Disney World During Covid

We did it. 

We went to the happiest place on earth. 

We went to Disney World during Covid. There. I said it. I haven’t posted pictures. I haven’t done a review of our trip. I didn’t really even tell that many people where we were going. (I did make some trip-related tik toks because that platform seems less judgy.)

I 

was 

so 

worried about what people would say about flying, visiting an amusement park, and staying at a hotel during this time. I am sure people will crucify us for those personal choices. 

My worry about making a decision to go on vacation during a pandemic is validated by witnessing how awful people are treating each other daily in-person and online. We have become so ingrained in thinking that our own personal choices are the only way to act that we put ourselves in a category of being right and everyone else is…..well, stupid. 

I don’t need to explain. I shouldn’t even feel compelled to explain but I am going to. We had it planned for a year. We did not buy trip insurance and stood to lose about $2000 in room accommodations. Also, trip insurance is a racket unless your life is extremely volatile or it is a global pandemic. (It was not a global pandemic when we booked. ) If WDW was open and we chose not to go, we would lose out. If WDW was not open, they would let us reschedule for no fee. 

So we went. We wore masks, followed the rules, and used heaps of hand sanitizer. 

No one wants to be persecuted for his or her opinions or choices, especially publicly. So I am betting that a lot of people, like us, don’t share what they are doing during quarantine. We keep to ourselves and that keeps our world even darker. My last post was about how I have been struggling with my mental health during the quarantine. My decision to not share made me sad because a lot of the time (pre-covid) I really don’t care about what people think.

Whatever your personal choices are during this pandemic, own them. The rest of you should learn to agree to disagree or shut your mouth.  If you have a “quaranteam” of close friends or neighbors that you are around safely, great. If you are a mask wearer, great. If you are a shield wearer, great. If you are staying home because you have vulnerable family members, great. If you can not wear a mask due to breathing issues, great. If you think this is a hoax, great. If you don’t think this is a hoax, great. If you are going out to eat sometimes, safely, great. If you are doing your best to live your life within the confines of your own mental health and making decisions that are best for you and your family, great. If you are a medical worker on the front lines and take all the precautions because of your job, great. You do you. I may or may not agree with all of you, but I will make choices that are best for me and my family. We will make a decision about who we are around, what businesses we frequent based on their actions and preventative measures or lack thereof. We all have that freedom. 

I refuse to hate you for it. I refuse to persecute you for it.

I am afraid I had a hard time enjoying the greatest trip with my family during one of the hardest times in our lives because I worried about what others would think. At the end of the day, my worry about others’ opinions about our personal choices straight up stole some of my joy. That is on me. 

But not anymore. 

Love, 

Stef

P.S.  I am betting some of you will be judgy behind our backs. It’s fine. We’re fine. I know the people who check our every move, seem supportive to our faces, but have plenty to say about us when we aren’t around. We’re not dumb. But I refuse to call you haters, you are straight-up fans. 🙂