Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[lovethattink]

Be careful today at the parks. Heat index is very high. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I’m waiting til tonight to visit a park.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Be careful today at the parks. Heat index is very high. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I’m waiting til tonight to visit a park.
View attachment 580250

Thank goodness drinking and walking is ok again! Stay safe everyone!

 

[kylenne]

That is true, as I do not remember if there were markers for the Skyliner or the Friendship boats.

The friendship boat docks at HS and Swan/Dolphin still have the markers but most of the ones at the other docks are gone. I took those boats a lot last week and noticed the inconsistency.

Skyliner still has them at CBR, I used it to hop between parks a couple of times.

 

[hauntedcity]

Currently on siesta from Animal Kingdom. Didn’t enjoy the 45-minute wait for a bus to the Animal Kingdom Lodge (how?!?), but had a great morning and looking forward to going back in an hour or two.
We LOVED seeing the Lion King again and saw the Winged Encounters by the tree for the first time. So cool ( the birds, NOT the temperature )!

Mask compliance and distancing are very hit or miss. At Rise of Resistance a couple days ago, we were shocked when cast members told every to bunch in close!

 

[OhStuffandFluff]

Is the Pick a Pearl experience open in Epcot yet?

 

[cdobert]

First full day at the parks. Arrived at the ASM bus stop at 0630 to catch the bus to magic kingdom. First bus Arrived at 0640, long line and we didn't get on. Next bus arrived at 0703 and we were in magic kingdom by 0735. Able to ride big thunder twice before 0800. Had a great day but was very hot.

 

[Rosetah2]

Went to HS today from CBR. At 6:55am, went outside to get better internet (did internet speed test and Verizon was better than the WiFi). Got BG 46 for ROTR. Decided to drive our car over for rope drop. Pulled up to parking booths at 7:55am. There were 3 cars in front of us at our booth. Waited there until 8:10 and they opened the booths. Parked, walked quickly, but had to get stroller through security so it took a few extra minutes. Into park at 8:27. Went straight to SDD. Line marker said 60 minutes when we joined but it moved really quickly. Total wait was only 32 mins. Next went to TSM for 10 min wait and then to SWGE for some blue and green milk. Made a mistake and got in 50 min posted line for MFSR at 10:05am but it ended up being 65 mins. We had an 11:35 ADR at B&C and had to race out of the park, jump on boat to get there. We were 10 mins past the check in time for the ADR but the CM was nice and let us take the next available outside table. Back to CBR via skyliner to rest/pool until 3. Then back to HS via skyliner. Went to ROTR first. Our BG was called at 11:30 (we were on our way to lunch) but the CM was fine to let us ride at 3:45. It was a 25 min wait so not too bad. Then ADR at Sci-Fi at 4:45 but they were running 25 mins behind so snuck in ST while waiting. After dinner, 15 min wait for ToT, built a droid, Ogas at 7 and then jumped in line for MMRR at 7:58. It was very hot but we got water everywhere and took the afternoon break. Masks in line weren’t fun but it was great that we could take them off once out of a ride and drink water while walking. That really makes a difference. Overall a great day!

 

[Castlequeen5]

We are now back home from a fantastic week at Disney! Our trip began and ended with the Magic Express. I count myself lucky that we were able to ride the ME both ways on our trip. I know Disney is also using charter buses, but we were fortunate to get the total Disney experience. We arrived in the evening and left early in the morning. So that may have made the difference with ME availability.

As far as transportation to the parks, the Disney shuttles and charter buses were used interchangeably. Regardless of which kind of bus we rode, everyone got a seat and both did some form of social distancing. The buses were plentiful especially at opening and closing. There may have been an exception or two, during non-peak times. But in general, I was very pleased with how efficient the buses were. I actually thought the bus experience was better than some of our pre-Covid trips.

Our experience in the parks was good as well. We went to MK-twice, HS twice, to AK once. The wait times were mostly reasonable. Of course there were high waits during peak times, especially for SDD or FOP. We rope dropped our first 3 days and we were able to get a lot accomplished during that time. Each afternoon, we went back to the resort and took a break. Then we returned in the evening, to finish what we didn’t do or to re-ride our favorites. Our last 2 park days, we slept in and had a very relaxing schedule. Those days, we just rode our favorites or the rides with the shortest waits.

I personally didn’t miss having fastpasses. The lines were constantly moving and they didn’t really bother me. I definitely liked not having a schedule or a plan on where I needed to be. We had a lot of flexibility and it was nice. Actually our last day was Friday, and it poured buckets of rain. We were at HS and ended up watching the “Frozen” show 3 times! Normally I wouldn’t have done this, especially if we’d had fastpasses. But since we didn’t and didn’t want to run around in the rain, we chose to watch this show over. We had a blast and the narrators were so funny! FYI...they are now filling the auditorium and only skipping a seat between each group. So it’s much easier to get in the show, than it was in the spring.

I also wanted to share my experience with the cast members. There were some concerns about lack of magic with them. My experience was the opposite. Our interactions were positive. The cast member who delivered our luggage spoke in a “Mickey Mouse” voice as he handed us each piece of luggage. One of the bus drivers talked to the passengers all the way back from Hollywood Studios. He told jokes and spoke in “Tigger,” “Timone,” and “Pumba” voices. Everyone on the bus was laughing and clapping. It was such a treat! As a whole, it seemed like the staff were happy to be there and were very friendly and helpful.

Probably my biggest issue with Disney post-Covid are the park hours. I hate how early they close. My favorite ride is Slinky Dog at HS. I love riding it at night because of the lights. But even though we rode it at closing, you still couldn’t see the lights. It closed at 8:00, but the sun hadn’t set yet. Same for Pandora. It’s hard to enjoy the lights, when AK closes at 7:00.

Also, almost all food purchases required mobile ordering. I don’t usually mind it, but sometimes it seemed excessive. Like when I was trying to get the blue milk at HS. I consider that a snack stand. But when I walked up, I was required to mobile order first. I understand using mobile ordering for a meal, but for a drink? There’s only 2 choices...blue or green. I thought it was a bit overboard. And it didn’t look like you could walk up and order anywhere. So that could be a problem for those who didn’t plan ahead or those who aren’t really tech savvy.

We have already been post-Covid, so we knew what to expect. Masks were required indoors and in all the queues. The social distancing lines were still on the floor, but were rarely followed. This had changed since our spring break trip. I expect those lines and the mask requirement to be removed shortly. None of this was an issue for us, so it didn’t affect our disposition. We also planned to RD our first 3 mornings, so we could take advantage of shorter wait times. But we were also realistic, and knew we needed some sleep-in days. So we were prepared for this trip and set our expectations accordingly.

We’ve been to Disney many times, and one of my girls said this was her favorite trip! Considering we had to wear masks, we had no fastpasses, we had to gather and drop off our own luggage, and the parks closed early, that just shows a trip to Disney can be just as magical now as it was in the past. I believe it’s all a matter of expectations...expect there will be changes and expect to have a good time despite the changes. Overall, we had a great time!

 

[4Ds4Diz]

We are now back home from a fantastic week at Disney! Our trip began and ended with the Magic Express. I count myself lucky that we were able to ride the ME both ways on our trip. I know Disney is also using charter buses, but we were fortunate to get the total Disney experience. We arrived in the evening and left early in the morning. So that may have made the difference with ME availability.

As far as transportation to the parks, the Disney shuttles and charter buses were used interchangeably. Regardless of which kind of bus we rode, everyone got a seat and both did some form of social distancing. The buses were plentiful especially at opening and closing. There may have been an exception or two, during non-peak times. But in general, I was very pleased with how efficient the buses were. I actually thought the bus experience was better than some of our pre-Covid trips.

Our experience in the parks was good as well. We went to MK-twice, HS twice, to AK once. The wait times were mostly reasonable. Of course there were high waits during peak times, especially for SDD or FOP. We rope dropped our first 3 days and we were able to get a lot accomplished during that time. Each afternoon, we went back to the resort and took a break. Then we returned in the evening, to finish what we didn’t do or to re-ride our favorites. Our last 2 park days, we slept in and had a very relaxing schedule. Those days, we just rode our favorites or the rides with the shortest waits.

I personally didn’t miss having fastpasses. The lines were constantly moving and they didn’t really bother me. I definitely liked not having a schedule or a plan on where I needed to be. We had a lot of flexibility and it was nice. Actually our last day was Friday, and it poured buckets of rain. We were at HS and ended up watching the “Frozen” show 3 times! Normally I wouldn’t have done this, especially if we’d had fastpasses. But since we didn’t and didn’t want to run around in the rain, we chose to watch this show over. We had a blast and the narrators were so funny! FYI...they are now filling the auditorium and only skipping a seat between each group. So it’s much easier to get in the show, than it was in the spring.

I also wanted to share my experience with the cast members. There were some concerns about lack of magic with them. My experience was the opposite. Our interactions were positive. The cast member who delivered our luggage spoke in a “Mickey Mouse” voice as he handed us each piece of luggage. One of the bus drivers talked to the passengers all the way back from Hollywood Studios. He told jokes and spoke in “Tigger,” “Timone,” and “Pumba” voices. Everyone on the bus was laughing and clapping. It was such a treat! As a whole, it seemed like the staff were happy to be there and were very friendly and helpful.

Probably my biggest issue with Disney post-Covid are the park hours. I hate how early they close. My favorite ride is Slinky Dog at HS. I love riding it at night because of the lights. But even though we rode it at closing, you still couldn’t see the lights. It closed at 8:00, but the sun hadn’t set yet. Same for Pandora. It’s hard to enjoy the lights, when AK closes at 7:00.

Also, almost all food purchases required mobile ordering. I don’t usually mind it, but sometimes it seemed excessive. Like when I was trying to get the blue milk at HS. I consider that a snack stand. But when I walked up, I was required to mobile order first. I understand using mobile ordering for a meal, but for a drink? There’s only 2 choices...blue or green. I thought it was a bit overboard. And it didn’t look like you could walk up and order anywhere. So that could be a problem for those who didn’t plan ahead or those who aren’t really tech savvy.

We have already been post-Covid, so we knew what to expect. Masks were required indoors and in all the queues. The social distancing lines were still on the floor, but were rarely followed. This had changed since our spring break trip. I expect those lines and the mask requirement to be removed shortly. None of this was an issue for us, so it didn’t affect our disposition. We also planned to RD our first 3 mornings, so we could take advantage of shorter wait times. But we were also realistic, and knew we needed some sleep-in days. So we were prepared for this trip and set our expectations accordingly.

We’ve been to Disney many times, and one of my girls said this was her favorite trip! Considering we had to wear masks, we had no fastpasses, we had to gather and drop off our own luggage, and the parks closed early, that just shows a trip to Disney can be just as magical now as it was in the past. I believe it’s all a matter of expectations...expect there will be changes and expect to have a good time despite the changes. Overall, we had a great time!

We are leaving in 9 days, so happy to hear about your trip! This is the trip that didn't happen last June. We are going into this trip with the mindset to be flexible and expecting things to be different! I am even more excited now! Thanks for your post!

 

[tigertides]

We are now back home from a fantastic week at Disney! Our trip began and ended with the Magic Express. I count myself lucky that we were able to ride the ME both ways on our trip. I know Disney is also using charter buses, but we were fortunate to get the total Disney experience. We arrived in the evening and left early in the morning. So that may have made the difference with ME availability.

As far as transportation to the parks, the Disney shuttles and charter buses were used interchangeably. Regardless of which kind of bus we rode, everyone got a seat and both did some form of social distancing. The buses were plentiful especially at opening and closing. There may have been an exception or two, during non-peak times. But in general, I was very pleased with how efficient the buses were. I actually thought the bus experience was better than some of our pre-Covid trips.

Our experience in the parks was good as well. We went to MK-twice, HS twice, to AK once. The wait times were mostly reasonable. Of course there were high waits during peak times, especially for SDD or FOP. We rope dropped our first 3 days and we were able to get a lot accomplished during that time. Each afternoon, we went back to the resort and took a break. Then we returned in the evening, to finish what we didn’t do or to re-ride our favorites. Our last 2 park days, we slept in and had a very relaxing schedule. Those days, we just rode our favorites or the rides with the shortest waits.

I personally didn’t miss having fastpasses. The lines were constantly moving and they didn’t really bother me. I definitely liked not having a schedule or a plan on where I needed to be. We had a lot of flexibility and it was nice. Actually our last day was Friday, and it poured buckets of rain. We were at HS and ended up watching the “Frozen” show 3 times! Normally I wouldn’t have done this, especially if we’d had fastpasses. But since we didn’t and didn’t want to run around in the rain, we chose to watch this show over. We had a blast and the narrators were so funny! FYI...they are now filling the auditorium and only skipping a seat between each group. So it’s much easier to get in the show, than it was in the spring.

I also wanted to share my experience with the cast members. There were some concerns about lack of magic with them. My experience was the opposite. Our interactions were positive. The cast member who delivered our luggage spoke in a “Mickey Mouse” voice as he handed us each piece of luggage. One of the bus drivers talked to the passengers all the way back from Hollywood Studios. He told jokes and spoke in “Tigger,” “Timone,” and “Pumba” voices. Everyone on the bus was laughing and clapping. It was such a treat! As a whole, it seemed like the staff were happy to be there and were very friendly and helpful.

Probably my biggest issue with Disney post-Covid are the park hours. I hate how early they close. My favorite ride is Slinky Dog at HS. I love riding it at night because of the lights. But even though we rode it at closing, you still couldn’t see the lights. It closed at 8:00, but the sun hadn’t set yet. Same for Pandora. It’s hard to enjoy the lights, when AK closes at 7:00.

Also, almost all food purchases required mobile ordering. I don’t usually mind it, but sometimes it seemed excessive. Like when I was trying to get the blue milk at HS. I consider that a snack stand. But when I walked up, I was required to mobile order first. I understand using mobile ordering for a meal, but for a drink? There’s only 2 choices...blue or green. I thought it was a bit overboard. And it didn’t look like you could walk up and order anywhere. So that could be a problem for those who didn’t plan ahead or those who aren’t really tech savvy.

We have already been post-Covid, so we knew what to expect. Masks were required indoors and in all the queues. The social distancing lines were still on the floor, but were rarely followed. This had changed since our spring break trip. I expect those lines and the mask requirement to be removed shortly. None of this was an issue for us, so it didn’t affect our disposition. We also planned to RD our first 3 mornings, so we could take advantage of shorter wait times. But we were also realistic, and knew we needed some sleep-in days. So we were prepared for this trip and set our expectations accordingly.

We’ve been to Disney many times, and one of my girls said this was her favorite trip! Considering we had to wear masks, we had no fastpasses, we had to gather and drop off our own luggage, and the parks closed early, that just shows a trip to Disney can be just as magical now as it was in the past. I believe it’s all a matter of expectations...expect there will be changes and expect to have a good time despite the changes. Overall, we had a great time!

We are now back home from a fantastic week at Disney! Our trip began and ended with the Magic Express. I count myself lucky that we were able to ride the ME both ways on our trip. I know Disney is also using charter buses, but we were fortunate to get the total Disney experience. We arrived in the evening and left early in the morning. So that may have made the difference with ME availability.

As far as transportation to the parks, the Disney shuttles and charter buses were used interchangeably. Regardless of which kind of bus we rode, everyone got a seat and both did some form of social distancing. The buses were plentiful especially at opening and closing. There may have been an exception or two, during non-peak times. But in general, I was very pleased with how efficient the buses were. I actually thought the bus experience was better than some of our pre-Covid trips.

Our experience in the parks was good as well. We went to MK-twice, HS twice, to AK once. The wait times were mostly reasonable. Of course there were high waits during peak times, especially for SDD or FOP. We rope dropped our first 3 days and we were able to get a lot accomplished during that time. Each afternoon, we went back to the resort and took a break. Then we returned in the evening, to finish what we didn’t do or to re-ride our favorites. Our last 2 park days, we slept in and had a very relaxing schedule. Those days, we just rode our favorites or the rides with the shortest waits.

I personally didn’t miss having fastpasses. The lines were constantly moving and they didn’t really bother me. I definitely liked not having a schedule or a plan on where I needed to be. We had a lot of flexibility and it was nice. Actually our last day was Friday, and it poured buckets of rain. We were at HS and ended up watching the “Frozen” show 3 times! Normally I wouldn’t have done this, especially if we’d had fastpasses. But since we didn’t and didn’t want to run around in the rain, we chose to watch this show over. We had a blast and the narrators were so funny! FYI...they are now filling the auditorium and only skipping a seat between each group. So it’s much easier to get in the show, than it was in the spring.

I also wanted to share my experience with the cast members. There were some concerns about lack of magic with them. My experience was the opposite. Our interactions were positive. The cast member who delivered our luggage spoke in a “Mickey Mouse” voice as he handed us each piece of luggage. One of the bus drivers talked to the passengers all the way back from Hollywood Studios. He told jokes and spoke in “Tigger,” “Timone,” and “Pumba” voices. Everyone on the bus was laughing and clapping. It was such a treat! As a whole, it seemed like the staff were happy to be there and were very friendly and helpful.

Probably my biggest issue with Disney post-Covid are the park hours. I hate how early they close. My favorite ride is Slinky Dog at HS. I love riding it at night because of the lights. But even though we rode it at closing, you still couldn’t see the lights. It closed at 8:00, but the sun hadn’t set yet. Same for Pandora. It’s hard to enjoy the lights, when AK closes at 7:00.

Also, almost all food purchases required mobile ordering. I don’t usually mind it, but sometimes it seemed excessive. Like when I was trying to get the blue milk at HS. I consider that a snack stand. But when I walked up, I was required to mobile order first. I understand using mobile ordering for a meal, but for a drink? There’s only 2 choices...blue or green. I thought it was a bit overboard. And it didn’t look like you could walk up and order anywhere. So that could be a problem for those who didn’t plan ahead or those who aren’t really tech savvy.

We have already been post-Covid, so we knew what to expect. Masks were required indoors and in all the queues. The social distancing lines were still on the floor, but were rarely followed. This had changed since our spring break trip. I expect those lines and the mask requirement to be removed shortly. None of this was an issue for us, so it didn’t affect our disposition. We also planned to RD our first 3 mornings, so we could take advantage of shorter wait times. But we were also realistic, and knew we needed some sleep-in days. So we were prepared for this trip and set our expectations accordingly.

We’ve been to Disney many times, and one of my girls said this was her favorite trip! Considering we had to wear masks, we had no fastpasses, we had to gather and drop off our own luggage, and the parks closed early, that just shows a trip to Disney can be just as magical now as it was in the past. I believe it’s all a matter of expectations...expect there will be changes and expect to have a good time despite the changes. Overall, we had a great time!

Your last paragraph is awesome, and so true.

 

[KBoopaloo]

Probably my biggest issue with Disney post-Covid are the park hours. I hate how early they close. My favorite ride is Slinky Dog at HS. I love riding it at night because of the lights. But even though we rode it at closing, you still couldn’t see the lights. It closed at 8:00, but the sun hadn’t set yet. Same for Pandora. It’s hard to enjoy the lights, when AK closes at 7:00.

Also, almost all food purchases required mobile ordering. I don’t usually mind it, but sometimes it seemed excessive. Like when I was trying to get the blue milk at HS. I consider that a snack stand. But when I walked up, I was required to mobile order first. I understand using mobile ordering for a meal, but for a drink? There’s only 2 choices...blue or green. I thought it was a bit overboard. And it didn’t look like you could walk up and order anywhere. So that could be a problem for those who didn’t plan ahead or those who aren’t really tech savvy.

I was there last week as well and agree 100% with these two observations specifically.

I really, really missed being in DAK after dark and also would have loved having even one more evening hour in MK (10 pm close instead of 9 pm). We took a very laid back approach to this trip and planned mostly mornings at the pool, TS meal in late afternoon and then parks to avoid some of the heat but could have used some later closings to really make that plan work better.

I also found the mobile ordering to be a bit of a hassle at times especially when you just wanted one small thing. I like having the option for mobile ordering but will be glad when it is back to the old way of just being an option and not the default way to order QS.

My only other complaint from this trip woukd be the limited food options - it didn’t bother me so much that a lot of dining is still closed but I was annoyed that so many of the menus in the places that are open are still pretty limited. I find Disney TS menus to always be a bit limited anyway so when they take more away from already limited menus, you really notice it.

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I really, really missed being in DAK after dark and also would have loved having even one more evening hour in MK (10 pm close instead of 9 pm).

I totally spaced out that in summer the sunsets are later! In November we were able to see most of the parks when it was dark. Really crossing my fingers they extend hours for this month- we leave in two weeks so not sure how likely it is at this point!

I keep reading about this crazy Florida UV index? Does that just mean you apply more sunscreen than normal? I burn easily so want to make sure I'm prepared. I bought the higher spf and plan to carry it in our park bag.

 

[ars0525]

Sunday June 6th at MK (park opened at 8am). AP who drove.

Parking lot entrance opened at 6:58am (I lined up around 6:50 3rd car in line). Got 1st row parking. They are now parking cars next each other & the trams are still not running. At TTC the only way to MK was the ferry or monorail. No bus option which I missed.

Scanned in at 7:20. Took pics walking down Main Street which if you want fairly no people castle pictures this is your time! Walked towards 7DMT & line was already long. Hooked a left at carousal & headed towards Frontierland (HM was temp closed). Splash had a line over the bridge, but BTM looked short. At 7:35 they sent the 1st car with people. I rode & then opted to ride again. Glad I did cause it was a walk right back on! Splash still hadn't opened when I walked by 8am & line was longer. I walked past POC which looked empty to JC first. That was a 10 minute wait & then went back to POC which was practically a walk on still. By now it was 8:40 & Splash had a 40 minute wait according to app so I got in line (which kept moving). That was more like a 25 minute wait. I will say after that it seemed like the app didn't seem to update for awhile cause I walked back to Fantasyland where it said waits were 10-15 minutes for the rides. That wasn't true. Speedway kept saying 5 minutes all morning & the line was outside the standby entrance along the fence. HM finally opened mid-morning. I saw the 1st cavalcade with Mickey & friends around 10:30am.

It was a fun morning & I got a lot done in that first 2 hours. Mask in outside areas is optional so it was a mix of people wearing them. CMs were reminding folks to put masks on when entering lines or stores. In lines you no longer have to stand 6' apart, but I wish people would still give you some space. BTM they loaded every row, but POC & Splash they still kept any empty row between groups.

 

[Princess Katelet]

We are now back home from a fantastic week at Disney! Our trip began and ended with the Magic Express. I count myself lucky that we were able to ride the ME both ways on our trip. I know Disney is also using charter buses, but we were fortunate to get the total Disney experience. We arrived in the evening and left early in the morning. So that may have made the difference with ME availability.

As far as transportation to the parks, the Disney shuttles and charter buses were used interchangeably. Regardless of which kind of bus we rode, everyone got a seat and both did some form of social distancing. The buses were plentiful especially at opening and closing. There may have been an exception or two, during non-peak times. But in general, I was very pleased with how efficient the buses were. I actually thought the bus experience was better than some of our pre-Covid trips.

Our experience in the parks was good as well. We went to MK-twice, HS twice, to AK once. The wait times were mostly reasonable. Of course there were high waits during peak times, especially for SDD or FOP. We rope dropped our first 3 days and we were able to get a lot accomplished during that time. Each afternoon, we went back to the resort and took a break. Then we returned in the evening, to finish what we didn’t do or to re-ride our favorites. Our last 2 park days, we slept in and had a very relaxing schedule. Those days, we just rode our favorites or the rides with the shortest waits.

I personally didn’t miss having fastpasses. The lines were constantly moving and they didn’t really bother me. I definitely liked not having a schedule or a plan on where I needed to be. We had a lot of flexibility and it was nice. Actually our last day was Friday, and it poured buckets of rain. We were at HS and ended up watching the “Frozen” show 3 times! Normally I wouldn’t have done this, especially if we’d had fastpasses. But since we didn’t and didn’t want to run around in the rain, we chose to watch this show over. We had a blast and the narrators were so funny! FYI...they are now filling the auditorium and only skipping a seat between each group. So it’s much easier to get in the show, than it was in the spring.

I also wanted to share my experience with the cast members. There were some concerns about lack of magic with them. My experience was the opposite. Our interactions were positive. The cast member who delivered our luggage spoke in a “Mickey Mouse” voice as he handed us each piece of luggage. One of the bus drivers talked to the passengers all the way back from Hollywood Studios. He told jokes and spoke in “Tigger,” “Timone,” and “Pumba” voices. Everyone on the bus was laughing and clapping. It was such a treat! As a whole, it seemed like the staff were happy to be there and were very friendly and helpful.

Probably my biggest issue with Disney post-Covid are the park hours. I hate how early they close. My favorite ride is Slinky Dog at HS. I love riding it at night because of the lights. But even though we rode it at closing, you still couldn’t see the lights. It closed at 8:00, but the sun hadn’t set yet. Same for Pandora. It’s hard to enjoy the lights, when AK closes at 7:00.

Also, almost all food purchases required mobile ordering. I don’t usually mind it, but sometimes it seemed excessive. Like when I was trying to get the blue milk at HS. I consider that a snack stand. But when I walked up, I was required to mobile order first. I understand using mobile ordering for a meal, but for a drink? There’s only 2 choices...blue or green. I thought it was a bit overboard. And it didn’t look like you could walk up and order anywhere. So that could be a problem for those who didn’t plan ahead or those who aren’t really tech savvy.

We have already been post-Covid, so we knew what to expect. Masks were required indoors and in all the queues. The social distancing lines were still on the floor, but were rarely followed. This had changed since our spring break trip. I expect those lines and the mask requirement to be removed shortly. None of this was an issue for us, so it didn’t affect our disposition. We also planned to RD our first 3 mornings, so we could take advantage of shorter wait times. But we were also realistic, and knew we needed some sleep-in days. So we were prepared for this trip and set our expectations accordingly.

We’ve been to Disney many times, and one of my girls said this was her favorite trip! Considering we had to wear masks, we had no fastpasses, we had to gather and drop off our own luggage, and the parks closed early, that just shows a trip to Disney can be just as magical now as it was in the past. I believe it’s all a matter of expectations...expect there will be changes and expect to have a good time despite the changes. Overall, we had a great time!

Which resort were you at? I felt the buses were pretty awful…. They arrived okay in the morning at SSR but often were too full, but leaving parks we would wait an hour at a time for buses to come and there to be room on them.
The park hours were frustrating for sure, as well as the early closures of restaurants and food options. The lack of food variety/menu was another tough thing, especially if you have a long trip. I truly missed the FPs. I don’t care if a stand by line moves…I want to breeze through with FP and for me I always enjoyed the thrill of hunting for them and scoring them.
Glad you had fun! I wanted to see the Frozen show but found DHS so hot and crowded we didn’t bother. Next time I will, provided it’s still there.

 

[Castlequeen5]

I also found the mobile ordering to be a bit of a hassle at times especially when you just wanted one small thing. I like having the option for mobile ordering but will be glad when it is back to the old way of just being an option and not the default way to order QS.

My only other complaint from this trip woukd be the limited food options - it didn’t bother me so much that a lot of dining is still closed but I was annoyed that so many of the menus in the places that are open are still pretty limited. I find Disney TS menus to always be a bit limited anyway so when they take more away from already limited menus, you really notice it.

Yes, once we were just trying to order a cookie at Backlot Express. And another time, I wanted a milk at the resort. It seemed silly to wait 5-10 minutes for them to “prepare” you order, when it’s a prepackaged item. But we just laughed about it and went on.

And I completely agree about the limited menu options. I felt like it was very obvious at the resort food courts. I ended up saving money, because I didn’t like the choices. I was glad that we packed some snacks before we left!

 

[Castlequeen5]

Which resort were you at? I felt the buses were pretty awful…. They arrived okay in the morning at SSR but often were too full, but leaving parks we would wait an hour at a time for buses to come and there to be room on them.
The park hours were frustrating for sure, as well as the early closures of restaurants and food options. The lack of food variety/menu was another tough thing, especially if you have a long trip. I truly missed the FPs. I don’t care if a stand by line moves…I want to breeze through with FP and for me I always enjoyed the thrill of hunting for them and scoring them.
Glad you had fun! I wanted to see the Frozen show but found DHS so hot and crowded we didn’t bother. Next time I will, provided it’s still there.

We were at Movies. We rarely had to wait too long for a bus. One of our longest waits was at MK during closing. The buses were coming pretty quickly, but the line was long. Since they can’t fill the buses up, it took longer. We got in line at 9:46 and we were sitting on the bus at 10:17. So that took us 30 minutes. But the buses were coming no more than 5-10 minutes apart, and sometimes right behind each other.

 

[Gearbm95]

Ok

 

[Gearbm95]

At MCO waiting for my flight home after spending the last 4 days at Dolphin, here’s some observations from my trip...

Thur

- Arrived at Dolphin at 5pm from MCO, had a ADR for Topolinos at 9:45pm.

- Grabbed an Uber to RR, dinner at Topolinos was fantastic. The veal chop and the sole were both cooked to perfection. Service was a little rushed (entrees arriving while apps still there) but I worked in a restaurant and understand what it’s like when you want to just get that last seating out of the restaurant so you can go home. Super nice server, dinner was about $220 for 2 after tip.

Fri

- Got to HS around 930am, took the boat over from Dolphin, about a 20min wait for the boat (this was the only time we used Disney transport all trip, more on that later)

- Did Star Tours (10 min wait), Rise (10 min wait), and MFSR (walk on; DAS) all by 11:45.

- Everything in the park had 30-75min wait by 11:30, decided to leave and go back to the pool.

- Hung out at Dolphin pool till about 4:30, then got an Uber over to Epcot main entrance (We used Uber for all of our transport around WDW/Orlando, never waiting more than 8mins for a ride. All of our trips within WDW were roughly $9ish each way and was MUCH more efficient than waiting for busses or diving ourselves. I don’t understand the appeal of cattle call Disney busses, they’re gross and at times unreliable)

- Got to Epcot around 5pm, did SE (5mins), Soarin (10mins) and then strolled around WS starting in Canada, stopping at a lot stores and grabbing some snacks/drinks. Made it to Mexico around 8:15, grabbed a DAS return time for TT (65mins) and did Mission Space Green (walk-on). Returned for TT (walk-on with DAS).

- Had a 9:45 ADR at La Hacienda, had a great meal. The guac with mango and the vegan “Chicken” enchiladas were incredible. Left the park at 10:50 and grabbed a boat back to Dolphin.

Saturday

- Got CBD massages at Waldorf Astoria Spain the the AM...very pricey ($485 for 2 50min massages) but my body felt amazing the remainder of the day.

- Hung out at Dolphin pool until 3:30, took an Uber over to Universal for the Orlando Informer Meetup (AMAZING event, ratchet crowd during the day when general public was still there)

Sunday

- Went to AK around 9:45am, got a DAS return time for FOP (75mins) and went to do Kilimanjaro Safari (40min wait) while we waited. Went back to FOP (walk-on with DAS)...ok, now here’s a hot take...this ride is severely overrated! I don’t get the hype, the screen gets blurry at times and it’s just a souped-up Soarin. Not impressed.

- Placed a mobile order at Flame Tree for 1:10-1:40 window, hit I’ve Arrived at 1:10, food was ready at 1:35, good food though.

- Got a return time for Kali (35mins) and it was then a walk-on, same with Everest. Left AK after this around 2:30.

- More pool time then went to MK at 5:45, between 5:45 and 8:50 we hit Buzz (this ride needs to go, it’s not even Six Flags quality), Peoplemover, HM, BTMR, Splash, and Pirates. Never waiting more than 10mins for anything, used DAS for Splash (40mins).

- Had a 9:45 ADR at CA Grill. AMAZING dinner, the Colorado Lamb w/gnudi was great, as was the Halibut. We also tried the goat cheese ravioli, roasted squash soup, and sushi. Got the green tea mousse as dessert. Bill ran us about $270 after tip for 2, wellllllllll worth it!

 

[Shellyred8]

How awesome!
And that part just cracked me up . It really is, isn't it?
(I was last at Epcot and I think the second one had just been brought out, I can't imagine what it looks like now. Hopefully, once it's up and going it won't be as intrusive.

Now that all of the pieces are out it's even worse! When you see it in pictures, it doesn't look so bad. But when you see it in person it's horrible (IMO). Maybe it will look better when they turn on the water fountains???

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Now that all of the pieces are out it's even worse! When you see it in pictures, it doesn't look so bad. But when you see it in person it's horrible (IMO). Maybe it will look better when they turn on the water fountains???

I agree, it’s a HUGE eyesore. I was so disappointed seeing it in person. It totally ruins the view IMO