We were at DS on Saturday, 4/24 for lunch at 12...we arrived around 10 and though there was no wait outside of stores at that time, by the time we finished lunch at 1:30, the crowds had built significantly. We had dinner reservations on Monday, 4/26 and it was a much more relaxed experience... Enjoy!
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Controversial Topics
Several months ago, I added a private sub-forum to allow members to discuss these topics without fear of infractions or banning. It's opt-in, opt-out. Corey Click Here
Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping
When I was at HS earlier this week and waiting in line at RotR to have our bands scanned for the boarding group... there was a couple in front of us and they didn’t know they needed a boarding group and thought they could just wait in line and get on. The man started raising his voice at the CM, I felt so bad for her as it’s not her fault.
kylenne
Wakandan-American
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2016
There really is no excuse though. I booked my end of May trip through our TA and I swear to god I must have gotten at least three emails from Disney Destinations about what to expect in terms of safety protocols, modified experiences, etc. Including the park reservation system. Like you really have to go out of your way to be ignorant of this stuff nowadays. Disney does everything possible to inform even those who inexplicably don’t spend 5 minutes online before embarking on a vacation costing thousands.
Those of us who are regulars to the World especially know that these folk exist but man is it crazy seeing them “in the wild”. Anyway I am grateful for the crowdsourced info in this thread, it’s been incredibly valuable for researching my own trip.
cpc98
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2021
LOL how could he not know?? I’ve talked to people who aren’t even big theme park/Disney fans who know ROTR requires a “special pass”, boarding group, etc... what the?
maggnanimouse
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2021
Man, even before Covid and the park reservation system, I can't imagine getting so far as boarding the plane without purchasing tickets in advance. That is bold!
DisneyFive
When is the 3:00 parade?
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2011
This, exactly this.I guess these clueless people are the same ones who were waiting for 2 hours in the standby line when I would walk up and pull an available fastpass for that very ride and hop right on!
I love FP+ because it continuously got us out of so many standby lines. As an example, rides like It’s a Small World could have decent standby lines in the middle of the day but I could go on to My Disney Experience and grab fast passes for our family within 5 minutes, which basically meant that you could go straight to the fast pass line because that’s within the grace period.
Dan
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Catvondita
A Quirky Strange Girl in a Disney World
- Joined
- Mar 18, 2015
Can someone tell me what Disney Springs is like in the morning of a weekday? I really want one of those mickey ear coach bags but am apprehensive to go to Disney Springs since our daughter is unvaccinated. Wondering if I can just steal away for an hour to run and grab one but still would like to avoid a crowd if possible.
ENJDisneyFan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2016
It’s not bad at all in the morning.
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2004
Final warning, points will be given for going off topic. This is the here now, just back thread. Stay on topic to recent visits.
If someone would like to start a thread about the importance of know before you go. Be our guest.
I’m a big planner but have friends who just took their first trip last January with their four kids and did absolutely no research. They made no dining reservations, no fast passes - nothing. I feared they would have a terrible time, but they said they have a wonderful trip. They are free spirits and fly by the seat of their pants folks . I may have a different personality but isn’t that what makes the world go round. Life would be kind of boring if we were all the same.
Tawney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2017
Here is my best attempt at a trip report! Enjoy!
Booked a three day/two night adult only trip for my DH's 42nd birthday and an early celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary. We checked in to Pop Century on 4/26 and checked out on 4/28. We had park hopper tickets - our park reservations were Epcot the first day, HS the second, and AK the third. We had never had hopper for our previous trips, so I was interested to see how it works.
Monday April 26; Our flight landed at MCO 30 minutes before the scheduled time - we landed at 8:40 AM. We didn't have any bags to pick up as we only packed carry-ons, so we skipped baggage claim and headed straight to the Magical Express line. We arrived to the ME line at 9:00 AM and were checked in by 9:06 AM. The CM quoted us a 45 minute wait to be picked up, and then another 45 minute ride to POP. There was one family of six in front of us in the ME line. The bus arrived just three minutes after we got in line, and we were on our way to POP by 9:10 AM. When we arrived at POP (9:40 AM) there was no line for luggage services, so we checked our bags in at 9:45 AM. I had hoped that our room would be ready, but it wasn't ready quite yet.
Since we had Epcot reservations that day, and the park wasn't even open yet, we decided to head over to the Skyliner and get in line. The line was long, much longer than I anticipated... it stretched back into the 50's building walkways. However, it moved quickly. After waiting in another long line at the transfer station, we entered Epcot via the World Showcase Internation Gateway entrance just before 11 AM. (...this is also when we got our "Room Ready!" text to my phone.) I had never been to F&G before, so I was really happy to see all of the beautiful topiaries and was also really excited to try some different food at the outdoor kitchens. I tried to keep track of wait times vs. the times quoted on MDE, but I quickly lost interest in doing so! We only rode two rides at Epcot, Soarin' and Living with the Land... then we were on our way to eat some food and see some sights. I was on the lookout for the Orange Bird festival ears, but it appears that they were sold out because I couldn't find them anywhere. Anyway, we visited The Honey Bee-stro (Wildflower Honey Mascarpone Cheesecake) and then made our way to Jardin de Fiestas (Tostada de Cochinita and Taco Vampiro). I was really wanting to go into the Mexico pavilion, it's my favorite! - but the line to enter was so long and I was getting really hot by this point. It was also at this time that I discovered that drinks weren't especially easy to come by... all we wanted was a nice cold Coke and I felt like there were none to be found! Luckily the Refreshment Outpost (Pineapple Skewer with Tajin) came through for us with cold Coke and also shaded seating near by. The shade was really welcomed, because by now I was really hot and getting out of the direct sun was wonderful. We continued our trek around the World Showcase and made a quick stop at Hanami (Frushi and Soy-glazed Pork Shank) before heading back to the International Gateway for an afternoon break at Pop.
We returned to Pop by 3:30-4 and decided to cool down in the bowling pin pool. The pool was moderately busy, but we didn't have to wait to enter the pool deck. It felt so nice to just relax midday... typically we do not return to our room in the afternoon and we are in the parks all day. We are just not used to that Florida heat, we couldn't hang! After an hour or so, it was time to get ready to hop over to MK.
We were the only people on the bus to MK at 5:30 PM, so that was nice! I was so excited to see the new paint job and accessories on the castle, and I know it's controversial, but I love it!
Our son had requested photos and videos of It's a Small World (his favorite), so that was our first stop. We placed our first mobile order from Small World at Pinocchio Village Haus, and it was ready within minutes of us getting off of the ride. We were both pretty hungry, as we only shared small plates at Epcot earlier in the day - so we were pretty satisfied with our meals. I hadn't been on Splash Mountain since I was 7 or 8 years old, and my husband had never been on it - so it was our next priority. It was just as great as I remember, and it was really fun to see him experience it for the first time. Wait times were low for Big Thunder, which is a favorite for DH, so that was our next stop. Park closing was at 9 PM, so we hustled over to the People Mover just in time to get in a quick ride before closing. I was so excited when I found out that it would be open for our trip! We did a little shopping at The Emporium on the way out. MK was not crowded at all, I was actually a little taken back by how few people were in the park that evening. It made for a really enjoyable night! Bus transport to Pop was not ideal (is it ever?)... they were very slow to load people and one of the buses was having mechanical issues, so this lead to a lot of waiting. There were more buses lined up to be loaded, but until that bus with mechanical issues was out of the way there was just no room for another articulated bus. Finally everything got moving and we were back at Pop around 11-11:15 PM.
Next time... Hollywood Studios!
Booked a three day/two night adult only trip for my DH's 42nd birthday and an early celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary. We checked in to Pop Century on 4/26 and checked out on 4/28. We had park hopper tickets - our park reservations were Epcot the first day, HS the second, and AK the third. We had never had hopper for our previous trips, so I was interested to see how it works.
Monday April 26; Our flight landed at MCO 30 minutes before the scheduled time - we landed at 8:40 AM. We didn't have any bags to pick up as we only packed carry-ons, so we skipped baggage claim and headed straight to the Magical Express line. We arrived to the ME line at 9:00 AM and were checked in by 9:06 AM. The CM quoted us a 45 minute wait to be picked up, and then another 45 minute ride to POP. There was one family of six in front of us in the ME line. The bus arrived just three minutes after we got in line, and we were on our way to POP by 9:10 AM. When we arrived at POP (9:40 AM) there was no line for luggage services, so we checked our bags in at 9:45 AM. I had hoped that our room would be ready, but it wasn't ready quite yet.
Since we had Epcot reservations that day, and the park wasn't even open yet, we decided to head over to the Skyliner and get in line. The line was long, much longer than I anticipated... it stretched back into the 50's building walkways. However, it moved quickly. After waiting in another long line at the transfer station, we entered Epcot via the World Showcase Internation Gateway entrance just before 11 AM. (...this is also when we got our "Room Ready!" text to my phone.) I had never been to F&G before, so I was really happy to see all of the beautiful topiaries and was also really excited to try some different food at the outdoor kitchens. I tried to keep track of wait times vs. the times quoted on MDE, but I quickly lost interest in doing so! We only rode two rides at Epcot, Soarin' and Living with the Land... then we were on our way to eat some food and see some sights. I was on the lookout for the Orange Bird festival ears, but it appears that they were sold out because I couldn't find them anywhere. Anyway, we visited The Honey Bee-stro (Wildflower Honey Mascarpone Cheesecake) and then made our way to Jardin de Fiestas (Tostada de Cochinita and Taco Vampiro). I was really wanting to go into the Mexico pavilion, it's my favorite! - but the line to enter was so long and I was getting really hot by this point. It was also at this time that I discovered that drinks weren't especially easy to come by... all we wanted was a nice cold Coke and I felt like there were none to be found! Luckily the Refreshment Outpost (Pineapple Skewer with Tajin) came through for us with cold Coke and also shaded seating near by. The shade was really welcomed, because by now I was really hot and getting out of the direct sun was wonderful. We continued our trek around the World Showcase and made a quick stop at Hanami (Frushi and Soy-glazed Pork Shank) before heading back to the International Gateway for an afternoon break at Pop.
We returned to Pop by 3:30-4 and decided to cool down in the bowling pin pool. The pool was moderately busy, but we didn't have to wait to enter the pool deck. It felt so nice to just relax midday... typically we do not return to our room in the afternoon and we are in the parks all day. We are just not used to that Florida heat, we couldn't hang! After an hour or so, it was time to get ready to hop over to MK.
We were the only people on the bus to MK at 5:30 PM, so that was nice! I was so excited to see the new paint job and accessories on the castle, and I know it's controversial, but I love it!
Our son had requested photos and videos of It's a Small World (his favorite), so that was our first stop. We placed our first mobile order from Small World at Pinocchio Village Haus, and it was ready within minutes of us getting off of the ride. We were both pretty hungry, as we only shared small plates at Epcot earlier in the day - so we were pretty satisfied with our meals. I hadn't been on Splash Mountain since I was 7 or 8 years old, and my husband had never been on it - so it was our next priority. It was just as great as I remember, and it was really fun to see him experience it for the first time. Wait times were low for Big Thunder, which is a favorite for DH, so that was our next stop. Park closing was at 9 PM, so we hustled over to the People Mover just in time to get in a quick ride before closing. I was so excited when I found out that it would be open for our trip! We did a little shopping at The Emporium on the way out. MK was not crowded at all, I was actually a little taken back by how few people were in the park that evening. It made for a really enjoyable night! Bus transport to Pop was not ideal (is it ever?)... they were very slow to load people and one of the buses was having mechanical issues, so this lead to a lot of waiting. There were more buses lined up to be loaded, but until that bus with mechanical issues was out of the way there was just no room for another articulated bus. Finally everything got moving and we were back at Pop around 11-11:15 PM.Next time... Hollywood Studios!
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LSUmiss
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2014
And this is definitely a change from the last 3 trips we have been on so I think for those that are concerned, the writing is on the wall. I think this is how things will go before they get rid of the mask policy. Think it’ll be in place for a while but slowly enforced less & less.
kylenne
Wakandan-American
- Joined
- Oct 16, 2016
Here is my best attempt at a trip report! Enjoy!
Booked a three day/two night adult only trip for my DH's 42nd birthday and an early celebration of our 4th wedding anniversary. We checked in to Pop Century on 4/26 and checked out on 4/28. We had park hopper tickets - our park reservations were Epcot the first day, HS the second, and AK the third. We had never had hopper for our previous trips, so I was interested to see how it works.
Monday April 26; Our flight landed at MCO 30 minutes before the scheduled time - we landed at 8:40 AM. We didn't have any bags to pick up as we only packed carry-ons, so we skipped baggage claim and headed straight to the Magical Express line. We arrived to the ME line at 9:00 AM and were checked in by 9:06 AM. The CM quoted us a 45 minute wait to be picked up, and then another 45 minute ride to POP. There was one family of six in front of us in the ME line. The bus arrived just three minutes after we got in line, and we were on our way to POP by 9:10 AM. When we arrived at POP (9:40 AM) there was no line for luggage services, so we checked our bags in at 9:45 AM. I had hoped that our room would be ready, but it wasn't ready quite yet.
Since we had Epcot reservations that day, and the park wasn't even open yet, we decided to head over to the Skyliner and get in line. The line was long, much longer than I anticipated... it stretched back into the 50's building walkways. However, it moved quickly. After waiting in another long line at the transfer station, we entered Epcot via the World Showcase Internation Gateway entrance just before 11 AM. (...this is also when we got our "Room Ready!" text to my phone.) I had never been to F&G before, so I was really happy to see all of the beautiful topiaries and was also really excited to try some different food at the outdoor kitchens. I tried to keep track of wait times vs. the times quoted on MDE, but I quickly lost interest in doing so! We only rode two rides at Epcot, Soarin' and Living with the Land... then we were on our way to eat some food and see some sights. I was on the lookout for the Orange Bird festival ears, but it appears that they were sold out because I couldn't find them anywhere. Anyway, we visited The Honey Bee-stro (Wildflower Honey Mascarpone Cheesecake) and then made our way to Jardin de Fiestas (Tostada de Cochinita and Taco Vampiro). I was really wanting to go into the Mexico pavilion, it's my favorite! - but the line to enter was so long and I was getting really hot by this point. It was also at this time that I discovered that drinks weren't especially easy to come by... all we wanted was a nice cold Coke and I felt like there were none to be found! Luckily the Refreshment Outpost (Pineapple Skewer with Tajin) came through for us with cold Coke and also shaded seating near by. The shade was really welcomed, because by now I was really hot and getting out of the direct sun was wonderful. We continued our trek around the World Showcase and made a quick stop at Hanami (Frushi and Soy-glazed Pork Shank) before heading back to the International Gateway for an afternoon break at Pop.
We returned to Pop by 3:30-4 and decided to cool down in the bowling pin pool. The pool was moderately busy, but we didn't have to wait to enter the pool deck. It felt so nice to just relax midday... typically we do not return to our room in the afternoon and we are in the parks all day. We are just not used to that Florida heat, we couldn't hang! After an hour or so, it was time to get ready to hop over to MK.
We were the only people on the bus to MK at 5:30 PM, so that was nice! I was so excited to see the new paint job and accessories on the castle, and I know it's controversial, but I love it!
Next time... Hollywood Studios!
How crowded was the Emporium on your way out? I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth it waiting until the end of the night vs. using actual park time for it
Tawney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2017
Tuesday April 27; This was the big day... my Husband's 42nd birthday! 
I had been practicing the boarding group system on MDE for weeks prior to our trip in preparation for this day. This was our only HS day, so I had to get that boarding group! I woke up at 6:50, turned off my WiFi and left our room in search of a spot with good signal/reception. Oddly enough, the best spot was directly outside of our door! I didn't do anything too special, I just clicked join (join, join...!!!) on each screen, not even stopping to read what the screens say. Luckily this approach worked and I landed boarding group 12! I was so excited!
We previously had made reservations at Oga's for 9:25 AM, but I cancelled them the night before because I knew there was no way that we would be there in time for them. We are not early morning park people, so I just gave up hope for that one. We were in line at the Skyliner station by 8:30 AM. The line was not too bad to get to the transfer station, but the line at the transfer station was insane (to me)! It went back the side of the station and wrapped back and forth multiple times the whole way back to Victory Way N. I knew I made a good choice to cancel those Oga reservations as soon as I saw this line! I don't remember what time we arrived at HS, but our boarding group had been called while we were in route. We checked in to Rise at 9:42, two minutes after the time we were supposed to be there. Luckily there were no issues with getting on the ride! No spoilers here, but I am not even a SW person and it was awesome! I hope everyone gets a chance to ride it soon! GE was crazy busy and the end of the line for Smugglers was nowhere to be found, so we were on our merry way to Toy Story Land.
Slinky is not a must do for us, but TSM only had a 20 minute wait so we decided to go for it. The line moved constantly, and the ride was as fun as usual. Hubby beat me, but that's fine. I had better accuracy, so...! After TSM we headed over to Tower of Terror, only to find that the line snaked the entire way back to the entrance of Fantasmic. ...and the majority of the line was in the sun. We waited through the 65 minute queue though, and it was definitely worth it. It's always a favorite! Lunch was at ABC Commissary where we discussed our next move for HS. We decided that if Mickey & Minnie was had a wait of 60 minutes or less, that we would ride it. Neither of us had been on it before, so we wanted to try it out. The wait time after lunch was 55 minutes, so another wait in the blazing sun it was! The line moved quickly, and the ride was super cute so I would say that it was worth it! I can't wait to take my son on it in December, he is going to love it!
We were both pretty hot and exhausted by this point, so we headed back to the room to relax. Except instead of relax, I decided to do some laundry. We hadn't packed any extra clothes since we had limited luggage space, and we didn't' have enough clean clothes to get us through the heat of the trip... so thank goodness for laundry facilities on site. After the laundry was done, we figured we would head over to MK again to ride Haunted Mansion (it was down the night before) and Pirates (I needed to smell that water!). Haunted Mansion was a walk on, it was so great! I never in 1000 years thought that I would walk into Magic Kingdom just to ride two rides and leave, but that is exactly what we did. Short trips with park hopper are a crazy thing! Hubby and I were both hungry, but nothing at MK sounded too great to us - so our next move was to go to Epcot and have dinner from different outdoor kitchens. Good idea, but it didn't work out. We took our time taking pictures of whatever we wanted, then we rode Spaceship Earth. By the time we got to the outdoor kitchens, lines were long and there wasn't much seating available. We settled for Regal Eagle Smokehouse with Kakigori from Kabuki Cafe for dessert. We stopped by Mitsukoshi for some quick shopping before calling it a night. (We didn't have much of a choice, it was 10 PM!)
When I tell you the line for the Skyliner was long... it was absurd! I know we stayed until park close, which was my bad, but that line was almost back to the Beach Club. We had a fun but busy and and exhausting day, and we definitely crashed when we got back to the room. There is no sleep like Disney sleep!
One more day... Animal Kingdom!
I had been practicing the boarding group system on MDE for weeks prior to our trip in preparation for this day. This was our only HS day, so I had to get that boarding group! I woke up at 6:50, turned off my WiFi and left our room in search of a spot with good signal/reception. Oddly enough, the best spot was directly outside of our door! I didn't do anything too special, I just clicked join (join, join...!!!) on each screen, not even stopping to read what the screens say. Luckily this approach worked and I landed boarding group 12! I was so excited!We previously had made reservations at Oga's for 9:25 AM, but I cancelled them the night before because I knew there was no way that we would be there in time for them. We are not early morning park people, so I just gave up hope for that one. We were in line at the Skyliner station by 8:30 AM. The line was not too bad to get to the transfer station, but the line at the transfer station was insane (to me)! It went back the side of the station and wrapped back and forth multiple times the whole way back to Victory Way N. I knew I made a good choice to cancel those Oga reservations as soon as I saw this line! I don't remember what time we arrived at HS, but our boarding group had been called while we were in route. We checked in to Rise at 9:42, two minutes after the time we were supposed to be there. Luckily there were no issues with getting on the ride! No spoilers here, but I am not even a SW person and it was awesome! I hope everyone gets a chance to ride it soon! GE was crazy busy and the end of the line for Smugglers was nowhere to be found, so we were on our merry way to Toy Story Land.
Slinky is not a must do for us, but TSM only had a 20 minute wait so we decided to go for it. The line moved constantly, and the ride was as fun as usual. Hubby beat me, but that's fine. I had better accuracy, so...! After TSM we headed over to Tower of Terror, only to find that the line snaked the entire way back to the entrance of Fantasmic. ...and the majority of the line was in the sun. We waited through the 65 minute queue though, and it was definitely worth it. It's always a favorite! Lunch was at ABC Commissary where we discussed our next move for HS. We decided that if Mickey & Minnie was had a wait of 60 minutes or less, that we would ride it. Neither of us had been on it before, so we wanted to try it out. The wait time after lunch was 55 minutes, so another wait in the blazing sun it was! The line moved quickly, and the ride was super cute so I would say that it was worth it! I can't wait to take my son on it in December, he is going to love it!
We were both pretty hot and exhausted by this point, so we headed back to the room to relax. Except instead of relax, I decided to do some laundry. We hadn't packed any extra clothes since we had limited luggage space, and we didn't' have enough clean clothes to get us through the heat of the trip... so thank goodness for laundry facilities on site. After the laundry was done, we figured we would head over to MK again to ride Haunted Mansion (it was down the night before) and Pirates (I needed to smell that water!). Haunted Mansion was a walk on, it was so great! I never in 1000 years thought that I would walk into Magic Kingdom just to ride two rides and leave, but that is exactly what we did. Short trips with park hopper are a crazy thing! Hubby and I were both hungry, but nothing at MK sounded too great to us - so our next move was to go to Epcot and have dinner from different outdoor kitchens. Good idea, but it didn't work out. We took our time taking pictures of whatever we wanted, then we rode Spaceship Earth. By the time we got to the outdoor kitchens, lines were long and there wasn't much seating available. We settled for Regal Eagle Smokehouse with Kakigori from Kabuki Cafe for dessert. We stopped by Mitsukoshi for some quick shopping before calling it a night. (We didn't have much of a choice, it was 10 PM!)
When I tell you the line for the Skyliner was long... it was absurd! I know we stayed until park close, which was my bad, but that line was almost back to the Beach Club. We had a fun but busy and and exhausting day, and we definitely crashed when we got back to the room. There is no sleep like Disney sleep!
One more day... Animal Kingdom!
Tawney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2017
The store itself was crowded, but not so much that it was unpleasant to walk around. We might have had to wait two minutes tops to get in. It really wasn't bad. I wasn't sure what to expect because I had read reports of long lines, but I had no problems getting in to any shops at all!
Tawney
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 14, 2017
Wednesday April 28; The final day of our trip was upon us. I was sad for the trip to end, but I missed my boy and my pets - so while I wasn't ready to leave, I was ready to get home!
My DH's favorite park is Animal Kingdom, and his favorite ride in WDW is Flight of Passage. We couldn't take a birthday trip without it, so we packed up all of our stuff and left our bags with luggage services and were on our way to the hottest park on property, AK!
While walking to Pandora we literally just walked upon the Na'vi River line, which was a 25-30 minute wait (I don't remember). DH loves Na'vi River and thinks it is absolutely beautiful, so we got our place in line and happily took the journey. Next up on the itinerary was FOP. I think the wait was 70 minutes, but he has been talking about riding it again since our last trip in December 2019 - so I couldn't deny him. The line for FOP started almost at the entrance of Festival of the Lion King. These lines blew my mind ever single time we entered one... but really, they seem long but they move so frequently... it isn't even that bad. We had never gone through the entire queue before, as we had FP before, so it was nice to see the whole thing - and of course the ride is awesome. After FOP we used mobile order to order lunch from Satu'li Canteen, and we tried the Night Blossom while we waited. I wasted no time spilling my drink while heading into Satu'li, and I felt like a total heel! Magically, almost out of nowhere, a kind CM appeared with a fresh Night Blossom for me and it totally made my day!
I would have liked to ride Kilimanjaro Safari, but the line was 8 miles long and we had limited time... the ME was due to pick us up at Pop at 4:05 PM and it was probably 1:30 already, so we decided to save the safari for December when we have more time. Everest was a walk on, so we were there for about 10 minutes total. DH did insist that I ride Dinosaur, as the last trip we took my sweet son had a complete melt down while loading the ride vehicle and I was unable to ride because I had to get him out of there. The wait time claimed to be 30 minutes, but I swear it was closer to an hour. I don't know if it was the heat (my portable fan died while in this line) or if I was just anxious to not miss the ME to MCO, but I felt like that line was the worst that I had to wait the entire time. Luckily we were able to enjoy the ride and hop a bus back to Pop just in time. ...we were off of the AK bus at 3:25 PM and got our bags from luggage services, and the ME bus pulled in at 3:40 and loaded up a few families and was out of there by 3:50. I knew that we were pushing it, but I am glad that we did get to have some fun that day!
Some of my thoughts about WDW in current times...
-Masks suck. Yes, we have to wear them and I am not complaining about it. I work in healthcare and wear a mask for 12+ hours each shift I work. But wearing a mask in that Florida heat is not something that I was prepared for!
-Speaking of Florida heat, that is not something I was prepared for either! We are "Christmas at Disney" people who are from Pennsylvania, and the heat was almost more than I could handle at times. I was so thankful for ice cold water, cooling towels and portable fans.
-Don't forget your sun screen. I applied, but apparently not enough and now I have a beautiful sun burn and a Magic Band tan line.
-Arrive to transportation super early if you plan to rope drop. I did not plan to rope drop, so I dealt with what I got - but I know first hand how backed up those Skyliner lines can be if you wait too long.
-Become familiar with mobile ordering. It is your friend.
-Don't sweat the small stuff. We are living in unprecedented times. These vacations are expensive and not everything is available currently. Make the most of what is available and honestly, I wouldn't go right now if this is a once in a lifetime trip.
My DH's favorite park is Animal Kingdom, and his favorite ride in WDW is Flight of Passage. We couldn't take a birthday trip without it, so we packed up all of our stuff and left our bags with luggage services and were on our way to the hottest park on property, AK!
While walking to Pandora we literally just walked upon the Na'vi River line, which was a 25-30 minute wait (I don't remember). DH loves Na'vi River and thinks it is absolutely beautiful, so we got our place in line and happily took the journey. Next up on the itinerary was FOP. I think the wait was 70 minutes, but he has been talking about riding it again since our last trip in December 2019 - so I couldn't deny him. The line for FOP started almost at the entrance of Festival of the Lion King. These lines blew my mind ever single time we entered one... but really, they seem long but they move so frequently... it isn't even that bad. We had never gone through the entire queue before, as we had FP before, so it was nice to see the whole thing - and of course the ride is awesome. After FOP we used mobile order to order lunch from Satu'li Canteen, and we tried the Night Blossom while we waited. I wasted no time spilling my drink while heading into Satu'li, and I felt like a total heel! Magically, almost out of nowhere, a kind CM appeared with a fresh Night Blossom for me and it totally made my day!
I would have liked to ride Kilimanjaro Safari, but the line was 8 miles long and we had limited time... the ME was due to pick us up at Pop at 4:05 PM and it was probably 1:30 already, so we decided to save the safari for December when we have more time. Everest was a walk on, so we were there for about 10 minutes total. DH did insist that I ride Dinosaur, as the last trip we took my sweet son had a complete melt down while loading the ride vehicle and I was unable to ride because I had to get him out of there. The wait time claimed to be 30 minutes, but I swear it was closer to an hour. I don't know if it was the heat (my portable fan died while in this line) or if I was just anxious to not miss the ME to MCO, but I felt like that line was the worst that I had to wait the entire time. Luckily we were able to enjoy the ride and hop a bus back to Pop just in time. ...we were off of the AK bus at 3:25 PM and got our bags from luggage services, and the ME bus pulled in at 3:40 and loaded up a few families and was out of there by 3:50. I knew that we were pushing it, but I am glad that we did get to have some fun that day!
Some of my thoughts about WDW in current times...
-Masks suck. Yes, we have to wear them and I am not complaining about it. I work in healthcare and wear a mask for 12+ hours each shift I work. But wearing a mask in that Florida heat is not something that I was prepared for!
-Speaking of Florida heat, that is not something I was prepared for either! We are "Christmas at Disney" people who are from Pennsylvania, and the heat was almost more than I could handle at times. I was so thankful for ice cold water, cooling towels and portable fans.
-Don't forget your sun screen. I applied, but apparently not enough and now I have a beautiful sun burn and a Magic Band tan line.
-Arrive to transportation super early if you plan to rope drop. I did not plan to rope drop, so I dealt with what I got - but I know first hand how backed up those Skyliner lines can be if you wait too long.
-Become familiar with mobile ordering. It is your friend.
-Don't sweat the small stuff. We are living in unprecedented times. These vacations are expensive and not everything is available currently. Make the most of what is available and honestly, I wouldn't go right now if this is a once in a lifetime trip.
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- Joined
- Sep 17, 2004
My gut feeling is that masks will stay, but social distancing will change soon.
When we were at 7dmt, on Tuesday, a family went up to a cm to talk. Their little girl didn’t have her mask on properly and there cm said he’d love to help them, but needs her mask fixed first. The family complied right away.
I let ds take his mask off for a photo at the castle since you can take them off for photos now. Cm use to patrol the hub to be sure masks were on during photos, but there wasn’t one in site. Taking photos without a mask is the only area that “laxed”, but that’s policy now.
We were there for 8 nights 4/21-4/29...we did not see any cast members carrying those signs reminding about masks or hear cast members remind individuals that masks need to cover their nose and mouth...,the loud speaker announcements did play quite often.
LSUmiss
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2014
Except there have now been several reports on this thread of poor mask compliance & a lack of enforcement. That is definitely a change from the way things were just a few mos ago. I think it’s leaning towards a more unofficial lax policy even if that’s not the case on paper. Personally, I like to see this since DS is 3. We have no problem adhering to the policy, but DS is not always compliant so it’s much less stressful for us.
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