Real Talk - Should we go?

[ZumaTree]

Hi all,
I'm having a hard time telling if this is the right forum to post on, please redirect me if I got it wrong.
My husband and I have a trip planned in February of this year. We booked when room discounts were released because the deal was good and we were desperate for some Disney joy in our lives back in October. We knew we might end up cancelling if it didn't feel safe. Now, we feel confident that WDW can be enjoyed safely, and we still desperately want some Disney joy. However, we are WDW veterans, and we're wondering if this trip is worth it for how different the experience will be. No fireworks, limited hours, minimal entertainment/shows, and no indoor dining (self-imposed). Help us make our decision! We want to hear from non-locals who have stayed on property and visited the parks since, say, October. What's good? What's not great? Would you recommend someone else go? Or do you wish you had pushed your trip to later when more of the usual things return?
Thanks in advance!

 

[StageTek]

I'm a non-local who just missed your deadline. I went in September.

 

[ZumaTree]

I'm a non-local who just missed your deadline. I went in September.

Dang! Well, I'm sure we'd still be interested in your POV!

 

[NashvilleMama]

We went in September and are going back at the end of this month (non-locals, involves flights.) Yes, it's very different but it depends on what really matters to you. We can take or leave fireworks as a nice to have, weren't big parade fans as we normally do short trips and it cuts into a lot of park time waiting for them to start, and are more ride people than live entertainment/character meet & greets. I was really surprised how much I loved being able to go with the flow and not have to plan out every minute of every park day....while waiting in line isn't fun after years of meticulous FP planning, it was SUCH a needed change of pace/scenery for our family.

I swore we wouldn't go back until things were "normal" again, but even the light planning we have to do for this next one is such a welcome relief from all the real life stuff right now so we jumped on the latest resort deal. If you can go in with the right attitude that it is what it is and enjoy what IS available, it's totally worth it.

 

[Naomeri]

I visited solo from MN in the last week of October. I really enjoyed a trip with minimal scheduling. I had one ADR the whole week, and just winged it with QS the rest of the time. I visited all 4 parks in 4 days, and didn’t miss out on any rides that I really wanted to do. I did eat indoors, and felt very safe and distanced, but I totally understand not wanting to. Wearing a mask everywhere really didn’t bother me, even in 90+ heat. I did wish park hours were longer, but I can live without fireworks for a while.

Also, the cavalcades are so much fun, and more magical than scheduled parades. You’re just walking along and all of a sudden, the music changes and gets louder and there’s Mickey blowing a kiss at you or something.

If I can swing the money, I might go back again mid-March, and have already booked for the first week of December. I wish they’d offer new APs, it would really help me out.

 

[Erzengel]

We went in early November, the only issue depends on how you "do" Disney. We are always about doing the "important rides". Hollywood Studios is my favorite and my first time to Galaxy's Edge, but with the condensed hours, I felt I didn't really spend enough time in Galaxy's Edge even though I went on both SR and ROTR. Felt we were on a tight schedule and we did do a lot but we could have used an extra 2 hours just to relax a bit. We did like 9 attractions and we got their at rope drop and we ended up pretty much closing the park.

 

[Tonberry]

We went in early December and going into it, we knew how different things would be. The best part about the trip, is that it was more laid back than all other previous trips.
I can give an example.
On a normal, pre-covid MK day, it was get up early in the morning, grab a bite to eat, do rope drop, hit rides before crowds, schedule fast passes around and after lunch, head back to the resort for a break, go back to MK, try to get more fast passes, have dinner, stake out a spot for fireworks, fight the crowds to get back to the resort, take showers, go to bed late, and get up early the next morning to do it all again.
This trip, we did MK on a Tuesday. Got up late, had a nice breakfast, go to MK around 11:00, did all the rides we wanted to do, 7DMT, Space, Splash, BTMR, HM and Pirates. Had a nice dinner, back to the resort, kids swam in the pool, showers, in bed by 9:30.

 

[RanDIZ]

Hi all,
I'm having a hard time telling if this is the right forum to post on, please redirect me if I got it wrong.
My husband and I have a trip planned in February of this year. We booked when room discounts were released because the deal was good and we were desperate for some Disney joy in our lives back in October. We knew we might end up cancelling if it didn't feel safe. Now, we feel confident that WDW can be enjoyed safely, and we still desperately want some Disney joy. However, we are WDW veterans, and we're wondering if this trip is worth it for how different the experience will be. No fireworks, limited hours, minimal entertainment/shows, and no indoor dining (self-imposed). Help us make our decision! We want to hear from non-locals who have stayed on property and visited the parks since, say, October. What's good? What's not great? Would you recommend someone else go? Or do you wish you had pushed your trip to later when more of the usual things return?
Thanks in advance!

We went in early Dec and have no regrets. The way we saw it, any trip to Disney is a plus. Yes there were no shows, fireworks cut hours, etc. but there was enough there to enjoy. I honestly thought it was one of our best experiences at WDW. The fact that there was limited capacity and not dealing with huge crowds was the biggest plus. I have no complaints and would do it again. I would recommend you go and make the best of it.

 

[glocon]

We haven’t been since summer 2019 and are not planning a trip yet, but the way I see it, if you want your regular Disney experience, you will be disappointed. If you want some Disney Magic because this past year was horrendous, you should go and you will have fun because you’re getting some of that much needed Disney Magic. You’re going in eyes wide open knowing what is available, and just that feeling of driving under the entrance sign or walking into Main Street is magical and brings joy. Worth it if you can go.

 

[DL1WDW2]

I am a local, If I were planning a trip, I would make plans that can be cancelled w/o penalty. I would hope the airlines were still spacing passengers. I would fly earliest flight. Take Magic Express or a private car service. Sorry, don’t trust Uber or Lyftt. And finally would stay at a resort that is relaxing with options... Riviera Resort would be first choice
Animal Kingdom would be nice (not my preference)... BLT, Poly .
But Since I am Local I plan all kinds of visits. Early in and leave as crowds arrive. I am going to POP Century today for 2 nights . The hours are shortened on calendar.
Oddly enough POP Century relaxes me because I enjoy the activity and sound of children having fun at the pool . It has been too quiet in my neighborhood with these unprecedented times.
With your personal cautions and Disney high standards to maintain safety for guests, you should be OK unless the COVID numbers cause Disney to close again.
The flight & airport is the only thing I would be nervous about.
Good luck with planning.

 

[kanerf]

You will still get some of the magic, but until FP returns it is very aggravating. Lines for most attractions are extremely long and while they move fairly quickly, you can still plan on about an hour for any that you want to do. It is not bad right now, but as it gets warmer it is going to be brutal standing in the hot sun for 45 minutes before getting under cover as part of the attraction. Mickie and Minnies Railroad is about the worst right now as there is no shade at all.

 

[Beachmom0317]

I am a DVC owner and went with my kids in November. We did MK and Epcot. We were driving from NC and had points to use. I am happy my kids got to experience the pools and the rides but I personally felt like the magic was missing. Just seeing lines everywhere really just killed the mood for me. We went to Disney springs and so many stores had lines just to get in...it just took the magic of spontaneity away for me personally since I like browsing stores. Also the lines looked so long cause of social distancing in MK So it took magic away for me when you’re looking around taking in sights and there’s long lines everywhere. We even had to wait in a 15 min line just to enter Mexico pavilion. So plan on lines for a lot.

I admit, the lines look much worse than they are. We waited in what looked like a huge line to get into the Main Street store in MK (emporium?) and it only took 10 min. Also masks were tough for us but I homeschool my kids and work remote so we likely just aren’t used to them! We aren’t going back til prob spring 2022

 

[starlit]

I went at the beginning of November and to be honest, I had a great time. I don't usually care for the fireworks or shows, so I'm just there to soak up the environment, ride a couple rides and eat. Even though the lines were long, they moved quickly because there were no fastpass lines. (I forgot to mention this; we used DAS for the rides with longer wait times since my friend's daughter needed it so we avoided a lot of the lines. If we didn't have that, I know I would hate waiting in line and not having fastpasses!)

Also, it was nice having the shorter park hours. They did increase the hours before we arrived but now that I'm getting older, staying at the parks til midnight isn't my thing anymore. My friend's kids came with us on this trip and I doubt they would have made it past 8pm anyway.

The only real disappointment was our stay at AKL Kidani. Luckily, we were in a 1-bedroom villa so we were able to make breakfast, otherwise the choices were severely limited. I was actually surprised at the bus service. I read of long waits due to social distancing but we never waited for more than 30 minutes because buses kept coming. I've waited longer for buses pre-covid.

To be honest, it really is up to you on how willing you are to risk your health. Even though the parks were open for 25% capacity, it still felt busy and somewhat crowded especially at Hollywood Studios. I'd probably avoid rope drop as that time was the most crowded.

Would I go again? Heck yeah! I usually go to Disneyland once or twice a month so going without some Disney magic for months has been hard! However, if I didn't already get covid back in April, I'd probably wait especially with these new variants coming out and park capacity increasing just raises up the risk. Either way, I can't really recommend you go or not go and as a nurse whose hospital is basically 95% covid since Thanksgiving , I should be telling you to definitely stay home but I won't because I know how it feels to want to be at Disney so badly!

 

[Naomeri]

You will still get some of the magic, but until FP returns it is very aggravating. Lines for most attractions are extremely long and while they move fairly quickly, you can still plan on about an hour for any that you want to do. It is not bad right now, but as it gets warmer it is going to be brutal standing in the hot sun for 45 minutes before getting under cover as part of the attraction. Mickie and Minnies Railroad is about the worst right now as there is no shade at all.

While I acknowledge that everyone’s experience varies, I want to point out that I didn’t wait an hour for anything when I went, except for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at the end of the day, and I deliberately chose to get in a line that long because I needed to kill time before my Sci-Fi ADR and didn’t feel like walking very far.

 

[Leigh L]

We went in September and are going back at the end of this month (non-locals, involves flights.) Yes, it's very different but it depends on what really matters to you. We can take or leave fireworks as a nice to have, weren't big parade fans as we normally do short trips and it cuts into a lot of park time waiting for them to start, and are more ride people than live entertainment/character meet & greets. I was really surprised how much I loved being able to go with the flow and not have to plan out every minute of every park day....while waiting in line isn't fun after years of meticulous FP planning, it was SUCH a needed change of pace/scenery for our family.

I swore we wouldn't go back until things were "normal" again, but even the light planning we have to do for this next one is such a welcome relief from all the real life stuff right now so we jumped on the latest resort deal. If you can go in with the right attitude that it is what it is and enjoy what IS available, it's totally worth it.

This
We went (4 of us) in August, DD (adult) and I went in November, and the 4 of us are going back in 2 weeks. The first two were pre-closure planned trips (the Nov one was moved from May) and this third trip we booked impulsively once the Visa discount dropped because it was too good to resist, and DD13 has 2.5 days off during the week we planned. So I'll be working and she'll be at school for 2 full days.

A lot is missing, so we found it helped to keep expectations in check. One of my DDs is all about the characters, and DH and I love the shows, so we missed that stuff for sure. But in these times of being isolated, any joy was worth it to us, and as DH said, we're staring at walls, so why not stare at four different walls at Disney? We found both trips we were very pleased with their precautions (unlike the offsite hotel we stayed at for one night.) As a family, we made a pact to walk away from anything that felt uncomfortable or crowded even if it meant missing an attraction or experience, so depending on level of comfort, this might be a consideration?

Not about the parks, but as an aside - you mentioned non-local, are you planning to fly? If so, be prepared for likely changes, which will throw off any (light) planning. Today, flying definitely requires patience and flexibility.

 

[mco65]

Seems to me that the reduced occupancy to each park would be a big draw to those of us who remember S and desperately miss the smaller crowds from the mid to late 90s. I have not gone since Covid Hit. I was scheduled to go in April of 2020, moved that back to May and again to July but never ended up going. I am currently scheduled to go again in Aug of this year.. fingers crossed things go as planned and also that the crowds are still at somewhat at bay...

 

[way2tyred]

We were there Christmas day - NYE. We aren't really fireworks or characters people, so we didn't really miss those. We missed the shows. I missed the lack of food options more than I thought I would. Lines were long. Mostly they moved faster than posted, but even the rides that normally don't have lines consistently had 45 minute waits. We've never been Christmas week so maybe that's why. If we would have been during the reduced hours of other weeks we wouldn't have gotten through everything.
I actually liked not having fastpass though. It was so nice not to be stressed about our plan for the day.

 

[Cheburashka]

Hi all,
I'm having a hard time telling if this is the right forum to post on, please redirect me if I got it wrong.
My husband and I have a trip planned in February of this year. We booked when room discounts were released because the deal was good and we were desperate for some Disney joy in our lives back in October. We knew we might end up cancelling if it didn't feel safe. Now, we feel confident that WDW can be enjoyed safely, and we still desperately want some Disney joy. However, we are WDW veterans, and we're wondering if this trip is worth it for how different the experience will be. No fireworks, limited hours, minimal entertainment/shows, and no indoor dining (self-imposed). Help us make our decision! We want to hear from non-locals who have stayed on property and visited the parks since, say, October. What's good? What's not great? Would you recommend someone else go? Or do you wish you had pushed your trip to later when more of the usual things return?
Thanks in advance!

We've been twice since reopening, in July and in December. We enjoyed it both times. In July, though, our trip was as much about resort pools and relaxation as the parks. In December, we only spent one day at a park (Animal Kingdom) because most of our trip was a stay at Vero Beach. We then spent one night at Canyon Creek Villas at Wilderness Lodge and it was beautifully decorated for Christmas. That was wonderful.

I have no regrets about either trip, although our July trip was so hot (since there was a heat wave and we were forced to tour midday due to short park hours, and had to wear masks) that there were days we quit park touring to go back to the resort. Park touring was much more pleasant in December: we had perfect weather.

The key to it being worthwhile for us is the resorts that we stay at. I wouldn't go and stay at a value or moderate, because with shorter hours and fewer attractions, your resort is a bigger part of the picture than usual. Another thing that we really enjoyed was dining in a few of our favorite restaurants (through sad that so many are still closed), and if you're not willing to do that, that is another minus to the experience.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Have you read through trip reports here? It seems like the general consensus was that people had a good time with some caveats. Most of which revolved around not everyone following the guidelines. Everyone knows as you do about the magic dial being turned down some due to the lack of XYZ. So in my opinion it's going to come down to if the trip is worth it to you. The positive thing is the weather in regards to masks though, it's one of the brighter spots in my opinion. During the hot humid days of summer people were really having a rough go. But safety... that's also a personal choice. The one thing I can say is that everyone going is assuming the same risks. So the entire "your putting others at risk" isn't such an issue if your quarentine once you get home.

 

[tlmadden73]

I am torn like you.

I have a trip planned for last week in February. A "normal" trip with the young kids (4 and 8) and staying for a week. I worry about being disappointed at closed attractions, missing experiences (M&Gs), waiting in long, snaking lines .. missing out on the magic and "immersion" by missing some pre-shows. I am fine having a reduced experience myself (i have been many times) .. I worry the kids may be disappointed about not being able to see the characters up close or impatient (due to lack of FP). I worry about long lines for transportation from resorts (that is normally a huge perk)

It's just hard to know if it will be "worth" it .. until we go ...

It's not even a cost thing (I mean when the government gives you $600/person .. the money is less of a concern) .. it's more of am I just "wasting" my existing tickets? (I have 5-day no hoppers for three of us) I have had for years now .. and what I am truly debating .. if I do go .. is will it be worth activating the one AP I do have (for my daughter)? With only 5 days planned (and not really planning on park hopping) .. the benefits of an AP are somewhat diminished (I really don't want dozens of pictures of my family wearing masks .. so Memory Maker is a "wasted" perk). While I have a decent discount lined up due to the AP .. I just not sure if it will be worth it. If the parks are in this state for most of the year .. even if this January trip is worth it .. will it be worth it to go again later this year? So .. will I be "wasting" the AP?

Not worried about the virus (I have gone to several "tourist" locations thoughout last year and have no issues eating indoors or traveling) . .just worried about the "value" of my trip.