Status of WDW services/experiences?

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Just curious if there have been any changes to the WDW I encountered last October, specifically:

1. Do WDW hotels have daily maid service now?
2. What's the status of all the construction walls in Epcot/Future World?
3. How's the staffing across the resort?
4. Are the parks operating at capacity? By this I mean, both sides of an attraction open, etc.
5. Are restaurants and the parks open regular (pre-pandemic) operating hours?
6. Are restaurant menu choices back to normal instead of an abbreviated menu?
7. Are there any other changes that you may have noticed re things getting back to normal?

Thanks for your insight.

 

[scrappinginontario]

1. No
2. Still there
3. No way to really answer that as no numbers are published and each person's thoughts, experiences differ so kinda influence their answer to that one
4. Again, not really possible to say. Tower of Terror currently has half down for refurbishment. Roller coasters can add/remove cars as needed to control capacity which can change at any moment. If asking if Disney is allowing 100% of capacity, again not really known as numbers are not published. Character meet 'n greets are less than before. Parades are back. Closures are also listed on MDE app.
5. Please see the hours published on MDE. They have always changed on an almost daily basis. One major change since re-opening in summer 2020 is that Epcot now operates more normal hours, no longer opening at 11AM. Also, all the parks are opening at more 'normal' hours.
6. Best to check menus of locations you want to visit. It's difficult to tell if menu changes made were temporary or permanent. I don't think there was a blanket reduction or increase in food options. They add/remove things at a fairly regular basis.
7. Everything is pretty much back to 'normal'.

 

[Minnie1222]

Just curious if there have been any changes to the WDW I encountered last October, specifically:

1. Do WDW hotels have daily maid service now?
2. What's the status of all the construction walls in Epcot/Future World?
3. How's the staffing across the resort?
4. Are the parks operating at capacity? By this I mean, both sides of an attraction open, etc.
5. Are restaurants and the parks open regular (pre-pandemic) operating hours?
6. Are restaurant menu choices back to normal instead of an abbreviated menu?
7. Are there any other changes that you may have noticed re things getting back to normal?

Thanks for your insight.

I just got back from an eight-day trip to WDW. This is my observation:
1. Only for club level rooms.
2. Still there.
3. Adequate.
4. Sorry, I don't know what both sides of an attraction mean.
5, 6. I didn't notice any changes to the restaurants we visited.
7. We were able to do everything we wanted, so it was a normal trip for us.

Addendum: I kept reading about long lines, huge crowds, unfriendly CMs, and nasty guests on this board before the trip. These turned out to be untrue. The LL lines were much shorter than the previous FP lines. Even the standby lines were not as long as before. The crowd size was similar to pre-pandemic. CMs and guests appeared the same.

 

[FreeCA]

1) POR ours was every other day.
2) as stated above, so many walls!
3)the only place we noticed issue was bell services. Took 9 hours to get our bags (which arrived at 2am!). POR.
4) the only attraction with limited capacity was TOT but that is a known breakdown issue
5-7) Subjective.any things are different, but I can’t tell “new normal” (like pre-fixe) from temporary changes. This also changes from establishment to establishment. What was published on MDE did match up to what we encountered

 

[gharter]

1. DVC, the emptied trash daily, cleaned every 4 days.
2. Still going on.
3. Below pre-covid, but getting better.
4. Only Disney knows.
5. restaurants didn't fill every table as of April, guessing that is a staffing issue, but don't know.
6. Most still seemed to have a smaller menu than pre-covid. BUT, we did mainly Signature at night and the food was as good as always. No complaints at noon QS.
7.Many of the barriers were down, the plexi-glass on rides was gone. Not back to pre-Covid, but closer.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

1. No daily housekeeping unless you are at club level.
2. There are still many walls. However, you can walk through now instead of cutting around back by Space and Guardians.
3. Still short staffed in places. International CMS are due back sometime for most of Epcot (not China or Japan), but they haven't gotten there yet as of last month
4. Disney won't tell. as noted, TOT is partially inoperable for refurbishment which causes longer lines for that particular attraction. If by "capacity" you mean fire code numbers, it appears they cap the amount of guests allowed to reserve park somewhere below that. However, no public numbers.
5. They keep changing them. Probably regarding staffing. Some have not reopened. A couple (ESPN Club, Spirit of Aloha dinner show) have closed permanently. Check the website
6. I don't recall any abbreviated menus, but they are having supply issues just like everywhere else, so menus could change or there could be different items available than you remember.
7. Some live entertainment still has not returned. Unsure if all of it will return.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Just curious if there have been any changes to the WDW I encountered last October, specifically:

1. Do WDW hotels have daily maid service now?
2. What's the status of all the construction walls in Epcot/Future World?
3. How's the staffing across the resort?
4. Are the parks operating at capacity? By this I mean, both sides of an attraction open, etc.
5. Are restaurants and the parks open regular (pre-pandemic) operating hours?
6. Are restaurant menu choices back to normal instead of an abbreviated menu?
7. Are there any other changes that you may have noticed re things getting back to normal?

Thanks for your insight.

1. YMWV on this. I think this is due to staffing
2. walls still there but no where near as bad as it was mid 2020-2021, IMO Epcot is in a much better state since Guardians opened.
3. From a guest perspective, adequate. We don't notice any issues but like every business in America, I'm sure they've got issues.
4. Most rides appear to be running as normal. TOT is still only running one side as the other shaft is closed but don't know why. Here's a few links to a refurb calendar https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-refurbishments/ https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/rehab.htm
5. Hours are all over the place but our dining visits a month ago were much more normal than our visits in August 2020 and even in late 2021. I felt like more is open and available when we're hungry.
6. Yes. There may still be a few issues here and there but very much yes.
7. IMO, having visited many times since the parks reopened, yes, the parks are back to normal.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

Thank you, everyone! I'm particularly flabbergasted about lack of daily maid service. Everywhere else I've traveled lately has it again.

Trying to make a decision about where to spend my 60th birthday next year, and I have my heart set on WDW, but not with corporate penny-pinching nonsense.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Thank you, everyone! I'm particularly flabbergasted about lack of daily maid service. Everywhere else I've traveled lately has it again.

Trying to make a decision about where to spend my 60th birthday next year, and I have my heart set on WDW, but not with corporate penny-pinching nonsense.

We stayed at Dolphin, non Disney owned, on our last visit and we didn't get daily maid service. We've also stayed at some chains in our other travels in March/April and didn't get daily service. I really think it was supposed to be offered but it's staffing. Even at the 4 and 5 star hotels, it's an issue. I will say, we had no issue getting additional coffee, toiletries, towels, trash service but daily bed making and cleaning did not happen. I've learned to bring my own disinfecting wipes the last few years of traveling.

 

[Blondie58]

Just curious if there have been any changes to the WDW I encountered last October, specifically:

1. Do WDW hotels have daily maid service now?
2. What's the status of all the construction walls in Epcot/Future World?
3. How's the staffing across the resort?
4. Are the parks operating at capacity? By this I mean, both sides of an attraction open, etc.
5. Are restaurants and the parks open regular (pre-pandemic) operating hours?
6. Are restaurant menu choices back to normal instead of an abbreviated menu?
7. Are there any other changes that you may have noticed re things getting back to normal?

Thanks for your insight.

As of three week ago: 1. No. 2. Lots of walls still up. 3. A couple bathrooms were so bad I took pics. I don't mean in the stalls, I mean in the common areas near sinks etc. Some employees still seem to be getting up to speed. Ate at Liberty Tree Tavern and it was not full. Ate at Yak and Yeti and not full. Why?? Not sure. 4. Yes, Lightning lanes and stand by lanes. Capacity - did not seem full. 5. Hours and restaurants that are open seemed to have the same hours. Liked the late hours at MK. 6. We ask for a paper menu when we sit down to eat. Menus look the same. I do not enjoy trying to read a menu on a phone. 7. Normal to me is Magical Express, free magic bands, free bag tags, bounce back, fast passes, park hopping anytime, next level service, no parking fee at resorts, and no park reservations every day. I think "normal" the way things used to be is history!

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Thank you, everyone! I'm particularly flabbergasted about lack of daily maid service. Everywhere else I've traveled lately has it again.

Trying to make a decision about where to spend my 60th birthday next year, and I have my heart set on WDW, but not with corporate penny-pinching nonsense.

Lucky you
We are at a hotel now that we stay at frequently for sporting event travels and it’s not had daily maid service for over 2 years. Still doesn’t. We’ve stayed a lot of non-Disney stays and haven‘t had it back anywhere actually

 

[Mrs.AMC]

As of three week ago: 1. No. 2. Lots of walls still up. 3. A couple bathrooms were so bad I took pics. I don't mean in the stalls, I mean in the common areas near sinks etc. Some employees still seem to be getting up to speed. Ate at Liberty Tree Tavern and it was not full. Ate at Yak and Yeti and not full. Why?? Not sure. 4. Yes, Lightning lanes and stand by lanes. Capacity - did not seem full. 5. Hours and restaurants that are open seemed to have the same hours. Liked the late hours at MK. 6. We ask for a paper menu when we sit down to eat. Menus look the same. I do not enjoy trying to read a menu on a phone. 7. Normal to me is Magical Express, free magic bands, free bag tags, bounce back, fast passes, park hopping anytime, next level service, no parking fee at resorts, and no park reservations every day. I think "normal" the way things used to be is history!

WelL, if #7 is your normal, your normal is history
None of those are returning except maybe eventually park hopping anytime and no park reservations but even that is over a year away, if ever. The rest is gone for good.

 

[FlyingBelle]

Just back from CRB. We opted out of housekeeping service, we actually prefer to opt out, even pre-pandemic. Received a call one day because we had our "occupied" tag on the door and they asked when they could do a visual check. One day we called and asked for towel/trash service and were accommodated promptly.

Parks were closing a bit early - but I know one day AK (6pm close) had an after hours event for Special Olympics athletes, and both MK and HS had after hours cast member events. It was a bit of a challenge exiting MK at 9:30-ish because all the cast members were entering at the same time.

Menus - seem to be getting a little bit better than during the pandemic, but still are pretty limited choices.

Parks were crowded. Used DAS in the LL and for the first time we were backed up quite a bit, especially at Hollywood Studios. Waits weren't too long, and once they got moving, they moved quickly.

Kids were super happy to give Mickey a hug. Aside from a mini parade at HS, and Pooh & friends on the train platform at MK, we didn't see any characters walking around at all. HS has the queue lines ready for Star Wars Launch Bay, but no characters meeting yet (as of Thursday). The Chase Visa photo op was still virtual characters.

 

[Mrs.AMC]

Just back from CRB. We opted out of housekeeping service, we actually prefer to opt out, even pre-pandemic. Received a call one day because we had our "occupied" tag on the door and they asked when they could do a visual check. One day we called and asked for towel/trash service and were accommodated promptly.

Parks were closing a bit early - but I know one day AK (6pm close) had an after hours event for Special Olympics athletes, and both MK and HS had after hours cast member events. It was a bit of a challenge exiting MK at 9:30-ish because all the cast members were entering at the same time.

Menus - seem to be getting a little bit better than during the pandemic, but still are pretty limited choices.

Parks were crowded. Used DAS in the LL and for the first time we were backed up quite a bit, especially at Hollywood Studios. Waits weren't too long, and once they got moving, they moved quickly.

Kids were super happy to give Mickey a hug. Aside from a mini parade at HS, and Pooh & friends on the train platform at MK, we didn't see any characters walking around at all. HS has the queue lines ready for Star Wars Launch Bay, but no characters meeting yet (as of Thursday). The Chase Visa photo op was still virtual characters.

Strange about the Chase Visa. I got an email from Chase several weeks ago announcing it's return to normal. That was before our trip over Memorial Day. I meant to go by to check it during our trip but forgot

As for Characters walking around, they haven't done that in years, unless it's to/from their M&G or maybe a special event time like EMM or something.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

After the thefts that have been reported and caught at Disney resorts do you really want someone in your room when you are not there? Just sayin.

 

[john7994]

Thank you, everyone! I'm particularly flabbergasted about lack of daily maid service. Everywhere else I've traveled lately has it again.

Trying to make a decision about where to spend my 60th birthday next year, and I have my heart set on WDW, but not with corporate penny-pinching nonsense.

Perhaps you might want to look into where you have travelled before for your 60th, sounds like it might be too much expectation built-up for you to be at WDW if you are already anticipating the experience to be corporate penny-pinched in advance. Would hate that to ruin your celebration - Best Wishes on your 60th!