Covid-cautious trip plan feedback?

[blistex]

Okay, would love some feedback on our plans especially those who are there right now with MLK weekend crowds being kind of similar to President's Day weekend crowds.

For background: family of 4, two kids ages 5 and 7 who are great with walking long distances, driving so will have a car. We are generally very covid-cautious. My husband and I have been fortunate to get the vaccine and will be fully vaccinated by the time we leave, so that does raise our comfort level considerably, but of course kids are not being vaccinated so we do want to continue taking some reasonable precautions even at Disney. This means definitely no indoor dining and in general trying to minimize our time indoors and/or in large crowds, which, I'm not sure is achievable at Disney during President's Day week but I'm going to go ahead and give planning it a go and see if I feel like I need to hit the panic button later.

We're booked at Yacht Club 2/16 (Tues), arriving probably late morning, and leaving on Friday, with park days Tues, Wed, and Thurs. We have park hoppers and I've got these park passes:

2/16: HS
2/17: AK
2/18: MK

I'm assuming we'll use our hoppers to go to Epcot in the afternoon/evenings to stroll the World Showcase as that is a family favorite activity, dinner most nights will likely be an assortment of festival snacks which we should be able to eat outside in tucked away spots, and we can get 1 or 2 rides in as lines allow. Lunches will be outdoor QS either at the park we're at or back at the hotel, there were lots of nice outdoor spots to eat all around YC/BC when we were there last so hopefully that hasn't changed!

For 2/16, I'm thinking head right to HS when we arrive to see if we can hit the 1 PM BG window for RoTR which I was thwarted on last year. Lunch at an outdoor QS via mobile order. SDD or Alien Saucers if the lines are reasonable. I am least invested in this because as I understand it HS is the most crowded park still and if we get there and it's crowded I'm fully prepared to nope out of it and take a pleasant ride on the Skyliner and let the kids putter on the beach area at the hotel instead, or maybe we'll go on a scavenger hunt for the mickey penny machines.

For AK, thinking get there early (driving our own car), hit either Everest or FoP depending on family preference, then the Safari. Rest of the morning would be largely wandering the nature trails, enjoying some Dole whips, and taking in the Disney atmosphere, maybe I'll finally let the kids go on the triceratops thing I've always eschewed because there wasn't a FP for it.

For MK we'll take the skyliner to the Contemporary and walk, early and it should be easy to hit the family favorites though I'm considering skipping It's A Small World since I am guessing that area near the walkway is still going to be a crowded cluster. This is our least favorite park (I know!) so I'm guessing by 10:30 or so we're headed back to the hotel for some pool or "beach" time, or hey maybe this is the trip we'll finally have time to go to the mini-golf.

I've also got the list of outdoor dining places and if it's less crowded than I expect maybe we'd do an outdoor ADR in Epcot one night but this way we're not expecting too. Thoughts? Suggestions for other activities we're likely to be comfortable with? Also planning to take the advice of a poster in another thread and try going a few places here at home to really test our comfort level before plunging into Disney but in theory I am comfortable with all of these things.

 

[wilkydelts]

First skyliner does not get you to the Contemporary so you will need to adjust that.

You may need to really take a step back and be honest with yourself. For people who have had the vaccine you are clearly very timid. You can not control others so if you need to be ready for people occasionally crowding you in line or getting close to you as you walk. If people sitting behind you in a ride with a small piece of plexiglass between you and then is unnerving you have just eliminated many rides. If you are not comfortable going out in your hometown or your kids are doing digital learning because of choice Disney is not a good testing ground. Sounds to me like Disney may not be the place for you yet especially because those days could be crowded but only you can decide that.

 

[jsmla]

I’m pretty COVID cautious and have been four times since the reopening. Of everywhere I’ve traveled during the pandemic WDW has felt the safest excepting only a few isolated beaches and some of the more remote trails in the Smokies. Disney felt safe to me because of the rules in place and the near 100% compliance. I felt like mask enforcement was really high. We took our 2 year old DGD over Thanksgiving. We are definitely pro-mask but DGD is a thumb sucker and occasionally we missed that her mask had slipped. Nearly every time a CM very nicely asked us to fix it which we were happy to do.

My main issue was with people crowding me from behind in lines. I just let them pass me up.

In September I stayed at the Yacht Club and really, really appreciated the ability to walk to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

I had a car but opted to take the bus to both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. In my experience (if you can catch the first bus) the buses arrive before those coming in from the parking lots. One of my self-imposed restrictions was avoiding queues (especially indoors) over 15 minutes long. By arriving in time to be at the very front of rope drop let me ride at least one headliner each morning without a long wait.

I‘m also avoiding indoor dining. I brought an ice chest from home but also had al fresco meals at:
Rose and Crown (Epcot)
Spice Road ((Epcot)
Tony’s (MK)
Flametree BBQ (AK)
Baseline Tap House (DHS)
STK (DS) (lunch special)
Dockside Bar @ Boathouse (DS)
Earl of Sandwich (DS)
Trattoria al Forno (Boardwalk)
Olivias (OKW)

 

[JenBush]

I suggest checking out some YouTube videos/livestreams from people at Disney this weekend. Today, ResortTV1 is streaming all day from MK and also members of the Dis have been doing livestreams at various times.

 

[DG-12]

We are “Covid cautious” as well.
I took the kids in September bc our passes were about to expire.
We had a family meeting before and generally laid out some ground rules-
-if anyone felt uncomfortable we would leave
-we did not do indoor dining
-we drove
-we limited pool trips when the pool was very busy
-we did curbside pick up for groceries/take out/dining
-we opted for food booths in Epcot (which *i think* is why there will be a permanent festival there until Covid is done)
-we used DVC points so we had a kitchen/fridge which made everything easier. (Including a table)
-My kids love Panda Express/Mod Pizza and we don’t have one here so we ate there (it’s like five minutes from Disney property) (take out)
-In general we were happy to see the high compliance and did not feel unsafe.
-I feel like Covid is spiking right now and we may or may not go on our February trip.
-every single time you take your kids out, you risk it (grocery store, target) whatever. But being outside, masked and careful definitely “feels” like the safest way to get in any vacation right now.

 

[limabeanmom2003]

We spent a day at DHS over winter break. In general, everyone was very respective of spacing out and following guidelines. I felt safer at Disney than I do at Walmart. We skipped in door dining and stuck to the mobile ordering (which was so efficient and safe). Hardest issue was finding a table to eat at since only half the tables are available to use. Only you can decide if this is the right time to go anywhere, but it sounds like your plans are to take a very relaxed and easy going trip to Disney. You sound like you are very flexible about what you are doing every day and can change course quickly if you don't feel comfortable, which I think will make your trip very nice!

 

[glocon]

For your HS day, you don’t have to wait until 1pm to try for a BG. As long as you have reservations for HS that day, you can try for a BG at 7am. You don’t have to be in the park for the 7am BG, just for the 1pm BG. That may help you plan your day.
It sounds like you are planning a nice laid back trip, have fun!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

Okay, would love some feedback on our plans especially those who are there right now with MLK weekend crowds being kind of similar to President's Day weekend crowds.

For background: family of 4, two kids ages 5 and 7 who are great with walking long distances, driving so will have a car. We are generally very covid-cautious. My husband and I have been fortunate to get the vaccine and will be fully vaccinated by the time we leave, so that does raise our comfort level considerably, but of course kids are not being vaccinated so we do want to continue taking some reasonable precautions even at Disney. This means definitely no indoor dining and in general trying to minimize our time indoors and/or in large crowds, which, I'm not sure is achievable at Disney during President's Day week but I'm going to go ahead and give planning it a go and see if I feel like I need to hit the panic button later.

We're booked at Yacht Club 2/16 (Tues), arriving probably late morning, and leaving on Friday, with park days Tues, Wed, and Thurs. We have park hoppers and I've got these park passes:

2/16: HS
2/17: AK
2/18: MK

I'm assuming we'll use our hoppers to go to Epcot in the afternoon/evenings to stroll the World Showcase as that is a family favorite activity, dinner most nights will likely be an assortment of festival snacks which we should be able to eat outside in tucked away spots, and we can get 1 or 2 rides in as lines allow. Lunches will be outdoor QS either at the park we're at or back at the hotel, there were lots of nice outdoor spots to eat all around YC/BC when we were there last so hopefully that hasn't changed!

For 2/16, I'm thinking head right to HS when we arrive to see if we can hit the 1 PM BG window for RoTR which I was thwarted on last year. Lunch at an outdoor QS via mobile order. SDD or Alien Saucers if the lines are reasonable. I am least invested in this because as I understand it HS is the most crowded park still and if we get there and it's crowded I'm fully prepared to nope out of it and take a pleasant ride on the Skyliner and let the kids putter on the beach area at the hotel instead, or maybe we'll go on a scavenger hunt for the mickey penny machines.

For AK, thinking get there early (driving our own car), hit either Everest or FoP depending on family preference, then the Safari. Rest of the morning would be largely wandering the nature trails, enjoying some Dole whips, and taking in the Disney atmosphere, maybe I'll finally let the kids go on the triceratops thing I've always eschewed because there wasn't a FP for it.

For MK we'll take the skyliner to the Contemporary and walk, early and it should be easy to hit the family favorites though I'm considering skipping It's A Small World since I am guessing that area near the walkway is still going to be a crowded cluster. This is our least favorite park (I know!) so I'm guessing by 10:30 or so we're headed back to the hotel for some pool or "beach" time, or hey maybe this is the trip we'll finally have time to go to the mini-golf.

I've also got the list of outdoor dining places and if it's less crowded than I expect maybe we'd do an outdoor ADR in Epcot one night but this way we're not expecting too. Thoughts? Suggestions for other activities we're likely to be comfortable with? Also planning to take the advice of a poster in another thread and try going a few places here at home to really test our comfort level before plunging into Disney but in theory I am comfortable with all of these things.

skyliner does not go to Contemporary and there is no way around either the monorail or ferry even if you drive. there is no way to drop one parent and kids at the gate of MK and other go park the car. guessing you will have to rethink you arrival plans for MK. your snacking dinners at EPCOT might also not work as you plan depend on how many others have this same plan. you are supposed to sit and eat, not walking and snacking. one thing I always say when planning anything at a theme park, not just Disney, plan on others having the same "great plan". if you have not been eating out, not counting bringing in take out I would for sure try at home before you leave. knowing how my grandkids are when hungry have a back up plan in case where you plan to eat is more crowded that you like

 

[scrappinginontario]

'Covid Cautious' and WDW do not compute in my brain. I am also 'covid cautious' so am not ready to go to WDW yet. Only you know you and your family but if you're cautious enough not to ride IASW due to congestion around that ride you may wish to reconsider your trip at this time. You WILL hit bottlenecks at every single park. Are you comfortable with this?

 

[Akck]

Your only options for going to the Contemporary are driving or taking an Uber. You’ll also need a mobile order to get in and won’t be able to leave your car there so it will have to be driven to the TTC area. We also preferred to eat in outdoor settings where possible, as many others do too. At Docking Bay 7, the only table available was on the walking path to the exit. We opted to eat inside in an empty area. We also ate in indoor venues and tables were well spaced out. If ADRs are available, you should make them now. You can always cancel them the day before if you’re uncertain.

IASW is tight, but there are plexiglass barriers in those areas. The only thing you have to worry about is people not paying attention to spacing markers and that can happen in all queues. Be aware that there are bottleneck areas on walking paths that you can’t socially distance, but that’s why you wear masks.

 

[Blondie58]

'Covid Cautious' and WDW do not compute in my brain. I am also 'covid cautious' so am not ready to go to WDW yet. Only you know you and your family but if you're cautious enough not to ride IASW due to congestion around that ride you may wish to reconsider your trip at this time. You WILL hit bottlenecks at every single park. Are you comfortable with this?

I agree. Covid Cautious at any large venue does not compute to me. We cancelled four vacations since last March. We just miss the 65+ age group so we are waiting "our turn" and can hopefully get a vaccine by May 1. We sure have saved a lot of $$$ for our rescheduled vacations the past 10 months. We have literally gone nowhere and that includes eating out. And yes, our age and cautious nature has something to do with this. The yard never looked so great as it did last summer. It is bad when you enjoy shoveling snow! Looking forward to spring, vaccine, family, friends, and hugging again.

 

[rjb123]

First off, I totally envy you with having had the vaccine! Secondly, I am very cautious and I took my youngest to WDW this October for her birthday. I did this ONLY because I had thoroughly investigated the mitigation and felt that it was good. I have to say, they did a fantastic job at Disney. There is literally no other place that I have been that has this level of mitigation and enforcement. yes, you may be walking through a crowded space, and this did happen to us, but everyone was masked and it lasted literally two minutes. For true exposure, it generally is 15 minutes which never happened. Plus you are mostly outside so that lessens the risk as well. Fwiw we are not doing indoor dining here at home and we DID do it at WDW. Tables were spaced and capacity was low. Plus we chose to eat at off times of the day, which made it even quieter inside. Our first night at the CR I think we literally were the ONLY people in the Contempo Cafe! It was eerie! Of course numbers were better at that time too, so that also impacted our decision making. I encourage you to go, be smart and just be prepared to change your plans on the spot if needed. We went in with this understanding (I explained to DD that if ANYTHING made either of us nervous COVID wise we were out of there. I told her I would happily lose any $$ etc) and I was surprised at how we really didn't have many issues. If we saw a crowd in a certain area, we went to another area. Its doable for sure.

 

[Disneygirl678]

We just got back yesterday from Disney. Honestly, I felt super comfortable and safe there. While things were busy on Saturday, most people followed directions. Of course, there were a few who would get right behind you in line instead of staying on the "wait here" markings. There's hand sanitizer EVERYWHERE and they were always filled and in working order. They're also strict about mask wearing.

Honestly, I felt safer at Disney than I do at my workplace (I am a teacher). It was nice because it wasn't crazy crowded. The lines looked long, but it was because everyone was spaced out. Things moved pretty quickly. If you do not want to ride a ride that has plexiglass between you and others, you will miss out on quite a few rides. Things like haunted mansion and little mermaid in MK don't have that, but you could be right next to someone else's "car."

 

[blistex]

'Covid Cautious' and WDW do not compute in my brain. I am also 'covid cautious' so am not ready to go to WDW yet. Only you know you and your family but if you're cautious enough not to ride IASW due to congestion around that ride you may wish to reconsider your trip at this time. You WILL hit bottlenecks at every single park. Are you comfortable with this?

I dunno, it seems reasonable with the vaccine? But would be a lot better if more people were vaccinated. I suspect I'll end up rescheduling anyway since as many have pointed out clearly we're still not particularly comfortable yet (largely because our kids obviously will not be vaccinated until, who knows when, or if ever) given how high numbers are. I also don't want to go just to go, if we won't enjoy it, though a lot of what we normally like to do is hang out by ourselves out of the bigger crowds anyway and we're mostly not running for headliner rides, so that eliminates some potential issues right there.

 

[marinejjh]

I will tell you from our trip last week. People will be extremely close while walking in the parks. You will also have some rides that Disney will put very few people on, and others that they will pack people in every row. If you plan on riding Big Thunder or Expedition Everest, they will fill every row. People won't pay attention to the line markers and their kids will be all in your space. Its a lot of theater and if little things will bother you. I would wait to go. Also the temp check is a joke.

 

[yulilin3]

I dunno, it seems reasonable with the vaccine? But would be a lot better if more people were vaccinated. I suspect I'll end up rescheduling anyway since as many have pointed out clearly we're still not particularly comfortable yet (largely because our kids obviously will not be vaccinated until, who knows when, or if ever) given how high numbers are. I also don't want to go just to go, if we won't enjoy it, though a lot of what we normally like to do is hang out by ourselves out of the bigger crowds anyway and we're mostly not running for headliner rides, so that eliminates some potential issues right there.

It seems you have a good understanding of your expectations. Nothing worse than to come and be paranoid the entire time while trying to enjoy your trip. Disney is not a cheap experience for most so it's definitely a personal decision.
I go often cause I live alone, it's cheap for me to go, I can leave after only spending an hour or two and i don't need/ want to ride attractions all the time.

 

[diznee princess]

We went in Sept. and are deciding on Feb pres week. I did find that the very few families and individuals that didnt keep distance and were right up on you in rides, were mostly Fl locals. They would give us dirty looks or make a loud remark if we asked them kindly to step back or just turned around to look at them and try to move away. I think they just didn't take it as seriously, at least at that time. They often had their masks down under the nose or chin... even outside Disney at local stores & businesses with no capacity or distance enforced. But majority followed the rules in place. It got crowded around mobile order pickup areas, especially in Pandora. But that is always pretty tight area.
Sometimes it is hard to find a quiet spot away from others when finding a place to eat. But all in all Disney has done well with the dining protocols for covid. You can't help being close on transportation or ques, so keep that in mind. Also It will take you longer to get somewhere with minimum seating capacity.
We didn't eat indoors. We utilized the wash stations provided often. And we ordered take out from nearby restaraunts delivered to our resort when we werent in park. We felt it was considerably safe enough in the parks, fully aware of the risks. We also brought more than one mask in a day to switch out along with a our sanitizers and wipes. But Just like locally or anytime you leave your home...You can't always expect others to take the precautions you do. So if you do your thing and feel your family can maintain what you are comfortable with, distance on your part, wash hands often, keep your mask on even on ride, wipe everything you might touch if possible. Such as chairs tables, condiments, bottles etc. You might consider going ahead. Just stay aware, enjoy what you are comfortable with, & be flexible. But if you can't, you might want to wait until the fall or next year.

 

[RoseGold]

Particularly during a holiday, these expectations don't seem reasonable.

In recent videos even not on holidays, you can still see the respect for personal space is not there. Maybe just a few people are acting like this, heck, maybe even most are respectful, but not everyone. You won't be able to control other people's behavior, and if you aren't comfortable with that, it might not be time to go back yet.

HS in particular is consistently booked and looks really crowded IMO.

 

[monkyby87]

Disney has done a good job of taking what precautions they can. I can't say that any of the measures Disney have taken are unsafe or leave me feeling unsure. However, no matter what precautions Disney or yourself take, you will be surrounded by people. In my personal experience, most guests are doing a good job of being respectful and careful. But you still are surrounded by a lot of people. For that fact alone, it might be a good idea to reschedule and come at a later date.

 

[MomOTwins]

I see a few times your post mentions "if the lines are reasonable" or "if it is crowded we'll leave." There really is no "if" about it--it will be crowded, and most attractions will have a substantial wait. President's day weekend is one of the most popular weekends of the year--typically significantly more crowded than MLK day.

Heck, even in October, crowds on the weekends were so bad, we swore we wouldn't be doing a weekend again until FP returns (our next trip is planned for weekdays only). And we've had Covid so were not worried about the risk--it was just too unpleasant to be in thick crowds and waiting 60+ minutes for Haunted Mansion.

Given what you describe, it sounds like you would get so little out of the parks, I don't think it is the right time.