Pandemic Strategies for WDW Trip

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Dear DISboards hive mind:

My partner and I have had a WDW trip planned since before the pandemic. We are staying at Riviera the week after Thanksgiving (first week of December) and plan to go to each park once. From what I've seen on these boards and elsewhere, Disney is still doing a good job with safety measures and folks are managing to keep their Disney trips and staying relatively safe. But given the rising numbers of cases, we are trying to strategize to maximize safety while keeping our trip (I know, the safest would be to stay home; trying to find a middle ground here). Below is what we're thinking, does anyone have any other useful tips or advice? Folks who have been to the parks recently might have some good thoughts regarding best practices.

• Driving from NC with no overnight stops
• Using disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch areas in our resort room (probably overkill since Disney cleans these, but we always did this before COVID anyway so we'll stick with it)
• Doing our 4 park days during the week to avoid the weekend crowds
• Mobile order for meals at the parks
• Wearing our N95 masks
• Hand washing after each ride
• Leaving and coming back later if one of us starts feeling uncomfortable

We are in our early 30s and don't have any adverse conditions so feel okay with some risk, and we're very ready to get some fun into this crazy year. We know we can't be 100% sure we won't be exposed, but it won't hurt to try! Like I said above, any other tips/best practices will be appreciated!

 

[yulilin3]

You can read the just back thread for recent reports on what people are doing

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

You can read the just back thread for recent reports on what people are doing

Ah, I will look for it. Thanks!

 

[kmhowell]

Dear DISboards hive mind:

My partner and I have had a WDW trip planned since before the pandemic. We are staying at Riviera the week after Thanksgiving (first week of December) and plan to go to each park once. From what I've seen on these boards and elsewhere, Disney is still doing a good job with safety measures and folks are managing to keep their Disney trips and staying relatively safe. But given the rising numbers of cases, we are trying to strategize to maximize safety while keeping our trip (I know, the safest would be to stay home; trying to find a middle ground here). Below is what we're thinking, does anyone have any other useful tips or advice? Folks who have been to the parks recently might have some good thoughts regarding best practices.

• Driving from NC with no overnight stops
• Using disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch areas in our resort room (probably overkill since Disney cleans these, but we always did this before COVID anyway so we'll stick with it)
• Doing our 4 park days during the week to avoid the weekend crowds
• Mobile order for meals at the parks
• Wearing our N95 masks
• Hand washing after each ride
• Leaving and coming back later if one of us starts feeling uncomfortable

We are in our early 30s and don't have any adverse conditions so feel okay with some risk, and we're very ready to get some fun into this crazy year. We know we can't be 100% sure we won't be exposed, but it won't hurt to try! Like I said above, any other tips/best practices will be appreciated!

I don't have any additional tips other than the ones you noted above. But just wanted to note I am also from NC and just got back from a WDW trip earlier this month and plan to head back after Thanksgiving. I honestly felt safer at Disney than I have in my own neighborhood. For instance, went to pick up pizzas from a local pizza joint over the weekend and not a single soul (other than myself) had on masks and definitely were NOT social distancing (nor abiding by NC's 25% capacity or whatever it is now). Never once felt un-safe at Disney during my trip. Everyone seems to keep their 6 ft distancing in ride lines and common areas. Tables are nice and spread out and Disney has done a great job of enforcing the mask usage. Hope you guys have a great trip!

 

[fabfemmeboy]

My partner and I are going the same time you are - also mid-30s without any complicating conditions that we know of. He's more nervous about it than I am, but your list looks similar to mine...except for the ability to drive, which we lack. You may also want to plan on sanitizing rather than full washing between each ride as otherwise you'll need to walk quite out of your way to go to a (potentially-crowded) restroom between each attraction.

The only other thing I might add to the list or discuss beforehand is a plan for what times of day to target. Some people are really jumping on the pre-rope-drop time; others are saying that crowds are worse after a couple hours, etc. I think we will probably go early (but not so early we're waiting with the throngs - let others be the very first in the park!), head back to the room when it starts to get crowded, and go back to the parks in the evening when crowds die down. It may not end up being an issue that week, especially going during the week (instead of on Saturday/Sunday), but that's my current thought.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

My partner and I are going the same time you are - also mid-30s without any complicating conditions that we know of. He's more nervous about it than I am, but your list looks similar to mine...except for the ability to drive, which we lack. You may also want to plan on sanitizing rather than full washing between each ride as otherwise you'll need to walk quite out of your way to go to a (potentially-crowded) restroom between each attraction.

The only other thing I might add to the list or discuss beforehand is a plan for what times of day to target. Some people are really jumping on the pre-rope-drop time; others are saying that crowds are worse after a couple hours, etc. I think we will probably go early (but not so early we're waiting with the throngs - let others be the very first in the park!), head back to the room when it starts to get crowded, and go back to the parks in the evening when crowds die down. It may not end up being an issue that week, especially going during the week (instead of on Saturday/Sunday), but that's my current thought.

Good point on crowded bathrooms, we'll be sure to have hand sanitizer for those times.

Like you, I think that that particular week won't be too crowded since it's usually a low crowd week, though who knows this year...

But yeah, I will start strategizing for arrival times, etc. From posts I've seen, late in the day is a good time for crowds. I see differing advice on rope drop, and it seems to vary by park (must rope drop FOP, for instance). I like your idea of early but not with-the-throngs early! Might go back to the room or wander the open areas if rides are too busy midday.

Thanks!

 

[wilbret]

Dear DISboards hive mind:

My partner and I have had a WDW trip planned since before the pandemic. We are staying at Riviera the week after Thanksgiving (first week of December) and plan to go to each park once. From what I've seen on these boards and elsewhere, Disney is still doing a good job with safety measures and folks are managing to keep their Disney trips and staying relatively safe. But given the rising numbers of cases, we are trying to strategize to maximize safety while keeping our trip (I know, the safest would be to stay home; trying to find a middle ground here). Below is what we're thinking, does anyone have any other useful tips or advice? Folks who have been to the parks recently might have some good thoughts regarding best practices.

• Driving from NC with no overnight stops
• Using disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch areas in our resort room (probably overkill since Disney cleans these, but we always did this before COVID anyway so we'll stick with it)
• Doing our 4 park days during the week to avoid the weekend crowds
• Mobile order for meals at the parks
• Wearing our N95 masks
• Hand washing after each ride
• Leaving and coming back later if one of us starts feeling uncomfortable

We are in our early 30s and don't have any adverse conditions so feel okay with some risk, and we're very ready to get some fun into this crazy year. We know we can't be 100% sure we won't be exposed, but it won't hurt to try! Like I said above, any other tips/best practices will be appreciated!

Do all that and you’ll be more than fine. We’ve been down to Orlando now 4 times since May, spending time in all the parks except Universal. We were there last weekend, headed back this week. It’s really not as bad as the “news” makes it out to be. Enjoy your trip and don’t over-stress.

 

[disneygirlsng]

Good point on crowded bathrooms, we'll be sure to have hand sanitizer for those times.

Like you, I think that that particular week won't be too crowded since it's usually a low crowd week, though who knows this year...

But yeah, I will start strategizing for arrival times, etc. From posts I've seen, late in the day is a good time for crowds. I see differing advice on rope drop, and it seems to vary by park (must rope drop FOP, for instance). I like your idea of early but not with-the-throngs early! Might go back to the room or wander the open areas if rides are too busy midday.

Thanks!

Just an FYI, there are automatic hand sanitizer dispensers at the exits of every ride, as well as many other places. And there are a few hand washing stations throughout the parks.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Dear DISboards hive mind:

My partner and I have had a WDW trip planned since before the pandemic. We are staying at Riviera the week after Thanksgiving (first week of December) and plan to go to each park once. From what I've seen on these boards and elsewhere, Disney is still doing a good job with safety measures and folks are managing to keep their Disney trips and staying relatively safe. But given the rising numbers of cases, we are trying to strategize to maximize safety while keeping our trip (I know, the safest would be to stay home; trying to find a middle ground here). Below is what we're thinking, does anyone have any other useful tips or advice? Folks who have been to the parks recently might have some good thoughts regarding best practices.

• Driving from NC with no overnight stops
• Using disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch areas in our resort room (probably overkill since Disney cleans these, but we always did this before COVID anyway so we'll stick with it)
• Doing our 4 park days during the week to avoid the weekend crowds
• Mobile order for meals at the parks
• Wearing our N95 masks
• Hand washing after each ride
• Leaving and coming back later if one of us starts feeling uncomfortable

We are in our early 30s and don't have any adverse conditions so feel okay with some risk, and we're very ready to get some fun into this crazy year. We know we can't be 100% sure we won't be exposed, but it won't hurt to try! Like I said above, any other tips/best practices will be appreciated!

Hydrate and get as much sleep as possible

 

[nkereina]

We are also in our mid 30s and probably have a higher risk tolerance than others when it comes to the virus. We were there two weeks ago, flying from NY, and had no qualms about traveling or staying safe. Our experience at Disney in terms of safety precautions was a good one. There were very few instances where I was in close contact with others without some kind of barrier between us. In fact, I was in less direct contact with others there than I would be while grocery shopping at Walmart.

Some thoughts:

Using disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch areas in our resort room (probably overkill since Disney cleans these, but we always did this before COVID anyway so we'll stick with it)

We did this and we also did it on the airplane. Its easy enough to carry a travel pack of Lysol wipes in your bag and take a minute to do this. We stayed at CBR and the room smelled very strongly of cleaning products when we entered, which was evidence that the room had been cleaned thoroughly. Since there will be no housekeeping during your stay, it might be wise to wipe the room down again mid-trip too.

Mobile order for meals at the parks

QS in the parks is mobile order only. If you're doing any TS, you can check in for your ADR through the app and menus are accessible via QR codes at each table. At QS, CMs are mostly good about cleaning tables as people get up but there were a few instances where we couldn't find a clean table. Having those Lysol wipes in your park bag might be useful for these instances too.

Leaving and coming back later if one of us starts feeling uncomfortable

You can definitely do this, but keep in mind park hours are shortened. If you have real concerns that one of you may want to leave the park, you may want to consider going when those concerns are a bit more alleviated. DHS was easily the busiest park of the four, but AK felt very crowded in Pandora, and Disney Springs is consistently busy every night due to shortened park hours.

My only other suggestion is to start on a good vitamin regimen prior to your trip - multis, Vitamin C, probiotics. These things help boost your immune system. Whenever we travel this time of year, we also try to get our flu shots at least two weeks before going.

 

[to be tink]

We were there 2 weeks ago. It all felt pretty safe. My one piece of advice, avoid Epcot on Saturdays. Our Saturday at Epcot was the only time we felt unsafe and left. Local young people come in for a day/night of drinking and really have no regard for the rules. I am all for having a good time as long as you don't infringe on someone elses good time.

 

[doleddanielle]

We are staying at Riviera

• Using disinfectant wipes to clean high-touch areas in our resort room (probably overkill since Disney cleans these, but we always did this before COVID anyway so we'll stick with it)
• Doing our 4 park days during the week to avoid the weekend crowds
• Mobile order for meals at the parks

Others have given you some great tips on the parks - I'll help out with some Riviera tips!

There's a waitlist for Toppolino's if you want to dine there and haven't gotten a reservation. However, it does fill up fast. We had no luck with our 3-day stay for either breakfast or dinner. I don't know if you've stayed before, but Primo Piatto is one of the best QS I've ever had, honestly. Of course, now it is mobile order only. I do recommend that you say "I'm here" about 10-15 minutes before you are there because it does get busy and a lot of guests don't social distance in the hallway leading up to Primo (of course, you can also wait outside). You are allowed to dine-in, but only once given the okay from the CM. There isn't much hand sanitizer around the resort. The first time we went in August, there was hand sanitizer in all common areas. We just came back from our second post-reopening trip last week and there is only hand sanitizer at the elevators. Keep in mind, there are posted signs at the elevators "1 party or 4 individuals," but it isn't uncommon for guests to completely forgo this and stuff their whole 6-person family in with yours (oh yeah, this still bothers me; I know this isn't at the fault of the resort at all, but there are no CM's to monitor any of this). The room itself, both times, has smelled like chemicals which means it was CLEANED! We still sprayed and wiped everything down though, and we did pre-COVID also!

One thing I wanted to note about the parks: we did a trip during the week hoping to avoid crowds as well! However, we did notice that the parks got busier at night since that is when all the locals go. Probably around 4-5:00 I started to see more people pack into the parks. Also, the MK hub is super packed at night thanks to the light projections on the castle, but the ride wait times weren't bad at all and were really exaggerated (example: listed 40 minutes for BTM, but we literally walked on).

 

[mrp4352]

When we went in September, our thought was: "We are getting out of town! Any park time is a bonus, but the main thing is that we are looking at walls that aren't in our own home." That made it a little easier to leaving a too-crowded-for-us Epcot (Sunday afternoon during F&W) after only being there a couple of hours.

We LOVED Primo and ate there several times! Also - we loved taking joy rides on the skyliner, especially around dusk! There's a Joffrey's at the Caribbean Beach station, so we'd hop on a skyliner and go get a fancy coffee in the evenings. Just watch the times to make sure you don't go so late that service is stopping!

Have a wonderful time!!

 

[hlrubin507]

This is a great thread. I am also coming in December (second week). I think that surfaces are the least of your worries (based on science reporting) but if it makes you feel better, you can wipe them down e.g. in your room. The most potentially dangerous environment is indoors without masks on, particularly if there is no fresh air circulating and if people are talking in loud voices without masks on. For this reason, I will personally look to avoid indoor shows and indoor dining unless it is a very large space, e.g. I feel safe with Sci Fi given the amount of air and the fact that people don't talk that much there (plus the physical spacing) but I would not feel safe with a little plexiglass divider and people on the other side chatting and eating without masks. I am not going to freak out if I am walking around outside and someone has their mask below their nose but I sure would freak out in a loud restaurant with no fresh air That's just me!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/world/asia/covid-cleaning.html

 

[Mambo Junkie]

A friend just returned from a family trip and he said he felt safer there than he did practically anywhere else. We are not ready to go into crowds, plus waiting for some of the attractions and shows to resume, but it's definitely a great time to go if you're mostly interested in the rides.

 

[lucyem]

I've been chatting with a nurse. Her concerns are things like elevators, enclosed hallways, buses, long time in lines (especially in enclosed spaces). She recommended at the very least to double cloth masks, no single ply. N95 is great. Get a new mask if yours tends to need constant adjustment. She also recommended eyeglasses/sunglasses even inside in line if you have to be inside in a line. Wash hands and sanitize, avoid touching eyes and mask. No indoor dining. People tend to sit and immediately remove their mask and talk. It'd be different if they only removed the mask to eat. Remember it is airborne.

 

[teach22180]

I've been chatting with a nurse. Her concerns are things like elevators, enclosed hallways, buses, long time in lines (especially in enclosed spaces). She recommended at the very least to double cloth masks, no single ply. N95 is great. Get a new mask if yours tends to need constant adjustment. She also recommended eyeglasses/sunglasses even inside in line if you have to be inside in a line. Wash hands and sanitize, avoid touching eyes and mask. No indoor dining. People tend to sit and immediately remove their mask and talk. It'd be different if they only removed the mask to eat. Remember it is airborne.

I have come to believe the best mask is one that you like and that doesn't move on your face. A lot of people like the disposable ones but they move up into my eyes all the time. I have some 2 ply chiffon ones I really like and forget they are on me.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

This is a great thread. I am also coming in December (second week). I think that surfaces are the least of your worries (based on science reporting) but if it makes you feel better, you can wipe them down e.g. in your room. The most potentially dangerous environment is indoors without masks on, particularly if there is no fresh air circulating and if people are talking in loud voices without masks on. For this reason, I will personally look to avoid indoor shows and indoor dining unless it is a very large space, e.g. I feel safe with Sci Fi given the amount of air and the fact that people don't talk that much there (plus the physical spacing) but I would not feel safe with a little plexiglass divider and people on the other side chatting and eating without masks. I am not going to freak out if I am walking around outside and someone has their mask below their nose but I sure would freak out in a loud restaurant with no fresh air That's just me!
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/18/world/asia/covid-cleaning.html

Thanks for this, and I totally agree with you! It's the crowds indoors, where virus can be suspended in the air more easily, that worries me most. We will avoid that as much as possible and is why we're not doing table service or indoor shows either. I hope the lines move quickly enough through the rides, but we also don't feel like we have to do everything anyway since we're DVC members and go down a couple of times a year.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Others have given you some great tips on the parks - I'll help out with some Riviera tips!

There's a waitlist for Toppolino's if you want to dine there and haven't gotten a reservation. However, it does fill up fast. We had no luck with our 3-day stay for either breakfast or dinner. I don't know if you've stayed before, but Primo Piatto is one of the best QS I've ever had, honestly. Of course, now it is mobile order only. I do recommend that you say "I'm here" about 10-15 minutes before you are there because it does get busy and a lot of guests don't social distance in the hallway leading up to Primo (of course, you can also wait outside). You are allowed to dine-in, but only once given the okay from the CM. There isn't much hand sanitizer around the resort. The first time we went in August, there was hand sanitizer in all common areas. We just came back from our second post-reopening trip last week and there is only hand sanitizer at the elevators. Keep in mind, there are posted signs at the elevators "1 party or 4 individuals," but it isn't uncommon for guests to completely forgo this and stuff their whole 6-person family in with yours (oh yeah, this still bothers me; I know this isn't at the fault of the resort at all, but there are no CM's to monitor any of this). The room itself, both times, has smelled like chemicals which means it was CLEANED! We still sprayed and wiped everything down though, and we did pre-COVID also!

One thing I wanted to note about the parks: we did a trip during the week hoping to avoid crowds as well! However, we did notice that the parks got busier at night since that is when all the locals go. Probably around 4-5:00 I started to see more people pack into the parks. Also, the MK hub is super packed at night thanks to the light projections on the castle, but the ride wait times weren't bad at all and were really exaggerated (example: listed 40 minutes for BTM, but we literally walked on).

These are GREAT tips! Thanks! We're really looking forward to staying here. We do have a reservation at Topo for dinner but will probably cancel unless it looks like they do a lot of spacing (probably not). I wonder if breakfast as soon as they open is not too busy?
Thanks for the heads up on the elevators. Unless we're the only ones in there (don't mind waiting) we might just do the stairs and feel less guilty about dessert!
Good to know about the ride wait times. I guess it's worth it to go to to it and assess the wait time ourselves!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I've been chatting with a nurse. Her concerns are things like elevators, enclosed hallways, buses, long time in lines (especially in enclosed spaces). She recommended at the very least to double cloth masks, no single ply. N95 is great. Get a new mask if yours tends to need constant adjustment. She also recommended eyeglasses/sunglasses even inside in line if you have to be inside in a line. Wash hands and sanitize, avoid touching eyes and mask. No indoor dining. People tend to sit and immediately remove their mask and talk. It'd be different if they only removed the mask to eat. Remember it is airborne.

Hmm, I had also been thinking about glasses inside... interesting. I ordered some Mickey sunglasses from the Disney Movie Club, hopefully they'll be a lighter tint than my normal sunglasses. Don't want to trip while waiting to board at Space Montain!