Theme parks expecting big crowds for Thanksgiving weekend

Are people following the rules at Disney?

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, people are still required to wear masks at Walt Disney World. The man behind TouringPlans.com says the website it now tracking mask compliance at the parks.

ORLANDO, Fla. - It's Thanksgiving week and Orlando's theme parks are expecting to be busy.

Universal Orlando reached capacity earlier this week and Walt Disney World is mostly out of park reservations for the weekend.

All of these parks have face mask policies. Some travelers say the strict mask rules at the park are the main reason why they’re spending their Thanksgiving holiday at Disney this year.

"People flying in and going to Disney or Universal – those are two of the safer places I can think of to go and not worry as much about whether you’ll contract COVID because of social distancing and social distancing they’ve put in place," said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer.

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Now, there's a new website that is looking into whether guests are following those rules.

Len Testa, a computer scientist who analyzes Disney trip, says this week and Christmas will be the busiest at the parks since the pandemic began. So will mask compliance remain high?

"It’s extremely rare for someone not to follow the guidelines once they’re reminded of them. No one wants to get kicked out after you paid $100 to get in."

The proof may already be in the numbers.

Testa runs Touringplans.com, a website dedicated to advising guests on the order in which they should visit each attraction based on wait times. But since the pandemic hit, he found some new material to research: just how many people are following Disney’s mask requirement.

"To date we’ve counted around 14,000 people. 500 people a day almost every day and it’s never been below 94 compliance and it’s been up to 98 percent."

If you’re trying to get a reservation for one of the Disney World theme parks this holiday weekend it is slim pickings. All of the parks are booked. As of Wednesday morning, Epcot is the only one that is still open to passholders.

Theme Parks Coronavirus Florida