Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[ENJDisneyFan]

Has anyone who has recently gone have been able to change park reservations close to travel or while there? We are going next week, been watching the weather, and starting to get a little concerned. I’d like to switch around some park reservation days but of course there’s no availability to do that right now. Looks like it will be down pouring on us in MK if it stays this way.

I've heard that some people have been able to change the morning of. Definitely worth it to keep trying. However, I wouldn't count on weather reports being accurate a week in advance.

 

[gometros]

Has anyone with an Apple Watch who has been recently used the new Magic Mobile successfully? I found an article recently that seems like it can do almost everything as a magic band, so was wondering if it works pretty smoothly or if there are occasional hiccups. Took a while to get it setup on my watch (had to unpair, install IOS update first) but now that I have it I'm not sure if I should also get a $5 magic band for my trip this summer just in case. I haven't been to Disney World since 2016 so I was planning on replacing my old magic band before they rolled out MagicMobile.

My daughter has one and we're here now. It did not work on our room door. We have not gone to a park yet, so I don't know about that yet.

 

[Rick195275]

Has anyone who has recently gone have been able to change park reservations close to travel or while there? We are going next week, been watching the weather, and starting to get a little concerned. I’d like to switch around some park reservation days but of course there’s no availability to do that right now. Looks like it will be down pouring on us in MK if it stays this way.

The size of your party will have a big impact on this too I would think. I was able to grab 2 Hollywood studios days morning of a couple days ago. The problem being to switch you need to cancel the reservations you have and you might get stuck with nothing. Really wish it was like the fastpass reservations where it had a “modify” option...

 

[Leigh L]

The size of your party will have a big impact on this too I would think. I was able to grab 2 Hollywood studios days morning of a couple days ago. The problem being to switch you need to cancel the reservations you have and you might get stuck with nothing. Really wish it was like the fastpass reservations where it had a “modify” option...

This is totally at the top of my Disney IT wish list! Changing parks on the fly never used to be an issue but sure seems like it is now.

 

[DMLAINI]

I know airline check in at the resorts are closed. Is there a way to print our boarding passes at the resort or will we need to at the airport?

 

[OKWFan88]

Has anyone who has recently gone have been able to change park reservations close to travel or while there? We are going next week, been watching the weather, and starting to get a little concerned. I’d like to switch around some park reservation days but of course there’s no availability to do that right now. Looks like it will be down pouring on us in MK if it stays this way.

Here now and out of the six days we’ve been here we’ve had no problem changing parks a day before (done it twice). Now, we went from HS to either MK or AK. The calendar said there was no availability but we took a chance and it allowed the change.

 

[subtchr]

I know airline check in at the resorts are closed. Is there a way to print our boarding passes at the resort or will we need to at the airport?

We didn’t ask, because we just use the boarding passes on our phones. I imagine the concierge desk would do it if you really need them.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Monday 4/5
Flew into MCO. Flight was great, and DME worked perfectly as intended. Note - the Magic of Disney store in MCO was closed. This surprised us, since the Universal one across the concourse was open.

I really appreciated this entire post and all the info, and congrats on getting on ROTR twice!
I have to ask, I thought the store was open again?

 

[1GoldenSun]

Been here since 04/09… only complaint is that people clearly do not know how to follow the social distancing markers. So many people right behind me for all rides. I hate it!

I carry a UV protectant umbrella. It really helps me keep cool and prevents sunburn, but I've also found that it's a great "weapon" against encroachers. If someone behind you is maskless or too close, you can angle the umbrella in a way that both discourages them from getting too close and (hopefully) protects you a little from any sneezes, etc., sort of like a face shield. You can angle that umbrella any way you need to, based on the location of the maskless person. If they're in front of you or beside you you can just turn your body to the side and hold the umbrella to the side that shields you from that person. Of course, there's not much you can do if you've got people from more than one side not wearing a mask or getting too close.

Most lines are roomy enough now that you can even do this in inside lines. I may get some funny looks, but no CM has told me to fold my umbrella. Maybe they think I really have extremely light-sensitive skin!

 

[DMLAINI]

I carry a UV protectant umbrella. It really helps me keep cool and prevents sunburn, but I've also found that it's a great "weapon" against encroachers. If someone behind you is maskless or too close, you can angle the umbrella in a way that both discourages them from getting too close and (hopefully) protects you a little from any sneezes, etc., sort of like a face shield. You can angle that umbrella any way you need to, based on the location of the maskless person. If they're in front of you or beside you you can just turn your body to the side and hold the umbrella to the side that shields you from that person. Of course, there's not much you can do if you've got people from more than one side not wearing a mask or getting too close.

Most lines are roomy enough now that you can even do this in inside lines. I may get some funny looks, but no CM has told me to fold my umbrella. Maybe they think I really have extremely light-sensitive skin!

We have uv umbrellas & planned on using them for the same reasons too..lol

 

[hereforthechurros]

I really appreciated this entire post and all the info, and congrats on getting on ROTR twice!
I have to ask, I thought the store was open again?

It was open at one point, around the holidays maybe? But it was closed in February as well and from recent reports has remained closed.

 

[Haley R]

I carry a UV protectant umbrella. It really helps me keep cool and prevents sunburn, but I've also found that it's a great "weapon" against encroachers. If someone behind you is maskless or too close, you can angle the umbrella in a way that both discourages them from getting too close and (hopefully) protects you a little from any sneezes, etc., sort of like a face shield. You can angle that umbrella any way you need to, based on the location of the maskless person. If they're in front of you or beside you you can just turn your body to the side and hold the umbrella to the side that shields you from that person. Of course, there's not much you can do if you've got people from more than one side not wearing a mask or getting too close.

Most lines are roomy enough now that you can even do this in inside lines. I may get some funny looks, but no CM has told me to fold my umbrella. Maybe they think I really have extremely light-sensitive skin!

That’s a great idea about the umbrella! I didn’t think to do that. Dh and I are fully vaccinated but will have ds (12 months) with us that we have to worry about. I’m not planning on standing in any lines really because we’ll mostly just be there for rope drop but it’s good to have in case

 

[Mellymc]

We were there April 6th-13th. Stayed at Yacht Club and loved it! We spent six days in the parks, 2 at MK, 2 at HS, 1 Epcot and 1 at AK. Overall we had a great trip. Some things we noticed. Mask compliance was overall very good. Social distancing was hot or miss. Most people followed the markers in lines. We had one instance where the family behind us was literally so close they were touching our backpack. After a few glances I finally asked the. To respect our space. The father was extremely nasty and said”sorry I didn’t bring my tape measure so I could stay 20 feet away”. Well that didn’t go over well with me so I told him what I thought of that. When we were boarding the ride I asked the CM if we could not be seated with them. Other than that we had no issues. I was extremely pleased with the compliance. We never felt unsafe.
Like previous posters we found the wait times to be not as long as posted. We were able to ride everything we wanted and scored a boarding group on both of our HS days. We rode the same day as a previous poster who said they skipped the pre show. We had the exact thing as well. We would not have known any different if we hadn’t rode several days later. The pre show makes the ride. So glad we were able to experience it the second time. We were so happy to be back and though the park is different we were able to still enjoy it and feel the Disney magic.

 

[lovethattink]

We are traveling in July (I know crazy sweltering heat) and I was curious how the crowds are now??? Did they lift the 35% capacity limits?? How were the lines, considering there are no FP?? Thanks for all of your feedback.

Crowd capacity is the same, 35%. And many days reservations have been full, but people were still able to park hop. Lines are long, plan on walking double the miles due to crazy long queues. Those lines can be deceiving and wait time usually isn’t nearly as long as you’d think. The heat and sun are brutal, and you’ll be spending a lot more time in lines in the sun. Last summer they added umbrellas to the outdoor queues, but I haven’t seen those umbrellas out in months.

I recently was talking to a friend who’s in the know. According to what they’ve been told there are no plans in the works to change anything this year. Not sure what 2022 will bring.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Last summer they added umbrellas to the outdoor queues, but I haven’t seen those umbrellas out in months.

2 weeks ago the umbrellas were out for MMRR and SDD queues.

 

[PrincessV]

I carry a UV protectant umbrella. It really helps me keep cool and prevents sunburn, but I've also found that it's a great "weapon" against encroachers.

I'll second this. I always carry an umbrella in my bag (Floridian - I like to be prepared!) and have used it for sun/heat protection at WDW for decades. And yep, discovered during the pandemic it works REALLY well for keeping people a safe distance from me, too! Mine's tiny and in theory would only give me about a 2' radius of distance from others, but people seem to be scared enough of getting poked that they actually give me at least 4' or more, lol!

 

[dizgirl74]

Crowd capacity is the same, 35%. And many days reservations have been full, but people were still able to park hop. Lines are long, plan on walking double the miles due to crazy long queues. Those lines can be deceiving and wait time usually isn’t nearly as long as you’d think. The heat and sun are brutal, and you’ll be spending a lot more time in lines in the sun. Last summer they added umbrellas to the outdoor queues, but I haven’t seen those umbrellas out in months.

I recently was talking to a friend who’s in the know. According to what they’ve been told there are no plans in the works to change anything this year. Not sure what 2022 will bring.

 

[lynzi2004]

FWIW, we were there last August and got a BG for ROTR for the first time. I had specifically avoided all spoilers bc I wanted to be surprised. They were having trouble with the ride that day and after standing in the queue for nearly an hour, they decided to evacuate the ride. Right before we stepped outside, they got it working again and ushered us through a side door and into the storm trooper room. I’m not going to give any spoilers here but DH and I were completely confused as to what was happening. We did the ride and as we exited I called my sis and was telling her how confused I was and after a couple of questions about some scenes she told me we had missed half the preshows. I went to a CM at the front of the ride and explained what happened. He quickly escorted us through the FP lane and we got to experience ALL of the attraction....so much better! So YMMV, but if part of the ride isn’t working properly, make sure you talk to a CM before leaving disappointed. Things happen that can’t be controlled, but it never hurts to ask!

 

[dizgirl74]

Crowd capacity is the same, 35%. And many days reservations have been full, but people were still able to park hop. Lines are long, plan on walking double the miles due to crazy long queues. Those lines can be deceiving and wait time usually isn’t nearly as long as you’d think. The heat and sun are brutal, and you’ll be spending a lot more time in lines in the sun. Last summer they added umbrellas to the outdoor queues, but I haven’t seen those umbrellas out in months.

I recently was talking to a friend who’s in the know. According to what they’ve been told there are no plans in the works to change anything this year. Not sure what 2022 will bring.

Awesome, thank you so much for your post. I am hoping you are correct. Summer is the only time we can get there this year, and dealing with regular summer crowds, social distancing, masks, lack of other park things to do aside from rides, I think will be beyond crazy. Let's hope they continue to keep crowd control at bay, until the COVID restrictions are lifted.

 

[hereforthechurros]

We were there April 6th-13th. Stayed at Yacht Club and loved it! We spent six days in the parks, 2 at MK, 2 at HS, 1 Epcot and 1 at AK. Overall we had a great trip. Some things we noticed. Mask compliance was overall very good. Social distancing was hot or miss. Most people followed the markers in lines. We had one instance where the family behind us was literally so close they were touching our backpack. After a few glances I finally asked the. To respect our space. The father was extremely nasty and said”sorry I didn’t bring my tape measure so I could stay 20 feet away”. Well that didn’t go over well with me so I told him what I thought of that. When we were boarding the ride I asked the CM if we could not be seated with them. Other than that we had no issues. I was extremely pleased with the compliance. We never felt unsafe.
Like previous posters we found the wait times to be not as long as posted. We were able to ride everything we wanted and scored a boarding group on both of our HS days. We rode the same day as a previous poster who said they skipped the pre show. We had the exact thing as well. We would not have known any different if we hadn’t rode several days later. The pre show makes the ride. So glad we were able to experience it the second time. We were so happy to be back and though the park is different we were able to still enjoy it and feel the Disney magic.

Oy. I want to believe in the best in people, but we've been a few times and had issues with line markers every time. The people who talk back make it seem like they're crowding to prove a point. So lame.