Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[JoJoGirl]

That’s how Frozen Ever After boats are. I had trouble getting into the boat because there was nothing sturdy to hold on to. The plexiglass wiggled.

This is not a good situation for guests who are older, or guests with any type of mobility limitation who use those seat back tops as grips to get in and out of the boats. Heck, getting in and out of those boats without anything to hold onto can be tricky for a fully able-bodied person.

I worry about my 80+ year old parents who are visiting with me in May. With most of the shows and live entertainment not operating, they are counting on being able to experience the slower rides, boat rides included. This change will make some of them inaccessible to my mom. It’s not the end of the world, but it is a little sad.

 

[kathi]

March 27th. Magic Kingdom. 8am open

Since we rode the big rides last night, we didn’t go for rope drop. Walked over from Bay Lake and were in the park about 8:10. For the first 2 hours we had max 5 minute wait for: Pirates, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Pooh, Little Mermaid, Barnstormer. At 10:30 there was a 20 minute wait for Buzz. Then walk on Tiki Room. Now we are waiting for our 11:30 Skipper Canteen ADR.

Park was almost empty when we arrived at 8 and no lines were long. Started picking up around 9:30. Mask compliance good. Social distancing in line varied. If you have concerns about social distancing in line DO NOT RIDE BUZZ unless it’s a walk on. It was really bad. We are vaccinated or I would have gotten out of line and left. People do not follow the “stay on your line“ because it requires paying attention.

Will do a little shopping on the way out. Moving to BWV today and plan to hit the pool till our room is ready. Studios will be later tonight.

 

[tsme]

This is not a good situation for guests who are older, or guests with any type of mobility limitation who use those seat back tops as grips to get in and out of the boats. Heck, getting in and out of those boats without anything to hold onto can be tricky for a fully able-bodied person.

I worry about my 80+ year old parents who are visiting with me in May. With most of the shows and live entertainment not operating, they are counting on being able to experience the slower rides, boat rides included. This change will make some of them inaccessible to my mom. It’s not the end of the world, but it is a little sad.

When we rode in Feb. I told my DH, someone is going to fall trying to get in or out of these boats because of the plexiglass. It really is a danger to anyone who needs something to grab onto going in and out. Actually the couple in front of us, were Pooh size, struggled getting in & knocked into the plexiglass (NOT their fault, the glass makes it hard). They struggled, I felt bad for them with nothing to grab. For an older person, I could see it being hard on them. On the positive, we rode in the last row & even though the line of sight isn’t great, we could use the back of the row to brace ourselves going in & out, so maybe ask for the last row for those with mobility issues.

 

[bastraker]

We got here yesterday. Headed to magic Kingdom around 3pm. I was expecting long waits. We rode BTMR - wait said 35 minutes, we were on the ride in 4 minutes. Then haunted mansion was a walk on.

Had a drink break then headed to late lunch/early dinner at Tony's. Went to the pool after that.

Today we are at HS. Got here at 8am. Walked from beach club. We rode Mickey railroad, TSM and Allen saucers all before 850am. Then had breakfast at Starbucks. We got on rise of the resistance at 925am (thanks mom boarding group 22).

Having an amazing time with little crowds - at least to us. We are use to larger crowds.

 

[Castlequeen5]

For our 6th and final day, we went to Magic Kingdom on Thursday, March 25. The hours were 8-9. We took the bus from Pop.

There was no line at the bus stop and we were on the bus by 7:45. We were in line at Peter Pan at 8:15 with a listed wait of 5 minutes. But it actually took us about 15 minutes to get through the queue. Then we walked on Haunted Mansion even though it was listed at 10 minutes. Afterwards we walked over to BTMR with a wait time of 30 minutes. It actually took us 15 minutes and the line was continuously moving.

Next we went over to Jungle Cruise with a listed wait of 35 minutes. But the wait was closer to 50 minutes. Then part of our group went to Splash with a listed wait of 60 minutes, which was pretty accurate. The rest of us had snacks in Frontierland and watched the cavalades go by.

Then we went to Fantasyland. We did teacups with a 20 minute wait. Then went over to Dumbo with a 35 minute listed wait. It actually took us 25 minutes. We then headed over to Carousel of Progress with an approximately 15 minute wait. Afterwards we decided to go back to the hotel.

So between 8:05-1:45, we did the following:
Peter Pan
Haunted Mansion
BTMR
Jungle Cruise
Splash Mountain
Tea Cups
Dumbo
Carousel of Progress

When we got to the bus stop, we placed a mobile order at Pop. But then we waited and waited for a bus to come. I had to change my pickup time, because I knew we wouldn’t make it back in time. We ended up waiting 30 minutes for the bus.

We returned to MK around 6:30 with no wait for the bus. We went straight to Haunted Mansion and rode it 3 times. There was no wait at all. Then we went over to SDMT with a listed wait of 45 minutes. But the actual wait was 30 minutes. Then we went over to Little Mermaid, which was a walk-on.

For our last ride we got in the Splash Mountain line at 8:52. The line had a listed wait of 70 minutes. We were on the ride at 9:29. So it actually took us 37 minutes.

So from 6:30-9:30 we rode:
Haunted Mansion 3 times
SDMT
Little Mermaid
Splash Mountain

Because this was our 2nd day at MK, we didn’t feel the need to ride or do everything. We tried to ride the rides we missed the first day and then ride our favorite ones again...like Haunted Mansion! Ha!

The crowds seemed normal and we didn’t have any issues related to COVID restrictions. We had a great last day in the park!

 

[Anna45]

I've been reading this forum to help plan our trip (last week, Mar 19-26). So maybe my experiences will help someone else:
We will not be returning til the parks get back to some kind of normalcy. However, there were many guests who were having a great time last week. And we did enjoy the less crowded indoor dining options for our trip.
I guess we should not have planned to go during crowded spring break, but we honestly didn't realize the impact of spring break til a week or two prior to our trip when all park reservations disappeared for the week.
Others have talked about the long lines and limited dining options, so that is not new to anyone. Many popular rides had 60+ minute wait times. We never rode a few of our fav rides. The one thing that I didn't consider is the effect of weather on the park reservations that we couldn't change since all parks reservations were filled for the week and we could not change parks. The first part of our trip was colder than expected (we actually wore our winter coats the one evening), so our pool day had a high in the 60s. Our plans for pool time at the resort didn't happen at those temps. Also our planned afternoon pool breaks didn't happen on those cold days.
The last two full days of our trip when temps were hot, our main pool hit capacity in early afternoon. Luckily CSR has quiet pools which didn't appear to have capacity restrictions. So we picked a resort for a reportedly great pool, CSR, but couldn't use it as planned.
Also, the one thing I like about Disney World is the escapism from 'real life' and with all the safety measures (necessary safety measures), there were constant reminders of the pandemic. We were fully vaccinated 3 weeks ago, which was one of the reasons we visited. We were celebrating surviving the many challenges of the last year with our trip. But I would tell someone who needs an escape that right now Disney may not be that trip for you -- sorry. It hurts me to say that.
The last thing that may help others: EPCOT does not open til 11;00--this becomes very important on 90 degree days when you would prefer to go to park in the cooler morning. Disney needs to open the rides in EPCOT at 9:00. I hope they do for anyone planning to go there during the hot summer months. EPCOT was very full when we were there, with long lines for Test Track and Frozen (mostly in the sun). Soarin' lines are indoor, so we should have done Frozen before park opening instead of Soarin' (Test Track was not open when we got there around 10:25).
Hope this helps others with planning.

 

[Ecomommy09]

We have returned from our visit 3/23-3/26 we only did 2 park days at MK and Epcot. We had a wonderful time. I booked at the Contemporary because I like to walk over. We headed to MK on Wednesday at 0650 and we’re the 3rd party in line. They let us go through temp and security shortly after 0700. I have to rent a stroller for my 5-yr-old so that always delays me a bit. Nevertheless, we went to SDMT which was a must-do for us. They let ‘ghosts’ ride for about 20 minutes before letting people on, at which point it was a walk on. We then rode Pooh, Tea Cups, Peter Pan, HM, and Ariel (all walk on) with a stop for a waffle at sleepy hollow. That was actually the longest wait and we were starving.

After snack, we rode Magic Carpets (5 min) and Carousel (5 min) and waited 45 min for Splash. I’d never ridden it, and I wouldn’t wait again. It was boring. I look forward to the Tiana overhaul.

At this point it was lunch and after that we headed back to the hotel to swim and rest. we returned to MK for dinner and rode something but for the life of me I can’t recall what. Must have been something my little picked.

Obviously, we didn’t ride everything and skipped several top attractions, but we had a great day and were pleased with the food, cast members, and mask compliance. We love the cavalcade and wasted some time hanging around watching those.

I believe if you go now with the attitude that you will enjoy yourself, then you probably will.

 

[Ecomommy09]

Our Epcot day is classic grannies, but we had a great time and I’m ok with being ‘Janet and Rita’ (if you don’t get the Bluey reference, you have older children). I didn’t rope drop because my little said she didn’t want to ride anything. We got there close to Noon and drive in. I paid for preferred parking because I have to carry her a lot (short legs) and I try to spare my back. We also had to rent another stroller. It was a real scorcher. We ate the spicy hotdog and pineapple cake with the violet lemonade. Didn’t love the hotdog. Oh well. I also had the coconut key lime ale and it was amazing.

We purchased our maps for Easter egg and Spike the Bee hunts and set off. We tried the salmon and strawberry mousse which were both tasty. I was sad I couldn’t eat more. So many things looked amazing. We only had the pizza and Prosecco from Italy after that. .

5 loved the hunts. She had so much fun looking around. We would find another group of children and they would share where they had seen eggs or bees. It was lovely. We also sat in the B&B singalong because I needed a break.
The waits all seemed super long and there were so many people in Epcot. No where near as bad as Dec 2019 when we were last there pre-COVID-19 but still crowded. I think the walkways just make it feel cramped. They’re narrow and there isn’t enough shade in Epcot. People cluster around any tree.

We finished our hunts and I had to run all over creation to find the right place to turn in the maps. If you want to know, it’s a little booth across from the Trade Post at the entrance to World Showcase. They were out of Orange Bird plates. . I settled for Minnie. We ate an early dinner and then headed home to rest before the drinking got serious enough for me to tell you if it is full of drunks in the evening or not

We went to the butterfly pavilion and 5 got one to sit on her finger. I can tell you it was a close thing and I was sweating it. Her trip would have been RUINED!
It was a great day and we rode nothing. My only sort of negative was that Spike in Mexico was behind the queue for 3 Caballeros and I think the CM was about to tell me I couldn’t cut through (thinking I was cutting line I guess in front of 2 CMs and a million people). They should move him to a less controversial garden

 

[Betty Rohrer]

This is not a good situation for guests who are older, or guests with any type of mobility limitation who use those seat back tops as grips to get in and out of the boats. Heck, getting in and out of those boats without anything to hold onto can be tricky for a fully able-bodied person.

I worry about my 80+ year old parents who are visiting with me in May. With most of the shows and live entertainment not operating, they are counting on being able to experience the slower rides, boat rides included. This change will make some of them inaccessible to my mom. It’s not the end of the world, but it is a little sad.

try a cane for balance getting out of boats. I have better luck with this than back of seat and I am 70

 

[Brittany Fata]

Just a recap of my trip for Monday March 22nd - Friday March 26th at Art of Animation

Airport/Magical Express
We arrived Monday at around 2pm. The line to check in for the magical express was very long; however, once we checked in we got on the bus almost immediately. The entire experience from getting in line to arriving at the hotel was probably about 90 mins.

Arrival Day/Disney Springs - Monday March 22nd.
After arriving to the hotel we mobile ordered lunch at Flavors of Landscape. It was an off time (around 3:30pm) so it was quick and efficient. For fun we rode the Skyliner to CBR and walked the resort a little bit and then took a bus to Disney Springs. The wait for the bus was about 15-20 mins. We went to World of Disney and a few other shops. We headed over to Splitsville for drinks and sushi. The later in the evening it got, the more crowded the walkways were; however, we felt okay with it as you're essentially just walking past groups of people and not stuck in actual crowds. Splitsville did not seem as crowded as some of the other restaurants.

Tuesday March 23rd - Mini Golf & Lounges
We went to Fantasia Garden’s Mini Golf. We went at 1pm and we were quoted a 50 min wait. I don't remember how long the wait actually was, I want to say no more than 30 mins. By the time we finished there was no wait to play mini golf. We explored the Boardwalk area and then went to Abracadabar at 4pm when it opened. The tables were well distanced. At around 5pm we drove to the Wilderness Lodge with a friend to go to Geyser's point and had a very nice dinner. No trouble getting a table, but there were a few families waiting when we left.

Wednesday March 24th - Another Resort Day
We had a 10:40am reservation at Topolino's Terrace. We took the Skyliner over to CBR at around 10am. Due to long wait to transfer we decided to just walk to the Riveria Resort. It was about a 10 min walk. I recommend this for anyone who doesn't mind walking. It was a great breakfast and we enjoyed the modified Character experience. The main pool at AOA is closed so they are offering a $25 dollar Blizzard Beach ticket to offset this. Based on the line for the buses in the morning, it seems like a lot of people were taking advantage of this promotion! If we weren't having engagement pictures done Wednesday afternoon, we might have gone to Blizzard Beach. For dinner we went to Trattoria al Forno. I actually found the Boardwalk more active than I anticipated. It was not "crowded", but there was a good amount of people out and about. The great thing about staying on a Skyliner resort is that it really opens up your options for dining reservations without having to worry about ubering or transferring at a theme park to get on a resort bus.

Thursday March 25th - Park Hopping
We took the bus from AOA at about 10am and got to Epcot at 10:30am. There was no line for the bus, no line at temp check and they already were letting people into the park so there was no line to scan your ticket. We first went to test track but it was down, so we decided to just do Spaceship Earth which was an obvious walk on. We then mostly walked around the WS trying the Flower and Garden booths. The WS in the beginning was dead, we went into the Mexico pavilion at about 11am, by the time we finished inside and came out a line had formed to go in. At around 11:45ish we went to Frozen, the posted wait was 40 mins and we waited about 30. From there we just continued around the showcase until about 3:30pm where we decided to park hop. We did not do Soarin or TT - so I can’t speak to wait times on that. We park hopped to HS got there at around 4pm, went straight to Smuggler’s Run posted wait was 30 mins and that was pretty accurate. While in line we mobile ordered the Ronto Wrap and was able to pick it up when we got off the ride. We then park hopped to MK, I would say we got there at about 6pm. The wait for the bus from HS to MK was about 10 mins. The first ride we did was BTMR, posted wait was 30 mins and it was a complete walk on! From there we went to HM posted wait was 10 mins and it was a walk on. We then went to Pirates, wait was 30 mins, a few mins in line the time jumped to 45 mins - we waited about 30 mins. After Pirates we stopped in front of the castle to get a few pictures. Went to Little Mermaid which was a walk on. A little after 8pm we mobile ordered from Peco’s Bill. At 8:40pm we went to Splash Mountain, posted wait was 75 mins but we waited about 40mins. It definitely was inflated to discourage guests lining up at park close.

Overall thoughts on crowds:
I originally had a longer trip planned with 5 park days, but I shortened the trip and did a mostly resort stay as the trip reports on here made me nervous for the crowds. We chose a one day ticket to test our comfort level. Epcot definitely felt the least crowded. I would say every park has moments in the walkways where you will be within 6 feet of other people. But it is just in passing, I never found myself standing next to people for long periods of times. Coming from NYC, I definitely felt comfortable and I think I could have spent more days in the park. I think you have to take everyone's experience on here with a grain of salt as everyone has different comfort levels as well as opinions on if the experience is "worth it." I definitely psyched myself out more than I needed to, but am glad I tested the waters for myself by doing 1 park day.

Mask Compliance:
I felt mask compliance around the resort and at the parks was fairly good. The biggest issue we saw was waiting for the Magical express where a man tried to get on line without a mask, and then tried to wear a mesh mask before finally putting on an acceptable mask. Of course as soon as he got past the line him and his kids took their mask off completely. Luckily they were going to a different resort. Our bus boarded first so I don't know what happened to them. The other main issue we saw was the party in front of us on BTMR took their masks off for the entire ride. Those are the big two moments I remember where I felt bothered or uncomfortable regarding mask compliance. Even though I don't agree with anyone who purposely breaks the rules, I understand that cast members can't be and see everything going on at all times. If being around people who will not comply with masks makes you extremely nervous, I recommend waiting to come. It's unfortunate that a few people breaking the rules might make you have to postpone a trip, but the reality is at some point someone will not be complying.

 

[KdKyA]

3/27 Animal Kingdom Official Park Open 8am
Arrived via bus from Fort Wilderness (left at 6:58). We walked through the gates at 7:18 and headed to FOP. We were on the ride at 7:36. Ride got stuck with just 30 seconds left so they routed us "behind the scenes" and let us get back on and start from the beginning so we pretty much rode it twice before 8 am lol. Walked over to NRJ and rode that by 8:15. KS was just barely opening at about 8:15 so we headed fir that, it was about a 20 minute wait. From there we headed to EE and it was about a 20 minute wait, did child/rider swap and DH went on with the older kids while younger DD and I waited for the 10:30 showing of Feathered Friends. DH and others met up to join us in line just before the doors opened. After that we went and had lunch in Pandora then headed for Rafiki's Planet watch. Waited about 30 minutes for the train there. Walked around a bit and headed back. Wait for the train back was about 10 minutes. Walked through Gorilla Trail then headed to the bus back to the resort. We were done with everything we wanted to do by 1:45.
I will note, FOP was super short wait before park opening, but if you are not there first thing, the ride immediately bumps up to over 90 minutes. As we were leaving the ride, at 8, there was a 95 minute wait.

Back at the Fort, the kids wanted to swim but there was a very long line for the pool. So we went to the cabin to rest. Headed back a couple of hours later and there was still a line. Found out they put you on a waitlist and text you when it's your turn. I had not read that anywhere prior to coming here, so I hope that helps someone else! They only allow a 15 minute return window, if you aren't there in 15 minutes, they move on quickly. No grace period like they have with dining, etc. We waited about an hour for the return text.

Tomorrow we have horseback riding and Disney Springs.

 

[Haley R]

3/27 Animal Kingdom Official Park Open 8am
Arrived via bus from Fort Wilderness (left at 6:58). We walked through the gates at 7:18 and headed to FOP. We were on the ride at 7:36. Ride got stuck with just 30 seconds left so they routed us "behind the scenes" and let us get back on and start from the beginning so we pretty much rode it twice before 8 am lol. Walked over to NRJ and rode that by 8:15. KS was just barely opening at about 8:15 so we headed fir that, it was about a 20 minute wait. From there we headed to EE and it was about a 20 minute wait, did child/rider swap and DH went on with the older kids while younger DD and I waited for the 10:30 showing of Feathered Friends. DH and others met up to join us in line just before the doors opened. After that we went and had lunch in Pandora then headed for Rafiki's Planet watch. Waited about 30 minutes for the train there. Walked around a bit and headed back. Wait for the train back was about 10 minutes. Walked through Gorilla Trail then headed to the bus back to the resort. We were done with everything we wanted to do by 1:45.
I will note, FOP was super short wait before park opening, but if you are not there first thing, the ride immediately bumps up to over 90 minutes. As we were leaving the ride, at 8, there was a 95 minute wait.

Back at the Fort, the kids wanted to swim but there was a very long line for the pool. So we went to the cabin to rest. Headed back a couple of hours later and there was still a line. Found out they put you on a waitlist and text you when it's your turn. I had not read that anywhere prior to coming here, so I hope that helps someone else! They only allow a 15 minute return window, if you aren't there in 15 minutes, they move on quickly. No grace period like they have with dining, etc. We waited about an hour for the return text.

Tomorrow we have horseback riding and Disney Springs.

Thank you for mentioning the pool! We’re staying in a cabin in May and have resort days planned. It’s good to know they’ll text you to come. What time did you get to the pool? Do you know if the splash pad also had a line?

 

[KdKyA]

Thank you for mentioning the pool! We’re staying in a cabin in May and have resort days planned. It’s good to know they’ll text you to come. What time did you get to the pool? Do you know if the splash pad also had a line?

The line is the same for both. We went around 4:30 and put our name on the waitlist. Waited about an hour and we were in the pool around 5:40. We only stayed for about 45 minutes then picked up our mobile order from the take out to eat back in our cabin. When you mobile order it will text when it’s ready the pick up number. You just go inside to the numbered table and grab your tray. No one physically hands you the tray, it’s all packaged up and you grab and go.

 

[Haley R]

The line is the same for both. We went around 4:30 and put our name on the waitlist. Waited about an hour and we were in the pool around 5:40. We only stayed for about 45 minutes then picked up our mobile order from the take out to eat back in our cabin. When you mobile order it will text when it’s ready the pick up number. You just go inside to the numbered table and grab your tray. No one physically hands you the tray, it’s all packaged up and you grab and go.

I know the pool is opening up at 10 but ds usually naps from 9-10:30 so we won’t be among the first there. Hopefully we get there and can still get in. I didn’t realize the splash pad would be the same line. Did it look busy while you were there? And are there lots of chairs even when it’s full? That’s good about the mobile order! We plan to do it a couple times and will also cook some of our own stuff

 

[Betty Rohrer]

I know the pool is opening up at 10 but ds usually naps from 9-10:30 so we won’t be among the first there. Hopefully we get there and can still get in. I didn’t realize the splash pad would be the same line. Did it look busy while you were there? And are there lots of chairs even when it’s full? That’s good about the mobile order! We plan to do it a couple times and will also cook some of our own stuff

you can not get to splash pad without being inside the pool area. has a separate gate but it is the pool area. also if I remember correctly it is not walkable even with stroller from cabins and I would not plan on walking from pool to PJs. no car parking near PJs or pool area

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Our trip is in June and these pool reports have me concerned. I'd love to continue to hear if this is an issue for folks! Be nice if we could nail down what time of day it's most common? At the end of the day once parks are about to close? Or mid-afternoon when folks take breaks?

 

[SarahC97]

Our trip is in June and these pool reports have me concerned. I'd love to continue to hear if this is an issue for folks! Be nice if we could nail down what time of day it's most common? At the end of the day once parks are about to close? Or mid-afternoon when folks take breaks?

I'm feeling the same for my Memorial Day trip. I'll be paying attention.

 

[KdKyA]

I know the pool is opening up at 10 but ds usually naps from 9-10:30 so we won’t be among the first there. Hopefully we get there and can still get in. I didn’t realize the splash pad would be the same line. Did it look busy while you were there? And are there lots of chairs even when it’s full? That’s good about the mobile order! We plan to do it a couple times and will also cook some of our own stuff

They base the number of people going in on the amount of chairs/tables available. The chairs and tables are spread out for social distancing. We have a group of 5 so finding the exact amount available was not happening. The tables seat 4. They have solid plastic flags on each grouping of chairs/tables. If the flag is up, the tables/chairs are clean and available. Flag gone or down means they have been used or are being used.

 

[Haley R]

you can not get to splash pad without being inside the pool area. has a separate gate but it is the pool area. also if I remember correctly it is not walkable even with stroller from cabins and I would not plan on walking from pool to PJs. no car parking near PJs or pool area

Is there golf cart parking by the pool? We’re renting a golf cart

 

[Haley R]

They base the number of people going in on the amount of chairs/tables available. The chairs and tables are spread out for social distancing. We have a group of 5 so finding the exact amount available was not happening. The tables seat 4. They have solid plastic flags on each grouping of chairs/tables. If the flag is up, the tables/chairs are clean and available. Flag gone or down means they have been used or are being used.

Okay that’s good to know. We would get to the pool around 10:45 or so. I would hope it isn’t full that early but who knows