Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[disneyfan150]

Of course if you can pack a cooler and an astronaut diaper that’s even better

Oh my gosh that is so funny! I had forgotten all about that happening.

 

[Grandmad]

For those that went and flew in : what was your experience at the airport?
It looks like Disney and Disney property is doing what they can but I wonder about everything else.

I flew home on Sunday at noon. After the compliance with masks and distancing at Disney we were shocked at how many people at MCO, both workers and passengers, were wearing their masks below their chins.

 

[Doingitagain]

Resorts minus the GF will allow you to park if you are staying in property.

We have an ADR at GF, will they let us park there?

 

[Alice Sr.]

This will probably be a TLDR report, apologies in advance, but maybe it is helpful for some.

Just back from some time at WDW. Like many here our plans had waffled all over for several months with resort uncertainty, park uncertainty, travel uncertainty, virus uncertainty, etc. I can't say I was necessarily in the "going no matter what" camp given everything going on, but the preview and reopening dates and resort movements ended up falling into place with something that worked for us.

We all have our individual perspectives on this and that's OK. I'd be lying if I said it was easy to shake the "is this the right thing" thinking from at least some part of my psyche at times. But I also feel we (the general we) need to find ways to go about some elements of commerce, leisure, and life in general in cautious, safe, respectful, and appropriate ways, so honestly I guess I fall somewhere in the middle about how to approach our decisions right now. Personal responsibility supplemented with businesses that create safer situations with their product generally feel like a good recipe right now, for me. Obviously a highly personal perspective.

But anyway, here are my thoughts, in no particular order:

1) My overall impression of being in the parks was quite favorable. Crowds at MK and Epcot were generally very low, DAK seemed unsustainably low, which was a bit sad. I will get flamed off this board for saying this, but one day at MK I caught myself thinking "I'd pay double for this experience." Ok, a bit of hyperbole there, but I did have that passing thought.

2) I stayed at MK twice until after closing and the experience felt just like after a DAH event to me. For DAH, oftentimes the park feels very empty throughout but then at the end as people head out Main Street looks more crowded and you're like "where did all these people come from." MK (and all the parks) can really absorb a lot of people. Had a bit of resort boat and monorail transportation delays leaving both of those evenings, but nothing crazy. But again, very low crowds.

3) DHS was the most crowded park in my experience. I didn't feel unsafe being there, but it was maybe borderline at times. Just more people around, in walkways, etc. I liked the other parks better in this regard. While I won't sit here and say you should skip DHS as there are certainly times later day when it's really nice, we probably would skip it if given the choice.

4) Overall it's so easy to zag when others zig that even when you come across situations where you might be uncomfortable, you can usually adjust and move on.

5) I could nitpick various mask situations, but they were by far the very small minority of experiences. Overall I felt the large majority of guests knew the rules, knew what needed to be done, and were sticking to the rules. Almost every no mask or chin mask situation I saw was outside, around the resort walkways, etc. One time a guy in line in front of me at the Pirates gift shop had it down below his nose. I opted to move on, pretty simple to adjust.

6) I personally do not expect Disney to be the ever-present mask enforcer or surface cleaner and think that is an unrealistic expectation to put on any place of business. WDW is not a Utopian bubble that you enter and everything is COVID perfect. Yes there are new rules which apply to all, but 100% compliance is a really high standard for any place that attracts thousands of people (IMO) - and I thought Disney did an admirable job creating an environment which inspired buy-in from its guests and select enforcement when needed. That said, stay long enough and you will run into situations where someone drops their mask, situations where someone walks by you closer than 6 feet, situations where there's a big line for a bus, the need to touch something someone else has touched, or other countless situations which may raise your brow a bit. I personally have some level of tolerance on these things within reason, others may not. It will be a highly personal experience.

7) I was really proud of my kids (10 and 5) and masks. We had big questions about the 5 year old (so much so she and DW didn't come for the first part of our trip), but on property she was a total champ! Our biggest worry became our least. It really helped that my DW had made patterned/coordinated masks and had spent a ton of time working with her on ones that really fit well - that was key.

8) We're not usually character peeps, but I thought the mini-parades/showcases at the parks were really awesome - probably saw more characters than we had in years! The Epcot short character drives around World Showcase felt a little silly and out of place (man they crank up the music when they go by), but everywhere else was on theme and really appreciated. Would love to see the DAK music boats continue in some form long term, that really fits that park.

9) We usually fly to WDW but I was happy to drive this time. We were 50/50 bus and car. I appreciated having options. While I have some tolerance for it, I'm less OK with enclosed places like transportation, generally speaking, so the car was appreciated.

10) Side note, on the drive to WDW I had packed a cooler, drinks, food and only made stops at rest stops - which are generally quick in/out with larger restrooms. I didn't properly pack on the way home so had to stop for meals, gas, etc. The most unsafe feeling I've had in two weeks was at the Love's Travel Stop in Lake City, FL. Going back to the real world and different rules, behaviors takes some getting used to.

11) Given the resort rescheduling craziness we ended up with stays at BLT, Poly, and one night at WL - since this is a theme parks board I'll spare the details but happy to answer any questions. In the past I have been staunchly anti cooking/cleaning at WDW and have never stayed in a DVC/Villa - but not going to lie, having a kitchen and quick access to washer/dryer in the current situation was really nice. We ordered from Garden Grocer with no issues and it was nice having a few food items around to cut down on times we needed to mobile order or eat out.

12) I will note that the new park hours create a few ripple effects at the pools, generally speaking. Poly, for example, has a rather small feature pool/deck and at times it was pretty crowded (may be too crowded for some folks) and other times where it was pretty darn empty. Really erratic though. Mobile ordering would sometimes take minutes, and sometimes take a really long time. Pool bars were sometimes deserted and sometimes had long lines. Staffing is pretty thin in some areas and heavy in others. I suspect reopening growing pains with staffing levels, call outs, etc. Will be interesting to watch as more of the resorts fully reopen over time.

13) CMs really made this trip excellent for us - I saw moments of Disney magic and charm that are perhaps overlooked under normal circumstances. The slower pace of the parks and resorts allows opportunities to really take things in, have a more in depth chat with someone, take 20 posed PhotoPass shots with no one in line, or whatever strikes your fancy. With some exceptions, I sensed an overwhelming "glad to be back" spirit around the parks.

14) I do hesitate to be overwhelmingly positive/pixie dust about our experience - there are serious things to consider when deciding to come to a place like a theme park that shouldn’t really be taken lightly (my opinion) - but the reality was that for frequent visitors like us the WDW experience right now was a good one. I was (and am) pretty grumbly about the hours, shows, etc, but I get that's not possible now and we adjusted with little issue. Not getting the 'full' experience is going to make the value equation very tough for some, no doubt. If it weren't for already purchased APs, not sure how I'd feel about all of this.

15) My main questions going forward are guest demand and experience sustainability. I will be very curious to see how things evolve over time. I did feel like things in general around the parks and resorts were picking up slowly by the day, especially around the weekends.

16) Absolutely loved the temp check and security procedures - entering the parks with many of the new entrances (eg, DAK and MK) was a total breeze. Almost felt like WDW was over-staffed at these locations at times.

Happy to answer any questions, sorry for being long-winded.

I have the same issue with transportation. I was planning to rent a van but at $700 it gave me pause, you helped me confirm my decision to rent. Awesome report, thank you.

 

[yulilin3]

We have an ADR at GF, will they let us park there?

yes as long as you are
A guest of the resort
or
have an ADR to eat at that resort
you can park, parking for dining guests is limited to 2 hours

 

[shoegal9]

We were never stopped and left the room at BWV as early as 9am

At Boardwalk now. Walked to HS yesterday. Walkways were not blocked. We got to the enterance about 9:10 second in line for temperature check, they opened the park at 9:15.

Thank you! We check into BWV next Thursday and are looking forward to making our way over early on foot with a cup of coffee.

 

[nkereina]

they opened the park at 9:15.

I've been bad with keeping up with all the recent reports. Are all of the parks generally letting people in this much earlier than the stated opening time? Trying to gauge when to leave the resort.

On a similar note, is RotR operating with boarding groups similar to how it was pre-COVID? Do those become available at 10am or whenever they start to allow guests in? Do they still fill up within minutes?

 

[Dave006]

The actually opening varies daily but is almost always at least 30-40 minutes before scheduled / posted park opening time.

RoTR is using BGs again but now has 3 windows: 10 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM. The number of slots available at 1 PM and 4 PM vary based on the operational status of the attraction daily.

You must be past the tapstiles to join a BG. And yes the BGs fill very quickly the 10 AM can fill in less then 15 seconds.

dave

 

[mrg013]

On a similar note, is RotR operating with boarding groups similar to how it was pre-COVID? Do those become available at 10am or whenever they start to allow guests in? Do they still fill up within minutes?

Yes, RotR is using boarding groups similar to how it was pre-COVID. The main difference is that boarding groups now open up at 10:00, 1:00, and 4:00 each day, not just at park opening, and you'll get a notification when your boarding group has been called with a one hour window to return to the attraction (I believe it was two hours before COVID). You can only join a boarding group once per day (so if you join at 10:00, you can't ride it in the morning and then also join again at 1:00). You have to have already scanned into the park to join a boarding group, and boarding groups have typically all filled within seconds each day. I don't think I've seen any reports of them being available for more than a minute after the windows have opened on any given day.

 

[yulilin3]

Also remember there's a complete thread devoted to RotR bg on the swge sub forum with plenty of recent reports

 

[PrincessV]

1. Many thanks to all for the first-hand reports - it's been very helpful AND enjoyable!

2. I may or may not try visiting AK this weekend. I'm local enough to make a day trip, but it's a 1.5-2 hour drive and I'm trying to decide on a time frame for this visit... I'm only planning to do outdoor activities, and main priority is animal viewing. I don't mind rain/storms in the park at all, but would prefer not to be caught in anything torrential while on I-4 (eastbound to WDW, westbound to home).

Thoughts on best times to view animals, tigers especially?
Safari - how have wait times been through the day? Better times to find animals out and about?
Mobile food ordering - is there any way to use a Disney Visa Rewards card to pay? There wasn't in the past, but thought I'd ask, just in case.

 

[yulilin3]

1. Many thanks to all for the first-hand reports - it's been very helpful AND enjoyable!

2. I may or may not try visiting AK this weekend. I'm local enough to make a day trip, but it's a 1.5-2 hour drive and I'm trying to decide on a time frame for this visit... I'm only planning to do outdoor activities, and main priority is animal viewing. I don't mind rain/storms in the park at all, but would prefer not to be caught in anything torrential while on I-4 (eastbound to WDW, westbound to home).

Thoughts on best times to view animals, tigers especially?
Safari - how have wait times been through the day? Better times to find animals out and about?
Mobile food ordering - is there any way to use a Disney Visa Rewards card to pay? There wasn't in the past, but thought I'd ask, just in case.

I rope drop ak and went straight to safari, all the animals were out and the 2 lionesses were roaring while the lion looked on majestically. After i did gorilla falls trail and all the gorillas were by thew observation window including baby grace.
The tigers were a different situation, only one and it was sleeping

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Mobile food ordering - is there any way to use a Disney Visa Rewards card to pay? There wasn't in the past, but thought I'd ask, just in case.

Yes, you can now pay with different payment methods, including gift cards.

 

[DCLMP]

Yes, you can now pay with different payment methods, including gift cards.

This is probably a dumb question. When you order off the app can you charge it to your room?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

This is probably a dumb question. When you order off the app can you charge it to your room?

No, no room charge available when mobile ordering.

 

[Claudia1]

On a similar note, is RotR operating with boarding groups similar to how it was pre-COVID? Do those become available at 10am or whenever they start to allow guests in? Do they still fill up within minutes?

Seconds, literally seconds. We rode it twice and the first time, we stood near a group with a stopwatch that were counting down the seconds. We got our group within 5 seconds (our son has lightening quick fingers!) and we were boarding group 21. The next day, we refreshed every second until the "join" button came up and we thought we were just as fast but got boarding group 29. Still a good group but with the continual down times, we didn't get called until 2:40.

 

[PrincessV]

I rope drop ak and went straight to safari, all the animals were out and the 2 lionesses were roaring while the lion looked on majestically. After i did gorilla falls trail and all the gorillas were by thew observation window including baby grace.

So worth it get my rear out of bed and on the road by 6:30am - got it! Thanks

Yes, you can now pay with different payment methods, including gift cards.

Oh, that is fantastic news - thank you! With no visits since January, the Reward dollars have been stacking up.

 

[FWphanatic]

If anyone was in front of the castle around 10:00 this morning, my niece got engaged! Shout out to Alex and her new fiance, Andrew!!

 

[soniam]

1. Many thanks to all for the first-hand reports - it's been very helpful AND enjoyable!

2. I may or may not try visiting AK this weekend. I'm local enough to make a day trip, but it's a 1.5-2 hour drive and I'm trying to decide on a time frame for this visit... I'm only planning to do outdoor activities, and main priority is animal viewing. I don't mind rain/storms in the park at all, but would prefer not to be caught in anything torrential while on I-4 (eastbound to WDW, westbound to home).

Thoughts on best times to view animals, tigers especially?
Safari - how have wait times been through the day? Better times to find animals out and about?
Mobile food ordering - is there any way to use a Disney Visa Rewards card to pay? There wasn't in the past, but thought I'd ask, just in case.

Safari wait times have been nothing all day long, like 5-10 minutes, basically a walk-on.

 

[soniam]

Couple of last thoughts. We had another ride in FOP, where there was only 1 bike between parties. I don’t think it’s 6ft, but maybe 5ft. They were having filler groups come up the middle, empty queues, instead of squeezing by everyone in the queue. Much better.

Wash your hands frequently. The hand sanitizer really builds up. Also, dispensers that are indoors or in the shade seem to be less thick/sticky.

Have a few masks. Wash them daily. Carry at least 2 during the day so that you can switch out if needed. Make sure they fit. You don’t want to be constantly pulling them up over your nose. It’s very important on little kids. They think 10-19 year olds are the biggest spreaders now, but they aren’t showing symptoms. I saw some people with plastic cinchers that went behind the head and brought the ear straps tighter on the head. I don’t know where they got them though. They looked like plastic garbage bag ties.

Use your paper towel from drying your hands to dab your face. You will get a sweaty upper lip. Also, keep the paper towel to open the bathroom door. Some have to be manually opened with the handle.

Remember sunscreen and stay hydrated.