Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Mango7100]

Last day today and spent it at MK. It was more crowded and lines were longer than on our visit two days before. We also got off to a slow start and missed rope drop (got there around 8:30) and I think that messed us up. Luckily we had done headliners the other day so we focused on some of the less popular rides that had 5-15 minute waits. We put in a mobile order at Pinocchio village haus on our ferry ride over to MK and picked it up at 11 with no problem. I actually like that they don’t let you in until your order is ready - makes it much easier to find a seat.
We had a snack by the entrance toward the end of our day and our last sight was the Mickey cavalcade and he blew a kiss at my daughter. Pretty much a picture perfect finish to a Disney trip! Now back to reality… delayed at MCO with my whiny and tired kids.
Here are some general takeaways:
-Rope drop, mid day break and evening return really worked for us.
- the thread here about boarding groups for ROTR really helped me and I was two for two getting am boarding groups
- if you have any crowd/covid concerns, I would rethink. Our family wore masks the whole time and we were a distinct minority. Maybe 5 percent, if that? We were often shoulder to shoulder inside and it felt really weird after 15 months of isolation.
- put in your lunch mobile order early, like first thing when you get there, to get your pick of places and pick up times
- this was my first time bringing a Uv umbrella and it really helped me in the long unshaded lines.

a big thank you to this thread for helping me prep. I hope my posts have given back in some small way.

Did the UV umbrella for the first time in May and totally agree. We will be using it when we go over July 4. Glad to hear no comments made in your direction about masks...we will also be the mask family with DD. Honestly think we e will be skipping most indoor stuff if it is back to shoulder to shoulder and 95-100% maskless. I’m just not there yet with my kid. Outdoor rides seem easier. Very excited to see fireworks again but will probably watch away from the hub to avoid the packing in.

 

[Eeyore1220]

Did the UV umbrella for the first time in May and totally agree. We will be using it when we go over July 4. Glad to hear no comments made in your direction about masks...we will also be the mask family with DD. Honestly think we e will be skipping most indoor stuff if it is back to shoulder to shoulder and 95-100% maskless. I’m just not there yet with my kid. Outdoor rides seem easier. Very excited to see fireworks again but will probably watch away from the hub to avoid the packing in.

I was happy that everywhere we went had outdoor seating. We are not comfortable with indoor dining with the kids.

 

[dropzone9]

I second everything @Eeyore1220 said about the crowds and masking. We masked indoors since our DS is too young to be vaccinated, and I would say about 5% are still masked. We got to MK around 10. It was more crowded today than Sunday. Lines were still very manageable and we did not wait longer than 30 min for anything we wanted to ride. I will say that posted wait times were never as long, usually about half as long, I can’t speak on SDMT or the big headliners though. We also placed our mobile order at Cosmic Rays a lot earlier and it was ready as we got off Dumbo. A lot of people are still not aware of the Mobile order requirements so some frustration there. Hopped to Epcot just as the rain started, and I was glad we brought ponchos! Came down pretty good for a while but we still rode Soarin twice, did Living with the Land, Mission Space and Nemo. When we started around World Showcase, the skies opened up so we called it a day.

Last day today and spent it at MK. It was more crowded and lines were longer than on our visit two days before. We also got off to a slow start and missed rope drop (got there around 8:30) and I think that messed us up. Luckily we had done headliners the other day so we focused on some of the less popular rides that had 5-15 minute waits. We put in a mobile order at Pinocchio village haus on our ferry ride over to MK and picked it up at 11 with no problem. I actually like that they don’t let you in until your order is ready - makes it much easier to find a seat.
We had a snack by the entrance toward the end of our day and our last sight was the Mickey cavalcade and he blew a kiss at my daughter. Pretty much a picture perfect finish to a Disney trip! Now back to reality… delayed at MCO with my whiny and tired kids.
Here are some general takeaways:
-Rope drop, mid day break and evening return really worked for us.
- the thread here about boarding groups for ROTR really helped me and I was two for two getting am boarding groups
- if you have any crowd/covid concerns, I would rethink. Our family wore masks the whole time and we were a distinct minority. Maybe 5 percent, if that? We were often shoulder to shoulder inside and it felt really weird after 15 months of isolation.
- put in your lunch mobile order early, like first thing when you get there, to get your pick of places and pick up times
- this was my first time bringing a Uv umbrella and it really helped me in the long unshaded lines.

a big thank you to this thread for helping me prep. I hope my posts have given back in some small way.

 

[lovethattink]

Did the UV umbrella for the first time in May and totally agree. We will be using it when we go over July 4. Glad to hear no comments made in your direction about masks...we will also be the mask family with DD. Honestly think we e will be skipping most indoor stuff if it is back to shoulder to shoulder and 95-100% maskless. I’m just not there yet with my kid. Outdoor rides seem easier. Very excited to see fireworks again but will probably watch away from the hub to avoid the packing in.

One of my favorite spots is between 7DMT and the bridge to Be Our Guest. You are surrounded by fireworks there. Can’t see any projections though.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

To ship stuff home from your hotel gift shop you just need the receipt right? And anything you buy in the park they can ship home for you too? I'm worried our suitcases might be a bit too heavy for our return journey.

 

[Best Aunt]

To ship stuff home from your hotel gift shop you just need the receipt right? And anything you buy in the park they can ship home for you too? I'm worried our suitcases might be a bit too heavy for our return journey.

Are you worried that your suitcases might be too heavy for you to deal with? Or are you worried that your suitcases might be considered overweight by the airline and you will be charged a fee? If the latter, I would look up what the airline fee will be. It's been a long time since I had anything shipped home, but as I recall it was expensive and slow. Something like FedEx, but Ground rather than one of the faster services, and it's possible that things are not shipped out right away.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

Are you worried that your suitcases might be too heavy for you to deal with? Or are you worried that your suitcases might be considered overweight by the airline and you will be charged a fee? If the latter, I would look up what the airline fee will be. It's been a long time since I had anything shipped home, but as I recall it was expensive and slow. Something like FedEx, but Ground rather than one of the faster services, and it's possible that things are not shipped out right away.

More worried about the fee but I'll check, thanks! I keep telling myself I'm not going to buy a ton of stuff but you know how that can go.

 

[Honeypot]

More worried about the fee but I'll check, thanks! I keep telling myself I'm not going to buy a ton of stuff but you know how that can go.

Also, I'm not sure if you are there right now, but if not, consider packing an extra bag with you and then using that in addition when you fly home. At one point, it was much cheaper to pay for an extra bag than to pay for an overweight fee.

 

[VeronicaZS]

I just got put on medicine that I need to keep out of the sun and of course leave in 4 days. I bought a uv umbrella, but are there still resting stations? I am ok with going back to the hotel, solo, if need be as well.

I wonder if you could leave your medicine at the first aid station at the front of the park.

 

[Makmak]

I wonder if you could leave your medicine at the first aid station at the front of the park.

I think OP means that while taking the med they cannot be in the sun because of increased photosensitivity. Some meds make you get sunburned super easily.

 

[Mango7100]

One of my favorite spots is between 7DMT and the bridge to Be Our Guest. You are surrounded by fireworks there. Can’t see any projections though.

Thanks! I had wondered about that spot. We have seen the show tons so not seeing the projections this time is fine...it will just be nice to hear the music!

 

[capegirl]

I will say everyone was respectful. No one made any comments about us wearing them and we didn’t judge those who didn’t. But, yes, it’s an overwhelming intro back into being around people!

So good to hear that there were no mask comments!

 

[lovethattink]

Just an FYI.

CM may now make park reservations after 3pm if there’s availability. They’ve been blocked for so long.

And masks are optional for vaccinated cm.

 

[WEDWDW]

Just an FYI.

CM may now make park reservations after 3pm if there’s availability. They’ve been blocked for so long.

And masks are optional for vaccinated cm.

Happy for the awesome Cast Members!

(I bet the CPs are loving this news!!!!)

 

[SuJo]

Been here since Sat. Weekend was great but you sure can see the increase in park capacity. HS was packed yesterday. Long lines everywhere, all day long.

 

[Boopuff]

To ship stuff home from your hotel gift shop you just need the receipt right? And anything you buy in the park they can ship home for you too? I'm worried our suitcases might be a bit too heavy for our return journey.

I know it's too late, but we always take one extra bag (half empty) and check that one (on SW) so we have plenty of room for all our purchases! Or sometimes we have bought an extra bag at the World of Disney.

 

[Leigh L]

Just to be clear, they are doing the stretching room again? And the preshow for Tower of Terror? Those are my favorites and I really missed them the other week.

Yes!! I missed them so much too.
Haven't been in ToT yet (they were only running 1/2 the elevators and the line wasn't moving so we bailed).
However, we did get to see the stretching room on Sunday!! It was full but plenty of room to breath, no getting trampled on the way to the doom buggies...that I think was my favorite part now lolol.

DD is so excited to see RnR preshow back and I'm so happy we'll get to see MMRR finally.

 

[bdiddy]

Boy the post Disney blues are a real thing. We got home yesterday at about 4 and I spent hours unpacking and going through everything. We bought SO much stuff. We flew southwest so we were each able to bring an extra carryon, I had brought one of the bigger reusable store bags and then I bought the discounted Mickey tote that came with a purchase and then we used the droid boxes to stuff things in. So we each just had an extra carry-on in addition to our backpack. And I squeezed some more stuff in our suitcases. It was tight though!!

But yes we are home now and I didn’t want to get out of bed today much less do any work. I feel sad too that we don’t have anything on the books to look forward to or plan. That is almost as much part of the fun for me as the actual trip is.

I keep thinking how by the time we do our next trip - Ratatouille will be open, maybe Tron and the new Guardians ride, all of the new nighttime shows, Space 220 and maybe even the Star Wars resort. So that is a lot to look forward too for sure!

I’ll be living vicariously through you all in the meantime!

 

[oktxregulators2020]

Day 9 Hollywood/Disney Springs

Our last day here found us going to HS for a 3rd time. The first two times we where there (Fri/Mon) we got afternoon boarding passes for RotR. However, this time we decided to not play the game and do RotR as we only wanted to do a few hours in the park and go to Disney Springs for dinner/snacks.

We got to HS around 2 and was able to park in the 2nd Row the closest we have ever been. It looked like it was going to be another very steamy afternoon. I looked at the wait times and the big name stuff was 45min-60 min waits except for SD which was 90. We decided to try MMRR which was 40. As we walked to MMRR the sky starting turning and the win picked up and it started raining right at the time we got to the waterfall in the queue. We made it on MMRR in 25 min. By the the time we got off the rain had stopped.

Next, we walked to Toy Story Land where the line for SD started again and the end was all the way next to Woody when you come into Toy Story Land. We did TSMM 40 min wait and got on in 25. Alien was next 15 min wait. MFSR was next 45 min wait got on in 40.

Went to Droid Depot to build a BB-Unit, other family went to do RNRC 35 min wait. As I finished building a BB-Unit I looked at the weather app and noticed a huge storm coming so I decided to head for the car. I made it half way to the parking lot when the downpour came. My family was just now getting off RNRC and took refuge in the lobby. It rained really hard for about 40 minutes and let up for the family to make it back to the car.

Went back home to change into dry clothes before going to Disney Springs. Part of the family wanted Blaze Pizza and the other half wanted Polite Pig. We walked up to the hostess and asked if we got Blaze Pizza could we eat it there if we got food from Polite Pig and she said sure. Part of the family went to get pizza while the rest of us stayed in line for Polite Pig. The skies opened up again with a downpour for most of the evening as we ate our dinner in a very cold Polite Pig.

Today, we get to start the 17 hour drive back to East Texas.

Final Overall Thoughts:

Parking: Not bad at all, only had one really long walk to MK and AK one day because we got there a few hours after opening. If you come in the afternoon you can park pretty close to the front.

Shopping: Many of the stores had the same items, a lot of the things in the stores you can get online in the Disney Store if you are limited on what you can bring home with you. The stores are open typically after park closes. If you plan on going to The Emporium in MK after park closes you will be waiting in a long line. Some stores are still limiting how many people can go in and have only one entrance to the stores. If you plan on shopping at World of Disney you might be waiting in a long queue.

Food: Several QS and Snack places still not open in the parks and forcing their items to be bought at other venues. Most of the QS places want you to mobile order. If you don't mobile order then you might have to wait in a line outside just to go in to talk to someone to place your order. There is only one entrance for food and you cannot sit at the tables unless you have food. If you plan on doing QS place your order early as you might have to wait 20 min or longer if you tell them you are here.

Lines: For the most part the standby lines seemed to move compared to what it was like before with FP. I remember with FP the line would move about 15 people the stop for 5 minutes to let FP people in. With FP gone the lines seemed to move and you only had to stop for maybe 30 seconds at a time. The only time we had to stop and wait alot was riding SD because they gave out a lot of Recovery Passes (ride was down at RD) and VIP Tours. The longest lines we saw was FOP was 100 min a couple of times and SD hit 95 min once. The wait for SD seemed to take forever. If you don't like lines going in the evening is the best way to go most attractions are under 45 min in the evening with some being walk-ons a few hours before park closes.

Property: We decided for the first time to stay off property. It was cheaper to stay off site in a fully furnished townhouse with a pool/hot tub/gameroom then it was to stay in the AoA Family Suites or even some Moderates that are open. It was a 7 min drive to HS, 12 min drive to EPCOT, 14 to MK. I think the only way we stay on property again is if they bring back some of the perks especially EMH in the evening. The 30 minute before parks open is not enough to get me to stay on property. I have no desire to get up and compete with 1/2 the park to be the first ones there to ride stuff.

I have a feeling the park will probably be back to 100% or very close within the next few weeks or by the end of July.

 

[d0naldduck123]

Just reporting back my experience at HS last Saturday. We were on a Universal trip so we only spent 1 day at Disney (HS). DH and I were both logged on to our separate MDE accounts on T-Mobile data and DH got BG2 for RotR! We were at the parking lot entrance around 7:45. They didn't start lining up the cars yet so they made us go all the way around - just as we were pulling away they started lining cars up so that was frustrating as if we had been there literally 10 seconds later we would've been able to line up. Anyways, by the time we were lined up around 7:50 and they started letting cars in right at 8AM. Everybody was let it and we were held in front of the Chinese theater like a normal pre-covid rope drop with signs directing people depending on which ride. Park opened right at 8:30. We went to SDD but as we were entering Toy Story land they were announcing SDD is delayed and they don't have an estimated opening time. We stood in line anyway and there was a CM making us toys in line do Toy Story 'Yoga' so we had fun with that and SDD opened around 8:55! We got on right at 9am. We did Aliens (walk-on) and TSMM (30 min posted wait time, actual wait 20 min) - right as we got in line for TSMM they called our BG so after we got off we headed over to RotR. It was my first time and WOW it was such an amazing experience! It was the highlight of my day! I then mobile ordered a Ronto Wrap and the Tatooine Sunset drink - both were so good. I just love the slaw on the Ronto Wrap. We saw stormtroopers and KyloRen standing around on a stage posing for pics. Smuggler's Run was a 65-min wait at that point so we left the area for now and went to MMRR. By the time we walked over, it was about 11AM and wait time was posted at 65-min but we decided to just stand in line since we've never been on MMRR before. Thankfully we only waited 45 minutes. This was such a cute ride! It was better than I expected.

We had a reservation at Ale&Compass at 12:55 - also our first time visiting this restaurant. We took the skyliner over and masks were required regardless of vaccination. They weren't seating separate parties together, so each party got their own car. Once we were in the air there was a good breeze and that felt really good. Funny thing about skyliner, last time we were at Disney we stayed at Pop Century so we used the skyliner a lot and every.single.time we ended up in one of the cars that don't have images printed on the outside. And sure enough, this time we also got an unwrapped car . Anyways, we checked in on the app as we walked over to Yacht Club and waited in the lobby. At 1:10 we got a text that our table was ready. DH had the shrimp&grits and I had the dark chocolate waffles with fruit. They were both so good and we agreed that this was the best meal during our entire vacation!

We took the boat back to HS and DH had a headache - not sure if it was motion sickness or the heat - so we went to first aid and they gave us some advil. We did notice there were quite a few people in the rooms that were talking about the heat and drinking water. To anyone going in the summer months, please drink lots of water and stay hydrated! DH felt much better after taking advil so we headed over to ToT with a posted 20 minute wait. They didn't do the stretching room preshow and we were in front of the elevator in about 10 minutes. Just as our elevator opened, a CM made all of us wait and he went in to clean up something. It turns out someone in the previous group took an open container of popcorn in the ride so there was popcorn literally everywhere! I guess they didn't know what type of ride it was??? Eventually we got on and had lots of unexpected drops so it was a lot of fun. We headed over to RnR, then did Star Tours (walk on), and went to Smuggler's Run around 4:30 since the wait time went down to about 35 minutes. As we were walking over to the Frozen Singalong, we saw the Pixar calvacade with the Incredibles and Toy Story characters! Frozen Singalong is great for escaping the heat and the Arendelle historians were hilarious! We then had dinner at Prime Time Cafe at 6pm - our server didn't do much with us, but the server for the table next do us was having so much fun with them - we just enjoyed watching them lol. As we headed out to get on MMRR, we saw Mickey Minnie Chip Dale and Pluto! We did MMRR again and ended the night with another ride on SDD. We got in line for Slinky at 7:20 with a 45-min posted wait time, but we waited 30 min and were on the ride by 7:50!

We had an awesome day and the posted wait times were longer than the actual waits for most of the rides. Crowd levels were actually not that bad, especially compared to Universal. Universal was crazy, literally wall-to-wall people especially in the Harry Potter areas, so we felt the crowds at HS was very very manageable. Personally, I think Disney is handling mobile ordering much better than what we experienced at Universal as well. There wasn't plexiglass on any of the rides, just in some of the queues. Overall it was a great experience and we had an amazing time!