Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Belle1962]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

 

[GBRforWDW]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

You get to be at Disney World! Lol sorry. I think every experience is what you make of it. Go with low expectations and if you do more, then great!

either take a list of top ride for each person or top 3 rides for your family and tackle them first regardless of anything else. Anything you do after will be a bonus.

 

[brockash]

Just curious...is this an accurate depiction of conditions in the parks? Because if so.....wow.

That is unreal...for **** sake Disney, get your crap together. They are destroying everything that makes Disney, Disney. I seriously contemplate if my youngest will ever remember Disney as I don't see how we could continue to justify spending the kind of money it takes for Disney vacation if it's like this. It's so sad.

 

[DisneyFive]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

Here’s my partial list. We did not know what to expect for our trip coming up in 10 days but these are all things we are happy about.

• Masks only required on transportation! (we’re all fully vax’d)
• Nighttime shows at MK and EP!
• Epcot Monorail opening on the 18th!
• Stores are more open
• No more plexiglass dividers on rides
• Queues aren’t stretching out as far into the uncovered, potentially sunny/rainy, areas (I think)
• More people fitting on each bus
• Our go to TS and QS locations are all open ( with exception of Nine Dragons for lunch)

 

[epcotobsessed]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

Here’s my partial list. We did not know what to expect for our trip coming up in 10 days but these are all things we are happy about.

• Masks only required on transportation! (we’re all fully vax’d)
• Nighttime shows at MK and EP!
• Epcot Monorail opening on the 18th!
• Stores are more open
• No more plexiglass dividers on rides
• Queues aren’t stretching out as far into the uncovered, potentially sunny/rainy, areas (I think)
• More people fitting on each bus
• Our go to TS and QS locations are all open ( with exception of Nine Dragons for lunch)

I will note that at MK today, most queues were in the sun for a good portion. We actually left when we saw that both Space and Peoplemover looked to be at least 20-30min in the sun. I agree that everything is what you make of it and we are still having fun. I will add that in about 15 visits to the parks, we have never seen lines anywhere close to this long, and they are staying long all day. Doing a fraction of what you’re used to in a day, in terms of rides, is disheartening.

 

[kc51570]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

Quote from my teenager at the end of our trip-“This is probably the worst Disney trip we’ve ever had, but it still wasn‘t a bad trip”.

So I will try to pick out the good-We eventually got to get on all the rides we wanted once-it just took the entire trip and lots of rope dropping and park hopping late.
I think they definitely held back park passes on MK for the 4th. Long lines, but park felt very quiet walking around during the day. They didn’t hold back park hopping for the 4th fireworks there, but we skipped those and had good luck in Adventure and Frontier Lands.
The table service meals we had were very good and service was very, very good there. They weren’t fully booking table service restaurants (except maybe LTT on the 4th)—lots of empty tables so staff was not overwhelmed.

 

[csmommy]

A bad day at Disney is still better than a good day at the office....................................!

 

[The Iron Giant]

I’ve been on these boards on and off for the last 20 years or so. The posts that say Disney is ruining the magic make me smile. If you search threads from 10 or 15 years ago you’ll see the same concerns and complaints about Disney choosing profit over guest experience. This is certainly a challenging time during the post pandemic transition. I agree with the previous poster who suggested having low expectations due to the circumstances. Or just postpone your trip a few months. I appreciate all the info people are sharing. It’s been really helpful in planning our trip next month.

 

[Princess Katelet]

A bad day at Disney is still better than a good day at the office....................................!

Disagree…not at these prices. I know I can’t afford to waste money and vacation days like that. If I could, then I might agree it’s better than a good day at the office. But for many people it’s been a waste of precious vacation days and hard earned money, neither of which they can get back.

 

[Belle1962]

Thanks for all the upbeat thoughts. I knew they were out there and just wanted to see them bought out.

 

[MGD2007]

It seems like most of the pain lately is in MK, is that accurate? Are the other parks as challenging?

 

[kc51570]

It seems like most of the pain lately is in MK, is that accurate? Are the other parks as challenging?

I’d say MK is the easiest since it has so many rides. HS and AK are very tough right now. Epcot is a mess with all the walls and Test Track is unreliable. We had 0 problems getting on Soarin though.

 

[disneymom0104]

We leave in about 2 weeks and I’m nervous. Most of the summer I told myself- we can manage- we’ve done this many times. But as I see the queues incredibly long every single day, all day- it is disheartening. We haven’t been to WDW in 5 years. We can’t postpone due to busy, college kids. I also have younger kids that don't remember WDW at all. We are spending more money than we ever have. I know people get it. But we are not people that will be back in a couple months, or even years maybe, that can be "grateful" that FP is back because we were forced into such a miserable experience now. It's expensive. We chose WDW because we hadn't been there in so long and my kids wanted to go back. I am nervous and sad about what we likely have ahead of us, instead of my usual over the top excitement. I am not a Disney basher, I have always been one to give them the benefit of the doubt and believed that they truly wanted people to have a positive experience. I do not understand the constant increase in capacity. I knew there was a tipping point with the lack of FP, lack of shows/entertainment/character meets, lack of dining availability and most of the summer have felt confident we could manage. That tipping point of capacity vs. park offerings and wait times has now surpassed my idea of manageable. We'll do our best. I hope it's fun. It's a lot of money to spend to be miserable. It's a lot of money to spend to have to change expectations. And while a bad day at Disney is better than most other places, enough bad days in a row (we have 10) and I'm not sure how excited any of us will be to go back. And that also makes me sad! I hope I'm wrong!

 

[ThistleMae]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

We are going in December and hoping for some kind of FP system, but if not, we will spend more time visiting other resorts for food and sight seeing such as Gingerbread Houses and Christmas Decorations. We'll try and explore things we've previously ignored, like Tom Sawyer Island, never been. We may people watch more. Definitely looking forward to the fireworks specials at night. I never wait in long lines, just can't stand up that long, so this trip may be entirely different than all other times, but I still feel like there will be enough to do to make the trip magical. I just love Disney and the feeling I get walking through the parks.

 

[Carol_]

Thinking back to a visit before the pandemic, when there were crowds so thick that CMs regularly were stationed in the middle of the walkways to encourage us to walk on the right… Elbow to elbow in the Florida heat outdoors… Clutching my kid’s hand tightly so I wouldn’t lose him in the mass of sweaty humanity…
I won’t miss that.
Now that the CMs are overall pleasant again, and there’s oxygen between us most of the time, I’m thrilled to come back.

 

[epcotobsessed]

It seems like most of the pain lately is in MK, is that accurate? Are the other parks as challenging?

MK has been rough today. Epcot waits went down by this point in the day yesterday, MK has held steady all day.

 

[cdurham1]

We are going in a little more than a week. We had tickets during the pandemic that were extended thru September of this year. I wonder how many people are in a similar situation and figure they might as well go now before school starts back and their tickets lose some of their value. I wonder how much of that can be contributing to the crowds.

 

[deltadisney]

Are there any positives about the parks now?

Yes, but expectations have to be realistic and factor in everything going on right now. We just returned from a 5 day trip, and yes, there were some negatives, but there were so many overriding positives, that is was worth every penny and as a family, it was definitely a vacation we will not forget and will always be thankful for.

Just some of my two cents:

We have been to Disney multiple times. With all going on right now - no shows, characters, or parades, the focus seems to be strictly on the rides at most all of the parks (other than Epcot). For all of us that have been multiple times and/or researched when and what FPs to get, using EMH to our advantage, and when/what order to ride rides to maximize time, this is all out of the window right now and everyone is on even-footing. I think a lot of people are upset because they are using their gauge of success based upon the number and amount of rides they were able to ride pre-pandemic and when FPs and EMH were available and are unaccustomed to waiting in longer lines and see this as a failure or let-down compared to past vacations. We figured this out very quickly the first day at the park and realized that we had to pivot and pick a few of the headliners that we as a family wanted to ride and concentrate on riding those rides, waiting if need be. Two years ago, I never would have waited over 45 minutes to ride a ride - we would have showed up at EMH rope drop and knocked out tons of headliners by 11:00 and had a few FPs in our pocket for later in the day when we came back to the park and been very happy. This trip, I found myself lucky to knock out 2 to 3 headliners by lunchtime, and we found ourselves waiting in longer lines on multiple occasions. By no means do I say all of this to let Disney off of the hook on pricing and the lack of FPs or EMH - I do see this as a slap in the face and something I hope Disney reevaluates and does not let this become the new Disney normal. However, this is the reality of how things presently are and expectations need to be realistic and tempered in light of this.

I also think a lot of people don't really factor in the heat, especially this time of year like they should. It is scorching hot right now, and it is all fine and dandy to go in with a plan of doing XYZ while sitting in the comfort of the AC making those plans and it is something else once that sun really starts to set in around 10:00 am. We always took breaks and got out of the parks by lunch (even when we go in December). To each their own, but I think it is asking for misery to continue to push without taking a break, especially without a lot of the indoor shows and most of the ride lines now spilling out of the indoor ques in to the sun.

Walking around the resort, we overheard multiple people and families complaining. I certainly get it, and I can complain about some things as well, but I always wondered when I overheard others complaining: what were their expectations and were they even realistic with all that is going on right now? Sorry for the long-winded post - just some thoughts and observations.

 

[tigger2002]

A bad day at Disney is still better than a good day at the office....................................!

That's a pretty low bar.

 

[tigger2002]

take a list of top ride for each person or top 3 rides for your family and tackle them first regardless of anything else. Anything you do after will be a bonus.

Three rides for $5,000........magical.