Strategies to navigate the new WDW normal

[one_cat]

We have park reservations in hand for our Sept 26 trip and are looking at which restaurants will be open. Shortened park hours, masks in 90 degree heat, no park hopping, social distancing, no fast passes. We will not be Doing Disney the same way we have in the past. For one DW (and let’s be honest - me too) will need more breaks to cool off and breathe and probably shorter less intense time in the parks. I would love to hear others strategies for navigating and managing the new WDW normal.

 

[tinkerbell1991]

We have park reservations in hand for our Sept 26 trip and are looking at which restaurants will be open. Shortened park hours, masks in 90 degree heat, no park hopping, social distancing, no fast passes. We will not be Doing Disney the same way we have in the past. For one DW (and let’s be honest - me too) will need more breaks to cool off and breathe and probably shorter less intense time in the parks. I would love to hear others strategies for navigating and managing the new WDW normal.

I think you've "hit the nail on the head" with taking more breaks to cool off. That and making sure you're drinking plenty to stay hydrated.
Do you perhaps have fans you could bring with you to help cool you down slightly?
I think everyone has to realise (and I don't think some do yet from things I read) that it will be VERY different but as long as you don't stress to much about ride queue times or even quick service queues (I'd suggest using mobile order as much as possible), it should be a fun experience.
Although nothing has been announced about being able to leave the park you're at then return later, I should imagine it's possible so when it gets to midday where it's boiling, go back to your resort, have a short nap, go by the pool or even just cool down on the aircon buses to say, Disney Springs.
Just don't overdo it and remember you're back in the most magical place on earth, it's just ... A slightly new magical place haha.
I'm sure you'll have an amazing time x

 

[mdsouth]

I think you've "hit the nail on the head" with taking more breaks to cool off. That and making sure you're drinking plenty to stay hydrated.
Do you perhaps have fans you could bring with you to help cool you down slightly?
I think everyone has to realise (and I don't think some do yet from things I read) that it will be VERY different but as long as you don't stress to much about ride queue times or even quick service queues (I'd suggest using mobile order as much as possible), it should be a fun experience.
Although nothing has been announced about being able to leave the park you're at then return later, I should imagine it's possible so when it gets to midday where it's boiling, go back to your resort, have a short nap, go by the pool or even just cool down on the aircon buses to say, Disney Springs.
Just don't overdo it and remember you're back in the most magical place on earth, it's just ... A slightly new magical place haha.
I'm sure you'll have an amazing time x

Great suggestions. I know I recently did see something about how you can leave the park and return to the same park each day. I think it was somewhere buried in Disney's know before you go stuff or getting tickets link. I have been reading a lot of stuff on their website and can't remember where exactly I found it. I will try to find it and post it here.

 

[kylenne]

We have park reservations in hand for our Sept 26 trip and are looking at which restaurants will be open. Shortened park hours, masks in 90 degree heat, no park hopping, social distancing, no fast passes. We will not be Doing Disney the same way we have in the past. For one DW (and let’s be honest - me too) will need more breaks to cool off and breathe and probably shorter less intense time in the parks. I would love to hear others strategies for navigating and managing the new WDW normal.

I've started to take a slower pace anyway my last couple of trips and intended to do so for our canceled trip so that's the plan going forward. I'm used to wearing masks for 8-9 hours a day at work and on public transit so I have been experimenting with different face coverings and have found paper masks work better for me in terms of breathability, I will just be bringing a whole box of them in case of rain. Right now we have hot and humid weather at home so it's good "practice". Hydration is a BIG issue, I have to be sure to schedule myself water breaks because being masked so much I drink a lot less water than usual. I highly suggest that, put timers on your phones even.

 

[Robertfam08]

I've started to take a slower pace anyway my last couple of trips and intended to do so for our canceled trip so that's the plan going forward. I'm used to wearing masks for 8-9 hours a day at work and on public transit so I have been experimenting with different face coverings and have found paper masks work better for me in terms of breathability, I will just be bringing a whole box of them in case of rain. Right now we have hot and humid weather at home so it's good "practice". Hydration is a BIG issue, I have to be sure to schedule myself water breaks because being masked so much I drink a lot less water than usual. I highly suggest that, put timers on your phones even.

I completely agree about the paper masks! I know everyone wants to be cute with their custom cloth face masks (haha) but DH and I went to Silver Dollar City in Branson MO on opening weekend, and the paper mask was BY FAR the way to go in a theme park. Much lighter and more breathable than any cloth mask I have.

 

[kylenne]

I completely agree about the paper masks! I know everyone wants to be cute with their custom cloth face masks (haha) but DH and I went to Silver Dollar City in Branson MO on opening weekend, and the paper mask was BY FAR the way to go in a theme park. Much lighter and more breathable than any cloth mask I have.

I wear my cloth mask when I take my commuter bus to and from work (it's a DME style bus but not magical lol), and even the block and a half to the stop is stifling to me. When I get into the office I switch to the disposable masks.

 

[DisneyOutsider]

1. Rent a car... or stay at Bay Lake Tower for MK access or YC/BC/BWI/S&D for EPCOT and DHS access. You will not want to be taking Disney transport for the time being. It will take a long time and increase your risk.

 

[francie57]

I think you've "hit the nail on the head" with taking more breaks to cool off. That and making sure you're drinking plenty to stay hydrated.
Do you perhaps have fans you could bring with you to help cool you down slightly?
I think everyone has to realise (and I don't think some do yet from things I read) that it will be VERY different but as long as you don't stress to much about ride queue times or even quick service queues (I'd suggest using mobile order as much as possible), it should be a fun experience.
Although nothing has been announced about being able to leave the park you're at then return later, I should imagine it's possible so when it gets to midday where it's boiling, go back to your resort, have a short nap, go by the pool or even just cool down on the aircon buses to say, Disney Springs.
Just don't overdo it and remember you're back in the most magical place on earth, it's just ... A slightly new magical place haha.
I'm sure you'll have an amazing time x

I was told by a CM that I talked to on the AP number that we would be able to leave the park and return since our reservation is for the entire day. As always, no clue if that is actually true but I sure hope so.

 

[one_cat]

We are contemplating renting a car though that won’t help with MK since you still have to take Disney transportation across the lake. We stay at Boardwalk so we can walk to Epcot. I was hoping masks would be optional walking around Crescent lake but it sounds like that is a no since it is technically a public area.

 

[PortieOwner]

We are contemplating renting a car though that won’t help with MK since you still have to take Disney transportation across the lake. We stay at Boardwalk so we can walk to Epcot. I was hoping masks would be optional walking around Crescent lake but it sounds like that is a no since it is technically a public area.

The boats allow plenty of fresh air. I expect they will run the monorail at about half-full.

 

[1GoldenSun]

One thing to keep in mind that I've learned at Universal is that although most attraction queues are designed so that guests are shaded for most of the wait, social distancing can stretch these lines well outside of that shaded area. There may be more periods of standing directly in the sun. I'm considering bringing a UV resistant umbrella.

 

[one_cat]

One thing to keep in mind that I've learned at Universal is that although most attraction queues are designed so that guests are shaded for most of the wait, social distancing can stretch these lines well outside of that shaded area. There may be more periods of standing directly in the sun. I'm considering bringing a UV resistant umbrella.

That’s a good point and something I hadn’t thought about. Even with lower park capacities I am expecting to see long lines for the popular rides and with social distancing those lines could snake a long way.

 

[BruinsDad]

Without FastPass+, I think dining reservations will be the guiding force for the aggressive planners among us. If there is no walk-in table service, you'll probably start with your park hours and decide which days you want to sit down for which meals. For my trip Columbus Day weekend, I've got reservations for Epcot on Saturday. With an 11:00 opening, it makes sense for me to reserve breakfast at Kona Cafe before leaving the Poly and maybe picking an Epcot restaurant for a late lunch or dinner. Reserving a restaurant makes you think about where you will be in the park around that time and come up with a general route you plan on to get you there and where you would head after that. Once we start hearing about how operations are going, we'll have a better idea of whether it's better to be in one part of the park at certain times of day, if certain restaurants are filling their limited capacity, etc. In other words, if we get reports that everyone still starts with Tomorrowland at rope drop, why not start with Frontierland even if the difference in wait times is modest? So, plenty to think about. Although I don't think tour planning is nearly as important (or predictable) as it used to be, I'd still like to go to the park having an idea of where I'm heading and which days I will carve out some resort time.

 

[yulilin3]

The heat IS the main issue. Plan those long, indoor queues for the hottest parts of the day, try and do outdoor attractions with outdoor queues early in the morning or later in the evening if possible
Bringing an umbrella, cooling towel, if you prefer the little fans/misters, whatever feels comfortable to you
Definitely add more breaks in park than usual, hydrate, hydrate,hydrate, stay away from sodas and alcohol
Plan to eat at off times, early/late lunch. Capacity will be cut so lunch lines will be very very long

 

[TomorrowlandKD]

How can you give strategies for the "new WDW normal" when the parks haven't even opened? How does anyone know a single strategy yet?

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

The best strategy right now is cancel, cancel, cancel until there is some kinda baseline to work from. I am a huge WDW fan and have well over a dozen trips in, but there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I am paying for what they are offering right now. I'll be back, just not for a few more years.

 

[JennyDrake]

I'll be there August 1-5 and will happily report back!

 

[DisLiss]

I was told by a CM that I talked to on the AP number that we would be able to leave the park and return since our reservation is for the entire day. As always, no clue if that is actually true but I sure hope so.

That makes total sense. because otherwise, if people tired out and left for a break and couldn't come back, Disney would have below (the already low) capacity crowds for the rest of the day since no one can reserve just the afternoon and/or evening hours. Disney wouldn't make any additional money if people couldn't come back into the park with their day long reservation.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

The best strategy right now is cancel, cancel, cancel until there is some kinda baseline to work from. I am a huge WDW fan and have well over a dozen trips in, but there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I am paying for what they are offering right now. I'll be back, just not for a few more years.

Struggling with this ourselves! I have no desire to pay full price for half the experience. While character meets have never been our thing, fireworks really are. I would love to be in the Parks with reduced crowds, no FP+ to worry about, and be able to soak up the scenery instead of seeing wall-to-wall people, but the reduced hours, Masks, etc, are a turn-off.

The decision may Ultimately be out of our hands. DD & I bought our 8-day tickets for Nov 30, 2020 Just after New Year. Including the rest of the family was not finalized until April 1, when there was no urgency to buy park tickets. Figured we would add them as our June 2 ADR window opened. Of course, by then, ADRs were not an option, so we did not rush to buy tickets. Now, we have accommodations and plane tickets for 5, but only park passes for 2!

Adding to the uncertainty is the pandemic, of course. Don’t know if the US/CAN border will be open, or if Florida will continue on its path of ever-increasing number of COVID cases.

We have waited for this trip, carefully planned for our favourite time to visit, but the handwriting on the wall is very conflicting. Stuck in hurry up and wait mode, wondering if we should just give up.

 

[JM23457]

The best strategy right now is cancel, cancel, cancel until there is some kinda baseline to work from. I am a huge WDW fan and have well over a dozen trips in, but there is no way in H E double hockey sticks I am paying for what they are offering right now. I'll be back, just not for a few more years.

That doesn't work so well for those of us who have a child who will be away at college by the time those few years are over.

Besides, after 3 months of being forced to stay at home, we're dying for a real vacation. We're willing to make compromises at this point, as long as we can get away from home and have fun.