yulilin3
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 1, 2007
like no space at all in World showcase to separate? like shoulder to shoulder?
Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping
It was pretty darn tight...at first I thought it'd just be Mexico and it'd clear up but it def. was packed most the whole way through...if you weren't wanting to go in anywhere or walk through yes, there were places where you could "hide" and be 6 ft away, but otherwise no very few, if any walking space to be 6 ft apart from ppl. My sister commented that it seemed busier in world showcase especially than when we usually come in Sept. Part of it could be all the outside extended lines for attractions blocking some of the pathways but pretty packed either way.
IluvMGM
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 19, 2004
We did Magic Kingdom today, of course more crowded than it was earlier in the week. We still got to do just about everything we wanted to and wait times were a lot less than posted. Splash said 45 minutes and we timed it to be only 17 minutes. Social distancing was difficult again today, too many people walking all over the place. We noticed quite a few people with masks off or down. One cast member told a guy to put his mask on and he put it on and as she walked away he grumbled and off it went again. People just don't seem to care. We are not parade people, but I have to say I really do like the cavalcades and it would be fun if they stayed. One thing I really didn't think about before the trip was Disney smells. With masks on you can still smell strong smells in some rides, like the fall of Rome in SSE. But, just the way certain rides or buildings smell is not possible with masks on. I didn't realize as silly as it sounds, that Disney smells meant so much to me.
Update on my stay In Orlando so far. I mentioned on this post about my time here since last weekend. We checked out of Old Keywest on Friday and transferred to Hilton Grand SeaWorld. It is very nice but they don't have Disney Standards when it comes to mask. My husband was wearing a neck gator at the Disney pool and a cast member came to him and said not allowed and politely gave him a disposable mask. Here people are not even wearing mask as they walk around the resort. The pools were so crowded that we immediately went back to our rooms. It was bad I cant believe they let that many people in the pool at this time. Today ( Sunday) my husband wanted to drive to Madeira Beach since we didn't feel safe going to pools or even a park. That was a 100 times worse. NOBODY had on mask there. I didn't even get out the car. I told him We need to get back to the "Disney Bubble" asap. So for people who are worried about Disney I wouldn't be to worried. They have seemed to be the safest we have seen so far. Tomorrow we are going back to stay a little longer at a Disney resort since they came out with discounts while we where down here. My kids start Virtual School on Tuesday so they will be doing that from the resort which they are looking forward too. As I said before This has been a great time for us. People have to use their best judgment and stay vigilant.
Welcome to Florida, enjoy your time here
Jimmy Mouse
My other car is the Monorail
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2017
That's not good news at all! We were just there in July, stayed at Contemporary and the policy was as soon as we entered the pool area we didn't have to wear a mask. I hope they go back to no masks at the pool when we come back at Christmas!
Not in the pool. But when you exit the pool deck they want you in a mask. When walking around the resort they want your mask on. He was approached next to the pool gate outside the pool and was told he had to switch the mask. Either way they are taking it seriously.
Jimmy Mouse
My other car is the Monorail
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2017
Yeah I know that and we all wore our masks properly at all times. Once we walked through the pool gate we were allowed to take our mask off. You said at the Disney Pool so I thought you meant at the pool, not outside the pool gate. Thanks for clarifying.
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2010
I believe the challenge was that he was wearing a gator which are not allowed at Disney. Masks must have ear loops.
Sorry about that he was standing outside the gate when approached by cast member to chang his mask at Disney. But the resort we are staying at now is not enforcing anything. I was just noting that Disney seems to be very strict when it comes to guest wearing a mask around the resort.
kdonnel
DVC-BCV
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2001
Not quite back yet from a quick Labor Day weekend trip. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Kidani.
Let’s get the minuses out of the way.
Positives
Saturday we went to Hollywood Studios. We arrived by personal car right at 9:15. They were parking cars every other spot and still only filled a dozen or so rows. We walked straight back to Smugglers Run and road it first. We missed out on getting a boarding group at 10am. So we just went ride to ride. At 2:30 we had eaten lunch at Backlot Express and ridden Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Star Tours, Muppet Vision, Smugglers Run, Alien Swirling Saucers, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. At 2pm we snagged boarding group 115, they were boarding 61 at the time.
We were all tired so we left the park and rode the Skyliner while we debated if we thought we should stick around to see if our boarding group made it. Ultimately we all decided to return and hope for the best.
So we rode more rides. Slinky Dog three more times, Toy Story Mania twice more. Rock ‘n’ Roller Twice more. All while watching the boarding groups continue to rise!
Finally just before 6pm our boarding group was called. We rode and left.
Getting dinner was a challenge. We wanted counter service but not what Hollywood Studios offered but could not drive to any of the hotels because they were not letting anyone in who did not have reservations. We tried at Riviera and were turned away. We gave up and ate at Chic Fil A. They had the dining room open unlike ours at home.
Sunday was a Magic Kingdom day. We started the day with Chef Mickeys and a 7:25am reservation. We drove to the Contemporary and left our car in self parking for the day. Breakfast was good, would have liked the buffet but family style worked well enough. Other then the watered down apple juice everything was really tasty, especially the hash browns.
After breakfast we rode the resort monorail to the Magic Kingdom arriving at 8:30. We went left and straight to Pirates. Then on to Big Thunder Mountain. It was now 9:05 so Splash was now open so we rode.
We kept working our way right and rode Haunted Mansion, Small World, Peter Pan, Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tea Cups, Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, and Buzz. After the speedway we stopped for lunch at Cosmic Ray’s. Mobil ordering made it easy to get our food and a table even with a large number of tables unavailable since they appeared to limit orders to match the reduced seating capacity.
We called it quits at 2:30 having done everything we wanted. Rode the monorail back to the car with plans to hang by the pool or try again to visit the Riviera. Soon it started to rain so we hoped the bus to Animal Kingdom and caught a bus to the Riviera. Had to have been the quickest bus trip ever. We waited for 2 minutes at our hotel and not at all at the connection. We ate at the counter service restaurant at the Riviera. Everyone liked what they got. The plan was to ride the SkyLiner but Mother Nature kept up a lightning storm so that didn’t happen.
We ended up catching an Uber back to the hotel because no one wanted to wait at the bus stop in all the lightning.
We are booked to return part of the weekend and week before Thanksgiving. Based on this trip we are excited to come back. We had no problems with the crowd level, ability to social distance, or others mask usage or anti Covid behaviors.
The main downside is our 5:20am boarding for our flight home tomorrow. What was I thinking????? Last time we had a flight that early we stayed at the Magic Kingdom until 3am, went to the hotel to pick up our bags, and drove to the airport. No chance to do that this time.
Let’s get the minuses out of the way.
- Our longest wait was 1 hour at the Budget rental car counter.
- Parking is horrible at Kidani if you are in a villa on the left side of the resort if facing the lobby.
- Not being able to drive to other hotels for counter service stinks.
- There is no counter service place open at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Positives
- We did almost every ride we wanted by 3pm each day.
- Waiting in line is so much more enjoyable spread so far apart.
Saturday we went to Hollywood Studios. We arrived by personal car right at 9:15. They were parking cars every other spot and still only filled a dozen or so rows. We walked straight back to Smugglers Run and road it first. We missed out on getting a boarding group at 10am. So we just went ride to ride. At 2:30 we had eaten lunch at Backlot Express and ridden Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Star Tours, Muppet Vision, Smugglers Run, Alien Swirling Saucers, Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. At 2pm we snagged boarding group 115, they were boarding 61 at the time.
We were all tired so we left the park and rode the Skyliner while we debated if we thought we should stick around to see if our boarding group made it. Ultimately we all decided to return and hope for the best.
So we rode more rides. Slinky Dog three more times, Toy Story Mania twice more. Rock ‘n’ Roller Twice more. All while watching the boarding groups continue to rise!
Finally just before 6pm our boarding group was called. We rode and left.
Getting dinner was a challenge. We wanted counter service but not what Hollywood Studios offered but could not drive to any of the hotels because they were not letting anyone in who did not have reservations. We tried at Riviera and were turned away. We gave up and ate at Chic Fil A. They had the dining room open unlike ours at home.
Sunday was a Magic Kingdom day. We started the day with Chef Mickeys and a 7:25am reservation. We drove to the Contemporary and left our car in self parking for the day. Breakfast was good, would have liked the buffet but family style worked well enough. Other then the watered down apple juice everything was really tasty, especially the hash browns.
After breakfast we rode the resort monorail to the Magic Kingdom arriving at 8:30. We went left and straight to Pirates. Then on to Big Thunder Mountain. It was now 9:05 so Splash was now open so we rode.
We kept working our way right and rode Haunted Mansion, Small World, Peter Pan, Pooh, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Tea Cups, Tomorrowland Speedway, Space Mountain, Carousel of Progress, and Buzz. After the speedway we stopped for lunch at Cosmic Ray’s. Mobil ordering made it easy to get our food and a table even with a large number of tables unavailable since they appeared to limit orders to match the reduced seating capacity.
We called it quits at 2:30 having done everything we wanted. Rode the monorail back to the car with plans to hang by the pool or try again to visit the Riviera. Soon it started to rain so we hoped the bus to Animal Kingdom and caught a bus to the Riviera. Had to have been the quickest bus trip ever. We waited for 2 minutes at our hotel and not at all at the connection. We ate at the counter service restaurant at the Riviera. Everyone liked what they got. The plan was to ride the SkyLiner but Mother Nature kept up a lightning storm so that didn’t happen.
We ended up catching an Uber back to the hotel because no one wanted to wait at the bus stop in all the lightning.
We are booked to return part of the weekend and week before Thanksgiving. Based on this trip we are excited to come back. We had no problems with the crowd level, ability to social distance, or others mask usage or anti Covid behaviors.
The main downside is our 5:20am boarding for our flight home tomorrow. What was I thinking????? Last time we had a flight that early we stayed at the Magic Kingdom until 3am, went to the hotel to pick up our bags, and drove to the airport. No chance to do that this time.
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Right he thought only in Parks and Disney Springs. But I'm okay with that I like the enforcement rules. I did my research before coming and told him they weren't allowed in parks and The Springs. But he wore it to the pool thinking it was okay and they told him no where on property.
elsbit
Using colors bold and bright
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2015
We arrived today and rented 3 nights dvc points at Kidani. They messed up our room so we got an upgrade to a one bedroom!!!!
We did Epcot today and felt pretty good about it. It stormed in the afternoon and at one point when I was in the Japan shop standing in line, people kept cutting through the line getting too close. one woman even put her hand on my shoulder and said excuse me. That was the only time that I felt that people were obnoxious. Mask compliance was pretty great. I did see a few people trying not to cover their noses. I also saw a cast member telling people to be stationary when they ate and drink. in some lines there are plastic barriers between you and the other people waiting in line. Soarin also had plastic barriers between sets of seats. Living the land had plastic barriers between rows. Frozen they put us in the front row and another family in the last row. Test track we had the car to ourselves.
We did Epcot today and felt pretty good about it. It stormed in the afternoon and at one point when I was in the Japan shop standing in line, people kept cutting through the line getting too close. one woman even put her hand on my shoulder and said excuse me. That was the only time that I felt that people were obnoxious. Mask compliance was pretty great. I did see a few people trying not to cover their noses. I also saw a cast member telling people to be stationary when they ate and drink. in some lines there are plastic barriers between you and the other people waiting in line. Soarin also had plastic barriers between sets of seats. Living the land had plastic barriers between rows. Frozen they put us in the front row and another family in the last row. Test track we had the car to ourselves.
Attachments
Went to Epcot today! Got let into the park around 1030 and went right to Soarin as everyone was going to test track. Around 10:50 they let us start shuffling onto the ride and we were off just about at 11.
Then we decided to head to frozen- both frozen and test track posted a 75 minute wait. We had planned to do the showcase backwards but didn’t end up doing that since crowds were already up and we wanted to get more rides out of the way.
frozen ended up being about 35 minutes—brunt of the wait outside stretching back to China in the heat which wasn’t fun. But not mad about the wait time!
we then decided to hit two booths and saw test track dropped from 90 minutes to 50 so we quickly headed over there. The ride was either broken or was getting cleaned because we didn’t move for a solid 15 minutes. By then they came over the intercom and said they were getting things up and running but that the total wait time would be 85 minutes and a lot of people started leaving. Eventually the line started back up and in total we waited just shy of 50.
then we started back in the showcase—definitely my favorite thing was the lobster roll at hops and barley. Followed by the escargot pastry at France.
By about 4:30 we had done everything we wanted to at the festival and went to figment (posted 20-actually 7), Soarin again (posted 60, actual 33), spaceship earth (posted 25, actually 13). We then went to teppan edo for a fabulous dinner at 630. If you like sushi the volcano roll is probably the best sushi roll I’ve ever tried. Lastly hit spaceship earth again on our way out because why not.
overall a successful day! We were happy that the booth lines didn’t take too long since the crowds were rather large. I didn’t feel uncomfortable and since Epcot is a big park, i felt the crowds were manageable and clearly we accomplished everything we wanted to!
Then we decided to head to frozen- both frozen and test track posted a 75 minute wait. We had planned to do the showcase backwards but didn’t end up doing that since crowds were already up and we wanted to get more rides out of the way.
frozen ended up being about 35 minutes—brunt of the wait outside stretching back to China in the heat which wasn’t fun. But not mad about the wait time!
we then decided to hit two booths and saw test track dropped from 90 minutes to 50 so we quickly headed over there. The ride was either broken or was getting cleaned because we didn’t move for a solid 15 minutes. By then they came over the intercom and said they were getting things up and running but that the total wait time would be 85 minutes and a lot of people started leaving. Eventually the line started back up and in total we waited just shy of 50.
then we started back in the showcase—definitely my favorite thing was the lobster roll at hops and barley. Followed by the escargot pastry at France.
By about 4:30 we had done everything we wanted to at the festival and went to figment (posted 20-actually 7), Soarin again (posted 60, actual 33), spaceship earth (posted 25, actually 13). We then went to teppan edo for a fabulous dinner at 630. If you like sushi the volcano roll is probably the best sushi roll I’ve ever tried. Lastly hit spaceship earth again on our way out because why not.
overall a successful day! We were happy that the booth lines didn’t take too long since the crowds were rather large. I didn’t feel uncomfortable and since Epcot is a big park, i felt the crowds were manageable and clearly we accomplished everything we wanted to!
Dentam
Dreaming of Disney
- Joined
- Feb 6, 2015
First park day today. Waited about 40 minutes for a bus to Epcot from AKL this morning since first bus that arrived had people on it and no room for us after the two groups in front of us boarded. No line to get into Epcot by the time we arrived a little before noon so that was nice. Pretty crowded although strong thunderstorms moved through around 6pm or so and it really cleared out after that. Line for Frozen stayed long though so we skipped that. Able to get food at a few booths with no wait though. Boardwalk area has lines for the pizza window and bakery. Checked into our room and found that we have no hot water in the shower so may be moving rooms if they can't fix it. Sigh. (ETA: hot water works fine this morning, apparently they were just about out by the time we got back last night from too many people using it?)
Oh, and mask compliance was pretty high - notable exception being a guy directly in front of us in the line for Soarin' who kept putting it around his chin and then just took it off altogether. CM caught him and he said "I forgot, sorry". Um, no we watched him put it up only when a CM came into our sightline throughout the line. Grr. We just kept two markers between him and us. There always has to be that one jerk to try to ruin an experience for others.
Other than that, a good but fairly crowded day. That said, the longest we waited was about 15-20 minutes for Soarin' when it was posted as a 30 min wait. Others were also shorter than posted wait times and mostly walk ons to 5 or 10 minutes. Didn't do Frozen like I mentioned and also Test Track was a long wait initially followed by shutting down due to the storms so we didn't do it either. I should also note that in the Living Seas area there was no social distancing and it was pretty crowded looking into the different aquariums so that would be an area to skip on a crowded day.
AK tomorrow and from looking at the wait times at that park today we feel like it won't be too bad. Knock on wood.
Oh, and mask compliance was pretty high - notable exception being a guy directly in front of us in the line for Soarin' who kept putting it around his chin and then just took it off altogether. CM caught him and he said "I forgot, sorry". Um, no we watched him put it up only when a CM came into our sightline throughout the line. Grr. We just kept two markers between him and us. There always has to be that one jerk to try to ruin an experience for others.
Other than that, a good but fairly crowded day. That said, the longest we waited was about 15-20 minutes for Soarin' when it was posted as a 30 min wait. Others were also shorter than posted wait times and mostly walk ons to 5 or 10 minutes. Didn't do Frozen like I mentioned and also Test Track was a long wait initially followed by shutting down due to the storms so we didn't do it either. I should also note that in the Living Seas area there was no social distancing and it was pretty crowded looking into the different aquariums so that would be an area to skip on a crowded day.
AK tomorrow and from looking at the wait times at that park today we feel like it won't be too bad. Knock on wood.
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You don't have to wear a mask in the pool area...I think that poster misspoke.
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We were at Old Keywest on the opposite side of the pool gate next to the bikes/ping pong tables. My husband was approached by cast member and was told the type of mask he was wearing was not allowed. They then gave him a disposable mask. Also another cast member was during pool side trivia at the pool when she told someone over the microphone that they couldn't leave the pool deck without their mask. Maybe some resorts are stricter than others when it comes to this policy but from what I have witnessed first hand at Old Keywest they are enforcing mask when leaving the pool and around the resort.
Arrived today. Went to HS around 12:30. Overall not nearly as busy as what I was expecting today to be. Social distancing was good, CMs were super friendly. Didn’t see any major mask compliance issues.
Skyliner to CBR was down In the evening but there were back to back buses so waited no more than 5 minutes,
Tower of Terror. Posted 25, took 15.
MMRR. Posted 75, took around 30.
Smugglers Run. Posted 35, took around 20.
Toy Story Mania. Posted 10, took 10.
Alien Spinning Saucers. Posted 5. Took 5. Rode again without getting off.
ROTR. Got backup group 60. Called around 4:15, but the ride went down. Back up around 45 mins later.
Skyliner to CBR was down In the evening but there were back to back buses so waited no more than 5 minutes,
Tower of Terror. Posted 25, took 15.
MMRR. Posted 75, took around 30.
Smugglers Run. Posted 35, took around 20.
Toy Story Mania. Posted 10, took 10.
Alien Spinning Saucers. Posted 5. Took 5. Rode again without getting off.
ROTR. Got backup group 60. Called around 4:15, but the ride went down. Back up around 45 mins later.
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Just a few notes:
Best Relaxation Station goes to Akershus-great AC,tables for enjoying a snack and a "private" Restroom.
They are having a terrible time with Pool Crashers-Pop Century is checking Guests' names at all 3 Pools-never seen POP check names before.
If you are looking for as authentic a World Showcase experience as possible,go to Japan and Morocco-just about all the CMs are from those Countries and they are wearing the traditional attire.
Norway had the Kidcot bags with all the cards in them on a table.
With Skyliner down late in the day at Epcot,there were 6 or 7 "Covid bus loads" of Skyliner Resort Guests at BWI waiting and the buses were SO SLOW in coming.Disney really dropped the ball on that today.Until they get that situation ironed out,I would recommend just going to the Epcot Bus Depot or better yet calling for a rideshare at Beach Club or BWI.Lyft is what we ended up doing.
The Skyliner Gondolas handle the heat very well-WHEN THEY ARE RUNNING!LOL
World Showplace is the best place to enjoy F&W IMO-no standing in lines in the blistering heat,lots of tables,GREAT AC,merchandise area, Restrooms that go on forever,and the Pianist(normally seen at R&C Pub) is awesome.
Finally,we did DAK Friday and DHS Saturday and thought Mask participation was really good.Today we did Epcot and OH MY!!!!
The later it got in World Showcase,the more the Masks slid down the faces or came off all together and the more non-stationary drinkers and eaters
appeared.
As the Alcohol consumption went up,the Masks went down.
The Cast really is doing the best they can-we see them trying all the time to get Guests to comply and we have seen them take incredible abuse from Guests.
It was quite a sight to see as night fell on the Showcase!
Best Relaxation Station goes to Akershus-great AC,tables for enjoying a snack and a "private" Restroom.
They are having a terrible time with Pool Crashers-Pop Century is checking Guests' names at all 3 Pools-never seen POP check names before.
If you are looking for as authentic a World Showcase experience as possible,go to Japan and Morocco-just about all the CMs are from those Countries and they are wearing the traditional attire.
Norway had the Kidcot bags with all the cards in them on a table.
With Skyliner down late in the day at Epcot,there were 6 or 7 "Covid bus loads" of Skyliner Resort Guests at BWI waiting and the buses were SO SLOW in coming.Disney really dropped the ball on that today.Until they get that situation ironed out,I would recommend just going to the Epcot Bus Depot or better yet calling for a rideshare at Beach Club or BWI.Lyft is what we ended up doing.
The Skyliner Gondolas handle the heat very well-WHEN THEY ARE RUNNING!LOL
World Showplace is the best place to enjoy F&W IMO-no standing in lines in the blistering heat,lots of tables,GREAT AC,merchandise area, Restrooms that go on forever,and the Pianist(normally seen at R&C Pub) is awesome.
Finally,we did DAK Friday and DHS Saturday and thought Mask participation was really good.Today we did Epcot and OH MY!!!!
The later it got in World Showcase,the more the Masks slid down the faces or came off all together and the more non-stationary drinkers and eaters
appeared.
As the Alcohol consumption went up,the Masks went down.
The Cast really is doing the best they can-we see them trying all the time to get Guests to comply and we have seen them take incredible abuse from Guests.
It was quite a sight to see as night fell on the Showcase!
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