Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[teach22180]

I'm not technically just back yet cause I'm sitting in MCO waiting on a delayed plane. But today I saw a vehicle in small world with plexiglass. Must be testing it out.

 

[Tarilyn]

Really lucked out with ROR. I tried for it at 6:59 and faltered for a second seeing my whole family wasn’t included. A second too late and didn’t get morning tickets.
So my sister-in-law called to have them added to my account. Checking later, my whole account was wiped out of all family members. So we went to guest services. One CM had me do various updates on my phone and nothing worked. The supervisor tried to help and it was now 12:55pm and we knew were going to be out of luck. Another CM came up, realized the problem, called someone and it was all reinstalled. When I pulled up my account to see that it worked, he had given us a ROR pass for group 91. I didn’t even know they could do that. To say the least, it made our day!

 

[spleuchan]

We just finished a really great vacation from Sunday to today. Crowds seemed about the same as off peak times, but they seemed staffed to the max, kind of like the good ole days, so waits were low. [I was really disappointed with our last trip in 2019 summer because although crowds weren’t too bad, staffing was minimal so there were long waits (for example they were only running space mountain at 25% which caused 60 minute waited right after opening).]. CMs seemed so much friendlier this time also. Wait times were less than posted.

Sunday - Arrived at CR at 7 something in the morning. Room wasn’t ready and headed to MK. Did BTMRR a couple time and splash. Then jingle cruise and pirates. Afterwards space mountain and buzz. All with short waits. Ate lunch at the Tomorrowland terrace (serving food from Columbia Harbor house). Went back to the hotel for a break and back to MK. Rode more stuff with longer waits, but not too bad. Ate at Tony’s which was ok/good depending on the family member.

Monday - AK - Arrived a little after rope drop and went to FOP. Waited about an hour. Didn’t do Navi, but did other rides (sometimes multiple times) with minimal waits. We really liked the drawing class at RPW (were disappointed when they took that away from HS). Ate dinner at Yak and Yeti which we all really enjoyed.

Tuesday - HS - Tried to get Rise of the Resistance, logged on exactly at 7:00, but was my first time doing it and made the mistake of actually reading the screens and received an error and didn’t get it. At 1:00 tried again, didn’t read a thing and clicked stuff as fast as I could and got a boarding group. So don’t read, just click! Anyways, arrived slightly after rope drop, rode pretty much all the rides. Ate at Mama Melroses. Some liked, others not as much

Wed - Epcot - Arrived right before rope drop.This park seemed EMPTY. Wait times were soooo low. Ate at via Napoli (love their pizza).

Thursday - Christmas Eve at MK. Wife and daughter slept in and me and DS rope dropped (huge advantage coming from CR). Was one of first for 7 Dwarves then BTMRR a couple times, splash, Space Mountain, Buzz, then looked at my watch: 9:03. After that lines were a little longer, but not bad at all (and amazing for Christmas Eve). Ate at Liberty Tree Tavern. Kids loved the Mac and cheese and us adults liked the rest.

Friday - HS - Similar to Thursday, except got Rise of the Resistance on the first shot with a boarding group of 13, which was actually earlier than I would have preferred, but happy to have got it on Christmas. Lunch at Sci Fi, which is the one restaurant we have done every trip. A little cold, but not too bad.

Saturday - MK - Rope dropped MK (see my earlier post about walkway from CR to MK). COLD!! One of first on 7 dwarves, part way through the ride when it broke down. Had to wait for CMs to come and let us out. First thing CM said was no pictures allowed. Let us out and said they put a fast pass for anything but Peter Pan on our magic bands. When we tried to use it later in the day for 7 dwarves it wasn’t on our magic bands, but luckily the CM let us in the fast pass lane anyways. Left a little before noon on our way home. Would have probably stayed a couple more hours if it were warmer.

Really happy that this trip felt like ones 5 to 10 years ago with low wait times. Rope dropping is huge as waits are super low the first two hours (unlike our summer 2019 trip that it really didn’t seem to be any advantage). Did miss fast passes (although low wait times made up for it) and also missed park hopping. Also missed Fantasmic This was our first time at CR and like the MK rope drop advantage, but overall much prefer the Epcot resorts (BW, BC, and YC). We had never gone over Christmas before because of crowds and wait times, so this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that did not disappoint.

 

[4Spen]

We did HS today. Got there 45 minutes before opening and walked straight through temp check and security and into the park. We rode Smugglers Run, RotR and Toy Story Mania. Left for lunch at DS (Polite Pig-soooo good). Wanted to go to Gideon’s but there was a line to get into the line so we passed. Rested for about 2 hours and then went back to HS. Rode Toy Story Mania, Slinky Dog and MMRR. Longest wait was 15 minutes. Probably could have done more rides but weren’t in the mood. Had dinner at Docking Bay 7. (Pretty good) Ended the evening with Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd. Overall it was a good day. Pretty cold but we were prepared. From a crowd perspective, it’s definitely much better than pre-Covid Christmas trips. (We’ve gone almost every year for 10 years now) Mask compliance is good. There are some people that try to buck the rules but that’s to be expected. People were obeying spacing in lines almost always. We go to AK tomorrow.

 

[Befferk]

We did HS today. Got there 45 minutes before opening and walked straight through temp check and security and into the park. We rode Smugglers Run, RotR and Toy Story Mania. Left for lunch at DS (Polite Pig-soooo good). Wanted to go to Gideon’s but there was a line to get into the line so we passed. Rested for about 2 hours and then went back to HS. Rode Toy Story Mania, Slinky Dog and MMRR. Longest wait was 15 minutes. Probably could have done more rides but weren’t in the mood. Had dinner at Docking Bay 7. (Pretty good) Ended the evening with Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd. Overall it was a good day. Pretty cold but we were prepared. From a crowd perspective, it’s definitely much better than pre-Covid Christmas trips. (We’ve gone almost every year for 10 years now) Mask compliance is good. There are some people that try to buck the rules but that’s to be expected. People were obeying spacing in lines almost always. We go to AK tomorrow.

What was your mode of transportation to get there?

 

[4Spen]

What was your mode of transportation to get there?

We took the Shades of Green bus to HS. Took the Skyliner to the Riviera. Planned to hop on a DS bus there but they weren’t running one that we could tell so got an Uber from there. Left DS on a GF bus. (Wanted to check out decor and the new walkway-and this is walkable to SOG) The evening was the SOG buses.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We took the Shades of Green bus to HS. Took the Skyliner to the Riviera. Planned to hop on a DS bus there but they weren’t running one that we could tell so got an Uber from there. Left DS on a GF bus. (Wanted to check out decor and the new walkway-and this is walkable to SOG) The evening was the SOG buses.

Buses are not currently running from the parks to Disney Springs.

 

[Befferk]

We successfullly Ubered to Speedway and walked into HS this morning no problem. About 8 groups back at temp check, about 7:45 got in temp check line, then walked onto MMRR, then RnRC when they let us through.

 

[DisneyMommy77]

We successfullly Ubered to Speedway and walked into HS this morning no problem. About 8 groups back at temp check, about 7:45 got in temp check line, then walked onto MMRR, then RnRC when they let us through.

How are the HS crowds today? We have reservations, but chose to sleep in. Deciding if we want to come this afternoon.

 

[Befferk]

Very heavy, long waits.

 

[cristen72]

Anyone currently at the Grand Floridian? Interested in knowing what time the monorail starts and what time the buses start.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

Let’s hope it gets to the point where at least photopass you can take your masks off I HATE photos with a mask but I understand

 

[Minnie368]

Got back from an 8 day trip last week. Just wanted to echo a tip I had read a while back that if you’re looking for a decent place to take some mask free pictures with the castle in the background one spot is the relaxation zone at Tomorrowland Terrace where it’s totally cool to take your mask off. We got some great pictures one night. Also at the tables with the yellow umbrellas outside the Plaza restaurant. We had our Starbucks pastries and drinks at one of the back tables and got some really nice pictures during our snack where it’s permissible to remove your mask while eating/drinking and stationary.

 

[Befferk]

Does MFSR start running before official opening at HS?

 

[trirae]

Home after a lovely week. Used this thread extensively in preparation so I figured I'd give my summary as well.

Set Up. We drove and stayed offsite at my timeshare. Only ate inside one day (Christmas) and that was an offsite restaurant. Otherwise, mobile orders or offsite outdoor restaurants.

Overall, we were not disappointed, but that isn't to say there weren't times we were uncomfortable. We had a good time and generally a nice weather break and an opportunity to get away from reality. My notes:

• Agree that mask wearing is generally good. I’ve only seen a few abusers. “It’s okay to take your mask off while sitting.” Um, no not really. Some noses out, etc. But overall no real complaints.
• Mobile ordering is generally worthwhile, but especially the first time the instructions could be clearer in order to know what to do once you get to the site. Overall, though, we appreciated it.
• Lines. I say meh on social distancing here. Up until the last day, I would have said it was 75% people being sheep and 25% Disney fail on some line spacing, but honestly, it might fall a bit more on Disney here. For example, when the queues narrow inside, the lines need to be way more than 6’ apart because people are walking single file. Most people can’t seem to follow the idea when there’s a big gap to allow for 6’ spacing to the side not just the front and back and they tend to fill. That could be marked or identified better, I think. Some people in lines are clueless. We had a couple who were actual jerks. One couple cut in the middle of the line and proceeded to crowd the folks in front of them and weren’t wearing masks. Another family we had to ask to watch the lines because they were right up on us. I think most of it is just automatic response. We’re used to just moving when other people move without thinking. Also they could use a recording to remind people about distancing in lines.
• Open spaces. Often little social distancing, but that bothers me less because we’re moving quickly. I’ve always hated when people just stop in the middle of a walkway but now, it’s really problematic, creating bunching.
• Disney Springs. Gross. I say avoid. We were entirely uncomfortable and would not return until post-pandemic.
• Wait times, etc. We’ve kind of enjoying arriving at parks with no plan. It’s not typical for us at all, but it’s been relaxed. I miss fast passes, but enjoy the freedom. Line waits were pretty true to posted time at MK and HS on our first two days. Maybe like 10 minute shorter. Waits at AK and Epcot were probably ½ posted time in most cases. Seems to be a crapshoot on that, so we just always assumed the worst and were happy with surprises. But overall, we expected to wait so never felt bothered by it. In fact, it gave us a chance to see the details we'd never seen in lines since we'd always had fast passes.
• We love AK but it seems the most limited right now. Easily a 1/2 day.
• So surprised and delighted by how quiet Epcot was for Christmas Eve. Fully expected long food lines and crowding in International Showcase but wow, just a lovely night with plenty of social distancing. Only saw a Santa cavalcade the whole day though.
• My DD1 (19) is VERY forgiving of service workers, and even she noticed a difference in the CMs from the first day. Our final observation is that it seems mostly centered on ride CM's who are obviously dealing with unusual situations. We don't envy them or discredit them, but we noticed less Disney tone, and it felt a little less magical. Had plenty of happy CM's throughout the parks in other areas.

Some highlights: we saw Molly from a popular blog site on day one which was like a HUGE wish for my 14-year-old DD who watches her every morning. Can't tell you how often we said, "Molly suggested ..." during our trip.

We saw JoJo Siwa while in line for ToT. Girls were disappointed it was Covid time and they couldn't rush and greet her.

Got to ride SDD for the first time since we've never been able to get FP's and the lines were too long, but we got there before opening and only had a 30 min wait.

Great family time and a chance to feel normal despite some discomfort. Enjoyed many of the changes including not feeling so bunched up in lines. I tend to follow the philosophy that first timers may miss out on more than veterans. I'll probably wait a bit to go back, but don't regret the experience.

 

[dachsie]

I was surprised the parks did not reach capacity yesterday, at least that I saw. Traditionally MK reaches it early in the day.

I suspect there is no need for capacity signs since everyone there had to make a reservation. It may have been at capacity depending on their reservation system

 

[DL1WDW2]

Does MFSR start running before official opening at HS?

This morning entered at Open and went straight to MFSR and got inside the building to wait and wait... It was chilly, so glad to be inside but started to suspect they were not going to officially start until the 9 am open . Finally opened about 8:45 ish...
Felt like I made a rookie mistake because Slinky Dog was all the way back to Ariel and M&MRR had long lines too. We did not get the R of the Resistance at 7 am from hotel but did get it at 1:00. The lines ran smoothly and very efficient so maybe Rise is working finally cause they slammed us through and back at resort by 5:30!
Successful first day for visiting family from Texas . We ate at Mama Melrose .I always order minestrone soup& Caesar salad to keep it simple. Others ordered fresh salmon , spaghetti.
Love the basket of rolls. Lots of families relaxing with their meals. No pressure from waitstaff. They seemed happy to have guests.
Hope others give it a try.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I suspect there is no need for capacity signs since everyone there had to make a reservation. It may have been at capacity depending on their reservation system

Except we’ve often seen capacity signs in December so it would have been normal to see them if parks were at capacity.

 

[4Spen]

We did AK today. Arrived around 10. My brother and his wife arrived much earlier (6:45) and were able to ride FOP, Safari and Navi with no wait. My daughter and I waited about 30 minutes for Safari and 70 for FOP. (Much later in the day) I agree with the poster above about mobile ordering. Our first day we didn’t realize you had to reserve a time and plan ahead. We foolishly thought you walked up and just ordered on your phone and waited. Once we figured it out we were fine. I will say the crowds seemed much worse at AK. Probably how the park is designed but who knows. Mask compliance was a bit more iffy today. Many people walking around eating and drinking. Many people eating and drinking in lines. A few times the mask rule offenders were approached by a CM but a lot went unnoticed. (A lot of people and seems like less CMs) I think the thing I miss most is hopping. This evening we would have went over and had dinner at EP but instead just came back to our hotel and ate here. (SOG) We’re having fun but I wouldn’t recommend this current Disney experience to anyone going for a 1st time or at all nervous about Covid. Yes, they have good rules in place but there are a lot of people here. Also, wearing a mask all day and walking 20-30K steps is pretty exhausting. Thankful it’s not hot this week. I couldn’t do this in the heat.

 

[HikingFam]

Maybe it was the cold weather this morning, but today at MK was noticeably less crowded than our trip over Thanksgiving week. I was pleasantly surprised.