Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[luv2cheer92]

I must be the odd one then. I enjoy talking to families from all over the country, and my kids are the same. They make friends wherever they go and still stay in contact with some kids they met on vacations. Most people are really nice, and my life is enriched meeting new folks so I’ll be glad when social distancing is over!

Pretty certain you can talk to other people without them being on top of you.

 

[hereforthechurros]

How was the nomad line at 1030? This is our most fav spot in the “world” and real world so we want to make sure we get a spot outside as soon as it opens. We suffered a 45 min wait and then hunger games style table search today for our second fav place at Baseline and would want to avoid thats. We’re r yacht too so good to know, will try for an Uber tomorrow! Thanks!!

At Nomad last week the line at 10:30 am was three parties deep but grew very quickly after that.

They really need to figure something out for BaseLine, the lack of seating there really causes some issues.

 

[hereforthechurros]

I haven’t been to a park in two weeks, but was going about once or twice a week. And my experiences varied greatly.

This is so important to note. Getting a lot of passive aggressive vibes from people who had amazing experiences and don’t seem to understand how others didn’t. And vice versa. Week to week, day to day, crowd habits vary greatly and do affect the experience.

 

[lovethattink]

Today we had an amazing day celebrating ds’ bday. In some places MK was empty. Other places it bottlenecked. Wait times were low in my opinion. Even the crazy long line for the people mover moved quickly.

7DMT broke down while we were in line. They gave everyone a multiple experience pass to ride later. We rode later and the attraction stopped 3 times while we were on it. HM had a 10 minute wait posted and actually it was a 5 min walk and rode right away.

I ordered food on the mobile app from home before we left. Love that Columbia Harbour House food is now being served at Tomorrowland Terrace! Ordered that for right before it closed at 4pm. And ordered dessert from Aloha Isle for 6pm.

Mask compliance was really good. Saw a couple people eating and walking.

It was nice to see cm able to wear things that expressed themselves more.

There were definitely many more multigenerational families at the park. It was very noticeable by the matching shirts.

Did not see any cheer or dance groups. But it is a weekday.

 

[AaronInWI]

It was nice to see cm able to wear things that expressed themselves more.

I'm curious, how did you see the CM's expressing themselves? I'm all for it, I'm just wondering how they are choosing to do so!

 

[Nikki1013]

The MK was so empty this morning for the first 1-1.5 hours. I took videos walking around with no one around. It was amazing. If you can get there early it is totally worth it!

I second that. We were there when the park opened as well and I couldn’t believe how much we got done in the first 90 minutes. Kinda made me nostalgic for the old pre-FastPass days. The rest of the day it seemed like our wait times were about half the posted times. We have another MK day Thursday so I hope we have the same luck then. I do miss the fireworks though.

I’m planning a solo trip for early December so it will be interesting to see the changes between now and then.

 

[lovethattink]

I'm curious, how did you see the CM's expressing themselves? I'm all for it, I'm just wondering how they are choosing to do so!

Most noticeable was black nail polish.

 

[Nikki1013]

Most noticeable was black nail polish.

I saw a cast member with a tattoo on her leg working at the Rock & Rollercoaster. It was kind of perfect for the attraction.

 

[Mango7100]

Would you mind repeating this trick?

Using the umbrella outside for shade but also you can hold the the umbrella against your back almost like a barrier, seems like people had some success doing that as a deterrent against back creepers. Some posters used the umbrella even in the indoor queue spaces

 

[Princess Katelet]

Using the umbrella outside for shade but also you can hold the the umbrella against your back almost like a barrier, seems like people had some success doing that as a deterrent against back creepers. Some posters used the umbrella even in the indoor queue spaces

Just ordered my two umbrellas! I got true sun blocking ones. Definitely plan to use these to block sun AND people! Do a lot of others use them or will my daughter and I be the only ones with ‘parasols’?

 

[lovethattink]

Just ordered my two umbrellas! I got true sun blocking ones. Definitely plan to use these to block sun AND people! Do a lot of others use them or will my daughter and I be the only ones with ‘parasols’?

I don’t use them as much as I use to. I had radiation treatment and don’t need extra from the sun. You’ll definitely be in the minority on a sunny day.

 

[Mango7100]

Just ordered my two umbrellas! I got true sun blocking ones. Definitely plan to use these to block sun AND people! Do a lot of others use them or will my daughter and I be the only ones with ‘parasols’?

I’m crazy pale so I always thought about one but never used it, now we are going to. That summer sun is brutal standing on the pavement. I remember seeing a few people with them on previous trips—definitely the minority but not so rare that it looked odd

 

[wdwrule]

Just ordered my two umbrellas! I got true sun blocking ones. Definitely plan to use these to block sun AND people! Do a lot of others use them or will my daughter and I be the only ones with ‘parasols’?

I admit... I did order a UV blocking umbrella for my most recent trip and I loved it!! I’ve always brought a small umbrella anyways for rain each day. But, standing in outdoor extended ques... this umbrella provided much needed shade. It’s still compact, so easy to throw in the bag.

 

[SheSingsAlong]

A little trip report to hopefully help others as I have found help here Returned Monday night, 4/26, from our 7-day desperately needed escape from reality to WDW. If it’s any indication of the magic that place still holds, I had tears in my eyes as we waved goodbye to the Fab Five standing at the train station as we exited MK for the final time at the end of our trip. The magic is there, even now, and I can’t wait to go back.

Party of 3: Me, Husband, and DD (5 y/o). We flew Frontier non-stop 4/19 and arrived at 10:15am. Used DME – no check-in line, waited ~30 minutes for a bus. Split stay: 4 nights at AS-Movies preferred, 3 nights BRV Studio on rented points.

Tues 4/20 – MK
Terrible start to the day. A series of unfortunate events had us frazzled even before it started downpouring while we queued for temp check. And the rain rain rain came down down down in rushing, rising, rivulets! We had packed rain gear, but were caught without time to don it before our feet and heads were drenched. We escaped indoors and tried to dry off and re-assess our plans. The rain finally tapered off and we had missed no rope-drop time since everyone and everything had stopped. Turned out to be a highly successful day other than the 2 giant blisters I developed walking in sandals. Used Lines app, started in Adventure Land and moved clock-wise. Used MobileOrder for snacks and dinner (every quick service should offer this!), lunched at the Wave. Thank goodness BTMRR is DD’s favorite – it reliably had low waits most of the day.

Wed 4/21 – EP
Nice to wake up “late” for EP rope drop. Shared QS breakfast at resort and got on first bus to EP. Power walked to Test Track – they let us line up inside the building and we waited ~10 min before they started loading cars. Line was still short after so we rode again! Flower and Garden food was awesome and seating could always be found nearby. DD enjoyed Spike the Bee scavenger hunt (which was a great excuse to let ME enjoy the gardens LOL). Shopped and explored World Showcase. We had very good luck with lines – waited maybe 25 min for Soarin’. Dinner at Garden Grill, very good. Rode Test Track twice in a row AGAIN later in the evening since wait was so low (~20 min each time). We left a little after 8pm.

Thurs 4/22 – DHS
Our rope-drop skills advanced to a new level. A series of totally lucky breaks got us on the FIRST train for SDD. Rode again as the line was still short. Then MMRR with ~20 min wait. My button mashing skills had earned us RotR BG1 which was called before official park open, so we headed there next. DD was very sad we could only ride once. Second breakfast at Ronto Roaster. Slowed down and enjoyed Galaxy’s Edge, a few more rides. Had to power walk to Boardwalk for Beaches n’ Cream ressie because we missed the boat (that hurt). Worth it for the food. Split a plate so you have room for the ice cream LOL! Took boat back to DHS and shopped. More rides. Wookie cookie and Blue Milk snack and a long break. Dinner at Woody’s was really good and DD actually ate a lot – highly recommend. We finished the night riding SDD 3 times in a row, last time at sunset with the lights on – DD’s favorite.

Fri 4/23 – “rest” day
We apparently do not know how to rest. We need to figure that out before the next Disney trip XD Transferred to BRV, breakfast at the Wave, pool at WL (the swim vests they provide for kids are excellent!), then Disney Springs for dinner at Raglan Road.

Sat 4/24 – AK
Some friends joined us for our BRV stay and came to the parks with us. We were able to use rider swap with them to do the rides DD can’t. Rode FOP, Nav’i River Journey, and Dinosaur all twice. Rode EE and Safari once. AK broke me. I’m a very good planner, I use Lines App (was unreliable for this park), I research and study WDW. But AK is just. So. Freaking. BIG. Each land only has like 2 rides and you have to walk FOREVER to get between lands. There was no way to avoid all the walking. Beautiful park, great rides (what few there are), but with my DD being a tiny adrenaline junky, I am thinking of making AK a half park day next time. I would love to enjoy it fully at a slower pace on an adults-only trip in the future. This was the only day we left the park for a mid-day break at the resort and returned later – it was a necessity. Lunch at Flame Tree was delicious as was dinner at Satuli.

Sun 4/25 – MK
Bus never showed for MK at Wilderness Lodge so we booked it to the boat dock. Arrived at MK ~5 min after they opened for early entry. Started left in Adventureland again. PoTC was down for technical issues. Splash was running empty boats – good sign, but that ride never seems to open before official park open. Onward to BTMRR…which also had not opened yet. We queued up anyway and after 15-20 min the ride finally opened. Rode twice. Splash still down, but PoTC had finally opened. Not a super successful rope-drop morning, a lot of rides just didn’t open, but it was our second MK day, so after Splash (~35 min wait) everything else was gravy. Lunched at Whispering Canyon and went back to our Villa for a quick wardrobe change. Afternoon in the park was super busy BUT…the People Mover opened a day early!!!! I forced my group to wait an inordinate amount of time in line to ride it. Rider swapped Space Mountain and rode twice due to low wait. Cleaned up Fantasyland, had ice cream and popcorn for “dinner”, then rode BTMRR 3 times in a row. Dole whip with a view of the castle and we slowly headed out as I tried not to cry. We took the boat back to WL and caught the Electric Water Pageant – very cute.

Mon 4/25 – Leaving
Woke up “late” (when you always rope-drop, 7:30am is late), packed, stowed our bags will Bell Services, late breakfast at Whispering Canyon, then pool until time to meet the Tragical Express. MCO’s TSA line wasn’t as long as we feared it would be, so we had ample time before our flight. Note for parents with small children: THERE IS NO BATHROOM AFTER TSA until you ride the tram to your gate area. DD had a meltdown trying to hold her bladder until we could get to a restroom. Crisis averted when all the women waiting for the smallest airport bathroom I’ve ever seen let us jump to the front of the line.

Random notes:
We were in WDW in Nov. Mask compliance now is still extremely high, but social distancing is non-existent. Very few people adhered to the dots and lines in queues.

With a smart touring plan, you can avoid long lines, especially in MK. We often waited less than 20 min. Waits of ~35 – 40min were for headliners like Splash and SDD. We managed 20-25 min waits on Test Track, Soarin’, MMRR, FOP, and 7DMT. It can be done – zig when others zag, avoid mid-day, and don’t fully trust Disney reported wait times. Lines App was usually more accurate (except in AK).

MobileOrder is still awesome and they just expanded it to Sunshine Tree Terrace, Sleepy Hollow, and Friar’s Nook. Always order early to get the time slot you want. Eat at off times if seating is an issue (lookin’ at you, Woody’s Lunchbox).

Busses at All-Star Movies were excellent, always on time. Busses at Wilderness Lodge for wherever we were going were always very late, maybe we just got unlucky?

Young kids/picky eaters: Order groceries so your kids can have those go-to foods they will always eat for you. DD was always willing to take a few bites of her favorite sandwich when she refused all other food. It saved us a lot of money on wasted park food and spared us a lot of meltdowns.

Not sure about other resorts, but the food court at Movies didn’t open until 7am. If you are rope-dropping anything but EP, you will have to make other breakfast plans (highly recommend grocery delivery so you have quick items in your room).

Lots of snack places close well before park close, pretty annoying. For your Must Have snacks, double check the location’s hours so you don’t miss out.

I have fallen madly in love with the Wilderness Lodge and will spend the rest of my life dreaming about buying DVC there.

 

[subtchr]

Does anyone know if you can transfer a park reservation to someone in your MDE group?

No, and guest services generally cannot help with this, either.

 

[tanyaandallie]

A little trip report to hopefully help others as I have found help here Returned Monday night, 4/26, from our 7-day desperately needed escape from reality to WDW. If it’s any indication of the magic that place still holds, I had tears in my eyes as we waved goodbye to the Fab Five standing at the train station as we exited MK for the final time at the end of our trip. The magic is there, even now, and I can’t wait to go back.

Party of 3: Me, Husband, and DD (5 y/o). We flew Frontier non-stop 4/19 and arrived at 10:15am. Used DME – no check-in line, waited ~30 minutes for a bus. Split stay: 4 nights at AS-Movies preferred, 3 nights BRV Studio on rented points.

Tues 4/20 – MK
Terrible start to the day. A series of unfortunate events had us frazzled even before it started downpouring while we queued for temp check. And the rain rain rain came down down down in rushing, rising, rivulets! We had packed rain gear, but were caught without time to don it before our feet and heads were drenched. We escaped indoors and tried to dry off and re-assess our plans. The rain finally tapered off and we had missed no rope-drop time since everyone and everything had stopped. Turned out to be a highly successful day other than the 2 giant blisters I developed walking in sandals. Used Lines app, started in Adventure Land and moved clock-wise. Used MobileOrder for snacks and dinner (every quick service should offer this!), lunched at the Wave. Thank goodness BTMRR is DD’s favorite – it reliably had low waits most of the day.

Wed 4/21 – EP
Nice to wake up “late” for EP rope drop. Shared QS breakfast at resort and got on first bus to EP. Power walked to Test Track – they let us line up inside the building and we waited ~10 min before they started loading cars. Line was still short after so we rode again! Flower and Garden food was awesome and seating could always be found nearby. DD enjoyed Spike the Bee scavenger hunt (which was a great excuse to let ME enjoy the gardens LOL). Shopped and explored World Showcase. We had very good luck with lines – waited maybe 25 min for Soarin’. Dinner at Garden Grill, very good. Rode Test Track twice in a row AGAIN later in the evening since wait was so low (~20 min each time). We left a little after 8pm.

Thurs 4/22 – DHS
Our rope-drop skills advanced to a new level. A series of totally lucky breaks got us on the FIRST train for SDD. Rode again as the line was still short. Then MMRR with ~20 min wait. My button mashing skills had earned us RotR BG1 which was called before official park open, so we headed there next. DD was very sad we could only ride once. Second breakfast at Ronto Roaster. Slowed down and enjoyed Galaxy’s Edge, a few more rides. Had to power walk to Boardwalk for Beaches n’ Cream ressie because we missed the boat (that hurt). Worth it for the food. Split a plate so you have room for the ice cream LOL! Took boat back to DHS and shopped. More rides. Wookie cookie and Blue Milk snack and a long break. Dinner at Woody’s was really good and DD actually ate a lot – highly recommend. We finished the night riding SDD 3 times in a row, last time at sunset with the lights on – DD’s favorite.

Fri 4/23 – “rest” day
We apparently do not know how to rest. We need to figure that out before the next Disney trip XD Transferred to BRV, breakfast at the Wave, pool at WL (the swim vests they provide for kids are excellent!), then Disney Springs for dinner at Raglan Road.

Sat 4/24 – AK
Some friends joined us for our BRV stay and came to the parks with us. We were able to use rider swap with them to do the rides DD can’t. Rode FOP, Nav’i River Journey, and Dinosaur all twice. Rode EE and Safari once. AK broke me. I’m a very good planner, I use Lines App (was unreliable for this park), I research and study WDW. But AK is just. So. Freaking. BIG. Each land only has like 2 rides and you have to walk FOREVER to get between lands. There was no way to avoid all the walking. Beautiful park, great rides (what few there are), but with my DD being a tiny adrenaline junky, I am thinking of making AK a half park day next time. I would love to enjoy it fully at a slower pace on an adults-only trip in the future. This was the only day we left the park for a mid-day break at the resort and returned later – it was a necessity. Lunch at Flame Tree was delicious as was dinner at Satuli.

Sun 4/25 – MK
Bus never showed for MK at Wilderness Lodge so we booked it to the boat dock. Arrived at MK ~5 min after they opened for early entry. Started left in Adventureland again. PoTC was down for technical issues. Splash was running empty boats – good sign, but that ride never seems to open before official park open. Onward to BTMRR…which also had not opened yet. We queued up anyway and after 15-20 min the ride finally opened. Rode twice. Splash still down, but PoTC had finally opened. Not a super successful rope-drop morning, a lot of rides just didn’t open, but it was our second MK day, so after Splash (~35 min wait) everything else was gravy. Lunched at Whispering Canyon and went back to our Villa for a quick wardrobe change. Afternoon in the park was super busy BUT…the People Mover opened a day early!!!! I forced my group to wait an inordinate amount of time in line to ride it. Rider swapped Space Mountain and rode twice due to low wait. Cleaned up Fantasyland, had ice cream and popcorn for “dinner”, then rode BTMRR 3 times in a row. Dole whip with a view of the castle and we slowly headed out as I tried not to cry. We took the boat back to WL and caught the Electric Water Pageant – very cute.

Mon 4/25 – Leaving
Woke up “late” (when you always rope-drop, 7:30am is late), packed, stowed our bags will Bell Services, late breakfast at Whispering Canyon, then pool until time to meet the Tragical Express. MCO’s TSA line wasn’t as long as we feared it would be, so we had ample time before our flight. Note for parents with small children: THERE IS NO BATHROOM AFTER TSA until you ride the tram to your gate area. DD had a meltdown trying to hold her bladder until we could get to a restroom. Crisis averted when all the women waiting for the smallest airport bathroom I’ve ever seen let us jump to the front of the line.

Random notes:
We were in WDW in Nov. Mask compliance now is still extremely high, but social distancing is non-existent. Very few people adhered to the dots and lines in queues.

With a smart touring plan, you can avoid long lines, especially in MK. We often waited less than 20 min. Waits of ~35 – 40min were for headliners like Splash and SDD. We managed 20-25 min waits on Test Track, Soarin’, MMRR, FOP, and 7DMT. It can be done – zig when others zag, avoid mid-day, and don’t fully trust Disney reported wait times. Lines App was usually more accurate (except in AK).

MobileOrder is still awesome and they just expanded it to Sunshine Tree Terrace, Sleepy Hollow, and Friar’s Nook. Always order early to get the time slot you want. Eat at off times if seating is an issue (lookin’ at you, Woody’s Lunchbox).

Busses at All-Star Movies were excellent, always on time. Busses at Wilderness Lodge for wherever we were going were always very late, maybe we just got unlucky?

Young kids/picky eaters: Order groceries so your kids can have those go-to foods they will always eat for you. DD was always willing to take a few bites of her favorite sandwich when she refused all other food. It saved us a lot of money on wasted park food and spared us a lot of meltdowns.

Not sure about other resorts, but the food court at Movies didn’t open until 7am. If you are rope-dropping anything but EP, you will have to make other breakfast plans (highly recommend grocery delivery so you have quick items in your room).

Lots of snack places close well before park close, pretty annoying. For your Must Have snacks, double check the location’s hours so you don’t miss out.

I have fallen madly in love with the Wilderness Lodge and will spend the rest of my life dreaming about buying DVC there.

Sounds like you had an amazing trip!!!!!

 

[tanyaandallie]

I admit... I did order a UV blocking umbrella for my most recent trip and I loved it!! I’ve always brought a small umbrella anyways for rain each day. But, standing in outdoor extended ques... this umbrella provided much needed shade. It’s still compact, so easy to throw in the bag.

We have never wanted or needed an umbrella, even traveling multiple times in August. But.....I bought 2 reflective umbrellas for our June trip as I am worried about standing out in the heat since the lines are now extending outside.

 

[DisneyFive]

Small umbrellas are fantastic for shade in the sunny heat of the summer. We will bring ours and use them I’m sure. I remember using them for some relief while standing in line for buses on our last trip

Dan

 

[JFox]

This thread got with thinking about the dismal state of shopping/souvenirs right now in the Parks. Don't get me started on ShopDisney, that might be worse.

I would have to agree that the current merchandise isn't anything to get excited about. I've been going to WDW for a very long time and can remember more interesting unique offerings. It's rare for me to buy stuff souvenirs now.

 

[JFox]

Constructive advice for when a party behind you isn't maintaining appropriate distance and you don't want to risk a confrontation: simply pull over to the side and politely ask them to go ahead of you. Feel free to make something up about needing to pull over to read your phone, or find something in your bag if that makes it feel easier. Bonus points if you can smile with your eyes. I've had 4 visits to WDW during pandemic times and have had that work beautifully multiple times. Got me out of what felt like an unsafe situation and no confrontation!

Me loudly to my kids when we were on our line and the party behind us was too close, "Do you know those people? No? Then why are you standing so close to them" The other party usually got the hint, and backed off from the Mean Mom.