As many of us are starting to plan future vacations, people are curious about what it is like to visit Walt Disney World right now. We wanted to share our experiences so you understand the current safety protocols and what to expect when you visit.
When Walt Disney World reopened to the public in July of 2020, it looked like a very different place. Temperature tents, social distance markings on the ground, plexiglass dividers – and very few guests. In fact, the parks were so empty the first few weeks it felt like a ghost town.
If you saw those photos and are planning a current trip assuming you’ll experience the same low crowds, understand that things have changed quite a bit. While Disney IS limiting capacity (currently capped at 35% of the maximum capacity), the parks are certainly not empty any longer.
Let’s start with the guidelines and rules that have been put in place to protect the public (and Disney’s employees) from spreading the Covid-19 virus.
Temperature Checks:
Before entering a park or Disney Springs, you will go through a temperature check station where an Advent Health employee will scan your forehead with a touchless thermometer. Employees are also checked daily.
Masks:
Masks are required everywhere on Disney property. These must be actual masks – double layer (or more), not bandannas or neck gaiters. They may not have ventilation valves, holes or mesh material. All guests ages 2 and up must wear them indoors and out except at the swimming pools, mask relaxation stations, or while actively eating or drinking while stationary and socially distanced. This means you cannot eat or drink while walking around. All Disney cast members wear masks too, and many wear face shields in addition.
Social Distancing: You’ll see markers on the ground 6 feet or more apart anywhere people may gather – ride queues, cash register queues, shop entrances, sitting or eating areas. Plexiglass dividers are often used as well. Tables have been removed, spaced out, or marked off so that the remaining tables are distanced from others.
Enhanced Cleaning and Sanitation: high touch areas including ride vehicles are cleaned and sanitized on a regular and frequent basis. Hand sanitizer stations are everywhere you turn. Contactless payment is encouraged. Fingerprint scanners at the park entrance turnstiles are no longer in use. Housekeeping and cleaning at your Disney resort hotel has been enhanced. You’ll see your high touch items like remote controls have been sanitized and sealed in plastic.
How Will Your Experience be Impacted?
Less Live Entertainment
While nearly all rides are up and running (the exception being those that go down due to need for repair or scheduled maintenance) many of the live shows and nightly fireworks have not yet resumed, so if you are one that prefers shows over rides, you might be disappointed.
Different types of Character Experiences
For some, meeting Disney characters, posing with them for photos and getting autographs is a big draw. Right now, traditional character meet and greets are not available. However, there are still many opportunities to see the characters throughout the parks. Rather than one lengthy parade each day, you’ll see many mini-parades of 2-4 floats / cars / boats (depending on the park). These cavalcades / flotillas / motorcades are scheduled frequently throughout the day. The times are unpublished to discourage guests from forming crowds to wait for them.
Character meals have long been a Disney vacation must-do. Mickey Mouse and the like would stop by your table, hug your kids, sign autograph books, and post for photos. Currently, these meals are operating a little differently. The characters do not come up to your table, instead, they promenade around the room, waving, posing and interacting from a distance. They pause frequently so you can take photos with them in the background. One of the upsides to this is that the food quality has really improved served tableside rather than buffet.
Besides the character cavalcades and meals, you can also see various characters around the parks. They make impromptu appearances and interact with guests from a safe distance. These experiences actually feel more authentic to me than standing in line to get an autograph – and more exciting since they’re unexpected. It’s like a surprise celebrity sighting!
Wait Times
If you’ve visited Walt Disney World in the past, you are familiar with the Fastpass+ system, a virtual queue that allows you to pre-book three rides in advance and experience a shorter line. This is currently not in use so that the separate Fastpass+ queue space can be used to help spread the lines out. However, because of the reduced park attendance, it isn’t a big issue.
In general, wait times are lower than normal (often WAY lower). The posted wait times (shown on the My Disney Experience app and on digital signage outside the attraction’s entrances) often seem high, but in practice they are usually much lower. Typically 50-75% of the posted time. Speaking with cast members, it seems this is due to the difficulty of estimating how long the lines are since they are so spread out. They’re not using the old system of handing out red cards to random guests to time them through the line.
You might think lines are longer than they actually are when you see them extending well beyond the ride building. This is deceiving because family groups are spread out with a minimum of six feet between parties. In general, wait times are very manageable right now.
Dining
While most restaurants have reopened, there are still a few at each park that remain closed, as well as some of the resort restaurants. There are plenty of good places to eat, but you’ll want to make a reservation for table service restaurants in advance (as always).
Disney is strongly encouraging the use of mobile order for quick service restaurants. In fact, you’ll not be let inside to find a table until you get a notification on the app that your order is ready. They do keep one register open if you have a special circumstance and need to place an order with a cashier. With mobile order, you’ll want to plan ahead and put your order in ahead of time so you can choose a desirable pickup time as they fill up fast, especially at the smaller restaurants. They don’t start making your order until you indicate you’ve arrived, so you can start the order and pick your time slot hours ahead of time.
For sanitation reasons, menus for quick-service and table service restaurants are viewed on the app by scanning a QR code. Paper menus are available on request. We’ve noticed that the quantity of menu offerings at most restaurants has been reduced. Where once you may have had a choice between 8 or 9 main entrees, there might now be only 5 or 6. The good news is, the quality hasn’t suffered. In fact, it seems to have improved at locations that were formerly buffets, but are now being served family-style.
Transportation
With a campus the size of San Francisco, Walt Disney World employs an extensive network of buses, boats, monorails, and now even gondolas to transport guests from hotels to parks and back. Capacity has been cut way back to keep empty seats and rows between parties with plastic partitions to further separate guests. This means you may occasionally wait longer for a ride, although we have not experienced that personally. The Skyliner Gondola system, which transports guests from Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach Resort, and Riviera Resort to Epcot and Hollywood Studios now seats only one party per gondola (they can fit up to 10 guests). At park open and close, the line can get very long, but it generally moves quickly.
Planning
We usually suggest booking your Walt Disney World vacation 7-12 months in advance so you have time to plan and take advantage of the advanced booking windows for dining and Fastpasses. At this time, dining reservations can be made only 60 days out (rather than the traditional 180 days) and Fastpasses aren’t in use at all. This means you can plan a trip with much less advance notice.
And while we do still recommend making dining reservations if you want to do any table service meals, with no Fastpass there isn’t much else you need to do in advance. This makes the planning process a lot easier and less complicated.
The only other thing you’ll need to plan in advance is which park you want to visit each day. You’ll need to make a reservation for that park through your My Disney Experience account. This is how Disney is able to control capacity. Choosing the best day to visit each park isn’t as complicated as it normally is. With no Extra Magic Hours right now and capacity limited to 35% at all four parks it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference where you go.
What Hasn’t Changed
The Disney Magic. Yep, just like the TV commercials say, there Magic is Still Here. The cast members put their all into creating a wonderful guest experience. While we do miss some of the entertainment and fireworks, most of what we love about Disney is still alive and well. With the last year we’ve all had, it feels great to be back at our happy place.
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