With Walt Disney World welcoming guests back home in less than a month, we know that efforts are ramping up and staff are being retrained to keep the parks sanitized and the guests as healthy as possible.
Which means we can focus on the other important issue on everyone’s mind:
“But what am I going to wear?!?”
If you’re like me, you have been spending some of the time that Disney has been shut down planning cute outfits for when it’s safe to go out and about! But there is one very important new Disney policy being implemented worldwide that will likely have a huge impact on your Walt Disney Wardrobe when you head back to the Happiest Place on Earth.
Per Disney’s website:
All Guests ages 2 and up—along with Cast Members—are required to wear face coverings when visiting Walt Disney World Resort. Please bring your own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when dining or swimming.
All face coverings should:
- Fully cover an individual’s nose and mouth and allow the Guest to remain hands-free
- Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
- Be secured with ties or ear loops
- Be made of breathable material, either disposable or reusable
Costume masks are not considered appropriate and are prohibited from being worn, in alignment with our existing rules.
That’s right: for the foreseeable future, masks are going to be a mandatory part of your Disney ensemble. We here at FashionEearsta are 100% behind the use of masks to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, but that doesn’t mean that you have to look drab while doing so.
Here are the Fancy Floridian’s 5 Tips for Disneyfying your Face Covering:
- Read the rules carefully! Disney uses specific wording in their official guidelines, and visitors to Disney Springs in Orlando have confirmed that Disney has different mask policies than Universal Studios or your local grocery store. Here are a few face coverings that you might be surprised that you aren’t able to wear to the parks.
- Buffs or gaiters
- Bandanas
- Face Shields (without an accompanying mask )
- Darth Vader, Buzz Lightyear and other costume-style helmets
- Make it Match! Think of your face covering as an excuse to accessorize. Many shops, including shopdisney.com, are getting in on the Disney mask market and there are tons of cute styles to choose from. If you are a fan of matching patterns or quotations, there are many Etsy shop owners who are willing to work with you so that you can have a custom mask while supporting a small business. Stay tuned for my full review of my custom Cinderella mask and ears, which were created just for me by the lovely Logan from ParkHopperDesign!
- Think about the length of time you’re going to be wearing the mask when choosing styles and materials. A day at Disney for a hardcore FashionEarsta can last upwards of twelve hours, so take that into consideration. I find that the cup-style face masks look sleeker but press closer to my face and are therefore soggy much more quickly than accordian-style masks like the one below, which are my preferred style. Masks with small metal nose bridges can help to keep the fabric from sticking to your lips, but they are more difficult to wash.
- Add Ear Savers to your Ear Headbands This is my favorite Disney mask hack! Instead of messing around with mask ties or suffering through elastic chafing your ears, add these buttons to the sides of your Minnie ears! They’re not permanent and an easy DIY with a sturdy rubber band and a button that matches your ears. Or, if you’re not crafty, there are Etsy shops like Craftijaci who sell them at very low prices.
- Double down on your DisneyBound! I will use any excuse to DisneyBound, so you’d better believe my masks are in character! So far, I have found ways to incorporate masks into a few of my favorite bounds.
Those are all the tips I have for today: check back after July 11th for an update on my experience braving the newly reopened Disney World parks in full mask couture!
I hope that you found this feature helpful! We’d love to hear what you think about masks, ears, and any other thoughts on Disney parks reopening in the comments. Make sure you check us out on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram; chances are, you will see these ears in action!
Sally Forth in Style, FashionEarstas!
The Fancy Floridian 
