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

[duder92]

To date, park hopping has never been restricted, even on days like today when all 4 parks are at capacity. It could happen, it just hasn’t yet.

thanks!

 

[brockash]

Are you currently allowed to mobile order a qs meal close to the parks closing? We're at CBR & the menu at the qs looks not too great so I was hoping to end our days eating a qs meal at the parks instead of waiting in long lines for transportation.

Yes. We literally picked up our mobile order at Regal Eagle at 8pm... 8pm closing st Epcot. Ate in restaurant with no issue etc.

 

[samsonjs]

When is the last time MK actually closed at 6 and didn’t extend hours? Is there a way to view past hours?

 

[Naomeri]

Are you currently allowed to mobile order a qs meal close to the parks closing? We're at CBR & the menu at the qs looks not too great so I was hoping to end our days eating a qs meal at the parks instead of waiting in long lines for transportation.

Yes, I ordered Cosmic Ray’s for the 9:55-10pm window on a 10pm MK close just the other day (March 12)

 

[lluv3971]

Here now. Got in Thursday, 3/11 and staying until 3/18. We're here over the "sold out" Spring Break week and so far, it has not been bad at all!

I'll update later in the week so I'll keep this short-ish now.

Friday - I had to work in the morning, so we headed to MK at 2pm. We knew it would be the peak of both heat and crowds but we were prepared to be patient and play it by ear. We did Magic Carpets with a 7 min wait (posted 15), had Dole Whips (the Coconut is AMAZING), and waited 17 minutes for Mansion (posted 25). We had dinner plans at GFlo so we left MK around 3:45. We were happy to leave the crowds.

We returned to MK around 5:30. Mine Train was posted at 50. We wanted to get 7DMT done early in our trip so we could focus on other rides during the early morning hours. The line started at Dumbo but moved quickly. Once we were in the mine, the ride temporarily shut down for about 5 minutes. By the time we were on the train, we had waited only 35 mins. After that, we rode the Speedway, which was basically a walk on. We headed back to BLT after that.

Yesterday (Saturday) - walked from BLT to MK at 7:45. Was held at temp check until 8:05 with about 15 families ahead of us. The line behind us grew quickly but everyone followed the safety rules.

We were In MK by 8:15. Went straight to Space and we're the second group in line. The line quickly grew, but opened at 8:32. Awesome first ride of the day. (Side note- 7dmt, pp, and carrousel were open at about 8:15). From there, we made our way over to BTM that had a line, but they had just started to run trains when we arrived. We walked right on. Next, we headed to Jungle Cruise and waited about 10 mins. When we got off, it was posted at 30 minutes. From there, we continued our morning with "lesser" rides - waited 10 for buzz (posted 20), walk on for Little Mermaid, had a snack, and waited 12 minutes (posted 20) for Tea Cups.

Had lunch at Tomorrow Land Terrace / Columbia Harbor House and then headed back to BLT for an afternoon at the pool.

General observations:

- Getting to a park before opening is HUGE. We were always Rope Drop people, so it's not a big change for us, but you can get so much done with hardly any crowds/ waits if you are at a park an hour beforehand.

- Touring plans times have been SPOT ON! They usually report at least a 20 min difference on headliners. They have been the only times we have been following and so far, have been 100% accurate.

- Having at least 2 days of each park is a must if you want limited waits and pressure-free touring.

- Morning visitors seem much more courteous and mindful, which made for even better touring. Compliance was nearly 100% and everyone knew "the drill."

- Most people are wearing masks appropriately, but it is very noticeable when someone isn't. We saw a few noses, some maskless kids running around the hub. We have yet to see a CM remind people to pull up masks. Saw a guy take off his mask to sneeze, and a other guy behind us in line, picked his nose 3 times. It's easy to have mask issues etched in your mind, but you have to remind yourself that 90% of people are doing the right thing.

- Most people are Social Distancing in lines, but there are others who are so oblivious to the markers. Admittedly, some lines are hard to follow.

- Mobile order your lunch during breakfast to secure your time. Do the same for dinner. Times go quickly and food options are very limited.

- Snacks are hard to find! There are not as many carts and booths open, and some go-tos are closed to accommodate social distancing in lines.

That's all for now. We are moving to the Boardwalk area to spend the rest of our vacay at Epcot at DHS. We will report back soon.

 

[Ecomommy09]

Here now. Got in Thursday, 3/11 and staying until 3/18. We're here over the "sold out" Spring Break week and so far, it has not been bad at all!

I'll update later in the week so I'll keep this short-ish now.

Friday - I had to work in the morning, so we headed to MK at 2pm. We knew it would be the peak of both heat and crowds but we were prepared to be patient and play it by ear. We did Magic Carpets with a 7 min wait (posted 15), had Dole Whips (the Coconut is AMAZING), and waited 17 minutes for Mansion (posted 25). We had dinner plans at GFlo so we left MK around 3:45. We were happy to leave the crowds.

We returned to MK around 5:30. Mine Train was posted at 50. We wanted to get 7DMT done early in our trip so we could focus on other rides during the early morning hours. The line started at Dumbo but moved quickly. Once we were in the mine, the ride temporarily shut down for about 5 minutes. By the time we were on the train, we had waited only 35 mins. After that, we rode the Speedway, which was basically a walk on. We headed back to BLT after that.

Yesterday (Saturday) - walked from BLT to MK at 7:45. Was held at temp check until 8:05 with about 15 families ahead of us. The line behind us grew quickly but everyone followed the safety rules.

- Touring plans times have been SPOT ON! They usually report at least a 20 min difference on headliners. They have been the only times we have been following and so far, have been 100% accurate.

thank you for this! I was trying to figure out how early to walkover on our MK morning!

 

[dez1978]

We're actually on ME heading home now...if it were me; I'd walk to CBR skyliner station and be there by 710 for a 9am dhs open if you want to be one of the first 10-15 families on there way to dhs.

What time did they start running

 

[beesly]

When is the last time MK actually closed at 6 and didn’t extend hours? Is there a way to view past hours?

I don’t know when the last 6pm closing was, but there are many dates (as recent as the beginning of this month) when it was only extended to 7pm. It was strange not getting to see MK after sunset when I was there in January!

You can find past hours here: https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-world/park-hours.htm

 

[Spaghetti Cat]

- Touring plans times have been SPOT ON!

Hey thanks for reporting this. We get lots of reports of official times being off but few from alternatives. It's good to hear these guys are still at the top of their game.

I think they had some trouble when covid first hit, but it sounds like they've been adapting their models.

 

[limace]

Hey thanks for reporting this. We get lots of reports of official times being off but few from alternatives. It's good to hear these guys are still at the top of their game.

I think they had some trouble when covid first hit, but it sounds like they've been adapting their models.

I’ve been reading trip reports in their forums and folks are doing a ton of reporting back on wait times and it does seem like their postings are much closer to accurate than Disney’s.

 

[CrazyDreamer]

We just got home last night from a week in BLT, and we had a wonderful time! We definitely got lucky with weather, but there was no loss of magic from our perspectives.

Totally agree with the many posters commenting on the importance of getting to the parks that extra half hour early. We also found that all the parks started emptying out an hour or so before closing time (even in the parks where this was early, like AK and HS) and we were able to walk on lots of attractions during this time. We also got lucky on a 1:00 PM RotR boarding group on our HS day - it felt like winning the lottery!

The cast members are all doing an amazing job enforcing guidelines. It's a tough job, but they're doing it well. Thank you for all the tips, disboarders! This was one of the best trips our family has ever had.

 

[brockash]

What time did they start running

They pulled us up into the station for DHS around 735/740 and started loadinf gondolas around 750. For Epcot at the Riviera station it was about 940 & 955 to load.

 

[Thomasboys]

Hey thanks for reporting this. We get lots of reports of official times being off but few from alternatives. It's good to hear these guys are still at the top of their game.

I think they had some trouble when covid first hit, but it sounds like they've been adapting their models.

This is good to know! We leave Thursday and I’ve been on the fence about the TP subscription.

 

[lnR_Texas]

March 14 (Pi Day) DHS - Our first park day but we were ready thanks to Disboards!

Left our room at WL at 7:30, Dropped off at Speedway by 7:50 (thanks to my dad who was forgoing the parks this time). In line at temp check by ~8:00. Only about 10 groups in front of us. Skyliner was just starting to drop off folks and it looked like the line built quickly behind us.

8:10 temp check opened and we were walking down Hollywood Blvd by 8:13. Straight to SDD and on ride by 8:23 (sorry 70+ mom, we made you walk so fast). Over to MFSM and boarded by 8:48. Back to Toy Story Land for TSM (8 min wait), boarding by 9:20.

Had RotR BG4 (thanks to my DD12’s quick fingers) and needed to be in the line by 9:40. On the ride by about 10. And then...we had no choice but to wait in a long line.

Joined RnR line at 10:20 and waited 50 min. MDE said 50, Touring Plans said less, but it’s so hard to predict the rapid increase in wait times between 10-11. Loved the ride but the wait in the sun took its toll, mostly on my DS16. We needed a break!

Ice cream at Hollywood Scoops then shopping for some ears for my DD. DS and DH continued to chillax at table in front of Dockside Diner.

DD, grandma, and me tried to shop in Galaxy’s Edge but just too busy. DD and I decided to do ST at 12:15 (40 min wait posted, but waiting 25, Touring Plans was spot on here). Made it back just in time to join the rest of the family at Brown Derby for lunch at 12:55. Great lunch (a cold Rose tastes amazing after standing in the sun all morning) and then headed back to WL at 2.

Relaxing in the room now and hope to head back to DHS around 5:30 to hit MMRT, ToT, and SDD again.

Thoughts on ADRs: We really enjoy the break of a TS for lunch. Two years ago we had most of our lunches between 1-2 because we had FP+ between 10-1. But with no FP+, 1 pm felt too late for lunch (particularly for my DS). Maybe because we started so early, maybe because he’s 16, maybe because he didn’t really eat breakfast. Most of our lunches for the rest of the week are closer to 2 pm and I am not sure he is going to make it that late. Sure he could have a snack, but I think we all would rather have the lunch break earlier when the lines are longest.

 

[GBRforWDW]

When is the last time MK actually closed at 6 and didn’t extend hours? Is there a way to view past hours?

I don’t know when the last 6pm closing was, but there are many dates (as recent as the beginning of this month) when it was only extended to 7pm. It was strange not getting to see MK after sunset when I was there in January!

You can find past hours here: https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-world/park-hours.htm

Looks like Jan 30 is the last 6pm close. Keep in mind, crowds were really low the last week or two of January

 

[Sunshine2U]

Thoughts on ADRs: We really enjoy the break of a TS for lunch. Two years ago we had most of our lunches between 1-2 because we had FP+ between 10-1. But with no FP+, 1 pm felt too late for lunch (particularly for my DS). Maybe because we started so early, maybe because he’s 16, maybe because he didn’t really eat breakfast. Most of our lunches for the rest of the week are closer to 2 pm and I am not sure he is going to make it that late. Sure he could have a snack, but I think we all would rather have the lunch break earlier when the lines are longest.

I planned all of our ADRs for 2:00 with a planned heavy snack around 10:30-11:00. I'm hoping this works out and we don't lose too much time on the snack stop. I like the concept of heavy meal at 2:00, back to resort, then QS for dinner. Time will tell.

Edited to add: I know the kids won't eat breakfast so feeding them 10-11 seemed like a requirement. I definitely didn't want TS then!

 

[pens4821]

What’s the waiting like for buses at resorts that don’t have dedicated park lines/stops (I think values are the only ones with dedicated stops for each park)? Is it still a free for all or do they have lines at every resort now for distancing?

 

[Je-Ree Olenik]

glad to see everyones experience.

 

[hergosling]

The resort bus stops/stations....

I'm interested in hearing about this as well. We'll be staying at Grand Floridian at Easter time and it's going to be busy. Given that the Epcot Monorail isn't running, the bus stop now has Epcot busses to accommodate as well. The bus stop at the Grand just isn't that big, and filled up in the early mornings pre-covid and it was always a bit of a free for all... wondering what they've done to keep it organized and distanced now??!

 

[RunWI1265]

The resort bus stops/stations....

I'm interested in hearing about this as well. We'll be staying at Grand Floridian at Easter time and it's going to be busy. Given that the Epcot Monorail isn't running, the bus stop now has Epcot busses to accommodate as well. The bus stop at the Grand just isn't that big, and filled up in the early mornings pre-covid and it was always a bit of a free for all... wondering what they've done to keep it organized and distanced now??!

Not sure about GF but when I stayed at CR end of Jan/early Feb there was usually a CM or two outside helping people line up. But I will admit, it was a little confusing. They had sandwich board signs out for specific parks/Springs but one time when we were trying to get in line for Springs the Epcot line was all the way back towards the hotel entrance (basically taking space where other park lines were supposed to start). So I had to ask people in line what park they were in line for because it seemed all the lines were just one big line. I stood off to the side where the DS bus line was supposed to start, which I'm sure looked like I was trying to cut the Epcot line. This only seems to be a problem at peak times though. I will add the screens were not accurate either. On this occasion the board said the Disney Springs bus was 20+ minutes out and it ended up coming wayyyy before that. So be alert in case you aren't waiting with the crowd for a park open bus.