We spent the last week here, with 2 kids and a
DAS. The DAS made the trip manageable, but we spent less time in the parks than we normally do, due to the wait times. We have APs, so it’s not a big deal to hit the park for 2-3 hours and then head back for a swim.
We felt safer than expected- we commented that we wished the general public at home would be as tolerant of masks as people are here. We saw almost no one trying to skirt the rules.
Things I loved and hope to stick around post-pandemic: mobile ordering, online restaurant check in, orderliness of lines and assigned seats on transport. There is usually a cast member asking how many in your party and telling you exactly where to sit.
I missed park hopping more than expected. With shorter days in the parks, it would have been nice to hop to dinner in Epcot. I also really miss FP. I’m the target audience who will pay an up charge for FP, EMH, whatever they decide to offer. Our family just doesn’t do lines over 20 min, and it has never been a problem in the past with FP and rope dropping.
The park opening times are annoying, since they all “really” open 45 minutes or so prior to the posted time. We mostly drove to the parks, and the opening time for parking was a crapshoot. Like how are you supposed to know that HS opens at 10, but they will let you line up at maybe 9:00 or 9:15, depending on the day (it was actually 8:51 on Thursday). Or that the Epcot Skyliner starts at 9:50, even though the sign says it starts at 10:30. I just wish they would communicate this stuff more accurately. It took a lot more strategy to get to the parks than usual, but that’s because we like to rope drop.
Overall, we had a lot more fun than expected and are planning to return soon. I just hope they find a way to address the wait times, because that is the biggest deterrent right now for our family. It feels like they’ve reached a tipping point.