December 2020 - keep or cancel?

[LoveMugsNPins]

We're driving from near Saratoga in a couple of weeks. Staying over 2 nights because we can't leave here until about 3pm.

Whoa! Thats a drive!

 

[DCLPrincess]

I went in September. Drove from CT. Left at midnight and drove straight through. On the way back stopped for 2 nights in HHI to break it up. Quarantine wasn't an issue since I work from home. I was impressed with the amount of people at the rest stops wearing masks. Disney felt very safe but you have the control, if a line or area feels crowded avoid it. I took lots of masks, wipes and hand sanitizer. We ate mostly outside except for Chef Mickey's. I used an air purifier in the hotel for my own piece of mind. I really enjoyed it. Yes it's different but I really thought it was worth going. I miss the fireworks, park hopping, FP, dining plan, and meet and greats but none of those things were deal breakers. It was so much fun and it made me feel normal. I'm happy to answer any questions.

 

[kanerf]

I went in Oct and enjoyed it a great deal. It was good to get away and feel sort-of normal. The masks are a pain, but you can survive. I am going Christmas week as well.

 

[oufpat]

We postponed first week of December until end of January due to increasing number of COVID cases and need to quarantine for 2 weeks in NJ when we return. Chose January to salvage 185 banked points that we would loose if don't use by January 31. Hoping for the best, but will cancel and loose the points if virus not better controlled.

 

[discott71]

I went in September. Drove from CT. Left at midnight and drove straight through. On the way back stopped for 2 nights in HHI to break it up. Quarantine wasn't an issue since I work from home. I was impressed with the amount of people at the rest stops wearing masks. Disney felt very safe but you have the control, if a line or area feels crowded avoid it. I took lots of masks, wipes and hand sanitizer. We ate mostly outside except for Chef Mickey's. I used an air purifier in the hotel for my own piece of mind. I really enjoyed it. Yes it's different but I really thought it was worth going. I miss the fireworks, park hopping, FP, dining plan, and meet and greats but none of those things were deal breakers. It was so much fun and it made me feel normal. I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thanks so much - can you tell me about the air purifier? I never thought of this.

 

[discott71]

I went in Oct and enjoyed it a great deal. It was good to get away and feel sort-of normal. The masks are a pain, but you can survive. I am going Christmas week as well.

That’s awesome! We just want to feel some normalcy and start the new year on a happy note!

 

[discott71]

We postponed first week of December until end of January due to increasing number of COVID cases and need to quarantine for 2 weeks in NJ when we return. Chose January to salvage 185 banked points that we would loose if don't use by January 31. Hoping for the best, but will cancel and loose the points if virus not better controlled.

We have 87 that expire 11/30/21 and park tickets that expire in Sept of 2021. Obviously health and safety come first but now that our kids are older it is so hard to synch schedules on top of everything else. I hope your January trip works out!

 

[DCLPrincess]

Thanks so much - can you tell me about the air purifier? I never thought of this.

Mine is a vornado (I like the brand). She rides in a mickey suitcase. I'm sure people think I'm crazy and maybe it's overkill but it makes me feel better. There are lots of great brands but I did a lot of research and what you look for is one with a HEPA filter that filters 99.97% of particles .3 microns or larger. They claim that makes them as effective as an N95 mask.

 

[disneyberry]

We cancelled our December trip. We also have tickets (park hoppers too ack) that now expire Sep 2021. I know we won’t lose the value we paid but still... it’s a bummer to let them expire.
We’re temporarily rescheduling our trip to April 2021, but I’m skeptical of whether the things that make our trips great will be back. We also use Fastpasses extensively and hardly ever wait in line. I can’t imagine not having that. We usually park hop and do one park in the morning and a different park in the afternoon/evening. We dine out at table service 2 to 3 times a day, and some of our favorite restaurants were the buffets. I want to see my kids faces light up with smiles throughout the day and masks will hide those smiles. We loved the live shows like Beauty and the Beast, Nemo, Lion King.
We also wouldn’t want to fly so it’ll mean a long drive from northern NJ.
I don’t know... I’m just going to wait and see!

 

[SorcererC]

Very interested in this. We just became DVC members and have our Welcome Home trip the first week of Dec. Only booked 3 park days, all during the week. Our decision point right now is, do we cancel the park days and get those refunded? We're planning on keeping our resort stays regardless (4 different stays!). The pictures of crowds are making DH very nervous. I feel we can do it well and stay safe, but it's a huge waste of money to go into the parks, feel unsafe, leave, and not be able to get a refund. Curious if week day is better than weekend?

 

[discott71]

Very interested in this. We just became DVC members and have our Welcome Home trip the first week of Dec. Only booked 3 park days, all during the week. Our decision point right now is, do we cancel the park days and get those refunded? We're planning on keeping our resort stays regardless (4 different stays!). The pictures of crowds are making DH very nervous. I feel we can do it well and stay safe, but it's a huge waste of money to go into the parks, feel unsafe, leave, and not be able to get a refund. Curious if week day is better than weekend?

Wow - 4 stays in one week?! We have done one split stay over a 10 day trip (also our Welcome Home trip) which wasn't bad but was enough to make us decide to never do again. Grant it, we are a family of 5 and kids were little (we had so much stuff), but prefer to stay put!

Congratulations - I hope your Welcome Home trip works out for you!!

 

[discott71]

We cancelled our December trip. We also have tickets (park hoppers too ack) that now expire Sep 2021. I know we won’t lose the value we paid but still... it’s a bummer to let them expire.
We’re temporarily rescheduling our trip to April 2021, but I’m skeptical of whether the things that make our trips great will be back. We also use Fastpasses extensively and hardly ever wait in line. I can’t imagine not having that. We usually park hop and do one park in the morning and a different park in the afternoon/evening. We dine out at table service 2 to 3 times a day, and some of our favorite restaurants were the buffets. I want to see my kids faces light up with smiles throughout the day and masks will hide those smiles. We loved the live shows like Beauty and the Beast, Nemo, Lion King.
We also wouldn’t want to fly so it’ll mean a long drive from northern NJ.
I don’t know... I’m just going to wait and see!

Sounds so similar to us, except for the shows. I love them but the kids are older now and can take them or leave them. Dining is a big deal for us. I don't like to cook on vacation. Our family favorite is 'Ohana for both breakfast and dinner. My DH feels that the lack of 'Ohana is enough to reschedule the trip .

 

[DCLPrincess]

Very interested in this. We just became DVC members and have our Welcome Home trip the first week of Dec. Only booked 3 park days, all during the week. Our decision point right now is, do we cancel the park days and get those refunded? We're planning on keeping our resort stays regardless (4 different stays!). The pictures of crowds are making DH very nervous. I feel we can do it well and stay safe, but it's a huge waste of money to go into the parks, feel unsafe, leave, and not be able to get a refund. Curious if week day is better than weekend?

Yes the weekdays are less crowded. Also mid day is more crowded. Some of the pictures are misleading. There are certain areas where it bottle necks or where there was a crowd due to a cavalcade but it dispersed quickly. I thought that AK felt the least crowded overall. The crowds would change through out the day and throughout the areas of the parks. There were times where I had to wait in lines but other times where it was quiet. I got to MK at 9 and rode Jungle cruise, pirates and splash mountain all in the first hour with no wait. I did haunted mansion, peter pan, pooh and the carousel in the last hour with no waits. One day I got to AK at 8 and rode the safari, then everest and then kali with no waits. They actually let us ride kali 3 times in a row without getting off. For reference I'm very cautious and hardly leave the house but I don't regret going.

 

[SorcererC]

Yes the weekdays are less crowded. Also mid day is more crowded. Some of the pictures are misleading. There are certain areas where it bottle necks or where there was a crowd due to a cavalcade but it dispersed quickly. I thought that AK felt the least crowded overall. The crowds would change through out the day and throughout the areas of the parks. There were times where I had to wait in lines but other times where it was quiet. I got to MK at 9 and rode Jungle cruise, pirates and splash mountain all in the first hour with no wait. I did haunted mansion, peter pan, pooh and the carousel in the last hour with no waits. One day I got to AK at 8 and rode the safari, then everest and then kali with no waits. They actually let us ride kali 3 times in a row without getting off. For reference I'm very cautious and hardly leave the house but I don't regret going.

Thank you so much, this info is really helpful. I'm trying to follow weekday crowds over the next few weeks and then we'll decide about the parks before we go. Wish we could get our canceled dining back though, those were in the resorts!

 

[HappyDisneyWife]

For these reasons, I am somewhat on the fence about keeping our December trip. We have been during Thanksgiving and felt it wasn't bad because we had FPs and planning down pat! Not sure what to expect this year! I like to be in control .

I hear ya! If a ride line is longer than 20 minutes, I have to seriously consider how worth it it is to me!! I was hoping for über short lines in October, but that ship had sailed. However!! You’re in luck, bc some of the best hour(s) for us were at the end of every day (at every park- especially HS). The only truly important rope drop (from our experience) was at MK- and it’s not even very early anymore! Just don’t be there during the afternoon hours at HS. So incredibly painful

& Yes- I’m keeping my res for Dec 2020

Yes it's different but I really thought it was worth going. I miss the fireworks, park hopping, FP, dining plan, and meet and greats but none of those things were deal breakers. It was so much fun and it made me feel normal.

100% agree! There’s plenty to miss, but still so much to enjoy!!

Mine is a vornado (I like the brand). She rides in a mickey suitcase. I'm sure people think I'm crazy and maybe it's overkill but it makes me feel better. There are lots of great brands but I did a lot of research and what you look for is one with a HEPA filter that filters 99.97% of particles .3 microns or larger. They claim that makes them as effective as an N95 mask.

I’m just thankful you found a way to make traveling comfortable/ok for you! Kudos for creativity!!

 

[Dean Marino]

Not exactly your situation... We had a NOV 2020 reservation. Canceled it. Not so much over COVID... far more over no personnel, no restaurants, no party's, no fireworks - essentially, no WDW.

We are hanging on to our APR 2021 reservation.... for now.

"All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong."

 

[DCLPrincess]

"All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong."

I agree. There are no right and wrong choices. Everyone has to do what they feel is right for them. No judgement.

 

[iheartglaciers]

Thanks so much - can you tell me about the air purifier? I never thought of this.

I also bought a H13 True HEPA air purifier for the hotel room. The one I got is the Levoit Core 300, there are different kinds of HEPA filters, but the H13 is medical grade.

My trip is scheduled for the first week in December. I'm still planning on going, but the increasing cases does give me pause. It's a very personal decision, but I think I'll likely still go. I'm feeling comfortable with Disney's safety protocol, plus extra precautions that I'm taking. I'm not planning on doing any indoor rides or dining (besides going inside to pick up mobile orders). I picked airlines that are still blocking the middle seat and will wear goggles and an N95 mask on the plane/in the airport. I also rented a car so that I can mostly avoid shared Disney transportation.

Coming from NY, I'm looking forward to just walking around in the warm weather, taking in the Christmas decorations, and hanging out by the pool. I work from home now, so the 14 day quarantine is fine for me.

 

[JustABru]

We visited in early August with the kids and while everyone's comfort level is different, we honestly felt very safe (more so at Disney than at local stores with less than stellar mask compliance). Having said that I think managing your expectations before and during might be the most important. We knew before we left that things would be missing, but we definitely found ourselves sad about a few things (hello, fireworks). I'll also add that you're spot on about the masks in the heat. December would be much more pleasant than it was in August! Good luck!

 

[discott71]

I also bought a H13 True HEPA air purifier for the hotel room. The one I got is the Levoit Core 300, there are different kinds of HEPA filters, but the H13 is medical grade.

My trip is scheduled for the first week in December. I'm still planning on going, but the increasing cases does give me pause. It's a very personal decision, but I think I'll likely still go. I'm feeling comfortable with Disney's safety protocol, plus extra precautions that I'm taking. I'm not planning on doing any indoor rides or dining (besides going inside to pick up mobile orders). I picked airlines that are still blocking the middle seat and will wear goggles and an N95 mask on the plane/in the airport. I also rented a car so that I can mostly avoid shared Disney transportation.

Coming from NY, I'm looking forward to just walking around in the warm weather, taking in the Christmas decorations, and hanging out by the pool. I work from home now, so the 14 day quarantine is fine for me.

There's lots of New Yorker's on this thread! The cases are on the rise and moving in the wrong direction fast. We are keeping close watch. Not looking forward to a long gloomy winter!!

It sounds like you have a really good plan. I appreciate you sharing some of those extra precautions which I plan on incorporating if we do go. Definitely looking into the air purifier. We will have a 2-bedroom. Will one purifier be enough for the whole 2-bedroom unit?

My husband and I also work from home so the 14 day quarantine won't be an issue on our end either.