Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[disneygirlsng]

So I had heard that when getting a boarding group that your party is automatically checked or addEd for you now(a recent change)..... that u no longer have to go in and check each one..... I’m guessing maybe they can only do that once you enter the park because I tried it this morning from home and I still had to check everyone from my current reservation

It automatically checks anyone in your MDE who has entered the park that day, so yes, you would have to be in the park to see that.

 

[lap1072]

Curious if anyone had this experience...... MK last week in Tomorrowland my sister and I were sitting on a bench with no one close by, drinking a coffee. CM comes over asking if everything is ok. We say yes everything is great. She said, I asked because you are supposed to have a face covering on unless actively eating or drinking. With a coffee in my hand, I said yes I know but we are drinking a coffee. She said you have to be actively drinking. I just smiled and said ok, sorry. But ??? We were a little confused by that one lol

 

[Kimpossible1]

Curious if anyone had this experience...... MK last week in Tomorrowland my sister and I were sitting on a bench with no one close by, drinking a coffee. CM comes over asking if everything is ok. We say yes everything is great. She said, I asked because you are supposed to have a face covering on unless actively eating or drinking. With a coffee in my hand, I said yes I know but we are drinking a coffee. She said you have to be actively drinking. I just smiled and said ok, sorry. But ??? We were a little confused by that one lol

Most people will move their mask and take a drink and replace the mask. If you were sitting there without a mask and holding a coffee then I can understand how a CM would ask you to replace your mask. Some people just hold a drink so they do not have to have their mask up. The CM's are trying very hard to do the right thing.

 

[yulilin3]

Curious if anyone had this experience...... MK last week in Tomorrowland my sister and I were sitting on a bench with no one close by, drinking a coffee. CM comes over asking if everything is ok. We say yes everything is great. She said, I asked because you are supposed to have a face covering on unless actively eating or drinking. With a coffee in my hand, I said yes I know but we are drinking a coffee. She said you have to be actively drinking. I just smiled and said ok, sorry. But ??? We were a little confused by that one lol

if you want to enjoy a beverage while sitting then I would suggest to go to an outdoor restaurant sitting area or a relaxation station

 

[GusGusTheMouse]

Curious if anyone had this experience...... MK last week in Tomorrowland my sister and I were sitting on a bench with no one close by, drinking a coffee. CM comes over asking if everything is ok. We say yes everything is great. She said, I asked because you are supposed to have a face covering on unless actively eating or drinking. With a coffee in my hand, I said yes I know but we are drinking a coffee. She said you have to be actively drinking. I just smiled and said ok, sorry. But ??? We were a little confused by that one lol

We did not have this happen to us but we tried to stay actively drinking or eating when we found a bench with masks off. I would say the overwhelming amount of people sitting on the edges (Benches, fences, pulled to the side of sidewalks) were eating and drinking but not always actively. I personally think it would be giving guests too much credit to say most take a sip and then put their mask back on, that is nowhere close to what I saw personally. Did I see that happen? Yes, but I also saw just as many people with masks off with just food and drink in hand and I was in the parks for 10+ days.

 

[lap1072]

Oh I’m all for the masks and had no problem wearing them while there. I obviously misunderstood the eating or drinking while stationary and away from people rule.

 

[PrincessV]

Adding my just back thoughts...

Background: I'm local-ish: about 100 miles from WDW, so a 1.5-2 hour drive. I do day trips, overnights, and multi-day trips throughout the year. I kept my AP with the extended expiration and was planning a day or two to try it out with the lower crowds. When I was able to snag an incredibly discounted DVC Poly studio rental rate, I booked it a couple weeks out for Aug. 24-26 - M, T, W weekdays. With Hurricane Laura looming, I didn't make my final park day selections until the morning of the 24th. I made no dining reservations. My county has a mask ordinance in place, but I've been working form home, so until getting to WDW, I'd only ever worn a mask for the 30 minutes it took for me to get groceries once a week.

Comfort level - I went in with these personal rules:
No indoor dining
No indoor shows
No queues or rides longer than about 15 minutes
Generally keep indoor time to a minimum
No buses, no monorail
Take it easy, do what felt comfortable, leave any situation that didn't feel okay

How it went...

Resort (Poly Villas): Excellent!! With half the resort closed, it was very quiet, very relaxing, and VERY easy to socially distance.
Shops - I bought a mug and some milk - I was the only non-CM in each shop.
Food - I mobile ordered lunch two days from Capt Cooks, both times around 12pm. Each time, I ordered and immediately hit "I'm here", and each time my order was ready in about 5 minutes. It was waiting for me in a to-go container inside a brown bag. Condiments were packaged for grab & go.
Pools/Beach - I spent a couple hours at the Oasis pool, roughly from about 12-3pm Mon, and 10a-12p Tues. At its quietest, I was alone out there, and at its busiest there were two other families. PLENTY of room for everyone to stay far from each other. Volcano pool looked busier, but still had adequate room for all who were there. The beach was empty; I had the entire stretch to myself to watch the sun set for an hour. Music was playing everywhere. It was bliss!

Parks:
Monday 8/24, EP - around 4:30-8:30pm
I drove and was parked waaay far up in Journey - I don't think I've ever been that close! They did have parking attendant directing cars.
Took metal water bottle and umbrella out for security. No lines for security or entry.
Got food from a few booths - contactless payment via Disney Visa Rewards card at all but Italy, which required giving my card to a CM to swipe.
Only rode Nemo, which was a walk-on, and stopped inside to briefly watch dolphins and manatees.
Most rides showed a 5-min wait, but I wasn't there for rides.
Crowds were nonexistent; TONS of room for personal space. I spent my time snapping photos with no people in them, noticing details I haven't seen in ages, and sitting in various spots for a while, just enjoying the ambient music and lovely breeze.
While walking, I moved myself to give more space from others at times, but I'm comfortable with passing by someone for a second or two, so it was minimal.
Had no trouble at all finding spots in the shade to sit at a distance to eat or drink.
Mask compliance was just shy of 100% - I saw one nose-peeper and one person drinking maskless while walking. That was it.

Tuesday 8/25, MK - around 3-6:30pm
Walked to TTC and took ferry to MK - one of only 3 parties on the ferry and the only person on the top deck. Some benches had an end not marked "No Sitting", so I sat on one... and was told to get up because there's no sitting allowed anywhere on the ferry due to COVID. I don't follow the logic there, but I complied. Returning later, every bench had people sitting and nothing was said, so I don't know what that was about.
Walked on to: Buzz, Space, Under the Sea, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, and Treehouse. Splash and BTMRR were posted as 30-mins. Everything else was walk-on - I just wasn't interested in doing more. Mobile ordered from Pecos Bills and it was ready in 5 mins - I took it out to a table in the shade with nobody near me to eat.
MK felt a bit more people-y than EP, but there was still plenty of room to distance oneself. I did have to use a bit more effort to give myself space while moving around, but had no trouble finding spots to sit in the shade away from others to eat or drink.
Saw a couple nose-peepers, but far enough away to not matter and that was it.
ETA: the one place I wasn't comfortable was the Emporium on Main St. NOBODY was attempting to social distance in there! I grabbed the coupe things I wanted to buy, paid, and got out quickly.

Wednesday 8/26, AK - 10am-1pm
Drove myself.
Walked on Safari and EE. Strolled through Gorilla Falls and Maharajah Jungle. Heard a few gentle reminders from CMs on the trails for Guests to keep their distance when gathered to look at gorillas and tigers - Guests readily complied.
Ate at Yak & Yeti Local Foods - no mobile order there, so I placed my order the old fashioned way, but with plexiglass between me and the CM.
Very little crowdedness anywhere.
Saw more droopy masks here than the other parks - Heat Index was approaching 112, so maybe sweat makes some masks droop and hang? It didn't look comfy.

Overall takeaways:
It was one of the best visits I've had in 15+ years!! I came to love WDW back in the 90s, when low crowds, some things closed, not having fireworks or parades every day, no FastPass was the norm, and this felt very much like those days again. No backtracking or criss-crossing parks to do rides: I just circled through each park, stopping at things I wanted to do as I got to them.

Wearing a mask was a non-issue. I had a pile of Vera Bradley ones and Hanes - all cotton; I found the Vera ones a bit more comfortable in the worst of the heat, but both were soft, easy to breathe in, and did not bother my skin or ears at all. I changed to a fresh mask after eating, so I used 2-3 masks per day.

With no rain all three days, temps were HIGH: heat indexes well over 100. I'm acclimated to it, I drank plenty of fluids, stuck to the shade when I could, and used an umbrella when I couldn't.

I was amazed by how clean were the parks! Not just in terms of pandemic hygiene - but no overflowing trash cans, CMs constantly picking up litter. The standards WDW used to hold itself to all the time.

I found most CMs happy to chat and appreciative of some kind words. it was nice to see them looking relaxed and not stressed by the demands of trying to manage hoards of humans.

I felt very, very safe at WDW and will absolutely go back for more. I'm sure going on weekdays helped with that; I'm not sure I'm up to a weekend visit yet.

 

[PrincessV]

Purely based off observation and assumption, so could be totally off, I would say at least half of the people who I've seen who have their nose hanging out of the mask just look like their mask is too big.

Yep, I share your observation, and will add that some seemed too small to wear properly, too. Saw a few men with full beards whose masks didn't go down under their beards.

 

[maryj11]

Adding my just back thoughts...

Background: I'm local-ish: about 100 miles from WDW, so a 1.5-2 hour drive. I do day trips, overnights, and multi-day trips throughout the year. I kept my AP with the extended expiration and was planning a day or two to try it out with the lower crowds. When I was able to snag an incredibly discounted DVC Poly studio rental rate, I booked it a couple weeks out for Aug. 24-26 - M, T, W weekdays. With Hurricane Laura looming, I didn't make my final park day selections until the morning of the 24th. I made no dining reservations. My county has a mask ordinance in place, but I've been working form home, so until getting to WDW, I'd only ever worn a mask for the 30 minutes it took for me to get groceries once a week.

Comfort level - I went in with these personal rules:
No indoor dining
No indoor shows
No queues or rides longer than about 15 minutes
Generally keep indoor time to a minimum
No buses, no monorail
Take it easy, do what felt comfortable, leave any situation that didn't feel okay

How it went...

Resort (Poly Villas): Excellent!! With half the resort closed, it was very quiet, very relaxing, and VERY easy to socially distance.
Shops - I bought a mug and some milk - I was the only non-CM in each shop.
Food - I mobile ordered lunch two days from Capt Cooks, both times around 12pm. Each time, I ordered and immediately hit "I'm here", and each time my order was ready in about 5 minutes. It was waiting for me in a to-go container inside a brown bag. Condiments were packaged for grab & go.
Pools/Beach - I spent a couple hours at the Oasis pool, roughly from about 12-3pm Mon, and 10a-12p Tues. At its quietest, I was alone out there, and at its busiest there were two other families. PLENTY of room for everyone to stay far from each other. Volcano pool looked busier, but still had adequate room for all who were there. The beach was empty; I had the entire stretch to myself to watch the sun set for an hour. Music was playing everywhere. It was bliss!

Parks:
Monday 8/24, EP - around 4:30-8:30pm
I drove and was parked waaay far up in Journey - I don't think I've ever been that close! They did have parking attendant directing cars.
Took metal water bottle and umbrella out for security. No lines for security or entry.
Got food from a few booths - contactless payment via Disney Visa Rewards card at all but Italy, which required giving my card to a CM to swipe.
Only rode Nemo, which was a walk-on, and stopped inside to briefly watch dolphins and manatees.
Most rides showed a 5-min wait, but I wasn't there for rides.
Crowds were nonexistent; TONS of room for personal space. I spent my time snapping photos with no people in them, noticing details I haven't seen in ages, and sitting in various spots for a while, just enjoying the ambient music and lovely breeze.
While walking, I moved myself to give more space from others at times, but I'm comfortable with passing by someone for a second or two, so it was minimal.
Had no trouble at all finding spots in the shade to sit at a distance to eat or drink.
Mask compliance was just shy of 100% - I saw one nose-peeper and one person drinking maskless while walking. That was it.

Tuesday 8/25, MK - around 3-6:30pm
Walked to TTC and took ferry to MK - one of only 3 parties on the ferry and the only person on the top deck. Some benches had an end not marked "No Sitting", so I sat on one... and was told to get up because there's no sitting allowed anywhere on the ferry due to COVID. I don't follow the logic there, but I complied. Returning later, every bench had people sitting and nothing was said, so I don't know what that was about.
Walked on to: Buzz, Space, Under the Sea, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, and Treehouse. Splash and BTMRR were posted as 30-mins. Everything else was walk-on - I just wasn't interested in doing more. Mobile ordered from Pecos Bills and it was ready in 5 mins - I took it out to a table in the shade with nobody near me to eat.
MK felt a bit more people-y than EP, but there was still plenty of room to distance oneself. I did have to use a bit more effort to give myself space while moving around, but had no trouble finding spots to sit in the shade away from others to eat or drink.
Saw a couple nose-peepers, but far enough away to not matter and that was it.
ETA: the one place I wasn't comfortable was the Emporium on Main St. NOBODY was attempting to social distance in there! I grabbed the coupe things I wanted to buy, paid, and got out quickly.

Wednesday 8/26, AK - 10am-1pm
Drove myself.
Walked on Safari and EE. Strolled through Gorilla Falls and Maharajah Jungle. Heard a few gentle reminders from CMs on the trails for Guests to keep their distance when gathered to look at gorillas and tigers - Guests readily complied.
Ate at Yak & Yeti Local Foods - no mobile order there, so I placed my order the old fashioned way, but with plexiglass between me and the CM.
Very little crowdedness anywhere.
Saw more droopy masks here than the other parks - Heat Index was approaching 112, so maybe sweat makes some masks droop and hang? It didn't look comfy.

Overall takeaways:
It was one of the best visits I've had in 15+ years!! I came to love WDW back in the 90s, when low crowds, some things closed, not having fireworks or parades every day, no FastPass was the norm, and this felt very much like those days again. No backtracking or criss-crossing parks to do rides: I just circled through each park, stopping at things I wanted to do as I got to them.

Wearing a mask was a non-issue. I had a pile of Vera Bradley ones and Hanes - all cotton; I found the Vera ones a bit more comfortable in the worst of the heat, but both were soft, easy to breathe in, and did not bother my skin or ears at all. I changed to a fresh mask after eating, so I used 2-3 masks per day.

With no rain all three days, temps were HIGH: heat indexes well over 100. I'm acclimated to it, I drank plenty of fluids, stuck to the shade when I could, and used an umbrella when I couldn't.

I was amazed by how clean were the parks! Not just in terms of pandemic hygiene - but no overflowing trash cans, CMs constantly picking up litter. The standards WDW used to hold itself to all the time.

I found most CMs happy to chat and appreciative of some kind words. it was nice to see them looking relaxed and not stressed by the demands of trying to manage hoards of humans.

I felt very, very safe at WDW and will absolutely go back for more. I'm sure going on weekdays helped with that; I'm not sure I'm up to a weekend visit yet.

Which type of Vera Bradley mask did you have? I see they have pleated with straps behind the head and others with straps behind the ears.

 

[PrincessV]

Which type of Vera Bradley mask did you have? I see they have pleated with straps behind the head and others with straps behind the ears.

I have the no-pleats, around the ears type. It has a pocket for a filter, and I use a 4-cup size coffee filter folded in half in there. IDK if the filter really does much about transmission, but it does lend some stability to the fabric, which I find more comfortable than not having anything in there.

 

[momimouse27]

Hearing you guys talk about the lack of QS in the parks. How do I find out what the limited menus are at each place? I have googled but only get the normal menu items. I have an autistic, picky teen whose diet is pretty much pizza, nuggets(NOT the kid kind-the strips), spaghetti and fries.

 

[yulilin3]

Hearing you guys talk about the lack of QS in the parks. How do I find out what the limited menus are at each place? I have googled but only get the normal menu items. I have an autistic, picky teen whose diet is pretty much pizza, nuggets(NOT the kid kind-the strips), spaghetti and fries.

Go on the app. To the restaurant you want and check the menu

 

[momimouse27]

*Sigh* Duh...I can't believe I didn't do that. I think 2020 is affecting my brain...

BTW, I will say I am not mobile order savvy. I have never once used mobile order in WDW. Our last trip was 2 1/2 years ago, and I never had the need at the time. Looks like I better learn.

 

[yulilin3]

*Sigh* Duh...I can't believe I didn't do that. I think 2020 is affecting my brain...

BTW, I will say I am not mobile order savvy. I have never once used mobile order in WDW. Our last trip was 2 1/2 years ago, and I never had the need at the time. Looks like I better learn.

You can go to the app, the restaurant and click order food.
You pick a pick up time, then the items you want. Pay with your linked credit card and when you're at the restaurant you just click "make my order"

 

[Akck]

You can practice now by starting an order now. Just don’t finish it. Add a few items to an order and then back out of it. The worse thing that might happen is when you’re in the park, your practice order pops up and you have to delete what you don’t want. The likely case is the app forgets your order when you back out of it.

 

[maryj11]

I have the no-pleats, around the ears type. It has a pocket for a filter, and I use a 4-cup size coffee filter folded in half in there. IDK if the filter really does much about transmission, but it does lend some stability to the fabric, which I find more comfortable than not having anything in there.

Ok thank you! I have some Hanes mask and they are comfortable. I might get a few of those to.

 

[Princesspixi]

Just back from a quick weekend trip.
MK on Saturday the 22
HS on Sunday the 23
AK on Monday the 24, only rode FOP. Was offered to get back in line to ride again but I couldn’t.

It was a little crowded, but manageable. Overall I felt everyone was respectful of each other and the rules. There were people who took their masks off or temporarily down, but put them right back. CM were also giving out reminders. I never saw anyone blatantly disregarding the rules.

The ground markers were confusing and took time to get used to. I would wait on mine until the group Infront of me got to their next one then move. I only had to give one lady a mean look cause she was literally standing with my group. She backed up.

I’m my experience wait times were less than what was posted every time. Except Mine train. Less than 10 minutes for Space Mountain both times I rode it and I would have walked in FOP if people weren’t taking pictures.

Everyone seemed really happy to be there. Both cast members and guests. In my 3 days I only saw 1 break down/tantrum

Mickey and Minnie Railroad is great! We got in line at 9:35 it said a 35 min which was perfect for getting a boarding group! Well it went faster, much faster and we were boarding at 9:55. I set a timer for 9:58 to get logged into my phone and ready. We missed the entire last scene waiting to hit join. When it stopped to get off it showed me the confirmation I got one. I didn’t practice, I used WiFi, and all members of my party were already selected. We got boarding group 4, but it wasn’t boarding yet. So, we went to ride Smugglers Run. By the time we got off our group was boarding.
Now, my family is not a fan of Star Wars so this could be why, but we weren’t impressed. Not at all. Until the demand calms down it was probably a one and done for us. We also got a lunch reservation at Ogas so we could get out of the heat and check it out. It was really fun! The drinks were tasty as was the ration (big Jell-O shot)

I put a camel back bladder in my park bag. It was great! I kept it full and was able to drink without taking off my mask.

The pool area of our hotel (Kidani Village) was pretty crowded. I was also disappointed with the lack of food options. We made it work and it wasn’t an issue, but it could complicate your stay.

Masks made it hard to hear. So be sure to listen closely.

I think going with minimal expectations is the way to go. Just go with the flow and plan the day as you go. I was able to ride everything at MK and HS with the exception of 6 rides, 3 of which were down. The other 3 I just didn’t do. I had no plan or expectation except have a relaxing day at the park, ride what I could, and Mickey and Minnie was a priority
Let me know if I can answer any questions.

 

[cjlong88]

We arrived in Orlando around 12:15 am today. Walked down to the car rentals and waited in line. We noticed that every time someone would go up to the counter, they would suddenly get angry. What the hell was going on?!

We wait about an hour before it’s our turn. I walk up, and I can just tell that the woman working the counter is over it. I say hello and decide that whatever is causing others to get angry, I’m just gonna let it roll off my back.

I ask her how she’s doing, and she says she has been better. I ask if everything is okay. And she says, “Well, I got to work this evening and there were no rental cars in the garage.” Like, zero. So...instead of giving out cars, she was giving out the only thing she could, which was 15-person passenger vans.

Maybe it was lack of sleep or the stress I felt from flying during COVID, but all I did was laugh. I told her that as long as it worked and had all four wheels, we will take it. Those poor humans behind us had no clue what was waiting for them.

We get to the garage and see the thing. It’s gigantic. My partner and I cannot believe it. It’s the strangest way a Disney trip has ever started. If this is a sign of things to come, I cannot wait to report back. The entire van ride to the hotel was spent talking about how we should trick out the van and start a competing Lyft service around Disney. I’m talking TV, mini bar, snacks. Concierge service for those who pay extra per mile, which includes a bathrobe, complimentary Mickey Bars, and free WiFi.

Partner is working on his computer this morning, and we will be heading to Epcot sometime around 2ish. Can’t wait to eat and drink all of the things.

 

[NC State]

We arrived in Orlando around 12:15 am today. Walked down to the car rentals and waited in line. We noticed that every time someone would go up to the counter, they would suddenly get angry. What the hell was going on?!

We wait about an hour before it’s our turn. I walk up, and I can just tell that the woman working the counter is over it. I say hello and decide that whatever is causing others to get angry, I’m just gonna let it roll off my back.

I ask her how she’s doing, and she says she has been better. I say is everything okay? And she says, “Well, I got to work this evening and there were no rental cars in the garage.” Like, zero. So...instead of giving out cars, she was giving out the only thing she could, which was 15-person passenger vans.

Maybe it was lack of sleep or the stress I felt from flying during COVID, but all I did was laugh. I told her that as long as it worked and had all four wheels, we will take it. Those poor humans behind us had no clue what was waiting for them.

We get to the garage and see the thing. It’s gigantic. My partner and I cannot believe it. It’s the strangest way a Disney trip has ever started. If this is a sign of things to come, I cannot wait to report back. The entire van ride to the hotel was spent talking about how we should trick out the van and start a competing Lyft service around Disney. I’m talking TV, mini bar, snacks. Concierge service for those who pay extra per mile, which includes a bathrobe, complimentary Mickey Bars, and free WiFi.

Partner is working on his computer this morning, and we will be heading to Epcot sometime around 2ish. Can’t wait to eat and drink all of the things.

View attachment 522247

I'm sure you made her feel better just being nice about it.

 

[yulilin3]

@cjlong88 thanks for not getting angry and with attitude. Everyone working in the service industry is having very rough shifts, I bet you didn't have driving a 15 person van at Disney in your bingo card for 2020?