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

[Princess Katelet]

How is bus availability for park hopping or when you want to take your bus back to your hotel for an afternoon break? Do you have to wait long? I'm contemplating if we'll go the Uber route to not deal with waiting.

Hit or miss but mostly miss for us. We’ve waited an hour just to leave the parks due to limited seating in buses and tons of scooters. Half hour to 45 minutes seems average.

 

[lorilori]

Depended on the time of day for us. Hopping at 2:00 we waited maybe 15-20 minutes if we didn't get on the first bus for wherever we were going. Hopping a little later at 3:00/3:30 we always got on the first bus to our next park.

 

[Helvetica]

DHS is a madhouse right now. They really, really need to bring back entertainment.

 

[Duck143]

We had a similar experience when we went through the Peter Pan queue and realized we hadn’t been through it in the last 15 years. It was actually really neat.

We had NEVER been through the queue for PP. Also, FOP's queue was awesome and we had never been through that one either.

 

[SarahC97]

DHS is a madhouse right now. They really, really need to bring back entertainment.

It's a bit mind-boggling to me that they're increasing attendance without bringing back entertainment and opening more restaurants and shops. We go next week and I'm kind of expecting the worst.

 

[Helvetica]

It's a bit mind-boggling to me that they're increasing attendance without bringing back entertainment and opening more restaurants and shops. We go next week and I'm kind of expecting the worst.

The other parks have been pretty ok, but DHS is just too small. It probably doesn’t help that only one side of Tower of Terror is operational right now.

 

[Nana2Callie]

It's a bit mind-boggling to me that they're increasing attendance without bringing back entertainment and opening more restaurants and shops. We go next week and I'm kind of expecting the worst.

Feeling the same.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Hit or miss but mostly miss for us. We’ve waited an hour just to leave the parks due to limited seating in buses and tons of scooters. Half hour to 45 minutes seems average.

Depended on the time of day for us. Hopping at 2:00 we waited maybe 15-20 minutes if we didn't get on the first bus for wherever we were going. Hopping a little later at 3:00/3:30 we always got on the first bus to our next park.

Thanks for the info! I'd be super cranky if we were going to take a break and had to wait forever for a bus so maybe Uber is the way to go. We've never really used Uber at the parks that much- is the pickup area by the busses? I imagine there's signs letting you know where to go too.

 

[SarahC97]

Thanks for the info! I'd be super cranky if we were going to take a break and had to wait forever for a bus so maybe Uber is the way to go. We've never really used Uber at the parks that much- is the pickup area by the busses? I imagine there's signs letting you know where to go too.

Yes, there are rideshare pickups pretty close to the main entrances of the parks except for MK, where the pickup for rideshare is at the TTC.

ETA: I have heard a lot of rumblings that getting an Uber or Lyft is kind of hit or miss right now since they seem to have a driver shortage. Also, surge pricing can make a trip very expensive, so be aware of that if you're not already.

 

[KGolf31]

How is bus availability for park hopping or when you want to take your bus back to your hotel for an afternoon break? Do you have to wait long? I'm contemplating if we'll go the Uber route to not deal with waiting.

(For May 10-13th)
We bus hopped once from MK to DHS and waited 1 bus cycle to get on the Bus. When we arrived in line one bus just arrived and was actively loading. The next bus (which we boarded) was less than 5 minutes behind.

Otherwise, bus availability back to BWV was seemless. Bus was waiting at the parks everytime. I don't know if we got incredibly lucky or what, but we never waited for a bus other than 15 minutes for Disney Springs.

Other than that, the Skyliner was used to go from DHS to Epcot at night and was always a walk-on

 

[hereforthechurros]

DHS is a madhouse right now. They really, really need to bring back entertainment.

That's one park that shouldn't be increasing capacity until they do. 45 minute wait to just to get into the Muppet Theater? No thanks.

 

[hereforthechurros]

The other parks have been pretty ok, but DHS is just too small. It probably doesn’t help that only one side of Tower of Terror is operational right now.

And Slinky is down.

 

[Helvetica]

That's one park that shouldn't be increasing capacity until they do. 45 minute wait to just to get into the Muppet Theater? No thanks.

I’ve never seen lines this long. I know people want fast pass back, but I don’t know where everyone would go. You already have to walk through Fantasmic for both ToT and RnRC.

 

[corinne025]

It's a bit mind-boggling to me that they're increasing attendance without bringing back entertainment and opening more restaurants and shops. We go next week and I'm kind of expecting the worst.

we are here now I would say 100% the biggest problem is restaurant capacity! When the sun gets at its zenith at the same time as the crowds, the need for more readily available air conditioning and hydrating options is major.

The mobile ordering is somewhat confusing, I think most regular guests will find themselves at noon suddenly with a reality they cannot find anywhere to eat, and to not even be able to step inside a Quick Service to get in line (they don’t let you in until you can flash your phone saying “mobile order ready”) will be confusing and frustrating. Then you’re trying to navigate your map and find a Mobile Order available that is not 30/45 minutes out.

They need to increase capacity at Table Service restaurants and bar seating! Add to walk-up availability!

 

[Brett Wyman]

I’ve never seen lines this long. I know people want fast pass back, but I don’t know where everyone would go. You already have to walk through Fantasmic for both ToT and RnRC.

Is line distancing still at 6 feet? Im guessing this will drop to 3 feet any day now.

 

[SarahC97]

we are here now I would say 100% the biggest problem is restaurant capacity! When the sun gets at its zenith at the same time as the crowds, the need for more readily available air conditioning and hydrating options is major.

The mobile ordering is somewhat confusing, I think most regular guests will find themselves at noon suddenly with a reality they cannot find anywhere to eat, and to not even be able to step inside a Quick Service to get in line (they don’t let you in until you can flash your phone saying “mobile order ready”) will be confusing and frustrating. Then you’re trying to navigate your map and find a Mobile Order available that is not 30/45 minutes out.

They need to increase capacity at Table Service restaurants and bar seating! Add to walk-up availability!

Oh yeah. Can you imagine all the people who don't know to expect things like not being able to just grab lunch somewhere when you're hungry at lunchtime? We were there over Thanksgiving and after the first day, I forced my family to order lunch when we entered the parks at rope drop just so we knew we'd have somewhere to eat. For our trip next week, we have sitdowns booked for lunch each day just so we don't have to worry about it.

 

[Helvetica]

Is line distancing still at 6 feet? Im guessing this will drop to 3 feet any day now.

The stickers are still there. Sometimes people follow them, sometimes it’s back to normal. When I get back to the resort I may check and see if I can change my second DHS day to Epcot.

 

[Tess]

We returned home on Friday, 5/14/21 (arrived at BWV 5/6/21) and had a great time. That said, it was crowded and it wasn't simply attributable to social distancing queues, stroller parking, etc. It was simply crowded at all the parks with HS being the worst.

We have points of reference for comparison because we go this same week every year and have done so for the last 10+ years. We were also there in October 2020--same week every year for also 10+ years. We felt October was exceptionally crowded compared to normal and this trip in May was even more so.

Since we are well versed in Disney, we tried to hit buses early a.m. (or walked) and arrive at parks an hour prior to stated opening. This worked better when walking to HS or EPCOT.

Buses were hit or miss at getting to the parks an hour before scheduled opening (MK/AK).

MK plan worked (rode everything we wanted prior to noon BUT FOR SDMT [down at opening], Carousel of Progress and Splash [down at opening]) on our first day (5/7); but the second day (5/12) we waited 40 minutes or so for a bus and did not get there as planned. This one wasn't on us, we were at the bus stop at 7:00 a.m. or so. We weren't overly concerned because our only goal was to ride the three aforementioned rides and return to our resort. Once again, however, SDMT was down as was Splash until 9ish. We did COP, Speedway and Teacups until Splash was up and hit it up. SDMT was not up until much later in the a.m. and we opted not to wait to ride it. We mobile ordered (soon after arrival in MK) from Pecos--picked it up after Splash and went back to BWV for pool time. I forgot to mention, our longest queue of the first day (5/7) was Peoplemover--it was a 30 minute wait.

AK (5/8) the bus was reliable and we skipped our planned second day because we crushed that park and rode everything we wanted before 11:00 a.m. That was a good thing because when we left after our lunch at Y&Y, it was a hot mess.

DHS was flat out crazy on both days we went (5/10 and 13). Since we were walking we arrived as planned. On the 10th, we were a scant 5-10 minutes earlier than the 13th and the difference in our pre-opening queue location was incredible. Not that the ultimate queue was any different (the left side for walkers, buses and cars stretched as far as the eye could see down the walkway (I have pictures, but not where I am at the moment). Once the skyliner and boat folks arrived (and the left side of the queue was longer than the walkway), the right side was queued up and it, likewise, stretched back to the bus depot--this is pre-opening!

On 5/10 we did great with our early hours--SDD, TSM, AS, MF, ST and RoR (BG14)--and out by noon which is always our plan for any park. 5/13 we were not so lucky. This day our goal was to hit RoR (BG4), RnR and ToT (we have done Mickey's Runaway and weren't impressed so didn't feel the need), have lunch at 50s and leave. ToT was down and queue was not permitted. We rode RnR x2 and ToT queue was then forming. By the time we joined it, the queue was all the way snaking through the exit from Fantasmic. The handheld sign said 60 minutes but we knew it was going to be shorter because the ride had not yet even loaded--still, we waited 40 minutes which got us to our RoR boarding group with 15 minutes or so to spare. While it seems we accomplished a good deal--the park was crowded on both days with 5/13 being worse.

So, moral of the story is that word has filtered to the masses that the parks are opening 45-60 minutes prior to stated time. Getting to the parks early is still the best advice, but don't think you are going to breeze on everything for that first two hours as used to be the case. The sea of humanity is arriving prior to the 10:30 - 11:00 a.m. time it used to hit the parks. Oh those stragglers are still there, but that opening crowd is equally large (it was the same in October--at least more than expected).

We had great weather, many hours of pool time in our private pool at BWI , hopped to EPCOT in the evening nearly every day and had a great time despite the disbelief in the size of the crowds. It pays to know what you are doing and how to navigate the parks and crowds especially without FP+, the shows, entertainment and a shortage of restaurants.

Hopefully Disney will get the remaining hotels, restaurants and shows open and reinstate FP+ to help with the crowding issue. Masks and distancing seem to be going away (not quickly enough for me) so our fingers are crossed for a more normal experience in the fall!

 

[Mango7100]

It's a bit mind-boggling to me that they're increasing attendance without bringing back entertainment and opening more restaurants and shops. We go next week and I'm kind of expecting the worst.

We will be there next week as well. We have already prepped DD8 that we are only going to spend more time at the resort, do a few hours a day at the parks, and ride a couple of rides but we aren’t going to to get to do everything we normally do. Even doing small stuff like riding Barnstormer multiple times makes her happy. I just want to ride the People Mover really. It’s going to be in the mid to high 90s all next week ..so glad I got my UV umbrella

 

[Leigh L]

It's a bit mind-boggling to me that they're increasing attendance without bringing back entertainment and opening more restaurants and shops. We go next week and I'm kind of expecting the worst.

Same! I'm starting to warn everyone in our party. We go at the mid-end of June and I know it's going to be nothing like President's week was. Two people joining us this trip haven't been in a long time, one since 2019 and the other before Fantasyland was expanded. I'm hoping it's a good experience for them.

Hopefully, this Friday will come more announcements of reopenings in upcoming weeks! Even a couple of shows and restaurants would probably do wonders.