We have visited Disney World 5 out of the last 6 years, all during the last week of October. We are military so we purchased our tickets on base and then linked them through our Disney account and made our park reservations. This year we flew into Orlando around 1230 on Wednesday. This is when the biggest hiccup of the entire trip occurred. We arrived in Terminal B and typically divide and conquer with one parent headed to the rental counter and one getting luggage. As part of the Covid protocols, all of the rental car desks in Terminal B are closed and I either missed it in the rental car email or it wasn't mentioned. Either way, I was caught off guard and first realized it when there were no people on the rental car floor and a sign with tiny print saying go to terminal A rental car counters and how to get there. After rallying back together, we traveled to Terminal A where the line at the counter was 30 people deep. Luckily we had the pre-setup account with our rental car company and headed out to the parking lot.
After finishing with the rental car, we headed to Epcot. The trams do not run in the parking lots, but that was not an issue with the reduced crowd size. We quickly moved through the temperature screen and it appears the bag check process has been improved with new sensors. We only had to remove large metal objects (umbrella, metal water bottle, external phone battery, etc). All in all, we were inside Epcot in less than 90 minutes after landing. The central plaza of Epcot is under renovation and we followed the path to the left of Spaceship Earth. Our first ride was Test Track and we were in line about 30 minutes. The process skips the car design section which does reduce the main choke point for this ride. The next ride was Figment (no line, but usually no line there) followed by Soaring. This one surprised us and we walked straight up to the door where you get onto the ride as there was one in session when we arrived. We've never waited less than 20 minutes for the ride, even with a fast pass. We hit spaceship earth before heading around the countries. The Frozen ride was the longest wait and was all the way in China, so we skipped it until later and then head to France for ice cream and deserts. After walking around for another 45 minutes and enjoying a band in the USA pavilion, we headed to Italy for dinner at Napoli where we had a reservation for 6:30. We ended up going in around 6:10 which worked out well for us because we at quickly and were on our way by 6:45. Just enough time to hop into the Frozen line before 7 when line entry is cut-off. The biggest takeaway was the lines look crazy long compared to normal until you factor in the 6 foot markings on the ground to space everyone out. Overall, a great introductory day to the parks. We headed to our hotel, the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas. We always stay at this location because we are able to get a 2 bedroom condo with kitchen for much cheaper than any park hotel. This year the total for 4 nights was $624 after all the taxes and fees.
Day 2 was the Magic Kingdom. The park opened at 9am so we arrived at the parking lot around 8:30. Again, quickly through temperature checks and bag screening. We originally headed for the monorail, but we heard another group ask if the buses were running and the cast member pointed out the buses to the right of the monorail. This was a great move on our part and we went straight onto the bus and waited about 2 minutes for it to be "Covid" full before we were headed to the entrance. After entering the park, we headed left toward the Jungle Cruise and arrived just as they dropped the rope to open the ride at 9. After our journey through the bad dad joke cruise, we hit up Pirates (walked right up) and Thunder Mountain (15 minute wait) and then followed the river around to the haunted mansion (15 minute wait). They pass you straight through the waiting room with the portraits which was expected but cuts down on enjoying the details of the queue like the grave stone wording and portraits. We next moved over to Tomorrow Land and rode the tea cups, the speedway (straight into the car), Buzz Light Year (30 minute wait), Astro Orbiter (20 minute wait mostly due to only one family group in the elevator at a time) and Space Mountain (walked to within 50 feet of the cars before I hit the line - 5 minute wait). After a quick bite to eat (we bring our own sandwiches and snacks for lunch) we headed over to Goofy's Barnstormer (5 minute wait) we headed to the Mine Train. This was the second longest wait of the day (45 minutes). We headed back and did another round of Buzz Light Year because the line was short and then headed over to get another round Thunder Mountain but opted for splash mountain due to the rising temperatures. This was the longest wait of the day (over an hour with 2 ride stops for cleaning). We hopped onto Big Thunder Mountain (15 minute wait). It was now about 2:30 and we had done everything we wanted to do multiple times and wanted time to hit Disney Springs before it got busy. We went through Buzz Light Year one more time (15 minute wait) and then did Carousel of Progress for nostalgia (10 minute wait). On our way out, we went through the shops on Mainstreet for souvenirs and then into the line for the Confectionary (about 10 minutes) for a snack. We headed over to Disney Springs. This is a Disney property, so you get your temperature taken before you can enter the mall area and you must have a mask. We saw some not permitted to enter because they were wearing a gaitor instead of a mask. There is a vending machine with masks next to the entrance and he used that. Once inside, we headed to the Disney Store where we had not planned for the line (ended up being 45 minutes). But we did learn you can make a reservation. Something to consider.
Day 3 was Hollywood Studios. The park opened at 10 but we were in the line at parking at 915. Same experience for temperatures and bag check. We were in the park around 9:30 and the line for the Mickey ride was 2 hours so we headed for Toy Story Land. With only 20 minutes until 10 and the wait projected at 20 minutes, I separated from the group and stayed outside to try for a spot in the Rise of the Resistance. The decision paid off as they were still inside at 10 and we ended up getting a spot in Group 49. This is a key part of the day for anyone who want to go on that ride and at 10 there is a lot of cheering going on for those who get a group number. This will become even more important as the park attendance is increased. After Toy Story Mania, we went on Alien Swirling (5 minute wait) and then Toy Story Mania again (20 minute wait). We skipped Slinky Dog because it was not operating yet. The line for Smuggler's run was 80 minutes so we decided to just tour the new Star Wars area and get our pictures taken. We hopped into Smuggler's run when it was 60 minutes and that time was pretty accurate. The biggest decision for this ride is who will be pilot, gunner and engineer (2 seats for each). We split 2 pilots and one gunner and 1 engineer. The ride was great and we learned after riding it 2 more times that day that parts of the story line change (the middle always stayed the same). After that we headed for the Mickey ride (scheduled 75 minute wait but ended up being about 2+15 because the ride was down for 30 minutes. A lot of people bailed on the ride, but we stuck it out because our Rise of the Resistance time was still over an hour away. The ride was a lot of fun and way different than the movie ride it replaced, being more similar to Rise of the Resistance in terms of how the ride operated. From there, we headed to Rise of the Resistance after receiving the notification our time window was open. Once you get there it is still another 30-45 minute wait. It was an awesome ride and we were definitely glad we received a spot in the lottery (FYI, we were group 49 and our time ended up being from 2:15 to 3:15). Overall, the timing is variable and adjusts for the functionality of the ride (it didn't open until after 11). After that we went and rode Smuggler's Run two more times with less than a 25 minute wait each time and then back to Toy Story Mania to end the night. We did try the Blue Milk after the final Smuggler's Run with mixed results (2 liked it and 2 didn't).
Day 4 was the Animal Kingdom (Saturday). The park opened at 7 but we didn't get there until 730. We originally planned to do the Safari first, but when we arrived, we learned it didn't open until 8 so we pivoted to Pandora and rode the Avatar Ride (15 minute wait). We went to the river ride next (35 minute wait) and enjoyed a nice, relaxing ride. Since we got up earlier than other days, there was a mandatory stop at Starbucks on the way back to the Safari. We did notice there were a lot less photographers at Animal Kingdom than usual and we didn't see any on the far side of the river where we usually get a family photo with the tree of life. We passed the bird exhibition about 1020 so we decided to see that for the first time ever (usually it is packed when we've been in the past). We followed that up with some silliness on a Bugs Life (10 minute wait as we just missed the start of the previous show). From there we were planning to ride the Triceratops Twirl roller coaster in Dino land, but it was not operating. There were not a lot of people in Dinoland and there were picnic tables so we opted for a lunch break. From there, Mt Kilimanjaro was next with a 15 minute wait, amazing!! We finished up our rides with River Rapids (20 minute wait). Looking for a place to dry out, we took the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch and took part in the animation studio and drew Shir Khan from the Jungle Book. After the train trip back, we headed to the front, got a picture in front of the tree of life and called it a day. Our boys really like the Disney Shorts on Disney Plus about all the different jobs in the Disney corporation. One of his favorite positions is baker at the Ganachery in Disney Springs so we made a trip there before heading back to the hotel. The shop is about the size of child's bedroom so there is a line. (We waited about 30 minutes with 2 families in front of us).
After that, we headed back to the condo, washed all of our dirty clothes because we didn't want to take dirty Covid cloths home with us and relaxed knowing we rode more rides this trip than any trip before.
Takeaways:
- Yes, you have to wear your mask the entire time you are up and moving. You can take it off to eat/drink but you are supposed to be stationary when doing that per the rules. It depended on where you were in the park if a Cast Member said anything if you were eating while moving in line. Usually, it was just a general announcement. Additionally, a Cast member will get after you if you do not have the mask over your nose.
- The lines look longer than usual, but that is due to 6 foot distancing. The lines move quickly but are paused at least hourly for cast members to perform a deep clean that usually takes about 10 minutes.
- If you want to ride Rise of the Resistance, plan ahead, read up on tricks to improve your chances of getting a Group assignment. Things to think about are a lack of cell reception in some of the rides, some forums advise to utilize cell service instead of the Disney Wifi. This did not work for me as the cell service was overwhelmed and I didn't data signal. We ended up getting Group 49 and I was done with the sign-up approx 15 seconds after 10 am. So if you want to go on Rise of the Resistance, be ready at 10am exactly with your phone. Additionally, everyone who wants to go on the ride has to be checked into the park to be eligible when you sign up so get into the park early.
- Based on the attendance limits, we were able to ride everything we wanted to, multiple times on some rides and felt fulfilled at the end of the day.
- Make sure you have regular masks, gaitors are not allowed (we only saw this at Disney Springs)
- Strategically plan the popular rides like the Hollywood Studios Mickey ride. Typically lunch is when the popular ride lines shorten up a little or just before closing.
- There are still a lot of secondary parts of the parks closed. Many of the restaurants are still closed and the shows were not operating (Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, etc). They are also using this time to update a lot of rides and areas at Magic Kingdom (People mover, Tom Sawyer Island, the River Boat were closed)
- We only did the mobile food ordering once, but it was quick and efficient that time.
- The Character meet and greets are not happening with the general public (not sure if there are any special groups that could have access). Instead the characters travel around the park in mini parades (Animal Kingdom they are on barges that go up and down the river, at Magic Kingdom they are in small parades consisting of 1 or two floats with characters.)
Overall, great experience. Disney is doing a great job keeping spacing, cleaning rides and the park, making hand sanitizer available and enforcing mask wear. Our days at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom were the full attendance and sold out the day we attended, so make your reservations early.
After finishing with the rental car, we headed to Epcot. The trams do not run in the parking lots, but that was not an issue with the reduced crowd size. We quickly moved through the temperature screen and it appears the bag check process has been improved with new sensors. We only had to remove large metal objects (umbrella, metal water bottle, external phone battery, etc). All in all, we were inside Epcot in less than 90 minutes after landing. The central plaza of Epcot is under renovation and we followed the path to the left of Spaceship Earth. Our first ride was Test Track and we were in line about 30 minutes. The process skips the car design section which does reduce the main choke point for this ride. The next ride was Figment (no line, but usually no line there) followed by Soaring. This one surprised us and we walked straight up to the door where you get onto the ride as there was one in session when we arrived. We've never waited less than 20 minutes for the ride, even with a fast pass. We hit spaceship earth before heading around the countries. The Frozen ride was the longest wait and was all the way in China, so we skipped it until later and then head to France for ice cream and deserts. After walking around for another 45 minutes and enjoying a band in the USA pavilion, we headed to Italy for dinner at Napoli where we had a reservation for 6:30. We ended up going in around 6:10 which worked out well for us because we at quickly and were on our way by 6:45. Just enough time to hop into the Frozen line before 7 when line entry is cut-off. The biggest takeaway was the lines look crazy long compared to normal until you factor in the 6 foot markings on the ground to space everyone out. Overall, a great introductory day to the parks. We headed to our hotel, the Sheraton Vistana Resort Villas. We always stay at this location because we are able to get a 2 bedroom condo with kitchen for much cheaper than any park hotel. This year the total for 4 nights was $624 after all the taxes and fees.
Day 2 was the Magic Kingdom. The park opened at 9am so we arrived at the parking lot around 8:30. Again, quickly through temperature checks and bag screening. We originally headed for the monorail, but we heard another group ask if the buses were running and the cast member pointed out the buses to the right of the monorail. This was a great move on our part and we went straight onto the bus and waited about 2 minutes for it to be "Covid" full before we were headed to the entrance. After entering the park, we headed left toward the Jungle Cruise and arrived just as they dropped the rope to open the ride at 9. After our journey through the bad dad joke cruise, we hit up Pirates (walked right up) and Thunder Mountain (15 minute wait) and then followed the river around to the haunted mansion (15 minute wait). They pass you straight through the waiting room with the portraits which was expected but cuts down on enjoying the details of the queue like the grave stone wording and portraits. We next moved over to Tomorrow Land and rode the tea cups, the speedway (straight into the car), Buzz Light Year (30 minute wait), Astro Orbiter (20 minute wait mostly due to only one family group in the elevator at a time) and Space Mountain (walked to within 50 feet of the cars before I hit the line - 5 minute wait). After a quick bite to eat (we bring our own sandwiches and snacks for lunch) we headed over to Goofy's Barnstormer (5 minute wait) we headed to the Mine Train. This was the second longest wait of the day (45 minutes). We headed back and did another round of Buzz Light Year because the line was short and then headed over to get another round Thunder Mountain but opted for splash mountain due to the rising temperatures. This was the longest wait of the day (over an hour with 2 ride stops for cleaning). We hopped onto Big Thunder Mountain (15 minute wait). It was now about 2:30 and we had done everything we wanted to do multiple times and wanted time to hit Disney Springs before it got busy. We went through Buzz Light Year one more time (15 minute wait) and then did Carousel of Progress for nostalgia (10 minute wait). On our way out, we went through the shops on Mainstreet for souvenirs and then into the line for the Confectionary (about 10 minutes) for a snack. We headed over to Disney Springs. This is a Disney property, so you get your temperature taken before you can enter the mall area and you must have a mask. We saw some not permitted to enter because they were wearing a gaitor instead of a mask. There is a vending machine with masks next to the entrance and he used that. Once inside, we headed to the Disney Store where we had not planned for the line (ended up being 45 minutes). But we did learn you can make a reservation. Something to consider.
Day 3 was Hollywood Studios. The park opened at 10 but we were in the line at parking at 915. Same experience for temperatures and bag check. We were in the park around 9:30 and the line for the Mickey ride was 2 hours so we headed for Toy Story Land. With only 20 minutes until 10 and the wait projected at 20 minutes, I separated from the group and stayed outside to try for a spot in the Rise of the Resistance. The decision paid off as they were still inside at 10 and we ended up getting a spot in Group 49. This is a key part of the day for anyone who want to go on that ride and at 10 there is a lot of cheering going on for those who get a group number. This will become even more important as the park attendance is increased. After Toy Story Mania, we went on Alien Swirling (5 minute wait) and then Toy Story Mania again (20 minute wait). We skipped Slinky Dog because it was not operating yet. The line for Smuggler's run was 80 minutes so we decided to just tour the new Star Wars area and get our pictures taken. We hopped into Smuggler's run when it was 60 minutes and that time was pretty accurate. The biggest decision for this ride is who will be pilot, gunner and engineer (2 seats for each). We split 2 pilots and one gunner and 1 engineer. The ride was great and we learned after riding it 2 more times that day that parts of the story line change (the middle always stayed the same). After that we headed for the Mickey ride (scheduled 75 minute wait but ended up being about 2+15 because the ride was down for 30 minutes. A lot of people bailed on the ride, but we stuck it out because our Rise of the Resistance time was still over an hour away. The ride was a lot of fun and way different than the movie ride it replaced, being more similar to Rise of the Resistance in terms of how the ride operated. From there, we headed to Rise of the Resistance after receiving the notification our time window was open. Once you get there it is still another 30-45 minute wait. It was an awesome ride and we were definitely glad we received a spot in the lottery (FYI, we were group 49 and our time ended up being from 2:15 to 3:15). Overall, the timing is variable and adjusts for the functionality of the ride (it didn't open until after 11). After that we went and rode Smuggler's Run two more times with less than a 25 minute wait each time and then back to Toy Story Mania to end the night. We did try the Blue Milk after the final Smuggler's Run with mixed results (2 liked it and 2 didn't).
Day 4 was the Animal Kingdom (Saturday). The park opened at 7 but we didn't get there until 730. We originally planned to do the Safari first, but when we arrived, we learned it didn't open until 8 so we pivoted to Pandora and rode the Avatar Ride (15 minute wait). We went to the river ride next (35 minute wait) and enjoyed a nice, relaxing ride. Since we got up earlier than other days, there was a mandatory stop at Starbucks on the way back to the Safari. We did notice there were a lot less photographers at Animal Kingdom than usual and we didn't see any on the far side of the river where we usually get a family photo with the tree of life. We passed the bird exhibition about 1020 so we decided to see that for the first time ever (usually it is packed when we've been in the past). We followed that up with some silliness on a Bugs Life (10 minute wait as we just missed the start of the previous show). From there we were planning to ride the Triceratops Twirl roller coaster in Dino land, but it was not operating. There were not a lot of people in Dinoland and there were picnic tables so we opted for a lunch break. From there, Mt Kilimanjaro was next with a 15 minute wait, amazing!! We finished up our rides with River Rapids (20 minute wait). Looking for a place to dry out, we took the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch and took part in the animation studio and drew Shir Khan from the Jungle Book. After the train trip back, we headed to the front, got a picture in front of the tree of life and called it a day. Our boys really like the Disney Shorts on Disney Plus about all the different jobs in the Disney corporation. One of his favorite positions is baker at the Ganachery in Disney Springs so we made a trip there before heading back to the hotel. The shop is about the size of child's bedroom so there is a line. (We waited about 30 minutes with 2 families in front of us).
After that, we headed back to the condo, washed all of our dirty clothes because we didn't want to take dirty Covid cloths home with us and relaxed knowing we rode more rides this trip than any trip before.
Takeaways:
- Yes, you have to wear your mask the entire time you are up and moving. You can take it off to eat/drink but you are supposed to be stationary when doing that per the rules. It depended on where you were in the park if a Cast Member said anything if you were eating while moving in line. Usually, it was just a general announcement. Additionally, a Cast member will get after you if you do not have the mask over your nose.
- The lines look longer than usual, but that is due to 6 foot distancing. The lines move quickly but are paused at least hourly for cast members to perform a deep clean that usually takes about 10 minutes.
- If you want to ride Rise of the Resistance, plan ahead, read up on tricks to improve your chances of getting a Group assignment. Things to think about are a lack of cell reception in some of the rides, some forums advise to utilize cell service instead of the Disney Wifi. This did not work for me as the cell service was overwhelmed and I didn't data signal. We ended up getting Group 49 and I was done with the sign-up approx 15 seconds after 10 am. So if you want to go on Rise of the Resistance, be ready at 10am exactly with your phone. Additionally, everyone who wants to go on the ride has to be checked into the park to be eligible when you sign up so get into the park early.
- Based on the attendance limits, we were able to ride everything we wanted to, multiple times on some rides and felt fulfilled at the end of the day.
- Make sure you have regular masks, gaitors are not allowed (we only saw this at Disney Springs)
- Strategically plan the popular rides like the Hollywood Studios Mickey ride. Typically lunch is when the popular ride lines shorten up a little or just before closing.
- There are still a lot of secondary parts of the parks closed. Many of the restaurants are still closed and the shows were not operating (Indiana Jones, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, etc). They are also using this time to update a lot of rides and areas at Magic Kingdom (People mover, Tom Sawyer Island, the River Boat were closed)
- We only did the mobile food ordering once, but it was quick and efficient that time.
- The Character meet and greets are not happening with the general public (not sure if there are any special groups that could have access). Instead the characters travel around the park in mini parades (Animal Kingdom they are on barges that go up and down the river, at Magic Kingdom they are in small parades consisting of 1 or two floats with characters.)
Overall, great experience. Disney is doing a great job keeping spacing, cleaning rides and the park, making hand sanitizer available and enforcing mask wear. Our days at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom were the full attendance and sold out the day we attended, so make your reservations early.
