Did Disney have anything to do with Florida moving to phase 3?
It is impossible to know what kind of discussions might have been had between Disney and Governor DeSantis as far as Florida moving to Phase 3 re-opening is concerned. But if we go by their public statement and their actions, it would appear that Disney had nothing to do with it. Disney made the following statement to Fox 35 in Orlando: “We received the Governor’s executive order and are evaluating it to determine what it may mean for our business. We are not making any immediate changes. As a reminder, face coverings are still required at Walt Disney World Resort.”
It seems to me that if Disney had anything directly to do with Governor DeSantis’ decision to move to a phase 3 opening, they would immediately jump at the opportunity to lift the restrictions to increase revenue and give their guests a more enjoyable overall experience. For right now, at least, Disney is leaving in place their capacity limit, face mask requirement, and Governor’s decision in any way. That belief was echoed by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who said, “he anticipates the theme parks will take their time.” Still, even if amusement parks stay in the slow lane for a while in how they choose to deal with Phase 3 reopening guidelines, there are some positive signs. For example, “SeaWorld is hiring again after the park permanently laid off 1,900 people last week.”
So it would seem to me that Disney had nothing to do with this. However, if they choose to, they can significantly benefit from it. I think they would be foolish not to. But then again, foolishness seems to be a common theme in 2020. So we cannot rule out that they won’t, especially when we consider how well the virtue-signaling plays on social media. Many people give more authority to social media than the Bible these days. Maybe we should take advice from Disney’s Pinocchio movie and “wish upon a star” that things will return to normal in Disney parks soon.
