Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Shellyred8]

The Bad
-Drunk people cannot socially-distance. This was a big issue at EPCOT.
-Airports are very much a reflection of the state in which they are located. SFO was great - empty, distanced, quiet. MSP was a nightmare of epic proportions.

Did you go through Terminal 1 at MSP? I've only been at Terminal 2 since this all started, and things have been really good there.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

You have more of a chance of getting Covid at your local grocery store than you do at Disney. They have done a great job. You have to be close in the vicinity of someone with Covid for 15 mins to get it from them. Most of the time you are outside which even lowers the chance. Wash your hands and wear your masks and you are fine.

This is factually inaccurate, unless you are the type of person who goes to the grocery that doesn't require masks for multiple days at roughly 10 hours at a time.

 

[nkereina]

This is factually inaccurate, unless you are the type of person who goes to the grocery that doesn't require masks for multiple days at roughly 10 hours at a time.

Your post and the one you quoted cannot be based on fact. Both are opinion, based on perceived probability. The poster you quoted feels there is a higher probability of catching Covid at the grocery store than at Disney. I tend to agree. During our October trip, there was were very few instances during our 7 day stay where I was within 6' of a stranger without a physical barrier present. Not in ride vehicles, not in queues, not on buses, not in restaurants. I was occasionally within 6' of others when walking outdoors in the walkways. At the grocery, I do wear a mask as I did at Disney, but I'm indoors and within 6' of others with no physical barrier for the entire 60+ minutes I'm shopping. There are people reaching around me, standing next to me. Never had that experience on our WDW trip.

 

[parasail_of_congress]

Your post and the one you quoted cannot be based on fact. Both are opinion, based on perceived probability. The poster you quoted feels there is a higher probability of catching Covid at the grocery store than at Disney. I tend to agree. During our October trip, there was were very few instances during our 7 day stay where I was within 6' of a stranger without a physical barrier present. Not in ride vehicles, not in queues, not on buses, not in restaurants. I was occasionally within 6' of others when walking outdoors in the walkways. At the grocery, I do wear a mask as I did at Disney, but I'm indoors and within 6' of others with no physical barrier for the entire 60+ minutes I'm shopping. There are people reaching around me, standing next to me. Never had that experience on our WDW trip.

Right, part of my comment is just stating that "feeling safer" in one situation or the other doesn't necessarily make one always safer in one or the other. Results vary depending on the situation. You were at Disney in October, so it was less crowded. Maybe your grocery store is more crowded than others, etc.

The second point of my comment is to stress the amount of time people spend at both places. If you're at the grocery store for 60 minutes, how many people can you realistically come in contact with versus somewhere that you are staying for 40-60 hours?

I do believe Disney in general is doing a great job at keeping people safe there, but comparing with a grocery trip is apples and oranges (pun intended).

 

[nkereina]

Right, part of my comment is just stating that "feeling safer" in one situation or the other doesn't necessarily make one always safer in one or the other. Results vary depending on the situation. You were at Disney in October, so it was less crowded. Maybe your grocery store is more crowded than others, etc.

The second point of my comment is to stress the amount of time people spend at both places. If you're at the grocery store for 60 minutes, how many people can you realistically come in contact with versus somewhere that you are staying for 40-60 hours?

I do believe Disney in general is doing a great job at keeping people safe there, but comparing with a grocery trip is apples and oranges (pun intended).

Fair enough. The emphasis of my point was just that I am frequently within close proximity of others when visiting "essential" stores at home, but at Disney, I can count on one hand the amount of times I was in close proximity of others. I think some people have a fear or a preconceived notion that Disney World = crowds and you'll be in the middle of a cesspool of Covid air by going there now, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. We have a high risk tolerance when it comes to the current environment, so I was prepared to be in close proximity of others, but that was not the case at all to my surprise.

 

[Shellyred8]

Just got back from an 8 night trip. Here are a few observations from this trip:
1. It's annoying that some places that have mobile order have their allergy options on the mobile order system, but others do not.
2. Sleepy Hallow stops selling the Fruit and Nutella waffle at 11am. At least on the days we were there they did.
3. The first two hours at MK are pretty awesome!!! We never started with Seven Dwarfs, as that line got long really fast. We always saved this for the last ride of the day. Most of the other rides were either walk on or just a 5-10 minute wait during the first hour and the second hour the waits bumped up to about 15 minutes (which was still pretty good!). After the first two hours, the crowds increased noticeably and the wait times jumped quickly. This was the only park that we rope-dropped, so I can't speak to the other parks.
4. I discovered the Gluten Free Chicken nuggets this trip. I was really quite surprised with how good they were!
5. While there are Christmas decorations up, it's not nearly as much as in years past (which I totally get). This comment is about setting expectations for people going to see the Christmas decorations.
6. We saw a few CM's telling people to fix their masks, but not nearly as many as in previous trips.
7. Being the pooper-scooper probably isn't the most glamourous job, but it's made even worse when the pile lands in the trolley tracks!

 

[ntmec]

Did you go through Terminal 1 at MSP? I've only been at Terminal 2 since this all started, and things have been really good there.

I'm wondering if perhaps OP didn't mean MCO instead of MSP? This is based on his comment that airports are a reflection of the State in which they are located... MN is pretty strict at this point... FL isn't.

 

[yulilin3]

Is the Pizza restaurant open?

Pizzerizzo? Yes Catalina Eddies? No

 

[PrincessV]

"Just" back - a few days later, really. Dec. 8-11 trip, all weekdays, with my 18yo son. A little different perspective from the usual around here, as we do not rope drop, and we're semi-locals who've been regular WDW visitors for decades, so we are not the "do it all" types.

I have an AP, but my son's expired in April and didn't renew, so I bought him the special low-price FL 3-day ticket.

Stayed at SSR in a studio. Drove to WDW and drove to the parks. Weather was COLD by Florida standards, warming up by our last day.

My personal WDW COVID rules: no indoor dining; no shows; no standing in place anywhere we felt too close to other people, indoors or out; no enclosed, shared transportation (buses, monorail, Skyliner).

Arrival at SSR
Of concern was the security guard when I arrived at our resort. I donned a mask and held my ID way out my window for him to see... and he proceeded to take my ID in his own hand, then LEANED THROUGH MY WINDOW INTO MY CAR to chat! He had on both a mask and face shield, but still - totally unnecessary and not at all in keeping with safety protocols. I'd love to say I told him to back up, but I was so taken aback, I was speechless, and then it was over and I was driving away. Wowsa.

We first went to SSR upon arrival and ate lunch at Artist's Pallet around 12:30pm. Mobile ordered from the car and hit "I'm here" walking toward the building: order was ready a couple minutes after we got up there and we ate at an outside table. It was very quiet - few people eating there at that time.

Tues. Dec. 8: EPCOT - open 12-9p
We made it over to EP around 3pm and started a slow, counter-clockwise stroll around WS... it was BUSY. Much busier than I experienced in late Aug. or late Oct. It maybe wasn't impossible to stay 6' away from everyone while walking, but it was very, very difficult. We didn't bother: there were enough stretches where we had adequate space that we just quick-walked through the spots that didn't. I didn't feel unsafe, but it wasn't as quiet and relaxed as my previous COVID visits. Lines for food booths were not long at all: maybe 2-5 parties ahead of us, tops. And it was easy to find tables/benches/ planting walls/ etc. to pull off and eat away from people. Caught Frozen, Mickey et al, & Santa cavalcades.

We got over to FW around 4:30 and did some rides. It was EMPTY over there - blissfully so! Lots and lots of open space everywhere. Soarin' was our longest "wait": we walked right up to the loading area, so our only waiting was the usual pre-ride video thing. Nemo was a walk-on, and the aquarium was nearly empty: it was soooo nice to have ample space - and QUIETNESS! - in which to watch the fish! SE was a walk-on.

Back to WS, where it emptied out some after about 6pm. Mitsukoshi in Japan wasn't as crazy as usual, but had plenty of shoppers. World Showplace was uncomfortably PACKED near the entry, but thinned out the further in you went. It was very cold, we'd done all we cared to and eaten all we wanted, so we headed out around 8:30.

Wed. Dec. 9, MK - open 8a-8p
I drove to the TTC around 12pm and we took the ferry to MK. Plenty of space for everyone to spread out.

Main St. wasn't busy at all at that time; lots of open space. I place a mobile order for the next time slot (about 25 minutes away) at Cosmic Ray's.


We immediately caught the Main St. Philharmonic/wooden soldiers cavalcade, which was the #1 thing I wanted to experience that day! I snapped a few more pics, an my son humored my desire for a lousy PP shot at the castle, then I hit "I'm here" on my MO and we wandered over to Cosmic Ray's.

It definitely felt busier in the rest of the park than it did on Main St.; just a lot more bodies everywhere. But we had no trouble finding an outdoor table at which to eat.

Rides after lunch, going counter-clockwise around the park.
Wait times weren’t any worse than I experienced in Oct, and not much longer than Aug: we rode Space Mtn (15mins), Pooh (15mins), Under the Sea (8mins), Haunted Mansion (10mins), Big Thunder (28mins). Posted wait times were HUGELY inflated - Big Thunder was posted as 70. It was very, very hard to social distance while walking around. Basically impossible in sections. In short doses that doesn’t bother me, but I felt like it was all adding up to too much, honestly.
Lines for rides & food were fine: we felt safest in line, by a lot. And finding spots to eat or drink was easy, too.

We decided to start heading to the exit around 6:30 because my son had had enough. Sadly, he never got to experience the truly quiet days of reopening, which I think he'd have much preferred. What we saw as we came out of the castle was really alarming...


The entire area in front of the castle was PACKED with people. Now, we were able to walk around the perimeter with some space to social distance, but it was frankly unnerving to see soooo many people in one large space, completely stationary. IMO the castle projections are a mistake, as they are absolutely drawing large crowds. Main St itself wasn't too bad and we exited quickly. MK was by far the least safe I've felt during the pandemic - and this was an unsoldout weekday. I don't know if I'll try MK again until I can be vaccinated.

Thurs., Dec. 10, AK - open 8a-5p
I drove to AK around 11:30am. I immediately went to place a MO for Satul'i when we got in, and got the next time period, about 20 minutes off. We thought we'd stroll through Pandora until my window opened... and it was PACKED. Very, very busy. And not thanks to ride queues: just a lot of people everywhere. Too many people, IMO. Over at Satul'i, I could see empty tables outside, but crowds of folks waiting around for their orders. I hit "I'm here" as soon as my window opened, and we found an empty spot to sit on a planter... but a minute later, a family sat down right next to me and took off their masks.. So we moved down to the walkway to Africa to wait - it was emptier there. Order took about 15 mins and we were able to find an outdoor table at which to eat it, but the whole Pandora experience was concerning.

Fortunately, the rest of AK was wonderful! Very low crowds, no problems social distancing at all, and lots of relaxed animal viewing. Wait times were excellent: we rode Safari (20mins), Everest (5mins), and Dinosaur (10mins) - all between 2pm-4pm.

COVID stuff
Mask compliance was pretty good, on average. Some nose-peepers, some eating-while-walkers, some maskless-outside-of-relaxation-zones, but not a lot.

I thought it would be more comfortable wearing a mask in the cold, and was I ever wrong! I was perfectly comfortable masked-up in 100*, but I was really uncomfortable in 45*. Even when it warmed up to 65*, it felt cool and clammy, and kept fogging up my sunglasses. Hi, I'm the Floridian who'd rather wait to go back when it's hot again while wearing a mask.

After 3 days, I was really sick of thinking about our next meal. MO is nice, but also a PITA.

I'm more pleased with the plexiglass installations in queues and on rides that I thought I'd be. They really don't hinder my experience at all, and I do feel a bit safer.

 

[hlrubin507]

Pizza Rizzo was open. Most if not all restaurants in DHS were open. A lot of the carts were closed so it was not super easy (as in, instantaneous) to get snacks depending on where you were, but it was not an issue for us.

 

[Sarahslay]

Hello Everyone,

We have a trip scheduled from 12/18 to 12/25, two adults and three teens. We have been very cautious with regards to COVID, ie haven't eaten in a restaurant since March, kids doing school from home, wearing masks, etc. We are hopeful for a fun yet safe trip, coming from Wisconsin. We are DVC members, staying at AKL Kidani and BWV, renting a car. We are planning on dining outdoors for almost all of our meals. We have been to Disney many times, so we don't have to do everything, but just want to get the good Disney feels! We have never been here at Christmas time.

The information posted here has been very helpful as I have been planning our trip, thank you! I have a few more questions for anyone that might have advice for me.

To those of you who have been to Savi's workshop, did you feel that the spacing among guests was safe?

Any strong recommendations for outdoor dining? We have ADR at Olivia's and Trattoria al Forno, hoping for outdoor seating. Is it difficult to get an outdoor seat at Nomad Lounge, or Primo Piatti?

We have ADR at California Grill and Kona Cafe. For those of you who have been here during the pandemic, is the seating between separate parties a good distance?

Thank you in advance!

I can only answer a very small portion of your questions, but my husband and I ate at Cali Grill 2 weeks ago and spacing was more than adequate. We had a table next to a window near the door to go out to the observation deck (which no one was going out on to because no fire works I guess), and we could have gotten up and danced next to our table without coming close to anyone. They have obviously removed tables and blocked off ones they can't to give perfect spacing, and that's what I experienced in all of the TS restaurants (we ate at 1-2 every day of an 8 day trip, every single one was well spaced and at reduced capacity, no worries). So while I haven't been to Kona, if all the other places we ate at are an indication then you should be more than fine. We have been super careful too, so I completely understand your worries! We will also be back from Dec. 19-27, and after our Thanksgiving trip I don't have half as many anxieties as I did before that trip.

 

[Heather07438]

When you went left to Canada through the IG, did you continue around the lake and through the Mexico side to get to Frozen? Seems like that would take longer in my brain (probably why everyone else went right!)

Yes, we did this both days and were first in line for Frozen both times. We are 50 years old and walked briskly but did not run, although we saw people going to the right running and we still beat them. Not by a lot, but definitely by a couple of minutes.

I think it's a little faster but not by much.
If you look at the map IG and Norway are both on the lower half of the circle.

Thank you for that tip crazycat
You're correct! Going left is not only shorter (.5 miles vs .7 miles) but alot faster (10 minutes vs 14 minutes).


More clearly we see this after comparing the 2 routes to China.
China intuitively feels like it might be best going right tho even that is quicker when going left.

China is the same .6 miles either way but going left is 2 minutes quicker, likely due to the grading and swerving on the right.
Measure from where the 2 paths branch apart... the distance to Frozen/Norway is much shorter from the left.

That's a huge difference at rope drop! Thanks again

 

[Lilias]

Big thanks to everyone's tips about rope drop!! We are NOT rope drop people, but I made my husband get up at 7 AM today (dude normally wakes up around noon, lol) to get to DHS around 8:15. We got so much done (SDD, MFSR, ROTR, and MMRR all done by noon), but crowds got thiccc around lunch time, so we left. We came back around 5:00 for my Savi's appointment, where I got real emotional lol. Such a wonderful experience, worth every penny. <3

Mask compliance was great today, which was a welcome change after being at Universal this weekend where I'd say compliance was around 75% and the TMs didn't seem to mind we were so stressed out from constant vigilance the we almost cancelled our Disney trip this week out of sheer exhaustion!

Epcot tomorrow!~

 

[caylene44]

Thank you for that tip crazycat
You're correct! Going left is not only shorter (.5 miles vs .7 miles) but alot faster (10 minutes vs 14 minutes).

View attachment 543925
More clearly we see this after comparing the 2 routes to China.
China intuitively feels like it might be best going right tho even that is quicker when going left.
View attachment 543926
China is the same .6 miles either way but going left is 2 minutes quicker, likely due to the grading and swerving on the right.
Measure from where the 2 paths branch apart... the distance to Frozen/Norway is much shorter from the left.

That's a huge difference at rope drop! Thanks again

You are my hero! Lol. We’re staying at BWV (our first time at an Epcot area hotel) and I’ve been stressing over which way to FEA is the best from IG. Left it is!

 

[crazycatlady]

What time was your mobile order for?

I made the mobile order for 7am but cancelled it once I got past the guard shack. We had every intention of using it but I decided that I didn't want the frozen hot cocoa when it was so chilly out. I was going to get a cappuccino from the lobby instead, but they weren't open yet.

 

[WEDWDW]

Add Columbia Harbour House being used as extended queue for Pan to your list of sights you thought you would never see at WDW!

 

[Telcogirl]

I'm wondering if perhaps OP didn't mean MCO instead of MSP? This is based on his comment that airports are a reflection of the State in which they are located... MN is pretty strict at this point... FL isn't.

Just left MCO and was not impressed. The TSA is all about moving the lines and they are not even paying attention to the signs telling passengers to stay 6 feet apart. It was pretty disheartening. But I am not a fan of TSA at that airport from the ‘Great Before’ . So while it was disturbing to me, it wasn’t surprising.

 

[Ngwira]

We fly out on Friday. Wednesday we’re expected to get 12 inches of snow so this is a welcome pivot to 70s in Florida.

 

[Marc A.]

Big thanks to everyone's tips about rope drop!! We are NOT rope drop people, but I made my husband get up at 7 AM today (dude normally wakes up around noon, lol) to get to DHS around 8:15. We got so much done (SDD, MFSR, ROTR, and MMRR all done by noon), but crowds got thiccc around lunch time, so we left. We came back around 5:00 for my Savi's appointment, where I got real emotional lol. Such a wonderful experience, worth every penny. <3

Mask compliance was great today, which was a welcome change after being at Universal this weekend where I'd say compliance was around 75% and the TMs didn't seem to mind we were so stressed out from constant vigilance the we almost cancelled our Disney trip this week out of sheer exhaustion!

Epcot tomorrow!~

How was the park after 5? How were the lines??

 

[Lilias]

How was the park after 5? How were the lines??

The waits seemed much better for the non-headliners (Star Tours was at an hour around noon and then a respectable 20 minutes when we came back later, haha), but there didn't seem to be too many changes in the app from like 4-5:30. The headliners didn't really change all that much after rope drop. MMRR hung around 40-50 minutes most of the day, which was cool.

After that I had my lightsaber appt and dinner at docking bay 7, so I stopped watching it!

I literally could not get into any of the SWGE shops, though (lines seemed team long)... Luckily we have a second DHS day on Friday so I can make that a priority...