Here Now & Just Back - A Place To Share Your Recent Experiences

[Nabas]

Are the skyliner lines long if you leave an hour before closing? We are arriving next week for a 10 day CBR stay. We chose this resort just so we could use skyliner as transportation. But we will be there during a very busy week. Wondering if we should change resorts...

For us, the Skyliner lines were short, just about a walk-on, anytime except for openings and closings.

At closing we typically waited about 25 to 30 minutes.

At opening, the line was 45 minutes to 1 hour.

For both, we then ran into lines at the transfer station at CBR. Since you are staying at CBR, you'll avoid that.

Between all the resorts, there are over 5000 rooms (perhaps 15,000 people) with access to the Skyliner. Because of COVID, they were letting only one group per gondola. This makes sense but it also slows down the line.

It's worse when a thunderstorm shuts down the Skyliner, which happened to us once for closing at Epcot. They sent us to the front of Epcot (which we were later told was a mistake). Combined, it took nearly 2 hours to get back to the room.

Thunderstorms shut down the Skyliner a couple of other days for us, but this was in the middle of the day. For both of these, we waited about 5 minutes for a bus.

 

[TinkSassy]

Just returned - I did one park per day from 2/28 - 1/3. This was a low crowd week by all the calendars. Between the holiday crowds from President’s Day and the start of Spring Breaks.

Sunday I went to AK - I had to loop a few times as I was early to park. Was allowed to line up for parking at 8:05 and they started letting us park at 8:15. Security was open when we got there and we breezed right through. FOP was a quick walk on and then I waited 30 minutes to get on Navi River. From there it was just after 9 and official open so went to Safari and waited 15 minutes the. I did the trails in that area and around to Everest which was about another 15 minutes. I had put in my lunch at around 10 for a noon return and it was close so headed to Satouli. Stopped and added to the Nomad list on the way. Was served quickly and enjoyed patio seating then back to Nomad go a drink on the water. After the break I made another round of Everest Bugs Safari and FOP with the longest line being FOP at 30
Minutes. Skipped Navi as that showed 75 and from my earlier wait that looked accurate. Crowds were bad midday but early at ripe drop and after 2 very manageable.

Monday was Epcot and between festivals. I will preface that I don’t like MS or TT so didn’t factor those in. I walked to Soarin at 10 but the ride wasn’t open but they let us wait. I was on the first load at 10:30 and then did Land Nemo and Figment with no waits. Then headed for the showcase and grabbed a margarita. Decided I should do Frozen before the crowds got worse - rode 4 times in a row as we could just loop and get back on. Then went back and rode Donald (caught the cleaning cycle there so had to wait 15 minutes). The park was very empty and was able to get a walk up table at Via Napoli. Saw the Voices of Liberty caught the B&tB sing a long and enjoyed the showcase some (it was hot). Then rode Soarin again and SE on my way out.

Tuesday was HS - got BG3 at 7 so Rise was going to happen! I arrived at the park at 8 and was forced again to circle and was 25 cars back when I returned 10 minutes later. Was still parked and through the gate by 8:30. Headed for SDD and waited about 15 minutes then walked on TSMM. My boarding group expired at 10 so I didn’t chance another ride but headed over to Rise. The lines were growing so I stopped for a 10 brunch at Ronto with some blue milk in hand. By the Smugglers was a hour wait and I did that. Galaxy’s Edge was PACKED at this point so I bailed out for safety. I went out and did a 20 minute wait for Star Tours and then a break at Indy to lose the mask for a bit as it was hot and many of the lines were uncovered. I decided to wait for M&M next and that was 40 minutes then down to RnRC which showed 25 but when the rain downpour hit the outdoor line cleared in seconds and with my umbrella was on the ride in under 10 minutes. Went to my 3pm res at Brown Derby and this was one of my first indoor dining experiences since last March. I was very comfortable with how the tables were distanced and the wait staff handled safety measures. I was able to walk on to AS2 TSMM ST and a 20 min wait for MFSR after eating. I did another 30 min wait for a second run on M&MRR before shopping and heading out.

MK was Wednesday- I had a res at the Wave for breakfast at 7:30 and took an Uber over for that. I was seated immediately and as I was ready with my order had my food in 10 minutes. Was able to be walking to MK by 8 (side note I would not try this with kids as you will not make it). Secuity was not yet open when I got there so held up a few minutes but was to the tapstiles and allowed in by 8:20. Went straight to SDMT but it was down (and stayed down until 3pm) - so went and rode PP 3 times and then back to Pooh at 9 when it opened and the Small World. Then walk on to HM and 10 minutes at BTMRR. Pirates had also been down all morning and that hadn’t changed when I arrived so I rode the carpets got a Dole Whip and watch Country Bears and Tiki. Then Pirates was open and I waited 30 minutes I went to JC after that as Pirates opening had taken the length off that line and was down to 15 minutes. Was able to head to Tomorrowland and walk on Buzz,CoP and Speedway - caught Dumbo and LM with minimal waits and a snack at Gaston’s. SDMT came on line as I was leaving Gaston’s and rode that with a 25 minute wait (side note had I been able to ride first thing I would have walked on to the first train. Was able to duplicate many rides throughout the day.

Notes - if you are sensitive to crowds this is not your time to go. I do well when everyone keeps their mask on and there are places and times of day even on low days that are crowded and in stores and streets people do not social distance. That being said - I live in a fairly anti-mask area and felt safer at WDW than shopping here. I think your comfort level will be based on what you are used to for compliance in your home area.

Masks are HOT - I found my hair had to be up and I carried face wipes to wash my face frequently due to the sweating. CMs were allowing for sipping water in line as it was warm - do not plan on a whole coffee or snack as they were stopping that - but to take a sip and remask was allowed to keep everyone hydrated. Also plan on changing masks 2-3 times a day as that makes it easier as well. Observation- with kids you need to give them a longer break midday as the meltdowns now include the mask component and saw many have to leave line as the little ones were too hot and tired to deal with the mask anymore. As an adult the days I took a longer break to sit down mask free I did better - so I understood the issues for the littles.

 

[CapnJacksGirl]

2. The cast members at the entrance of Seven Dwarves asking every group if their whole party was there. Step to the side if you want to wait for them. They will not be allowed to catch up after this point. I wish a lot more attractions would do this.

I saw this a couple of times also! Definitely on Seven Dwarfs and one other attraction but I can't recall which. This one got a small clap from me. IMO, this should be policy across the board.

 

[DCLMP]

Lines for the Skyliner are horrible for park opening and park closing! I've learned my lesson, never again!

I can imagine. They weren't great back in August when no one was there. Would you stay at Riviera again and take a Lyft or would you stay somewhere else?

 

[Nabas]

I can imagine. They weren't great back in August when no one was there. Would you stay at Riviera again and take a Lyft or would you stay somewhere else?

During our Rivera stay in September, the Skyliner was fine except during theme park opening and closing. For opening, we ran into a lot of other Guests who complained about lining up as soon as the Skyliner opened yet still missed DHS opening.

We ran into the same issue when we stayed at the Beach Club in November.

 

[PharmerJan]

Hi all. This thread was very helpful as I led up to my trip, so Ive decided to log back in and give you my 2 cents. This was my first pandemic adventure post vaccination and my first return to WDW since October 2019.

Where: Yacht club
When: 2/26 - 3/3
Who: 2 Disney Adults

Transportation: We used MDE and relied on disney buses for our trip. I have no complaints and had great experiences overall. We found that we did not wait any longer for a bus than we would have pre-pandemic. We loved knowing we would get a seat at the end of the park day. Tip: We got in line for MK bus at 7:15a and were on the first bus at about 7:45a. It appeared that buses were being held at MK entrance when our bus pulled up, but we were shortly ushered into the bus loop. We were the 3rd group in line at the tapsiles for entry. We entered the park at 8:15am (for a 9a opening) It was truly magical!

Walking to HS/EP: We walked to HS/EP from YC and found that we were again let into the park 45 minutes before scheduled opening. That early morning touring was so amazing. If you are early risers and can make it to the parks on your own two feet, you will be before buses, self park or gondolas arrive. I just cant recommend this enough!

Food: We did not have any reservations and found mobile ordering a breeze. We did not know that most restaurants allow for to-go ordering before arrival. This was the most magical surprise! We took to-go orders from Ale&Compas and Trattoria al Forno a couple times and ate by the pool in the evenings. We even ordered a bottle of wine to go a few times and enjoyed it in our plastic cups poolside. Downside: Walk up kiosks in parks had long lines. (ie- popcorn cart or mickey pretzel stop by Dumbo). That was kind of a bummer.

Parks: Loved that sanitizer stations were plentiful. Parks felt so empty compared to pre-pandemic levels. I have no crowd complaints. Afternoons at MK and HS were busy, and wait times crept towards 60min+ so we took nice afternoon breaks at the pool bar EP was so empty. We road Soarin at 1pm with a 5 min wait, and Frozen at 2:30 with a 10 min wait. (On a Monday). Many world showcase shops were closed, which was a bummer but understandable. We enjoyed all our favorite snacks and drinks at EP, so I cant complain. Evening touring at AK was nothing short of a private experience. I think we saw 15 other groups in total? Walked on to Everest, 15 min for FoP and 15 min for the Safari after 3pm. For some unknown reason Navi was 55min. We did not wait.

No FP: It was lovely to have no agenda, no time constraints and just overall felt very freeing. I know this wont be the long term normal, and am so happy I had a chance to take this trip to experience the no plan Disney trip.

Merchandise: We both found merch to be lacking this trip. I decided that there must be some sourcing issues due to the pandemic. My pocketbook was happy with this.

Service: I dont know if we were just so happy to be there, or what, but we had exceptional service everywhere. I did not encounter one single rude fellow traveler or witness any uncomfortable scenes. I hope that humans continue this theme well after the pandemic. It was wonderful!

My bottom line:
Its a pandemic. Dont travel if you are concerned with travelling in a pandemic. While capacity was clearly lower than usual, the limited experiences, hours and options definitely put a strain on those things that are available. You will experience lines, crowding in choke points (Magic Carpets area - Im looking at you!). The magic is still very much present when you go in with a full heart, happy attitude and a mindset of just being happy to be experiencing WDW again.

 

[danceteachermom]

Wed. Feb. 24th, Hollywood Studios (Day 1)
7am - ROTR boarding group

• We left our airbnb at 7am( right after getting BG 1 for ROTR by clicking the join button at 6:59:59 exactly).

7:15am - parked at the Swan Hotel

• Staying offsite, we decided to pay to park at the Swan and walked to Hollywood Studios. Got to the Swan ~7:15 and we were 3rd or 4th in line when we got to HS. I can’t remember what time they took us up to put us in line for temp check but I believe it was ~8:10am. With the reshuffling of lines for temp check we were first in line at one of the temp checks but we had issues with our tickets so it took at least 5-10 minutes to work it out. The CM at the ticket terminals called over another CM to help us and they pulled us aside and manually went through all 7 of our tickets to figure it out.

Rides:
MSFM (walk on)
ROTR (slow walk on)

• When we entered Galaxy’s Edge we asked a CM if we would have time to ride before going to ROTR and they said we should be fine. We were so excited to get a BG for ROTR but having such an early number meant that we missed out on some of the early short lines for other rides.

MMRR

• Probably posted 50-70 min (can’t remember) but probably took ~30-40 min.

TOT
Lunch & Blue/Green Milk (Galaxy’s Edge)

• We got back together again for lunch and blue & green milk at Galaxy’s Edge. The Ronto Roaster’s were better than we expected and my daughter got another the next day (Wednesday). The milk was good and worth trying once but not worth paying so much to get it again.

1:30pm Droid appointment (my son)

• We were tired and didn’t have a lot of time until my son had a droid appointment (1:30) and my husband and daughter had lightsaber appointments (2:15pm) so we sat down outside of the Droid Depot and rested during the droid appointment.

2:15pm Lightsaber appointments (husband & daughter)
Midway Mania

• We split up again during the lightsaber appointments and I took the younger kids to ride Midway Mania and Alien Swirling Saucers.

Alien Swirling Sauces
Snack break

Split group:
Rock ‘n Roller Coaster (2x)/ Star Tours & MFSR

• We regrouped and sat down to eat a snack near Alien Swirling Saucers then split up to ride Rock n Roller Coaster (2 times) while the others rode Star Tours and then MFSR.

SDD (2x)

• We got back together again to ride SDD. After riding once it was almost 7pm and there was just enough time to ride once more before close. Riding SDD in the dark was fantastic! Much better than during the day.

I am curious about the parking at the Swan. We are heading to FL and staying at a home rental offsite and have one day at Hollywood Studios. I would like to explore this option. Would you mind sharing about how much it was to park and if you had any issues leaving your car there all day? Also, years ago I walked a few times from the Yacht Club to Hollywood Studios...can't remember about how long that walk is. An estimate? We have been trying to figure out a way to arrive with resort guests since we heard that cars are not being allowed to park when they unofficially open early. With just one day at the park we would like to take advantage of as much time early in the day as possible. Thank you in advance if you are able to help.

 

[DCLMP]

During our Rivera stay in September, the Skyliner was fine except during theme park opening and closing. For opening, we ran into a lot of other Guests who complained about lining up as soon as the Skyliner opened yet still missed DHS opening.

We ran into the same issue when we stayed at the Beach Club in November.

We stayed at Riviera in August. We awaited about 20 minutes to connect at CBR. In August there wasn't any reason to be there at opening. Lines were short all day. I can easily see it taking over an hour if all the resorts are full.

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

I am curious about the parking at the Swan. We are heading to FL and staying at a home rental offsite and have one day at Hollywood Studios. I would like to explore this option. Would you mind sharing about how much it was to park and if you had any issues leaving your car there all day? Also, years ago I walked a few times from the Yacht Club to Hollywood Studios...can't remember about how long that walk is. An estimate? We have been trying to figure out a way to arrive with resort guests since we heard that cars are not being allowed to park when they unofficially open early. With just one day at the park we would like to take advantage of as much time early in the day as possible. Thank you in advance if you are able to help.

20 minutes exactly for us to go from Ale & Compass breakfast to DHS temp screening line. We walk reasonably fast.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

HS this morning: took the bus from GF. Arrived at the almost empty bus stop at 7:45 and hopped on the first bus at 8:07. Got to the park at about 8:20, breezed right through temp check, security, and tapstiles. Waited about 10 mins for SDD, then MFSR x2 as a walk-on. Took a break for a morning Ronto Wrap, then did MMRR (posted 45, waited probably 25-30), TSMM (posted 40, probably closer to 30), got called for our BG (walk on), AS2 (posted 45, actual wait closer to 10) trotted over to ToT and it was our longest wait of the day (posted 60, waited 50). Even RnRC wait wasn’t bad at 35 mins but we were freezing from the wind lol.

Hoppes over to AK at 4 and rode EE 3x in a row as a walk-on. Now waiting for FoP. Overall a pretty great day

 

[auntlynne]

I am curious about the parking at the Swan. We are heading to FL and staying at a home rental offsite and have one day at Hollywood Studios. I would like to explore this option. Would you mind sharing about how much it was to park and if you had any issues leaving your car there all day? Also, years ago I walked a few times from the Yacht Club to Hollywood Studios...can't remember about how long that walk is. An estimate? We have been trying to figure out a way to arrive with resort guests since we heard that cars are not being allowed to park when they unofficially open early. With just one day at the park we would like to take advantage of as much time early in the day as possible. Thank you in advance if you are able to help.

You can And should park in the theme park parking lot. Just don’t try to arrive before they open the pay booths. Hotel parking is for hotel guests. It does open before official start.

if your friends are staying at a hotel and don’t have a car, perhaps they can give you there name and room number and the parking will be charged to them. I think it’s more than parking in the Parks lot.

 

[tanyaandallie]

[QUOTE="TinkSassy, post: 62752638, member: 223905"

Sunday I went to AK - I had to loop a few times as I was early to park. Was allowed to line up for parking at 8:05 and they started letting us park at 8:15. Security was open when we got there and we breezed right through. FOP was a quick walk on and then I waited 30 minutes to get on Navi River. From there it was just after 9 and official open so went to Safari and waited 15 minutes the. I did the trails in that area and around to Everest which was about another 15 minutes. I had put in my lunch at around 10 for a noon return and it was close so headed to Satouli. Stopped and added to the Nomad list on the way. Was served quickly and enjoyed patio seating then back to Nomad go a drink on the water. After the break I made another round of Everest Bugs Safari and FOP with the longest line being FOP at 30
Minutes. Skipped Navi as that showed 75 and from my earlier wait that looked accurate. Crowds were bad midday but early at ripe drop and after 2 very manageable.

[/QUOTE]

So 9 am open and they don't even open the parking lot til 815? But once you got parked the tapstiles were open and they were not holding you? You just tapped in and went straight to fop?? Trying to figure this out for my sis but I have not been during covid so am reading up!

 

[Twitterpaited]

How was the air balloon ride? My hubby was thinking about it but I’m not sure.

I was watching a stream when they went up when it was too windy. The balloon was at a 45 degree angle. That has scared me off!

 

[Twitterpaited]

Lots of great info in this thread.

For those who have visited, how comfortable were you dining indoors? There are only 1 or 2 indoor restaurants that are a "must" for me, Garden Grill being one of them. Here in the northeast USA, several restaraunts are ignoring social-distancing/capacity guidelines, and dining indoors comfortably has been a challenge.

I went recently, but I did not eat indoors at all, intentionally. Eating indoors is a high risk behavior right now.

 

[Justrose]

Question about park hopping: we are going the last week of March when most days one or more parks are full on the reservation calender. Does this mean we automatically will not be able to hop to those parks in the evening?

 

[scrappinginontario]

Question about park hopping: we are going the last week of March when most days one or more parks are full on the reservation calender. Does this mean we automatically will not be able to hop to those parks in the evening?

No it does not mean that. The only reason you could not hop to another park is if that park is at capacity for hopping.

That being said, there has never been a day so far when any park has been closed to hopping even when parks have been extremely busy and at capacity for original reservations. It could happen but so far it hasn’t.

 

[Joy]

3/6/2021 Saturday

Arrival - day plane landed around 11 am. Grabbed rental car, drove to resort, dropped off bags. Drove to T&TC. Monorail to MK.
At MK around 1:30, had lunch then did some rides

We used Touringplans Rides App to pick rides that were recommended to ride now.

Rides:
- 2:02 got inline for Big Thunder (Disney posted wait time 25 minutes) We were on the ride in 3 minutes
- 2:14 in line for Haunted Mansion (Posted wait 20 minutes). On ride 15 minutes
- 2:47 in line for Little Mermaid (posted 25 minutes) On ride in 9 minutes.
- 3:10 in line for Space MT (posted 40 minutes). On ride 15 minutes.

Parks felt crowded. There were so many large groups of people just standing in the walkways or sitting off to the sides. They looked like newbies and didn't seem to have a plan. I don't remember noticing groups like this on visits pre-COVID but I could just be more sensitive to crowds now.

We are here for 15 days. Working remote the first week then on vacation the second week.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Lots of great info in this thread.

For those who have visited, how comfortable were you dining indoors? There are only 1 or 2 indoor restaurants that are a "must" for me, Garden Grill being one of them. Here in the northeast USA, several restaraunts are ignoring social-distancing/capacity guidelines, and dining indoors comfortably has been a challenge.

Eating indoors is really not much different than doing anything else indoors. I've been going inside restaurants to eat since our area reopened indoor dining in the summer. When I went to Disney in January, 2 weeks after Christmas during a time that was supposed to be major hot zone, and it was, our first day in Disney was my birthday and that is, still at this point in time the day with most new infections in a single day in the US, we ate 6 or 7 indoor meals, including Garden Grill, and came away without illness. However I did come down with the flu mid February, more than a month after getting back when I was still working from home and the only places I went were restaurants

The thing is though, everyone has their own comfort level. Everyone has varying degrees of preexisting issues, etc, so you just have to do what works best for you. If you don't go at home, why go at Disney? If you do go at home, do they temp check you? Disney at least has that much going for it, as well as good distancing and mask requirements, trying to cut down some spread as much as possible. Disney has so many indoor restaurants that are nearly full, for pandemic standards, all the time and very few, if any, reports of people contracting covid during or just after a trip.

If you really want indoor dining on your trip but are concerned about contracting the virus, just postpone until you get vaxxed. Should be soon for the majority of adults, so you won't have much longer to wait.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

Things I’m learning:

-Wait times are still nowhere near pre-covid levels even with crowded parks. Longest actual wait has been ~45 mins

-Lyft/Uber is not actually faster than a Disney Bus because you have to wait 10 minutes before it even arrives

-Sitting down for both lunch AND dinner at a TS is a waste. Lunch will make you too full for dinner and you’re missing ride time! Pick ONE.

-I’m not as young as I used to be Opted out of the last hour of park time last night cuz I was so dang tired and could barely wake up this AM. (Sorry Mom and Dad!)

 

[GBRforWDW]

Things I’m learning:

-Wait times are still nowhere near pre-covid levels even with crowded parks. Longest actual wait has been ~45 mins

-Lyft/Uber is not actually faster than a Disney Bus because you have to wait 10 minutes before it even arrives

-Sitting down for both lunch AND dinner at a TS is a waste. Lunch will make you too full for dinner and you’re missing ride time! Pick ONE.

-I’m not as young as I used to be Opted out of the last hour of park time last night cuz I was so dang tired and could barely wake up this AM. (Sorry Mom and Dad!)

Haha, it's crazy how much walking you can do right now in the parks! Lol.

The only day I did 2 in park ADRs was first Hollywood Studios day and that was because I knew last time we went, we had trouble finding a place to sit for quick service and I figured it'd be worse in covid times. But we did noon lunch and park close dinner, so plenty of time in between to recover