For those who are onsite...what is available and what is different?

[Hoodie]

I've seen multiple threads on various amenities and changes in the resorts and trying to filter through them all. Trying to confirm:

-Ice machines are available (it appears so)
- Refillable mugs are still available but a CM fills a disposable cup that you can then dump in your mug (is that correct?)
- Coffee Machines are still in the rooms, correct?
-Resort pools are first come, first serve and subject to lines to get in?
-Are the microwaves in the Quick Service areas still available? Are they operated by a CM like the drink machines or wiped down or just not there?
-What are the procedural changes in QS dining? (ie, order and wait, how is the seating, etc.)

Anything else I'm missing? I know we'll get more info as more people descend for the openings and as more resorts open, but trying to not go in completely blind.

 

[Spazz2k]

Onsite currently at Riviera...
I machines are still working and available...
Haven’t seen any refill mug stations
Coffee Machines still in the rooms
QS dining is changed to order on phone and get a text to pickup when it is ready, which is really handy and easy

All in all it has really been a different experience post Covid, but it has also been better in many ways...menu’s on phones, text for reservations when table is ready, online checkin is was better than before, less people than ever. We loved it so much that we decided to add days to our trip and just relax and enjoy.

 

[Upatnoon]

I've seen multiple threads on various amenities and changes in the resorts and trying to filter through them all. Trying to confirm:

-Ice machines are available (it appears so)
- Refillable mugs are still available but a CM fills a disposable cup that you can then dump in your mug (is that correct?)
- Coffee Machines are still in the rooms, correct?
-Resort pools are first come, first serve and subject to lines to get in?
-Are the microwaves in the Quick Service areas still available? Are they operated by a CM like the drink machines or wiped down or just not there?
-What are the procedural changes in QS dining? (ie, order and wait, how is the seating, etc.)

Anything else I'm missing? I know we'll get more info as more people descend for the openings and as more resorts open, but trying to not go in completely blind.

We were at Saratoga Springs last week, so a DVC resort. I wrote about it some in the DVC trip reports forum. For most people, you are reflecting on how your visit was with lots of people. In our case, there were almost no guests, so an unusual experience.

Your questions:

- Ice machines were available.
- Cast members provided all beverages in disposable cups. I didn't have a reusable mug, but did see a couple of people holding them, but I didn't witness the refill process.
- In the quick service area at Saratoga, they changed it to one entrance in and a different out. All meals were prepared to-go. You could eat them in the dining room, but they packaged to-go. The cast members fill your drinks and provide any items you need. Mobile ordering was recommended to everyone entering, but not required.
- The dining room has reduced seating, floor markings and signs everywhere. The menu is reduced.
- As for issues with lines, there were no lines because occupancy was probably 5% or so. At the pool, I think the most people we saw was perhaps 30 people or so in and out. They have spread out the pool chairs. I saw no clues to any future crowd control efforts.
- Buses have some thin plastic partitions to separate groups. Bus stops have social distancing signs.

The low occupancy will likely change some when the parks open, and considering that all these changes slow things down, be ready to be patient. While the DVC resorts opened, because of the low crowds they are not really stress-testing the cast on how things will be with more than a handful of people about.

Easywdw.com has good post the low crowds and lack of people at Wilderness Lodge.

 

[vinotinto]

We were at Saratoga Springs last week, so a DVC resort. I wrote about it some in the DVC trip reports forum. For most people, you are reflecting on how your visit was with lots of people. In our case, there were almost no guests, so an unusual experience.

Your questions:

- Ice machines were available.
- Cast members provided all beverages in disposable cups. I didn't have a reusable mug, but did see a couple of people holding them, but I didn't witness the refill process.
- In the quick service area at Saratoga, they changed it to one entrance in and a different out. All meals were prepared to-go. You could eat them in the dining room, but they packaged to-go. The cast members fill your drinks and provide any items you need. Mobile ordering was recommended to everyone entering, but not required.
- The dining room has reduced seating, floor markings and signs everywhere. The menu is reduced.
- As for issues with lines, there were no lines because occupancy was probably 5% or so. At the pool, I think the most people we saw was perhaps 30 people or so in and out. They have spread out the pool chairs. I saw no clues to any future crowd control efforts.
- Buses have some thin plastic partitions to separate groups. Bus stops have social distancing signs.

The low occupancy will likely change some when the parks open, and considering that all these changes slow things down, be ready to be patient. While the DVC resorts opened, because of the low crowds they are not really stress-testing the cast on how things will be with more than a handful of people about.

Easywdw.com has good post the low crowds and lack of people at Wilderness Lodge.

Interesting, thank you for sharing.

I’m curious about the thin plastic partitions to separate groups in buses. We were thinking about driving to all the parks as we did not want to be squished into buses at this time. does anyone have a pic of these partitions?

 

[SarahC97]

Interesting, thank you for sharing.

I’m curious about the thin plastic partitions to separate groups in buses. We were thinking about driving to all the parks as we did not want to be squished into buses at this time. does anyone have a pic of these partitions?

There are some pictures in this article: https://www.kennythepirate.com/2020/07/06/new-bus-guidelines-to-be-enforced-at-walt-disney-world/

Also some pics in this article: https://chipandco.com/social-distancing-measures-disney-world-buses-393247/

I have also read the bus capacity is going to be way down, like 20 or so people per bus at most. Still, I think we're going to drive just because I don't want to have to wait for buses at parks. With reduced capacity, it's probably going to make for very long waits.

 

[godisneyfrommd]

do we happen to know if Disney has a reduced capacity at the resorts outside of people choosing not to go?

 

[kaytieeldr]

25 bus passengers.
six zones.
drivers will assign passengers to zones.
if one person is traveling alone, they will not be sharing a zone with anyone.
limit of one ECV per bus, unless two ECV users are traveling together - then two.
ECV passengers will be limited to groups of six (yay!, if it's enforced).

 

[JM_97]

Can you apply gift cards to mobile orders? Don't know if this has always been an option or not but I was hoping since it sounds like mobile ordering is going to be a lot more common now

 

[IluvMGM]

Can you apply gift cards to mobile orders? Don't know if this has always been an option or not but I was hoping since it sounds like mobile ordering is going to be a lot more common now

I haven't tried it myself but was actually searching for the answer to this earlier today and saw a few articles that said they added giftcards as an option in May.

 

[Randy Miller]

25 bus passengers.
six zones.
drivers will assign passengers to zones.
if one person is traveling alone, they will not be sharing a zone with anyone.
limit of one ECV per bus, unless two ECV users are traveling together - then two.
ECV passengers will be limited to groups of six (yay!, if it's enforced).

I find your last sentence extremely rude. “ECV passengers will be limited to groups of six (yay!, if it’s enforced) our family consists of 9 people, one of whom, who has CP would use an ECV. None of us would want to be separated from one another, Disney is as much for large families ( and disabled ones) as it if for individuals with no family, or any family. I truly hope that you ( or anyone in your family) ever need to use a ECV and experience this first hand

 

[vinotinto]

There are some pictures in this article: https://www.kennythepirate.com/2020/07/06/new-bus-guidelines-to-be-enforced-at-walt-disney-world/

Also some pics in this article: https://chipandco.com/social-distancing-measures-disney-world-buses-393247/

I have also read the bus capacity is going to be way down, like 20 or so people per bus at most. Still, I think we're going to drive just because I don't want to have to wait for buses at parks. With reduced capacity, it's probably going to make for very long waits.

Yup, we will drive too. Between having only 33% capacity and with guests being condensed into a few open resorts, I would guess waits for buses are going to longer than normal. I would love to be pleasantly surprised that lines are not as long, but you have to be realistic and have a good plan.

 

[Neener16]

I find your last sentence extremely rude. “ECV passengers will be limited to groups of six (yay!, if it’s enforced) our family consists of 9 people, one of whom, who has CP would use an ECV. None of us would want to be separated from one another, Disney is as much for large families ( and disabled ones) as it if for individuals with no family, or any family. I truly hope that you ( or anyone in your family) ever need to use a ECV and experience this first hand

I don’t want to derail the conversation, but they are probably talking about those instances where you are waiting in line for 30 minutes, a family of 10 or so comes up with their family member in a wheelchair or ECV almost literally as the bus is pulling in, all 10 get on the bus and your family doesn’t. I’ve been to Disney with 10+ family members, sometimes we had to take 2 different buses. We don’t like to be separated either, but it’s not realistic to expect to always travel together with a large group. And yes, one of our family members was wheelchair bound.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I find your last sentence extremely rude. “ECV passengers will be limited to groups of six (yay!, if it’s enforced) our family consists of 9 people, one of whom, who has CP would use an ECV. None of us would want to be separated from one another, Disney is as much for large families ( and disabled ones) as it if for individuals with no family, or any family. I truly hope that you ( or anyone in your family) ever need to use a ECV and experience this first hand

It wasn't intended to be rude. I use an ECV. I visited once with 34 people. Granted, we weren't all staying at the same resort, but we did a lot together. I never traveled with more than two other people.

Ambulatory people in general get understandably upset when they've waited for a bus, and just as it pulls up, a party of 12+ with one in an ECV or wheelchair all board first and take most of the seats, because bus drivers aren't allowed to enforce the limit. That would be especially bad now, with each bus limited to 25 people.

Social distancing has changed things. I get that you want to all travel back and forth together, but please understand you can't. At least, not on Disney buses.

In my ideal world, again as an ECV user, guests will get used to travelling on buses with six total people per group, and continue even if the restrictions are lifted.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Yup, we will drive too. Between having only 33% capacity and with guests being condensed into a few open resorts, I would guess waits for buses are going to longer than normal. I would love to be pleasantly surprised that lines are not as long, but you have to be realistic and have a good plan.

Not necessarily. With fewer resorts open, buses at each open resort should be more frequent.

 

[Mamiamjo]

Not necessarily. With fewer resorts open, buses at each open resort should be more frequent.

They "should", but that assumes that all buses will be running. I have a feeling they may cut back on the number of buses which could lead to longer waits. I guess we'll see what they do

 

[Upatnoon]

For the bus service, we rode once and were the only family on the bus. Walking around the resort, I saw few people waiting. Of course, this is with extremely low occupancy, so things may change when the parks open.

When we think of riding the bus our experiences are tied to the packed-in-sardine days of 100% occupancy resorts. If occupancy is far lower, it may not be as bad as we fear.

Would I plan a big family trip right now? No, and I would suspect not many are.

Disney has a good idea of how many guests ride the bus based on their hotel occupancy, so I would expect low occupancy and crowds.

Like anything, when starting something new there are going to be issues, so hopefully they won't be too bad.

As I said earlier, patience is going to be key as things pick up.

 

[pinkcheezit]

When I called to make changes to my reservation the CM said her husband was a bus driver so she knew that there were going to be a lot of busses running because of the social distancing. She thought the wait time for a bus should be the same.

 

[Spazz2k]

This weekend there really was never more than a couple of people waiting for a bus. We didn't use the busses at all and our party of 7 drove everywhere we went. I am in no rush to take a bus anytime soon, so driving when we stay onsite will be our new normal.

 

[Rafikifan]

I don’t want to derail the conversation, but they are probably talking about those instances where you are waiting in line for 30 minutes, a family of 10 or so comes up with their family member in a wheelchair or ECV almost literally as the bus is pulling in, all 10 get on the bus and your family doesn’t. I’ve been to Disney with 10+ family members, sometimes we had to take 2 different buses. We don’t like to be separated either, but it’s not realistic to expect to always travel together with a large group. And yes, one of our family members was wheelchair bound.

Us too! When we've had a large party going we have had to take separate buses many times. We know to allow enough time if that happens and just have a designated meeting spot at the front of the park. It's never been a problem.

 

[SarahC97]

For the bus service, we rode once and were the only family on the bus. Walking around the resort, I saw few people waiting. Of course, this is with extremely low occupancy, so things may change when the parks open.

When we think of riding the bus our experiences are tied to the packed-in-sardine days of 100% occupancy resorts. If occupancy is far lower, it may not be as bad as we fear.

Would I plan a big family trip right now? No, and I would suspect not many are.

Disney has a good idea of how many guests ride the bus based on their hotel occupancy, so I would expect low occupancy and crowds.

Like anything, when starting something new there are going to be issues, so hopefully they won't be too bad.

As I said earlier, patience is going to be key as things pick up.

Regarding resort occupancy: While it remains to be seen, Len Testa from Touring Plans said he had called around DS resorts to ask about their occupancy after WDW opens and they reported 80%. He thinks Disney will be running about that at their open resorts and I could see that. Granted, that's less than the nearly 100% they normally operate at but it's not as low as they've been running pre-open.