Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[grossmansr]

MK day, coming soon...

 

[yulilin3]

Hi All - This is my first post, though I have been lurking for a while. I'm looking for a little advice for a trip we have planned for December 18-23. (Please let me know if this isn't the right thread) Originally, we had a April 2020 trip planned that got canned due to COVID. As it currently stands, we have reservations with another family (4 adults, 2 kids ages 9 and 12) at Yacht Club, we have park reservations, and got good dining reservations. 4 of the 6 of us have never been to Disney. My son and I have. We are really struggling if we should reschedule again, mostly because of fears it won't be as magical as it otherwise might be due to COVID, especially for the first timers and because of the expected Christmas crowds (waits, plus safety fears). Does anyone have advice on how to best make the decision on whether to go or reschedule again?

Basically weigh the pros and cons
For many, pros would be the Disney atmosphere in general, favorite attractions and dining offers
Cons can be lack of nighttime shows, lack of character meet and greet and entertainment
For some they might feel masks to be a big deterrent and for others it's not a big deal.
Only you and your group can decide if it's worth it just have realistic expectations

 

[MuddyWaters]

Thank you! Are there any accurate crowd calendars out there that factor in the COVID situation?

 

[scrappinginontario]

A wheelchair greatly improved his MK day experience, even though he hated to admit that he needed it.

I was going to recommend a scooter for your next trip (preferrably post masks) so that your dad can more fully enjoy his trip. My dad has heart issues so we rent a scooter for him and it makes all the difference!

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Just got back from a short trip, 11/4 - 11/8, to celebrate DS turning 5. We only went to DHS and MK. We mostly took it easy and tried to enjoy the atmosphere. I definitely like the social distancing aspect of the parks. The lines feel much less claustrophobic and the walkways aren't as crowded as usual. Still, there are a lot more people than I would have expected, if not for this forum.

We are not rope droppers, but I was able to snag BG 33 from the comfort of my bed on Thursday Nov 5. We got to DHS around 11:30 am and took our time getting a stroller and walking around. We waiting in the SDD line for about 45 min for a posted 70 min wait. Then we did AS2, which was maybe a 15 min wait (thank goodness as this ride was my least favorite and reminded me or a bad carnival ride).

We went to SWGE next and as not much of a Star Wars fan I was honestly blown away by the land. They did an amazing job creating it. I kept checking the BG times, as it was almost 2 already and they were still on BG 28-30. My Dad was having trouble breathing in his mask because he has a heart condition and some cardiovascular issues (he's in his 70s) so he had to sit down and breathe in the relaxation station. This was when I really started getting annoyed with the masks. This may not be the place for debate, but let me just say that Covid is not the only thing that people die from. He's going to the doctor for a stress test this week and I'm worried for him. But I digress.

We went to grab a snack at Ronto Roasters and enjoyed the fresh air. The food... not so much. Maybe I had higher hopes? Finally it was time to ride RoTR at around 2:30 and let me tell you.... it was perfect! We got through without a hitch and it was every bit as amazing as I could have hoped. It literally was worth all the hassle and made the entire vacation.

Mama Melrose was next. It was fine but nothing to write home about. We just missed the 4:30 showing of the Frozen sing along but that was my fault for not paying closer attention to the time. Instead, we stood in line for almost the full 90 minutes for MMRR, suffocating through our masks. Dad gave up and pulled his down under his nose. We laughed that we should make a drinking game out of it. Every time a cast member told him to pull his mask up we could all do shots. Not really, obviously, but I said that to make him feel better. The rest of us kept them on properly of course, but you all really need to have sympathy for people with health conditions. Anyway, just as I was thinking maybe I made a mistake with MMRR, we made it though the line. And it was a hit! Ages 5-75 and all in between agreed it was so much fun! We wanted to ride again but eff that line.

So we scooted back to SWGE, without Dad, who needed to sit in the relaxation station again to breathe, so DS could build a droid for his birthday. Of course we had to build one for DD9 too. It was such a cute experience. Like build a bear for robots. The sun was setting over SWGE and the whole land transformed before our very eyes in the darkness. I wanted to linger but by this time it was creeping towards 7 and the park would be closing soon. The kids wanted to ride TSMM so we ran back and met Dad so we could get a final ride in. It was basically walk on at this point, which was great.

Afterwards we strolled through the park and enjoyed the atmosphere, which is the best at night. All in all, we didn't get a lot "done", but we did almost everything we wanted to and really enjoyed ourselves. We also learned that we needed a wheelchair for poor Dad, who about nearly passed out multiple times. A wheelchair greatly improved his MK day experience, even though he hated to admit that he needed it.

Did you see any characters around Toy Story Land & SWGE?

 

[sabrecmc]

We flew down Saturday morning for an overnight stay at Riviera just to spend the weekend at Galaxy's Edge. Had a fantastic time. We were able to ride everything over the 2 day visit, including RotR, which lives up to the hype. Overall, we had a great visit. The covid protocols were being enforced and most people seemed to be respectful. I was glad to see that. The new material for the Disney masks is way better and a lot cooler and more breathable.

We have a trip booked for June, and there were three things that gave me pause about the new protocols (note: I support the protocols and think Disney seemed to be doing a great job, these just made me think of summer): 1) no eating or drinking in line or while walking around. Some of those lines were long and I admit that I missed being able to just grab a snack or drink and walk around with it; 2) the long lines outside the main queue areas and often positioned in the sun. In summer, that would be particularly miserable to stand in; and 3) No shows (except Muppets), and we didn't do indoor restaurants, which meant very little sitting time. I didn't appreciate how much I needed those breaks where I got to sit down for decent amounts of time. Having a 1.5 hour dinner or sitting for 45 minutes at Indiana Jones really gives my legs a chance to recover.

These aren't dealbreakers, but it does give me some things to think about for the summer trip. With the news of the potential vaccine success, I'm wondering if it will make more sense to delay a bit longer before we go back for the big trip. Like I said, we had a great mini-trip. I'm so glad we went. It was wonderful to be back. Just a few things that I want to give consideration to as we look towards summer.

 

[yulilin3]

Did you see any characters around Toy Story Land & SWGE?

There are no characters at TSLand, you can only see them in the cavalcade. At SWGE you can see Rey, Vi Moradi, Chewbacca, First order troopers and Kylo Ren

 

[DisneyJColeMom]

Not sure what to call them but are there still “intro rooms” to rides? That space where sometimes they give you some background story or info, like the room that stretches in Haunted Mansion, or is there something like that in Flight of Passage too?

 

[Sarahslay]

We flew down Saturday morning for an overnight stay at Riviera just to spend the weekend at Galaxy's Edge. Had a fantastic time. We were able to ride everything over the 2 day visit, including RotR, which lives up to the hype. Overall, we had a great visit. The covid protocols were being enforced and most people seemed to be respectful. I was glad to see that. The new material for the Disney masks is way better and a lot cooler and more breathable.

We have a trip booked for June, and there were three things that gave me pause about the new protocols (note: I support the protocols and think Disney seemed to be doing a great job, these just made me think of summer): 1) no eating or drinking in line or while walking around. Some of those lines were long and I admit that I missed being able to just grab a snack or drink and walk around with it; 2) the long lines outside the main queue areas and often positioned in the sun. In summer, that would be particularly miserable to stand in; and 3) No shows (except Muppets), and we didn't do indoor restaurants, which meant very little sitting time. I didn't appreciate how much I needed those breaks where I got to sit down for decent amounts of time. Having a 1.5 hour dinner or sitting for 45 minutes at Indiana Jones really gives my legs a chance to recover.

These aren't dealbreakers, but it does give me some things to think about for the summer trip. With the news of the potential vaccine success, I'm wondering if it will make more sense to delay a bit longer before we go back for the big trip. Like I said, we had a great mini-trip. I'm so glad we went. It was wonderful to be back. Just a few things that I want to give consideration to as we look towards summer.

I went in August, with a feels like temp of 104 most days, and didn’t drink water in line and was fine. My main tip for this is to regularly just pull off to the side while walking around to take a drink, or find a place to sit at a relaxation station (or even just a bench) and drink more than a sip. I did this after getting off of MFSR (with a pretty long wait outside midday), and it was fine. This was obviously well before the no eating or drinking in line stuff, but I didn’t feel comfortable drinking in line so I didn’t. I did take advantage of snacks in relaxation stations though, they were super helpful for tired legs.

 

[olecow]

Not sure what to call them but are there still “intro rooms” to rides? That space where sometimes they give you some background story or info, like the room that stretches in Haunted Mansion, or is there something like that in Flight of Passage too?

You don't congregate in any of the waiting rooms. Your spaced 6 feet apart in line right up to the ride. For Haunted Mansion you just walk right through the "stretchy" room to the ride.

 

[yulilin3]

Not sure what to call them but are there still “intro rooms” to rides? That space where sometimes they give you some background story or info, like the room that stretches in Haunted Mansion, or is there something like that in Flight of Passage too?

that's called "pre show" FOP has a shrunken pre show now, HM you walk through, Dinosaur I believe you walk through, RnRC you walk through, basically most pre shows are not operating now

 

[underminer]

We are coming in Wednesday from AZ. How’s the rain in the park today? Looks like it’s going to be a wet week

 

[SheSingsAlong]

We cancelled our first family trip to Disney bc of Covid, it should have been in September for our son’s 7th birthday. Back in April, I moved it to April 2021 bc i thought a year out should be time enough for some normalcy. But 6 months have passed and things are still the same. And as annoying as it might be, we’re becoming adjusted to “covid life”, wearing masks and working around things being limited. I very much feel ready for a family vacation, and my insistence that I wouldn’t travel to Disney with mask-wearing, no fireworks, and no character meets is fading. So what is it like there now? Will it still be magical for my 7 year old? Will he at least see characters like Buzz & Woody & Star Wars characters? Should we just go & not postpone again if things havnt changed? Do you think its worth it to go if he wont have character interactions? I understand this is very subjective of course, Im looking for different view points. Thanks!

Just got back from a family trip - my daughter is 4. She had an AMAZING time. The character cavalcades were perfect for her short attention span :-D To a child, everything about Disney is magical. Masks honestly weren't a big issue. The CMs are all lovely. And it's so great being at Disney without feeling you are sardines in a can - so much personal space! I would not go in the heat of summer in masks, but I would for sure go in April.

 

[etapi]

that's called "pre show" FOP has a shrunken pre show now, HM you walk through, Dinosaur I believe you walk through, RnRC you walk through, basically most pre shows are not operating now

At FOP, we skipped the pre-show videos entirely one time and were held at the final video the second time. Dinosaur should be walk-through, but both times I rode recently it turned into a "sit through" when the ride broke down.

I think the only fully intact pre-show holding rooms are at ROTR and Soarin'. Maybe Mission Space and Star Tours also?

 

[Shellyred8]

Hi! How was the Sun Country flight as far as safety precautions went? We fly for Thanksgiving week. Our flight departs at 7am on a Friday and returns at 2 on Sunday after.

How was Terminal 2? We will plan to hit Starbucks

The planes were the cleanest that I've ever seen them! Everyone was wearing masks. The one downside is that they are selling the middle seats. One of our flights was probably 90% full, so that was a little uncomfortable. We had the exit row and no one was in the middle seat, so that made me feel a little better. Not all of the shops/food places are open, at least not for the early morning flights. Subway and Caribou Coffee were open. The Starbucks and the quick-serve food place right beside them weren't open when we were there. Not sure if they are open now or not.

 

[yulilin3]

At FOP, we skipped the pre-show videos entirely one time and were held at the final video the second time. Dinosaur should be walk-through, but both times I rode recently it turned into a "sit through" when the ride broke down.

I think the only fully intact pre-show holding rooms are at ROTR and Soarin'. Maybe Mission Space and Star Tours also?

Star tours i wouldn't call a pre show, same as soarin, it's just the safety spiel

 

[etapi]

Star tours i wouldn't call a pre show, same as soarin, it's just the safety spiel

True, but that Patrick Warburton safety spiel is still the best part of Soarin'.

 

[yulilin3]

True, but that Patrick Warburton safety spiel is still the best part of Soarin'.

100% agree, especially after the redo

 

[BridgetR3]

everyone waits goes through the regular lines, they were built to fit scooters so no separate entrance

I understand for most normal ride that this is how it would work but last trip for the Skyliner, DH had to ride in a special scooter cabin that would actually stop so that he could get on. I guess I was wondering if the lines distinguished between the types of cabins on the Skyliner needed. For example, are there separate lines for the regular skyliner cabins and the ones that stop completely?

 

[yulilin3]

I understand for most normal ride that this is how it would work but last trip for the Skyliner, DH had to ride in a special scooter cabin that would actually stop so that he could get on. I guess I was wondering if the lines distinguished between the types of cabins on the Skyliner needed. For example, are there separate lines for the regular skyliner cabins and the ones that stop completely?

I know of the stationary cabin, trying to remember if there's a separate queue for that one, I've seen scooters drive into the moving ones and they have been in the regular queue. Im sure there's video out there of it,