of Disneyland Park.

...continued

swipe to next page

(c) 2020 DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

 

 

Comics

Bob Gorrell Popeye Diamond Lil Randy Enos Sarah's Scribbles Rick McKee