I decided to provide info and share a few thoughts . . . In 2002, bought my first contract - minimum # of points at BCV - directly from Disney; purchased direct when SS was offered. Since then, I've added on at BCV and purchased points at SS, OKW and (last month) BLT (all resale.) While I know that I suffer "addonitis", I am fairly certain that I shall not purchase addl. points since the annual dues are stretching my affordability. (Of course, this would change if I won the lottery. LOL!) I am a Disney addict but my husband only tolerates it because it makes me happy. (Before we owned DVC, we stayed at SOG or off property.) He has always thought that Disney Corp. is greedy ("They don't just want to make a profit getting your money; they want all your money.") Anyway, after retiring about 3.5 years ago, I've been visiting WDW a minimum of 2x annually (although, in the past couple of years, visits have been twice that.) I was at SS (with a friend) and It was very eerie when WDW closed the parks and went home a day before the resorts were closing. I returned (with daughter and granddaughter) to Boardwalk Villas in late August. We visited the parks; needless to say, they were the least crowded I've ever seen. WDW was strict about taking precautions: in addition to requiring masks, sanitizer was provided in the villas and throughout the property; rides were intermittently closed for about 15 mins. so that they could be sanitized (they used some sort of wand sprayer) and the majority of stores and restaurants were shuttered. Pools were open but not crowded. Overall, it was a relaxing vacation. I returned to WDW in Oct; stayed at the Yacht Club for 4 nights. It was a last minute solo trip; a friend had points that had to be used before she lost them at a Disney resort or RCI hotel and she gave them to me. I'd never stayed at YC and I doubt that I'd return. While the recently remodeled room was nice, it was far from luxurious and the required # of points for the stay was outrageous for a room.) The view - especially the Boardwalk lit up at night - was the best thing about it. I spent a good amount of time on my balcony. Weather was nice (comfortable temps & sunny most of the time.) I only went to the parks - EPCOT and HS, I think - for about 3 hours. I noticed that both the resorts (BCV & YC) seemed to be more crowded and the parks definitely had more guests than my last visit. I walked throughout the resorts and, while I knew that more folks were staying, I rarely saw them in the halls during the day. Walking by Cape May Cafe and Yachtsman Steakhouse made me think of a ghost town. Oh! The highlight of my stay was seeing the U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds fly over WDW (honoring fallen military.) Returned (with husband) for 5 nights in mid-Nov. to BWV. Primarily, we spent our time relaxing altho one day we went to EPCOT and had lunch outdoors at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' another day (I'd definitely return! We both enjoyed our meals; staff was awesome, too.) At the beginning of Jan., I returned to SS for a couple of nights (solo) and moved to BCV (with son, daughter and 2 granddaughters) for 3 nights (then moved to Universal for 1 night.) They spent more time in the parks than I did (I went with them a couple of times but returned to the resort after a few hours. They stayed.) The parks seemed to be mobbed! Wait times for popular rides exceeded 85 mins. Space Mtn. broke down after they waited in line for 50 mins. Tried to get in the queue for Rise of the Resistance but did not succeed the first day. We got it on the second day! We also got to ride Millennium Falcon once each day. Loved the Rise; probably will not ride Falcon again. As I mentioned, it seemed that the crowds were back: it was difficult to get dining reservations and the boats from BCV to the parks were crowded (altho plexiglass dividers were installed btwn seats.) Lines at the ticket entrances were long, too (and social distancing was not common.) I kept wondering about the
announced 35% capacity; the crowds seemed so much larger to me. Perhaps that was because they'd been relatively "empty" in August? There were many, many families in attendance (surprising to me since school vacations had ended. I did notice many couples, too, but that was what I'd expected.) (BTW, my husband and I had to cancel our first ever stay at VB (s/h/b 6 nights) in early Dec. I look forward to rescheduling that in the not-too-distant future.) Except for the Aug. visit (I quarantined), I've had neg. COVID tests after each vac. I do think that I am diligent about most of the CDC precautions (obviously, they advise avoiding travel and, as you see, that is something I have not followed altho I rarely leave my house when I am not at WDW.) I/we ate meals in our villas; always wore masks outside of our room (and, if a cast member entered due to a problem or emptying trash, etc., inside the room), washed hands and/or used sanitizer regularly, rarely dined indoors, socially distanced as much as possible, etc.) We used wipes on the rides, too. I did not notice rides being closed intermittently for sanitizing since the Aug. trip. I suppose that it may still be happening and I just missed seeing it, but I think that they may not be doing that during active hours (Since the parks are not open as much as usual, they probably spend after hours sanitizing the rides/attractions.) BTW, speaking of attractions, most of them are closed. There aren't any live shows, street performers, fireworks or parades. While I am not certain, I believe that the majority of restaurants at the resorts and some in the parks are still shuttered (It's certainly true at BC, YC and BWV.) Many of the retail shops - both in the parks and at the resorts - remain shuttered. It seemed that the majority of stores and restaurants at Disney Springs are open. While you may still buy a refillable mug, you need to give it to a CM who will scan the bar code to make sure it is valid for free refills. From there, you will receive a disposable cup filled with your choice of beverage to either drink from or pour into your refillable mug. I did not buy one since it didn't seem feasible to me. IMO, if you are a frequent WDW guest, you may still enjoy a visit. However, if you only visit once a year or every other year, I think that you may want to wait until more of WDW opens. A LOT of the magic is missing but the cost is still top dollar. No doubt, you've heard or read about upcoming cuts and price increases. The pandemic has certainly put a dent in operations: less CMs, no housekeeping, fewer park hours and amenities and "complicated" requirements (i.e., reserving theme park days. Heck! Personally, I find it difficult to decide weeks/months in advance which park I hope to visit on a specific day.) I do think that it is relaxing to visit DVC resorts if you live in a cold/snowy environment since the FL temps. are usually much more comfortable during the winter months. Anyway, this post has some of my random thoughts and opinions. If you have questions, feel free to ask. (Oh! I forgot to add that - should the plans happen - I'll be returning to WDW at the beginning of Feb. staying at AKV.)
