Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[kdonnel]

I am very confused. Last poster said it felt like no one was in WS. Immediately previous poster was at EPCOT on the very same day and said it felt like "pre Covid levels."

It is entertaining reading reviews on Tripadvisor for that very reason. They can be so contradictory.

 

[fla4fun]

I've never thought about bringing an umbrella to the parks. Do you use a compact one and do you find it's easy to store/keep hold of on rides?

I bring a compact Totes umbrella that fits in my crossbody bag. It not only helps with rain, but can be very helpful with the sun in outdoor queues. I also bring a poncho, because umbrellas don’t work if it’s raining sideways, and sometimes it rains hard enough I need both to stay dry.

 

[VAtink]

I've never thought about bringing an umbrella to the parks. Do you use a compact one and do you find it's easy to store/keep hold of on rides?

This is the first time we've brought them, I'm glad we did. They're compact enough they fit in our crossbody bags, and when the rain isn't a torrential downpour or coming in sideways we prefer the umbrellas since the ponchos get very steamy. Also great to use the umbrella to open the flap on the trash cans while throwing stuff away so we don't have to touch the trash cans.

 

[VAtink]

Happy to report, for a sold out day, Epcot was not horribly crowded this morning. Was held at IG until about 10:15, then held again at Canada until 10:30 when they finally let us loose in the park. While waiting in the sun by Canada was pretty brutal, we definitely had an advantage over those entering from the front of the park. Never saw anyone coming from that direction as we made our way to FEA.

We were on the first boat, and even when we got off there was hardly any line for the ride. Decided to swing by Mexico for some more AC (it is HOT today!) and since it was 10:52 at that point decided to start the line for la cava del tequila. They opened a bit late, about 11:05, and we were still the only ones there. Got our drinks to go, then headed to our first food booth of the day, the donut box where we got the donut with the chicken (too lazy to look up the actual name). This was really good, we didn't know what to expect, but we loved it!

We stopped to get some photopass pictures and get pictures of the 50th statues before heading to the noodle exchange. Got the pork and shrimp. The shrimp was nice and spicy, it was great!

We then circled WS starting in Mexico, we only ended up getting one more food item, the bread at India which was good, but not on our best list. It was a nice stroll back to IG, really low crowds back there at that point.

Did some shopping as we went, finally found the F&W ornament I've been looking for and the cogsworth timer. I mentioned to the CM at checkout how hard it has been to find the merchandise we wanted and she confirmed that a lot of the F&W was already, or nearly sold out. A bit frustrating, we never were able to find the red Remy shirt for my mom, only have them in XL in all the stores we found them. At least I ordered her a F&W shirt online so I'll be able to surprise her with that at Christmas.

Overall a great morning at Epcot. Now it's time to nap so we have a chance of staying awake through Boo Bash tonight!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Happy to report, for a sold out day, Epcot was not horribly crowded this morning. Was held at IG until about 10:15, then held again at Canada until 10:30 when they finally let us loose in the park. While waiting in the sun by Canada was pretty brutal, we definitely had an advantage over those entering from the front of the park. Never saw anyone coming from that direction as we made our way to FEA.

We were on the first boat, and even when we got off there was hardly any line for the ride. Decided to swing by Mexico for some more AC (it is HOT today!) and since it was 10:52 at that point decided to start the line for la cava del tequila. They opened a bit late, about 11:05, and we were still the only ones there. Got our drinks to go, then headed to our first food booth of the day, the donut box where we got the donut with the chicken (too lazy to look up the actual name). This was really good, we didn't know what to expect, but we loved it!

We stopped to get some photopass pictures and get pictures of the 50th statues before heading to the noodle exchange. Got the pork and shrimp. The shrimp was nice and spicy, it was great!

We then circled WS starting in Mexico, we only ended up getting one more food item, the bread at India which was good, but not on our best list. It was a nice stroll back to IG, really low crowds back there at that point.

Did some shopping as we went, finally found the F&W ornament I've been looking for and the cogsworth timer. I mentioned to the CM at checkout how hard it has been to find the merchandise we wanted and she confirmed that a lot of the F&W was already, or nearly sold out. A bit frustrating, we never were able to find the red Remy shirt for my mom, only have them in XL in all the stores we found them. At least I ordered her a F&W shirt online so I'll be able to surprise her with that at Christmas.

Overall a great morning at Epcot. Now it's time to nap so we have a chance of staying awake through Boo Bash tonight!

Did you happen to ask at any of the stores if they could look up the items you were looking for? I was looking for a specific shirt a few years back and someone at a kiosk was able to give me exact locations where they had it in stock in my size. I've done the same a different trip when I was looking for Mickey Crocs.

Not sure if they can do this with F&W merchandise but I believe it's an option for many of their items.

 

[VAtink]

Did you happen to ask at any of the stores if they could look up the items you were looking for? I was looking for a specific shirt a few years back and someone at a kiosk was able to give me exact locations where they had it in stock in my size. I've done the same a different trip when I was looking for Mickey Crocs.

Not sure if they can do this with F&W merchandise but I believe it's an option for many of their items.

We asked at the store today about the Remy shirts but she just suggested trying the Creations shop, which we checked out yesterday and didn't see the shirt. May try a different CM tomorrow when we're back in Epcot. Would be awesome if they could look it up to see if and where they have more stock of it.

 

[Best Aunt]

Also great to use the umbrella to open the flap on the trash cans while throwing stuff away so we don't have to touch the trash cans.

Brilliant!

 

[SkyGuy]

We were there last week and while it certainly wasn't as slow a people were reporting the week before, it wasn't horrible by our standards. It was a 45 min. wait for FoP around 10:30 am so not bad. The wait for MMRR at HS was about 1/2 hour around 11 am. MF was around 45 min. at about the same time of day (we did two day as HS). We were at Epcot every afternoon/evening. The lines for booths were not long but it rained every single day, some days pretty bad so a lot of the booths would close down and when they re-opened you had to pay at the window instead of at the line and that really slowed things down. Friday night around 8 or 8:30 it was getting really crowded in WS, bad enough that we left and we never do that, but we did have a baby with us and it was late. I would say it was along the same level as the bottle neck at MK between Small World and PP.

Our CM interactions were really great. My son's SO was walking around the big store in MK with a few items in her arms and a CM chased her down to give her a bag. We were getting a stein at a booth in Epcot for my son and there wasn't a place to pay at the booth. We asked the CM and she told us we had to go to the store in Germany (which we knew couldn't be since it was a special F&W item) but we did. The CM's there were totally perplexed, one went and asked the manager and they said nope so she walked with us to the booth and got the item and took it over to a cash register and waited until we paid to make sure everything was o.k. We got her name and put in a good word at GS for her. I upgraded my ticket to an AP at the IG at Epcot and the CM there was fast and very polite and very helpful. We were getting pictures printed at Epcot and the CM noticed the baby, after we had exited the store she came running out with a first visit button asking if she had one yet and when we told her no, took us back in the store to put her name on it and take a picture. I was walking around with the sleeping baby in the stroller while Mom and Dad rode RoTR and went to One Man's Dream to get some AC. The CM at the door told me I had to park the stroller and when I said never mind because the baby was asleep, she told me she didn't see me and to go on in. The baby woke up right when we got in and started crying so we left right away but I was very grateful to be able to get even a 30 sec. AC break. It was like that the entire trip, not a bad interaction the entire time.

We also had a great experience with guest services this week at the IG. My brother and SIL have a home in FL and both have FL licenses. They were picking up their FL tickets, and my SIL forgot her DL (both FL and the other state). She had the other necessary paperwork to prove residency. Since she had her health worker badge (non-photo unfortunately) and other items with her name, he “let it slide” and processed the ticket and let us go on our way. She could have hopped the skyliner back to Pop, and even offered to do so, but it saved us so much time, and we were so grateful. I made sure to write an email - leaving out the part about him bending the rules so as not to get him into trouble.

 

[Helvetica]

I had a pretty good morning at Magic Kingdom. I was there until Lunch and then went back to the Resort for a nap.

Today is my Remy preview day and so far I’m really enjoying the new area. The crepe was good and the ride is super cute. It’s probably my new favorite ride at Epcot. Hopefully the rest of the day is good.

 

[Helvetica]

Epcot really wasn’t that bad in the afternoon. I was able to get a walk up reservation for Coral Reef, ride everything in the park and it only took 14 minutes to get on the Skyliner.

I also may or may not have rode Remy 5 times during my DVC preview.



The breakfast at Toppolino’s was really good. It’s a shame that the COVID restrictions are still in effect, but it is what it is.

Today I’m going to Magic Kingdom.

 

[Carol_]

HS Thursday. Crowds pretty light. Got a BG at 1 after missing the 7, but it didn’t board until LATE. I think the whole thing worked! The CMs weren’t nearly as surly and I didn’t hate it, which was a big improvement for me. ABC Commissary was surprisingly very good, as well!
AK Friday. Crowds were light. Bird shows were awesome as usual. FOP was great as usual. Got stuck on safari ride (for about 20 mins?) as they towed out a ride vehicle ahead of us. Glad it wasn’t over the crocs. 1st time at Tusker House. Great food and service, great characters. Then we went to…
Epcot for Remy. Excellent ride. Would’ve liked a crêpe but we had to move on to…
Boo Bash! Rode Buzz, Astro Orbiter, SDMT, Splash Mountain, and watched 3 cavalcades waiting for the Cadaver Dans to serenade us home.

ADVICE: Never do all these things in one day. It was hard. We got a stroller from the start to help DS6 get through it, and he passed out just as the Dans were starting to sing at 11:45… but a 3 hour party that starts an hour after his (my) normal bedtime was too much. Not buying that again.
Also, now all I can think about is crêpes…
Oh, and overall the CMs have been fantastic all over the place. I’ve noticed a real improvement in the overall level of customer service since the reopening and I’m thrilled to be a DVC owner again.

*light crowd= no waits over 45 minutes and strangers aren’t standing close enough to sniff me at any time

 

[Nabas]

I am very confused. Last poster said it felt like no one was in WS. Immediately previous poster was at EPCOT on the very same day and said it felt like "pre Covid levels."

In the World Showcase, crowd level usually depends on the time of the day and the day of the week.

 

[VAtink]

Did Boo Bash again last night, was fun again but seemed more crowded than Tuesday, there were quite a few points where the pathways were elbow to elbow. Could have been we didn't do as good a job zigging while everyone else zagged as we did on Tuesday. We also noticed on Tuesday a lot of people camped out along the cavalcade route whereas last night a lot fewer were, so that may have also made it seem busier with more people moving around. Ride waits were a hair longer last night, only actual walk-on was Buzz the second time, but never waited more than about 5 minutes for the others.

Once again didn't get as many things done as we wanted, but there is just too much to do! We ended up riding Buzz x2, space, splash, thunder, pirates, and HM. Did a few photopass pictures, trying to avoid the ones with long lines this time, visited the characters, watched the cadaver Dan's, and did a bunch of trick or treating. They were even more stingy with the candy last night than on Tuesday, did two loops around the park stopping at all the treat trails and our bags are not even half full. Although a good number of treat trails were out of or almost out of candy when we got to them. They were refilling them, but just didn't seem fast enough.

Didn't stop to watch the cavalcades except for the last one of the night this time out in the hub. We watched it from the same area on Tuesday, and it was pretty empty then, but last night the area was a lot more crowded so we weren't able to get as good a viewing spot.

Overall a good night, glad we went twice to try to get everything done. I do hope if they do DAH events next year they bring back the low crowds from years past, I miss feeling like we had the park to ourselves and it was so much easier rushing from ride to ride when we didn't have to deal with the crowds.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

When did you introduce your kids to Beverly am I a bad parent if my toddler is inducted? Lol

 

[scrappinginontario]

When did you introduce your kids to Beverly am I a bad parent if my toddler is inducted? Lol

I introduced my daughter when she was a toddler. I’d say go for it!

 

[Sarahslay]

I am very confused. Last poster said it felt like no one was in WS. Immediately previous poster was at EPCOT on the very same day and said it felt like "pre Covid levels."

I always say that there can be two people in the same park having a very different experience. When I was there two weeks ago I was leaving Pandora heading towards the safari marveling at how low the crowds were (I walked on to FOP, ended up not waiting in line for a single thing that morning, literally didn't even stop moving to get on the truck for the safari), and walked by a lady complaining about how crowded it was because she happened to be heading in to Pandora at the same time as a bunch of other people. AK was pretty empty that day, I did everything I wanted to in about 2 hours or so, which included a 20 minute coffee/breakfast break between FOP and the safari, but here she was complaining that she had heard crowds were low and "OMG this is NOT low crowds at ALL, look how crowded this is!" . I was on a train on EE that was 3/4 empty, on a truck on Dinosaur by myself almost 2 hours after opening, didn't wait at all for FOP and got there after they opened up the gates it was amazing, so 2 people and 2 completely different points of view of the same exact park. I don't doubt if someone was in WS and got caught in a crowd that they thought it was packed all day, it's like that some times, and someone else gets there at just the right time and it's pretty empty.

 

[Sarahslay]

When did you introduce your kids to Beverly am I a bad parent if my toddler is inducted? Lol

I don't think it's mean at all to do that (or maybe I'm the villian lol), but I know a ton of tiny kids obsessed with lemons (I know I was) so drinking Beverly might not be that bad.

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

Booked a package last night. Left this morning and arrived at Disney after a 12 hour drive. We were going to stopover halfway but decided to press on and arrive a day early.

We tried getting a one night reservation online, but it wouldn’t show us any availability unless we put in a two night minimum. Called the reservation line and they said nothing was available anywhere tonight. Walked into AoA and they said they are able to find ‘holes’ in reservations and book single nights, so they did. They are not allowed to book any discounts, though.

We were originally supposed to come down in August, but had to cancel. We had pushed it to December, but wanted to come before the anniversary. The goal of this trip is to see Happily Ever After and Epcot Forever before they vanish. Also to try getting a boarding group for the first time before that process stops as well. Hoping the weather and crowds cooperate!

 

[lovethattink]

When did you introduce your kids to Beverly am I a bad parent if my toddler is inducted? Lol

We didn’t do it as a trick or anything like that. He saw us drinking it and making faces. And asked if he wanted to try it too?

 

[ThereYouSeeHer]

About 90 degrees here. Hot and humid, but the sky is cloudy, which is good. I didn’t think I would use the cool ties we brought, but they’ve been helpful.

Arrived at Disney Springs around noon, left at 2pm. Crush of people coming and going from lime garage, but not terrible once around walkways. Stores probably typical crowds. Put our name in the virtual queue for Gideon’s. Current callback estimate is 4 hours.

Waiting for Fantasia Golf right now. Half hour wait estimate, but we’re trying to beat potential rainstorms.