Out of loop for a few years. Need advice

[gonitts]

Ok so we haven't been to Disney since 2015. Coming in May 2022 for 8 days, staying off sight at a condo near the entrance. Were supposed to come in may 2021, cancelled for obvious reasons. What should I know that has changed which is plenty I'm guessing? I saw the fast passes are gone, can't believe that. Dining plan? Hours still mainly the same? Character signings? Are Fireworks back? Anything else? Family of four including 2 boys ages 13 and 21. The 21 year old. wants to come the most of all of us. Thanks in advance.

 

[FCDub]

No dining plan.

You can see hours on the site.

Fireworks are back.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

First thing is first... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PARK RESERVATIONS. Those are new, and you will not be allowed into the parks without them!

Research Genie+ and ILL$ (Individual Lightening Lanes). You can youtube both. That's the replacement for FP+, but it's a paid option and you will need to decide if you want it.

Look up "Boarding Groups" as well in connection with Rise of the Resistance and Remy since you need to do those right quick on day of.

Dining plan is gone, and QS are now by mobile order only via your MDE app. The MDE is no longer a nice to have - it's now a need to have.

Meet and Greet is no-physical-contact. Mostly the characters are a bit off in a protected area and you can get close enough to do selfies with them in the background and talk from a distance.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

If you have a desire to dine at a Disney restaurant, ADRs are now 60 days in advance, no longer 180. And since you're off-site, you'll only be able to make them a day at a time for your stay.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Look up "Boarding Groups" as well in connection with Rise of the Resistance and Remy since you need to do those right quick on day of.

ROTR no longer does Boarding Groups at WDW - only Remy.....

 

[TiggerBouncy]

ROTR no longer does Boarding Groups at WDW - only Remy.....

You're right. Sorry about that. Still, look up "Individual Lightening Lanes"...

 

[thanxfornoticin]

You're right. Sorry about that. Still, look up "Individual Lightening Lanes"...

Even when you go regularly, it's tough to keep up with all the changes!!

 

[JCornell]

ROTR no longer does Boarding Groups at WDW - only Remy.....

Goes to show you how much things are changing even for those of us "staying informed".
You have your work cut out for you.

I'd read the things to know pages on the WDW site, including park hours/calendar (which will also tell you about shows and fireworks since many but not all are back), park reservations, Covid guidelines, Genie/Genie+.

No dining plan, no FastPass+ anymore, not everything is open yet (e.g. some restaurants mostly at this point).

No parades. Instead they have cavalcades throughout the day which are short mini parades to reduce the congregation of a lot of people.

Disney Skyliner is a new form of transportation you should check out. I know you plan to stay off-site but still may come in handy depending on where you want to go.

If you haven't traveled in a while you may be surprised by the impact of employee shortages on room service (definitely reduced at WDW resorts but possibly many others also).

Also check out refurbishments. MK railroad has been closed for about 3 years due to Tron construction and no announced opening date yet. On the plus side many new rides since 2015 including three new lands: Pandora at AK, Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at DHS.

 

[Ak1700]

Make sure you use the Disney app- with all the new Genie & Genie + info, it can be overwhelming, so def do some online research regarding strategies beforehand. Virtual queue Remy at 7 am the morning of going ( making sure every person who wants to ride it is on your party on the app... and that you have Epcot park reservations for that day for everyone.)

Currently masks still indoors for now, both on transportation/indoor rides/shows, and lobbies/shops so make sure to bring a lot (in case of rain/sweat/etc)- otherwise you'll end up buying a bunch. Checkout Kite Tails show in AK. The boys will def want to hit up Rise in HS, and MMRR is also a good one since it's new. FOP and Everest in AK.

 

[stacyalisa]

This post has helped me a ton even though I’m not the OP so thanks. How far in advance should I make park reservations? We’re going first week of march and I’m not ready to decide on the itinerary until I can at least see the park calendars. Can I wait a little while?

 

[disney-inspired]

This post has helped me a ton even though I’m not the OP so thanks. How far in advance should I make park reservations? We’re going first week of march and I’m not ready to decide on the itinerary until I can at least see the park calendars. Can I wait a little while?

As soon as you get your tickets, you can make reservations. I would suggest doing it as soon as possible when your dates open up.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

No dining plan.

You can see hours on the site.

Fireworks are back.

Staying off property would not have a dinning plan.

Don't forget you mask.

Make park reservation early
Make dining reservations earlier

 

[gonitts]

First thing is first... MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PARK RESERVATIONS. Those are new, and you will not be allowed into the parks without them!

Research Genie+ and ILL$ (Individual Lightening Lanes). You can youtube both. That's the replacement for FP+, but it's a paid option and you will need to decide if you want it.

Look up "Boarding Groups" as well in connection with Rise of the Resistance and Remy since you need to do those right quick on day of.

Dining plan is gone, and QS are now by mobile order only via your MDE app. The MDE is no longer a nice to have - it's now a need to have.

Meet and Greet is no-physical-contact. Mostly the characters are a bit off in a protected area and you can get close enough to do selfies with them in the background and talk from a distance.

Sorry to sound dumb but I'm not getting all the abbreviations. What is QS? And what is Remy? I know I need to research but thought I'd start here.

 

[bsmcneil]

Sorry to sound dumb but I'm not getting all the abbreviations. What is QS? And what is Remy? I know I need to research but thought I'd start here.

QS = Quick service (fast food)
TS = Table service (sit down restaurant).

Remy is short for the newest attraction at Epcot, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure.

ILL$ is the program where you can pay to ride 2 rides (in each park) faster, separate from Genie+. ILLS (or $) stands for individual lightning lane. Is there a sticky of abbreviations around here? Seems super helpful!

 

[CVG]

Checkout Kite Tails show in AK

LOL

 

[JCornell]

As soon as you get your tickets, you can make reservations. I would suggest doing it as soon as possible when your dates open up.

Agreed. Once you have your tickets and some kind of idea, I'd make the park reservations, knowing you can always change them as long as there are more available.

 

[gonitts]

We are looking at getting 6 days of park tickets. So two parks we would do just once. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 2 days at AK and 1 each at Epcot and the Studios. I know Epcot is huge and we do love the world showcase part so maybe 2 days there. How soon do you think I should purchase the tickets? How soon do the dates open up before your time?

 

[thanxfornoticin]

We are looking at getting 6 days of park tickets. So two parks we would do just once. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 2 days at AK and 1 each at Epcot and the Studios. I know Epcot is huge and we do love the world showcase part so maybe 2 days there. How soon do you think I should purchase the tickets? How soon do the dates open up before your time?

You can actually make your park reservations for May already. Once you have your tickets, you can make sure they are in your MDE account. Then you can book your park reservations through MDE. I don't think you need to drop what you're doing today to make them, but it would probably be good to have it done a couple months out. And as you get closer, as long as there is availability, you can change the reservation to a different park.

That also reminds me of another change you probably will need to be aware of since 2015. It doesn't sound like you plan to park hop. But if you do, there are new restrictions. First, you must have a park reservation. For example, if you have a park reservation for MK, you must actually enter that park. Once you enter, you'll have an option to park hop to any of the other 3 parks, but only after 2PM. Even if you have a park hopper ticket, it you don't enter your original park, you cannot hop. But after 2PM, you can hop to 1, 2, or all 3 of the remaining parks. It's not like 2015 where you could hop anywhere, anytime.

 

[glocon]

Tickets are available to purchase for May 2022 now. Have you considered hoppers? You can visit all the parks multiple times that way. It’s approximately an additional $80 per person for that and could really change the way your trip goes. We’ve done parks both with and without hoppers and have fun either way, but it is an option to maybe consider.

 

[footballmouse]

We are looking at getting 6 days of park tickets. So two parks we would do just once. I'm thinking 2 days at MK, 2 days at AK and 1 each at Epcot and the Studios. I know Epcot is huge and we do love the world showcase part so maybe 2 days there. How soon do you think I should purchase the tickets? How soon do the dates open up before your time?

I personally would do 1 day in AK and 2 days in HS. I'd keep MK and Epcot how you have them planned.