Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping



allaboutthemouse said:
Would love to hear about your discovery cove and sea world days! We have DC booked for October with a cabana and shark swim. How did you feel about the amount of people there and distancing? We have been before in April and felt like we had plenty of space, so I’m thinking with even less people allowed in it will be even less crowded feeling? Thanks!
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When you arrive at DC you que up outside but the line moves very fast and they have several podium areas inside where they set you up for the day ... we were given a little gift pack with a logo mask, water resistant bag, hand sanitizer and our lanyards and off we went to breakfast ... we were sort of early and found it easy to find a table ... breakfast is eggs,meat, biscuits, potatoes, waffle, French toast, etc. the different part is for like sides they have them set up... you ask for what you want it and a gloved associate sets it towards the front of the counter where you can take it ... it was like this for sweet rolls, danishes, fruit cups, muffins, yogurt parfait etc. at the end the ask why utensils and condiments you would like. Lunch worked very similarly... the main entrees were steak, chicken, salmon, burgers, bbq pulled pork, etc. from when we have been before it seemed about the same maybe a bit less as far as attendance goes. What made me feel a bit uncomfortable was seeing so many people without masks... you can not wear masks in the water ways... I think part of it was just the culture shock of seeing people without them. I didn't not feel unsafe but you for sure have to be your own advocate for staying away from people... we wore our masks anytime we were not in a waterway but masks were not being enforced if you were in beach clothes or a wet suit you didn't have to wear a mask... normally I didn't find this too bad with the exception of at the snack bar /drink station areas ... they were busy and many with no masks. For the most part we were able to socially distance and would just get our snack or soda and take it away from the area. We had a wonderful time and could have stayed a few more hours ... why can't hours at work pass by that quickly 😉

Sea World was wonderful, while we were there it was craft beer festival and there were several booths that had food not just beer giving the park a lot of extra food options (it was a Saturday)... we never went to any of the shows but did hear them "dismissing" people at the end of the shows. We found the viewing areas for the animals and the aquariums to be very entertaining and enjoyable.
We could have stayed for hours ... I will say that the mask compliance was better then I had seen reported but not as good as at Disney. It wasn't open when we were there but I did see fall / Halloween decor going up so I'm not sure what might be happening in October.
Sorry this post is so long ... enjoy your trip. 🙂
 
Hi Everyone, I think this is my first post and it is going to be a long one. We recently returned from a week-long trip (Sept 11-18), staying at Old Key West and visiting all four parks. You all helped us so much in tempering our expectations and giving us a heads up of what we were likely to see in the parks, that I want to pay it back (and forward).

A bit about us to give you context regarding our comfort (or lack thereof) with covid risk – I am 61 and my husband is 65. We are university faculty, and have been working from home since March 17 or so. We have not set foot in any store except CVS (like twice) and had not eaten even outside at a restaurant during that time. We have been exceptionally careful. Until late August, when we were required to fly out west to take my mother to all of the doctors’ appts she has missed over the last many months. Talk about ripping the bandaid off! On that trip I spent many hours on the plane and accompanying her to Kaiser for numerous tests (always in my KN95). And we ate lunch outside every day at restaurants. So after that gauntlet we decided to keep the September Disney reservations that we’ve had since January. Given our trip was basically free (AP, DVC, TIW) except for food and gas money, we decided to give covid Disney a try.

The good to great:
  • For the first time in history we received our room is ready text by 9:30 am day of arrival and were able to go straight to the room using old magic bands to open our door. Old Key West (our home resort) was perfect for distancing!
  1. It was amazing to be back at Disney for the first time since early March. Enjoyed the outdoors (instead of being stuck in my house); rode all the attractions we wanted (save Rise of the Resistance); had our favorite treats (EPCOT caramel popcorn, Amorette's 11 layer cake, churros from anywhere, High Tower Rocks at Nomad Lounge, incredible Frozen Mudslides at Gurgling Suitcase ); loved the adorable cavalcades (especially the ones on boats at AK and Jack and Sally in MK) - all of this was magical and so very needed. The joy experienced on Flights of Passage - we rode 4X! - alone made the whole trip worthwhile.
  2. The Cast Members seemed to be so happy to see us – in every restaurant they thanked us profusely for coming. We thanked the CMs for helping keep us safe and they really seemed to appreciate that as well.
  3. Overall, people were really good about distancing in attraction lines - this surprised me a lot and in a good way. Sometimes large groups ended up in our space but it was easy enough to leave one additional six-foot space between us and the large party. And because the bulk of most lines is outside, we spent very little time indoors in line.
  4. In our experience 99% of people wore masks, and probably 99% of those wore them correctly over both nose and mouth. The ones who didn't, though, were egregious (see below), and of course are the ones you remember. But if you actually count the number of people around you and do the math, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
  5. We felt more in control than we thought we would - there were like 3 times in lines over the entire 7 days where we felt a bit unsafe and we just left the line (unsafe is probably too strong a word, probably more like uncomfortable). Even in those instances we were sufficiently distanced. Sadly that wasn’t the case on rides (see below).
  6. Disney Springs was supposed to be a nightmare, but we had lunch there almost every day and it was absolutely fine at least between 11:00 and 1:00. Our strategy was to get to the restaurant at opening, and ask to sit outside away from other people. We were always accommodated (except once, see below) and usually had the space entirely to us for the first 45 minutes or so.
  7. Most days we were in the park only 2.5-3.5 hours, and yet we were able to ride everything we wanted (except ROTR). Here’s what we did:
    • Friday, 9/11 - arrived at EPCOT around 3:00, rode Soaring, Frozen, Test Track, visited Mexico, had Cucumber Margarita at La Cava, bought Caramel Corn in Germany, people watched, left at 6:00.
    • Saturday, 9/12 – arrived Animal Kingdom around 2:00, rode FOP, KS, walked the Gorilla Falls Exploration Trail, and then Dinosaur 3X. Left at 5:00.
    • Sunday, 9/13 – the day before had seemed super crowded, and it was hot, so we decided to just go to a nice lunch and then the pool. And then watch the Rays on Fox Sports Go in the room.
    • Monday, 9/14 – arrived at Hollywood Studios by 9:30, was part of the “not in the park” debacle for ROTR, gave up and rode Slinky Dog (2X), Aliens (1X), TSMM (2X), had a churro, rode Star Tours (3X). Got in line for MMRR and after waiting about 20 minutes it broke down; left about 12:30.
    • Tuesday, 9/15 – arrived Magic Kingdom 10:30ish, rode SDMT (2X), BTMRR (2X), Splash, MCA (2X – it was so hot but the ride and the spitting camels cooled us down), lunch at Pecos Bills, LSR, HM. Saw every cavalcade. Left by 2:00ish.
    • Wednesday, 9/16 – back to DHS, again foiled by ROTR, so rode MMRR (2X). Walked through GE, and headed off to DS for lunch before a 1:10 Rays start. After the game and some pool time, headed back to DHS and rode SDD (2X), and TSMM (2X) between 5:30 and 6:45.
    • Thursday, 9/17, last day at AK; arrived around 10:30, rode FOP then a long and sorta relaxing lunch at Nomad Lounge. Rode FOP again (walk on) and yet again (15 minutes). Back on the bus by 2:00.
    • Friday, 9/18, lunch at DS, milk chocolate caramel apples at Candy Cauldron (30% off with AP), and then hit the road.
    • Throughout the trip wait times were highly inflated – 90 minutes usually meant 45; 70 meant 35, 30 meant anywhere between walk on and 35 (if you hit a cleaning cycle).
  8. Busses were much better than we expected, but we tended to ride them at off times (we drove to DHS in the morning). Over half the time we were the only ones on the bus. Before the trip we had decided that busses were off limits, but we gave it a try and were glad (note that we always wore the KN95 masks on the bus, so felt pretty safe.) They only allow 6 parties at a time on the busses, so we were always socially distanced.
  9. Dining is a really big deal to us on our Disney trips, and we were able to cobble together a nice slate of restaurants – lunches at Frontera Cocina, City Works, Boathouse, Pecos Bills, Wolfgang Puck (and added a mushroom pizza to go), Nomad Lounge, Polite Pig, and 5:00 dinner at House of Blues. All meals were outside. We were able to use TIW everyplace that would typically take it, and usually just flashed them the card.
OK, the things that were less than stellar.
  1. The parks “seemed” incredibly crowded (it’s a pandemic!), especially on the weekend. But we know capacity is low, so what gives? There is just no place to put all the people! At least half of the restaurants are closed; those that are open are decreased capacity and lots of people eat outside making everything look crowded. Stores have limited capacity, so lots of socially distanced lines outside. Rides have the bulk of their lines outside (to keep from trapping people inside close together), and because they are so socially distanced, they look horrifying long and there are just seem to be so many people at the edges of every walk way. But, to be honest, the sparse bus ridership, fast moving lines, and empty bathrooms show that while the outdoor space might feel crowded, there are not that many people.
  2. Many restaurants are closed, have reduced hours, and/or reduced menus. Morimoto is only open at dinner. Jaleo is also dinner only but only 4 days a week. Even Splitsville and House of Blues did not open for lunch on the days we thought to eat there. And many menus are bleak. This was not unexpected because of all of your wonderful and informative reports! I did fine finding delicious things to eat but it was rough for my husband given he does not eat fried food or red meat – many menus are so reduced and seem to be on the less than healthy side. Homecomin' was a real disappointment - they would not seat us outside even though there was plenty of space (they had not staffed it). They offered inside or the screened in porch (which gets zero air flow). So we declined. I could have asked for a manager but I was hot and tired and happy to give my money to some other establishment who understood the words "I have not eaten in an enclosed space since March due to the, ugh, pandemic ..." And we canceled a reservation for later in the week. So two lost sales.
  3. There were a few times when I did not feel completely safe. I do think we had a lot more control than I had envisioned, but ... people. And then my own comfort levels too, which sometimes surprised me. The very first ride on the very first day – Soaring – the entitled family of four next to my husband took their masks off as soon as the ride started. Are you kidding me? And there was nothing we could do but be glad we had on the KN95s. That same day we were in the Test Track line, and a couple parties in front of us a party of 4 adults decided to eat and drink in line with masks off. OK, they were about 18 feet away from us, so whatever, ... but then the ride went down and who knew how long we would be stuck in this situation, indoors, so we bailed (second ride of the vacation - at that point we just felt like we were covidiot magnets). Second day, Kilimanjaro Safaris - it was the weekend so they were filling every row, one party per row. There is a clear divider between rows. I would have felt safe, but the guy right in front of me had his mask below his nose for much of the ride (and it is a long ride). Jungle Cruise line - no one was doing anything wrong, but this poor guy just kept coughing in his mask (they were the party right in front of us) - we were outside and distanced and everyone in masks but we bailed. In line, you have control, you can bail if you need to. But once the ride starts, you are at the mercy of the people around you and while that was only a problem twice, it was pretty annoying. We found that when someone wasn’t following the rules, it tended to be the entire family. The entitled family from Soaring (plus grandma and grandpa) – all with noses out or masks off altogether – ended up in line with us for SDMT. Luckily this time they were several parties away from us and someone elses' problem. We wore the KN95s always on the bus and indoor rides, and then in lines too if we saw something troubling.
  4. I learned that my comfort zone with masks off is very, very small. Because we arrived at restaurants at opening we had the run of the place for most of the meals and it was awesome. However, we ate twice at outdoor bars (House of Blues and Nomad Lounge). Even though we arrived at opening, it was a really different vibe than the restaurants. More crowded (but still definitely more than 6' apart), people stayed longer, and people were louder - some shouting, some singing (there was a band at House of Blues), and of course, everyone with masks off. Except for me, as I was bordering on terrified. As much as I love those places, I would not go to an outdoor bar again until things are less crazy. Likewise, the pool. Once you enter the fenced in pool area, you don't have to have a mask. The first time we went to the pool we were the only ones there. Blissful. The second time, there was also a family of 3, and a party of 2. All more than appropriately distanced, but of course, masks off, and really loud (I could just envision all of those virus particles spewing everywhere ...). The family of three next went to the hot tub, and the other party followed about 5 minutes later. OMG, the hot tub was so tiny and these two parties were mingling and apparently perfectly comfortable ... and I was a mess just having been in the massive pool, appropriately spaced from them. So although we were willing to go to Disney during a pandemic, I clearly have my limits, and should be in as few mask-less spaces as possible!
  5. No park hopping was not a real problem for us, the only issue was that I couldn't hop over to EPCOT on the last night after AK to get a stash of fresh caramel corn to bring home.
Overall, we had a really good time, and there were times when it felt amazing - Flights of Passage, dining outside just the two of us, the first pool day - it was like nothing was wrong in the world and I was completely relaxed. So magical. And because we are local, AP, DVC, TIW – a really cheap trip. So even with all of the limitations, we felt that it was worth going, was good value, and mostly great for our mental health. If we were paying full price for a park that was only open 8 hours, with no fast passes, limited restaurants and menus, no fireworks or shows, we might feel differently (although maybe not given how desperate we were for a vacation).

Anyway, thanks to all of you who informed our trip, and hope this recap is of use to someone. For those of you going, have a great trip! And let me know if you have any questions!
 


Aimeedyan said:
We visit this week every year for my birthday and IMO the parks felt the same as they have the last couple of years, if not heavier (esp in HS!). This is historically a really low crowd time so it's a bummer to see higher crowds but I really think it won't continue in years to come. I think people who canceled WDW trips have seen the reopening reports, felt comfortable, and decided to come. Many of them would normally have visited in late spring or summer.

Epcot was busier yesterday than it has been in recent after-reopening trips with lots of matching shirt drinking groups but it was a Friday. They have a lot more tables set up so it's pretty easy to find a place to sit or stand and eat. I hope that stays around! Since we were staying at Boardwalk, we just hopped in and out for meals, mostly.

It was also the first time we've been in Mexico since they started the new entrance line and it totally threw people off. I LOVED it, as you could actually move inside the building!

ETA: The 7pm close is a killer at Epcot- there were so many groups still hanging around the back of WS even at 730 when we finished dinner. Many still nursing drinks/food. So much lost revenue!
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Rose and Crown pub is open and serving beers in the pub and to go until 8:30pm. We had a 7pm ADR at the restaurant and left about 8:15pm. Buses are waiting at EP to take you to whichever resort. I found buses faster and easier after park close than trying to leave in the middle of the day.

Edit: I guess I should add that we also saw a girl pass out drunk while waiting for our ADR. This resulted in lots of maskless drunk people trying to "help"/commotion, etc. I am not normally bothered by people drinking around the world but I wanted to let others know if you are bothered. The maskless yelling and jostling around the area bothered me more. This was in front of the restrooms in England

katyringo said:
So are people wearing costumes to MK? The first day of Halloween I saw lots of costumes on Instagram and picture. I put together a whole outfit and now I’m worried I’ll stand out like a goof ball.
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We definitely saw a few individuals and a couple groups wearing full costumes. Have fun!

WEDWDW said:
GO TO THE RESTROOMS IN WORLD SHOWPLACE!!!!

They are probably the largest in WDW-you can be in another ZIP CODE from the next Guest in there!lol :)
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These restrooms are great! It was the first time we had been in World Showplace and it was a great place to hang out and rest. Unfortunately, on Saturday, it had a long wait. I can't hold it that long!! :rotfl: Also I meant that I just could not get into the bathroom area without wading through a group trying to eat.

karen4546 said:
Has anyone used the TIW card since re-opening? If so, what was your experience?
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Yes! Worked same as always
 
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Someluck said:
I would suggest renting a 3 wheel scooter from an offsite store. They are much smaller and easier to control than the large 4 wheel unit available in the parks. You would also have the use of them getting into the long walks into the parks. I used one at WDW for the first time a few years ago and it made such a difference in my ability to keep up with my family. I don't use one at home, but the parks are huge!
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I am reconsidering your idea and curious. Did you rent the one that was able to be broken down and put in a car?
 
lovethattink said:
They don’t do this all the time, but when they do it’s much much quicker!! We caught the bus a few times in the morning.
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Having never driven and parked at the TTC before, how can I know if the busses are running? Is it obvious or is there a certain place to go to? I like the idea of the busses getting us to magic kingdom quicker than the monorail or ferry.
 
becks59 said:
Having never driven and parked at the TTC before, how can I know if the busses are running? Is it obvious or is there a certain place to go to? I like the idea of the busses getting us to magic kingdom quicker than the monorail or ferry.
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If the buses are running they usually have a cm sending people over or you can just ask the cm at the bottom of the monorail ramp
The buses are to the right of the monorail station, past the restrooms
 
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lynch34 said:
Honestly, if crowds are up - the whole thing sounds miserable to anyone who doesn’t think everything Disney does is “magical.”
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Not here to argue, but I'd like to add a different perspective...

As anyone who's known me for my many, many years as a DISer can attest, I'm far from being a Disney apologist: I find fault with a LOT of what Disney does. But my recent visits to WDW were genuinely great. For me...
Masks
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were a non-issue: I was perfectly comfortable wearing a mask the entire time.
Heat
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also a non-issue: I live in FL and am used to it, and just wasn't any more bothered by the heat than I am during any summer visit to WDW.
No fireworks
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I LOVE fireworks! So I thought not having them would be disappointing, but it was fine, honestly. I'd be very sad if they never came back, but I can live without them for a while.
Limited restaurants
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Mostly a non-issue for my short stay, but might have been more difficult for a longer visit. I was unwilling to eat indoors, which limited my selections to QS - and I was able to find something to eat for every meal, but would have liked to see CHH open, for instance.
No parades
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I'm not into parades, so total non-issue, and actually a perk because it made for a quieter day at MK! I actually enjoyed the pop-up cavalcades.
Crowds
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I experienced the lowest crowds I've seen in many years.
No park hopping
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This one is tough. I'd love to do a day trip to DHS, but I know I'll only stay a couple hours, so it would be great to wander over to EP for a bit when I'm done. I can live with no hopping, but do miss it.
Limited discounts for a totally limited experience
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I scored a Poly villa rental I'd NEVER be able to afford any other time, so I was very happy! That said, I don't think WDW's cash discounts are adequate.

I didn't go in expecting things to be "normal" and I was not disappointed at all. I really do think those for whom "normal" is critical to their enjoyment should wait to visit, because they're going to be disappointed.
 
Hello DISers!

Can’t wait to be back to the magic in a few days!!! I have a few questions that I haven’t been able to get direct answers to and would appreciate your feedback on here.

1. Has anybody been told that they can’t pay for things with cash? I know that mobile ordering and plastic is preferred and highly encouraged, but I was curious if anybody was being denied or restricted to small bills only?
2. How is the wait for getting on a bus for Magical Express? Torn between doing this and paying for an Uber upon arrival.
3. Are we still able to leave our bags at the front desk if our room isn’t ready yet upon arrival?
4. Are the fuelrod stations still operating for swaps?
5. Where are the cool magic shots or photo opportunities for Halloween and fall in the parks? If there is a list somewhere and someone would please link me to it, I’d appreciate it.

I believe that’s it for now. Thanks for any and all help!
 
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