Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Aishaahm]

Wellll, I went to guest services to ask for help and while he said he could do it for me, he assured me because we were on-site, that we should not have a problem doing that for that morning. So I took his word in good faith, canceled them all for MK and was able to book AK right away...this is just my personal experience. If it’s helpful to know as well, we had 3 APs and 2 regular tickets purchased separately!

 

[Lumpy1106]

I reallllly want to say that I’m so happy we went but just not sure that’s true. We had our usual fun and moments of magic. But the flight down was a full flight, mostly younger people taking advantage of cheap airfare I’m sure, who were not taking masks seriously. Flight back was the same. We had issues with comfort levels, at time, at both S&D and Epcot. Masks get old. Cleaning and sanitizing gets old. We got home today and showered, did laundry, and wiped everything down. Disney will always be there, there really isn’t any reason to push it and go right now.

I landed to a text from a neighbor saying ‘I heard you went to Disney and just want to make sure your son doesn’t play with my son’ so that sucked, but I totally get it. Day one of quarantine starts now.

What airline did you fly on? Reason I ask; We flew LAX-MCO on Jet Blue. While we waited to board @ LAX, we were next to a gate that was unloading a Spirit ORD-LAX flight. We could not believe how many people came off that plane! They just kept coming - hundreds of people! Our Jet Blue flight was maybe 50% full, but then Jet Blue doesn't have nearly the fire sale ticket prices that Spirit has. I was tracking it since I booked our trip in 2019 and the price had come all the way down to $58 RT on Spirit (!) You could fly cheaper than you could check your bags - crazy! Jet Blue flight back was also about 50% full, no center seats full unless it is the person you are travelling with on both flights.

BTW - have you flown on a new Jet Blue plane yet? GORGEOUS!!! We flew on an older Jet Blue plane on the way out - nice, but a bit worn. Only about 1/2 the channels worked on the TV's and the WiFi was glitchy. The new planes though - WOW! They have this all-new entertainment system that had about 60 channels, all worked flawlessly, dozens of HBO movies, a bunch of podcast channels, the WiFi worked perfectly. The new planes also have power ports between each seat so you can plug in a regular AC plug or USB - that was a really nice touch. Not only that, but they handed out "sanitation packs" as we got on the plane that had 2 disinfectant wipes and a small pack of hand sanitizer in a sealed bag. They came down the aisle every 30 minutes or so to collect garbage so you don't leave it in the seat back. Snacks both ways were sealed bags containing small bottles of water, cookies and these weird seed bar snacks. No soft drinks, alcohol or any of that thanks to COVID.

 

[Aishaahm]

Ok to be fair flights were nerve-wracking for sure and we actually flew two different airlines (Allegiant to and Frontier back) it was the most uncomfortable I felt the entire time. Yes, full flights, yes, people not wearing masks after they sit down and think no one is watching, as well as the thought of rebreathing all of that cabin air. BUT, thus far we have no indication that we have contracted anything and have had normal temps the whole 6-day trip (although symptoms can start from 7-9 days out). Here’s hoping the desperation that the airlines are feeling doesn’t continue to cloud their judgement about limiting passengers and/or grouping them by families etc.

 

[hereforthechurros]

What airline did you fly on? Reason I ask; We flew LAX-MCO on Jet Blue. While we waited to board @ LAX, we were next to a gate that was unloading a Spirit ORD-LAX flight. We could not believe how many people came off that plane! They just kept coming - hundreds of people! Our Jet Blue flight was maybe 50% full, but then Jet Blue doesn't have nearly the fire sale ticket prices that Spirit has. I was tracking it since I booked our trip in 2019 and the price had come all the way down to $58 RT on Spirit (!) You could fly cheaper than you could check your bags - crazy! Jet Blue flight back was also about 50% full, no center seats full unless it is the person you are travelling with on both flights.

BTW - have you flown on a new Jet Blue plane yet? GORGEOUS!!! We flew on an older Jet Blue plane on the way out - nice, but a bit worn. Only about 1/2 the channels worked on the TV's and the WiFi was glitchy. The new planes though - WOW! They have this all-new entertainment system that had about 60 channels, all worked flawlessly, dozens of HBO movies, a bunch of podcast channels, the WiFi worked perfectly. The new planes also have power ports between each seat so you can plug in a regular AC plug or USB - that was a really nice touch. Not only that, but they handed out "sanitation packs" as we got on the plane that had 2 disinfectant wipes and a small pack of hand sanitizer in a sealed bag. They came down the aisle every 30 minutes or so to collect garbage so you don't leave it in the seat back. Snacks both ways were sealed bags containing small bottles of water, cookies and these weird seed bar snacks. No soft drinks, alcohol or any of that thanks to COVID.

Jet Blue doesn’t fly from our city to MCO otherwise we would. Love that airline.

We were on Frontier because we are drowning in Frontier and United credits. Neither of which are underselling flights at the moment but packing them in apparently. Lesson learned for sure.

 

[hereforthechurros]

Moving on though with some positive... the food at wdw has never tasted better. No waits for dining reservations, online check in is a breeze and the service was excellent in restaurants.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Welcome back @hereforthechurros. Appreciate the feedback posts, despite the bumps in the road.

 

[duder92]

Landed this afternoon and headed to Beach Club. Went to Epcot for a great dinner by the water at Spice Road and then hit Living with the Land, Test Track, and Frozen before park close. Wonderful evening.

We are going to Magic Kingdom tomorrow. What time should we drive over to be at the front of the pack? Do they still turn everyone away before 8:15a?

 

[AllSam]

Landed this afternoon and headed to Beach Club. Went to Epcot for a great dinner by the water at Spice Road and then hit Living with the Land, Test Track, and Frozen before park close. Wonderful evening.

We are going to Magic Kingdom tomorrow. What time should we drive over to be at the front of the pack? Do they still turn everyone away before 8:15a?

Yes sort of - they don’t let cars in until 8:15 but they let the cars line up a little before then. We are also staying in Beach Club Villas and grabbed a reservation for breakfast at Waves so we could walk over. Great breakfast btw

 

[only hope]

Random question for those who've been on POTC with social distancing in place - are the boats still flooding? Or has that issue been solved by less load in the boats? If the're staying dry I may actually ride again lol!

Rode today, no flooding, though I never experienced that pre-covid.

For those at Disney now (week of August 10th) and the last couple of days. Is it still very short lines, etc. ?

Did HS yesterday. MMRR had a posted time of anywhere from 30-80mn; SDD hovered around 30-50; ToT was around 30-50; SR 15-50. The rest were mostly 20 or less. Wait times peaked around lunch and dropped from there. We rode SR twice in about 35mn from 7-735.

MK today was 10mn or less for Pooh, PP, IaSW, Mermaid, Thunder, Carpets, Pirates, HM, Buzz, and CoA. Waited nearly 20mn for Philhar due to bad timing; 7DMT was 13mn right before close; posted was 35. Most other wait times stated 15-25 mn so I agree with others about the overestimating. We arrived on Main St just before noon and accomplished all of the above, plus snack breaks and some shopping. When we arrived a bit before noon we saw the Pooh cavalcade (watched from inside the shop), Mickey and co, and Tink, all about 10mn apart. Waited for the next one and nothing came so we headed to Fantasyland. Stitch was out once on the Tomorrowland stage

That’s interesting so Let’s say you have a reservation for mk but that morning you want to go to ak u can just go into mde and change it

If it’s available yes. If you have a resort stay you shouldn’t have an issue. We changed our next HS day from tomorrow to Thurs a few hours ago.



Mask compliance: was horrible at MK imo. Noses everywhere. Many people with chin straps. Some walking while eating/drinking, and not counting a quick sip of water in a queue. A few younger kids didn’t even have a chin strap. Very rarely did I see a cm correct anybody. On Carpets there was a 6-ish year old with no mask in siand nothing was said; another person had a selfie stick and nothing said. I felt much unsafer at MK today than I have at Uni or at HS yesterday. Many people didn’t bother trying to social distance either. We had to tell a few people to back off, mainly in queues. HS had the same problems yesterday but to a lesser degree. Very unpleasantly surprised to see so many people not wearing a mask and nothing being done about it. We saw no masks almost constantly throughout the day. I assured my mom it’d be safe (for the times anyways), that people on here reported high compliance, but that wasn’t the case today.

The ferryboat was too crowded leaving. Groups were barely six feet apart. The markers are too close together. The markers on the ground are too close. If a group is more than two and can’t stand side by side, you won’t be six feet apart for the most part. Many times the spacing for switchbacks without plexiglass is inadequate- it’s more like four feet diagonally. Going into and out of theaters is a free for all. Universal handles these things better too. Usually I sing Disneys praises over Universals.

 

[jvalic33]

Does anyone have any input on the Boardwalk at night?

Is there any action/performers outside or is it a ghost town? Would be curious to know how it feels. I know some of the restaurants, etc. are open, but it would be really odd to see the Boardwalk without a single shop or entertainer. I realize they may want to limits unrestricted crowds so maybe this has been temporarily eliminated?

 

[andy_dangg]

Does anyone have any input on the Boardwalk at night?

Is there any action/performers outside or is it a ghost town? Would be curious to know how it feels. I know some of the restaurants, etc. are open, but it would be really odd to see the Boardwalk without a single shop or entertainer. I realize they may want to limits unrestricted crowds so maybe this has been temporarily eliminated?

I was there mid July and it was VERY quiet. This was my first time ever at BW so it didn't really feel eerie or different to me. But I could see how it would be fun with more people and shops open.

Trattoria al Forno, the pizza window, Boardwalk Bakery, Abracadabar, and the general store were open. No entertainers.

 

[jvalic33]

I was there mid July and it was VERY quiet. This was my first time ever at BW so it didn't really feel eerie or different to me. But I could see how it would be fun with more people and shops open.

Trattoria al Forno, the pizza window, Boardwalk Bakery, Abracadabar, and the general store were open. No entertainers.

One of our favorite parts of the night when we stay at BW or BC is that you don't feel like the day is over because there is so much going on there. We still remember the jokes and the tricks from some of the performers. You really have to go back when things get back to normal and I do believe one day they will!

 

[Donzie]

I am here for the week. Sunday 8/9 arrive at Fort Wilderness cabins. 4 park days Monday through Friday with a rest pool day. Leave Saturday.

Fort Wilderness - still here, still big, still full of wildlife, golf carts are always fun to drive around in (and not chase after half a dozen of my lost golf balls). First cabin was not up to snuff. Refrigerator didn't work, smelled like cat and/or dog pee and pull out couch mattress pad was full of crumbs and dirt. I complained and was given a few options and simply said I clearly need a new cabin. Within 10 minutes I was given one next door to move to. It is clean and all in working order, except the house phone which may be on purpose so I cannot complain anymore, lol.

Takeout food from PJ's is ok and reasonably priced for Disney. Bus coverage is under 10 minute waits with minimal lines at non peak times. I chose to go a half hour after peak to avoid the congestion at bus stops and don't stay in towers or campus hotels (during covid otherwise pop would be nice to save $). Mask compliance is solid for walkers and settlement and shop areas. Not so for golf cart riders maybe 50 to 75% compliance. This place is so huge and on the carts they may not really be needed but staff will ask you to wear a mask. Driving around the resort for 3 days and I have not seen more then 10 to 20 people in my entire pan view. I have NOT been to the main pool as yet!

The bad - no boats to Magic Kingdom, no Hoop De Doo, and no Trail's end Buffet. Damn covid killed a hella good buffet, but PJ's still has the chicken, ribs and taters. Overall crowd is down, some RV loops closed, cabins are mostly full and at max on Saturdays.

The construction wall behind the settlement is obnoxious at best, hopefully Disney has money to fix it soon. I miss Mickey's Backyard BBQ. No character campfire sing-a-longs but there are social distancing movie nights. I have seen many deer, rabbits, birds, salamanders, birds and an armadillo. But no mice, at the resort atleast!

Next report will be my MK report for Monday.

 

[Pens Fan]

I feel really bad for everyone having transportation issues. That stinks and I hope it's something that Disney can improve on (as others have said - let them know!).

But for anyone heading down in the near future, I do want to share my son's impressions after being there last week. They stayed at Copper Creek and found transportation from WL to AK, Epcot and MK (bus was far better than the boat!) perfectly fine - no issues at all.

They did have an issue the one time they headed to DHS mid-day and waited a very long time for a bus. I think that's pretty understandable considering most people head over first thing in the morning, so it makes sense that the bus service to that park is limited at that time. The other time they went to DHS they were trying to make it by 10 AM so they preordered a Lyft the night before to make sure they arrived in time. So he doesn't know what the lines for the bus were like at that time.

However bus service to DS was an issue. The fact that they are not currently running busses from the parks to DS caught them by surprise. They lucked out and caught a quick bus back to WL from DHS but the line to the DS bus at WL was loooooong. There was no way they would make their reservation. They called for a Lyft and the Mickey gods were smiling. Their driver was a furloughed DS CM. She knew just where to drop them off for easy access to Raglin Road and they made it just in time. CM's are awesome even when on furlough!!

He said the lines for DS busses in the evening were a problem all week so that's an issue Disney definitely needs to get a handle on. With the parks closing so early, it's to be expected that tons of folks are heading to DS at that time. They just grabbed an Uber or Lyft so it wasn't a big deal. Overall they had an absolute blast, loved the lack of crowds and low wait times. They'd go back in a heartbeat.

 

[yulilin3]

I don't think it's hard to stay on topic.
Share your just back experiences you had ar WDW or ask a question to someone that just got back. No need to know what you're doing once you're back home or what anyone else is thinking or doing or the school is doing

 

[MomOTwins]

Rode today, no flooding, though I never experienced that pre-covid.



Did HS yesterday. MMRR had a posted time of anywhere from 30-80mn; SDD hovered around 30-50; ToT was around 30-50; SR 15-50. The rest were mostly 20 or less. Wait times peaked around lunch and dropped from there. We rode SR twice in about 35mn from 7-735.

MK today was 10mn or less for Pooh, PP, IaSW, Mermaid, Thunder, Carpets, Pirates, HM, Buzz, and CoA. Waited nearly 20mn for Philhar due to bad timing; 7DMT was 13mn right before close; posted was 35. Most other wait times stated 15-25 mn so I agree with others about the overestimating. We arrived on Main St just before noon and accomplished all of the above, plus snack breaks and some shopping. When we arrived a bit before noon we saw the Pooh cavalcade (watched from inside the shop), Mickey and co, and Tink, all about 10mn apart. Waited for the next one and nothing came so we headed to Fantasyland. Stitch was out once on the Tomorrowland stage



If it’s available yes. If you have a resort stay you shouldn’t have an issue. We changed our next HS day from tomorrow to Thurs a few hours ago.



Mask compliance: was horrible at MK imo. Noses everywhere. Many people with chin straps. Some walking while eating/drinking, and not counting a quick sip of water in a queue. A few younger kids didn’t even have a chin strap. Very rarely did I see a cm correct anybody. On Carpets there was a 6-ish year old with no mask in siand nothing was said; another person had a selfie stick and nothing said. I felt much unsafer at MK today than I have at Uni or at HS yesterday. Many people didn’t bother trying to social distance either. We had to tell a few people to back off, mainly in queues. HS had the same problems yesterday but to a lesser degree. Very unpleasantly surprised to see so many people not wearing a mask and nothing being done about it. We saw no masks almost constantly throughout the day. I assured my mom it’d be safe (for the times anyways), that people on here reported high compliance, but that wasn’t the case today.

The ferryboat was too crowded leaving. Groups were barely six feet apart. The markers are too close together. The markers on the ground are too close. If a group is more than two and can’t stand side by side, you won’t be six feet apart for the most part. Many times the spacing for switchbacks without plexiglass is inadequate- it’s more like four feet diagonally. Going into and out of theaters is a free for all. Universal handles these things better too. Usually I sing Disneys praises over Universals.

MK was really bad today too. My four year old actually started telling people behind us “go back to your line” at one point. And I agree that at any given time you can look around and see people with no masks or noses out/under the neck. Lots of walking and eating too. Only time I saw a CM speak up (kind of) was to tell someone they had to eat their Mickey bar before entering the ride queue, but then they just walked away eating—no instruction to go sit to eat.

 

[MomOTwins]

Read a few posts back and see people are looking for insight on bus transportation. I will share we have had good steady bus transportation at Riviera but that is clearly not true for other resorts. Last night Skyliner was down, and at Epcot after closing I was literally the only person at the riviera bus stop and the Pop line (the stop next to Riviera) was hundreds of people deep. My bus took the expected 20 mins, so not bad, but in that time the PoP line just kept growing, never shrinking. I asked my driver if we could give a lift to the Pop folks but she said they are not allowed to, and I get that. There were actually buses lined up for pop guests but they were only loading one bus at a time and with the assigned seating system it was slow. Felt so bad for the people stuck in line getting rained on.

 

[lovethattink]

I played around with MDE as a resort guest. At least for this trip, I can cancel my park reservation for the day and pick any of the 4 parks when making a new one as a resort guest. Once inside a park, mde doesn’t let YOU change to a different park for that day.

Ex. I cancelled DHS just now. Made a new park resie and was able to choose any of the 4 parks. I switched back and forth cancelling and making new ones with ease.

 

[AllSam]

I was there mid July and it was VERY quiet. This was my first time ever at BW so it didn't really feel eerie or different to me. But I could see how it would be fun with more people and shops open.

Trattoria al Forno, the pizza window, Boardwalk Bakery, Abracadabar, and the general store were open. No entertainers.

We are here now and this is still true. Very sad looking over there with everything closed.

 

[lovethattink]

Read a few posts back and see people are looking for insight on bus transportation. I will share we have had good steady bus transportation at Riviera but that is clearly not true for other resorts. Last night Skyliner was down, and at Epcot after closing I was literally the only person at the riviera bus stop and the Pop line (the stop next to Riviera) was hundreds of people deep. My bus took the expected 20 mins, so not bad, but in that time the PoP line just kept growing, never shrinking. I asked my driver if we could give a lift to the Pop folks but she said they are not allowed to, and I get that. There were actually buses lined up for pop guests but they were only loading one bus at a time and with the assigned seating system it was slow. Felt so bad for the people stuck in line getting rained on.

Someone on the Pop thread said they used the chat with us feature on MDE the other night after waiting in a huge bus line. Shortly after the contact, a bus was sent.

So maybe using the new chat with us feature on MDE can work?