Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[luv2cheer92]

Sitting in the floor inside Test Track currently- was let in IG at 1015, held near Canada til 1035- in line for TT at 1050. 10 minutes ago at 1150 was
About to get to the design area and the broken down announcement came and now we are trapped!

I learned many, many trips ago to never rope drop TT. Its just too unreliable.

 

[bdiddy]

Day 5: AK

We tried to get an early start but were slow going this morning and didn’t get to AK until almost 8:30. We took an Uber again. We really like doing an Uber in the morning and a bus in the evening. Or boat if we are at MK. There’s been barely any waits for WL at the end of the night for a bus so that’s been really nice.

FOP was just over an hour so we just went and got in line. I knew from watching the Disney and TP app for weeks that it doesn’t really get under an hour so we just wanted to get it done with. Which I’m glad we did because I watched it all day and the lowest it was until close was 51 min.
The line moved steady but slow so it didn’t seem too bad. It was DD’s first time on the ride and she really liked it. I mobile ordered from Satuli’s while in line for a mid morning snack. We got some of the cheeseburger pods which were really good and the chocolate mousse cake. After that we rode Navi which had 28 min wait. DS bought a new Avatar mech today at the gift shop which they didn’t have last time we were here in 2019.
Finished up in Pandora and went to the safari next. Was a 20 min wait. The animals were very active and there were so many giraffes right by the road so that was really fun to see.

After Safari we went to Everest which was a 20 min wait. Then we watched the birds in flight show to waste some time before our Yak n Yeti reservation which was fun. I got some awesome slow motion video is the birds flying so low over our heads. It was our first time eating ar Yak n Yeti and we all loved it. DH got the Korean fried chicken, DD got the shrimp lo mein and I got the plant based beyond burger with sweet potato fries which were so yummy! DS is our picky one and he just got a cheeseburger. He’s 15 and had been ordering off the kids menu almost the entire time and it’s been 100% fine.

After Yak n Yeti, we rode Everest again. It was about a 10 min wait. We asked for the front car which was super fun! We then went to dinosaur which was walk-on. DH and I kept saying how we couldn’t believe how low the waits were for the safari, Everest and dinosaur. And even Navi wasn’t bad compared to previous trips. I remember years and years ago waiting way over an hour for the safari when we couldn’t get a fast pass for some reason. So other than FOP, not having fast passes at AK had been great! After Dinosaur, we did It’s Tough to Be a Bug and hit the gift shops and left. DH loves FOP and debated on he and DS waiting again while DD and I left but the wait was still about an hour and he just didn’t want to wait again. Plus we’ll be back at AK tomorrow afternoon meeting friends and thought we’d ride it then while we hang out with them and catch up in line.

So we left AK and there was a bus waiting when we got to the terminal and were back to WL by 7. We changed into our suits right away and went to the pool and hot tub which felt so good!!

I can’t even tell you how much we love this resort. It’s our first time staying deluxe and I have no idea how we’ll ever go back to value or even moderate! Lol

After we swam, we mobile ordered some food from Roaring Fork to take back to our room and will have a quiet night in.

Tomorrow is HS in the morning again with an Oga’s and Sci-fi reservation. And we’ll try for a BG again first thing and then we’ll hit AK in the afternoon to meet our friends.

 

[Eeyore1220]

Epcot this evening was quite manageable. We did soarin with a ten minute wait at 6pm, then living with the land with no wait. We walked around to the various garden festival booths and ate little bites. Never had more than two people in line at any booth and we always found a place to sit and eat. Pretty much everything was a walk on except frozen and test track. Nice way to end a long day.

 

[oktxregulators2020]

Day 6: MK

This was our 2nd Day at MK we previously went this past Tuesday. Once again we decided to sleep in enjoy our house and the amenities that came with it before doing the afternoon to close at MK. Drove to MK (10 min) and was able to park two rows from the very front entrance where people walk down the ramp. Security guard at the bottom of the monorail ramp enforcing people to put on masks to ride monorail. We check the app and noticed wait times around 1PM were all under 30 minutes except for 7DMT, JC, Splash. The crowd seemed very light compared to Tuesday at MK.

We went straight to Space Mountain with a 25 min wait then walked right on People Mover then walked on Carousel. After Carousel we did AO that has a post 40 min wait but was 15 min. Went to Buzz with a 25 min wait then the Speedway with a 15 min wait.

Teacups was next with 5 min wait, then Pooh 30 min wait. We then walked across to do 7DMT for a solid 60 min wait. Haunted Mansion was next with a 25 min wait but was excited to see that the stretching room is back!!! (was not used this past Tuesday), The virtual que is still not open in HM.

Next up was Sleepy Hollow for Corndogs and Funnel Cakes. The Corndogs were really greasy almost to the point where it felt like the oil was not hot enough and the batter just absorbed alot of the grease.

Walked to Splash and had a solid 45 min wait and got soaked. Had about an hour left before park close and decided to do PotC which was a walk on and then did Jungle Cruise with a 25 min wait. We made it off the ship with 10 minutes til park closed and got a Dole Whip at Aloha Isle and then did the Carpets.

As we were walking out we went into the Emporium and proceeded to spend what Richard Gere in "Pretty Woman" would say as an "insane amount of money" on plates, bowls and mugs to redo our entire kitchen at home. If you have a Disney Visa card be sure you use it in order to get 10% when you purchase things.

In closing, based on what we have seen the past 6 days in the park going around 1PM to close is like night and day compared to going to Rope Drop. I know this will probably change in the future but if this trend stays we will probably never do Rope Drop again.

 

[preemiemama]

Day 6: MK
Haunted Mansion was next with a 25 min wait but was excited to see that the stretching room is back!!! (was not used this past Tuesday), The virtual que is still not open in HM.

Can I ask how it was exiting the stretching room? Usually, this spot is just a crush of people with no room to move and all sorts of pushing. Wondering how they are handling it now?

 

[oktxregulators2020]

Can I ask how it was exiting the stretching room? Usually, this spot is just a crush of people with no room to move and all sorts of pushing. Wondering how they are handling it now?

It felt like normal, there was a lot of people in the room but not to the point where everyone is on top of everyone.

 

[preemiemama]

It felt like normal, there was a lot of people in the room but not to the point where everyone is on top of everyone.

Thanks! Good to hear. Normally that area gives me a panic attack with the crowding and pushing! A little breathing room is ok- like to the point where I don't have other peoples' body parts on top of me!

 

[Leigh L]

MK is still allowing cars to line up early without circling around. Arrived 6:35 am and cars already here for 8 am opening. I'll try to circle back when they open. (Suspect it will be at 7).

 

[armerida]

After Yak n Yeti, we rode Everest again. It was about a 10 min wait. We asked for the front car which was super fun!

Ooh! So they are allowing row requests again?! Do they have a separate line for the front row as they did in the past?

 

[bdiddy]

Ooh! So they are allowing row requests again?! Do they have a separate line for the front row as they did in the past?

No separate lines that we noticed. It was pretty much walk-on and no one was waiting by where they load. We just asked and she sent us over there and we were the next ones on.

 

[cdurham1]

When Disney announced they were doing away with Extra Magic Hours, they made it sound like on site guests would be able to enter any of the parks 30 minutes early. It isn't clear to me from trip reports - is there any difference when you are allowed to enter the parks based on if you are staying on site?

 

[lovethattink]

When Disney announced they were doing away with Extra Magic Hours, they made it sound like on site guests would be able to enter any of the parks 30 minutes early. It isn't clear to me from trip reports - is there any difference when you are allowed to enter the parks based on if you are staying on site?

Early entry hasn’t started yet.

 

[Best Aunt]

When Disney announced they were doing away with Extra Magic Hours, they made it sound like on site guests would be able to enter any of the parks 30 minutes early. It isn't clear to me from trip reports - is there any difference when you are allowed to enter the parks based on if you are staying on site?

I don't think that has been implemented yet.

From the official Disney website:
Please note: The Extra Magic Hours benefit was suspended when Walt Disney World Resort reopened last summer, and as we continue to manage attendance with health and safety top of mind, Extra Magic Hours will not return. Learn more about our new early theme park entry benefit coming later this year as part of our 50th anniversary celebration.

That took you to a Disney parks blog entry from 01/11/2021
COMING SOON

• Early Theme Park Entry: We know how much guests enjoy extra park time, so coming later this year as part of our 50th anniversary celebration, Disney Resort hotel guests and guests of other select hotels will be able to enjoy more fun with 30-minute early entry to ANY theme park, EVERY day. It’ll be a great way to get a jump start on your Disney day, no matter the day! As a reminder, the Extra Magic Hours benefit was suspended when Walt Disney World Resort reopened last summer, and as we continue to manage attendance with health and safety top of mind, Extra Magic Hours will not return. The new early theme park entry benefit helps us better spread visitation across all four theme parks, while providing added flexibility by giving guests extra early park time on each day of their vacation and in the park of their choosing. Please note that guests need valid admission and a park reservation made via the Disney Park Pass system to enter a theme park.

 

[Southernmiss]

Offsite stay heading home now. Everyone was allowed park entry at the same time each day-about 45 to 30 minutes before official opening time.

 

[Princess Katelet]

A thirty minute early entry is not a huge perk. It’s pretty much nothing. I miss the extra hour in the morning and the extra THREE hours at night…

 

[cakebaker]

A thirty minute early entry is not a huge perk. It’s pretty much nothing. I miss the extra hour in the morning and the extra THREE hours at night…

I don't even see how they manage that and why they're even bothering. 30 minutes might get you 1 ride. It's kind of insulting that they're advertising that as some huge perk.

 

[robinstrip]

Just curious, I was leaving HS today at closing and saw a bunch of people coming in for some event - they all had the same lanyards/name tags. Does anyone know what the event is?

Scentsy Rewards Trip
They also go in super early one morning to one of the parks.

 

[robinstrip]

If anyone is at HS this week for Rope Drop, please report back what time they let you go to the rides. I saw on the previous page that they held them in a large group at the Chinese Theater until about 8:45 before letting people go to rides. Wanted to see what other people's experiences are this week.

 

[oktxregulators2020]

A thirty minute early entry is not a huge perk. It’s pretty much nothing. I miss the extra hour in the morning and the extra THREE hours at night…

You are not kidding about the 3 hours extra at night. This was the main perk we loved so much and we could walk on everything at MK and ride it over and over and over.

 

[jlundeen]

I wonder if they will adhere more to the posted opening hours once they do start the 30 minute opening for resort guests.... it's like everyone right now is already getting that extra perk.

But I agree, I really would rather have the EMH in the AM and PM.