Surprises You Weren't Expecting

[Missingmypooh]

My experience with CMs was totally different.

they were overly thankful, to the point that I felt uncomfortable. We rode the triceratops spinner in Dino land 4 times because there was no line and the CM was so sweet to the kids.

we had pleasant conversations in Epcot about how different the “taste” events are and how sad it was that international CMs got such a bad ticket between Disney, and the governments in 2020.

we talked to a plaid CM who went above and beyond to help my son with ASD as he took 5Minutes to explain what went wrong with his magic band (the clasp broke and we couldn’t find a red one in store!)

We are Florida residents, so maybe we were just more friendly? (Not making assumptions but some people absolutely do not want to be within 10 feet of another person, we’re cautious but we know there’s risks)

we haven’t been since December, so maybe they are overly stressed now. Most Floridians that are working under “covid conditions” seem pretty fatigued at this point in time. In relation, someone up north whose been stuck inside all winter is going to be totally ecstatic and frolicking in the streets. It’s certainly a perspective thing.

 

[EyeofDTiger75]

We just returned last night from our week long trip. I can't say we were surprised about anything. As far as the CMs go, We had some very helpful and informative CMs. But we did run into a few rude CMs. To me, you can really tell which CMs really love Disney and which ones are there just for a job.

 

[LSUfan4444]

What surprised YOU upon returning?

How awesome it is to not have any FP+ for anyone. Less stress, more access, more dispersed crowds, more flexibility and a much better experience for us. Other than that, I was very pleased with the friendliness and hospitality of the healthcare workers at the temp screening stations at each park. Every single one we encountered seemed to be better trained in providing a great customer service experience and when comparing them as a whole, appeared to be more friendly and welcoming than security. For some reason, park entrance security consistently offers the least welcoming and friendly experience for us. Sure, we run into some good ones but for the most part they're just not a pleasure to deal with.

 

[Kimpossible1]

Remember, there are many CM's who are in positions they never chose to do. The full-time CM's had an option to be displaced to other locations such as merchandise and attractions rather than be laid off. As far as talking to guests or just "loollygagging around" as someone stated above...again, these are CM's who didn't chose to be in these positions, but had to accept the transfer to continue to work.
It is also very hard to speak to guests and hear their responses when everyone is wearing a mask and as humans we instinctively want to move closer to hear each other. This breaks the six feet rule and CM's will get scolded if they are constantly breaking the six feet rule. Please be kind to the CM's, their world has been upended.

 

[bakerworld]

~
My question is: What surprised YOU upon returning? We're reading up on the safety measures, limited entertainment, park pass reservations, no DDP or FP+, and limited park hopping. But outside of that, what surprised you when you returned to the parks? Was there something that surprised you in a positive way, or a negative way? Us Disers are a different breed, and definitely have different expectations than others.

At first we found the line lengths overwhelming but this was quickly mitigated by how fast the lines moved. Some I couldn't even figure out where they ended until we realized there was an employee with a sign that had the estimated wait time. We used the MDE app extensively to evaluate which lines to enter. First time we ever road Navi & FoP on the same day much less back to back under an hour. We found the employees very willing to help but not all that knowledgeable. We had made ADR's for every day. sometimes twice daily, but we quickly realized most restaurants were allowing walk ups with minimum waits so we cancelled 80% of our reservations, only keeping the ones we really wanted. We loved the pop up parades and water floats (hoping the parades are permanently replaced). Final surprise was how little wearing the mask was an issue and were gratified at how the distancing was maintained.

 

[mindeola]

A Positive- how much more I enjoy the parks in COVID times! This obviously cant last. But I love not filling in all available space , no ones butt in my face on the bus, and socially distanced lines! The new bag check process is a breeze!

A negative- In October it was kind of hard to just find a simple kids meal of nuggets and fries. This was not an issue on My adult trips since then.

 

[ameetee]

The lines, despite being what seemed like miles long, constantly moved. We were never just standing there. The constant movement made the longer waits not nearly as bad.

That is awesome news. Standing still hurts me really bad, but walking doesn't. I rented a scooter the past 4 trips, and this will be my first trip without one in a while, so that has been a big concern.

 

[WhitneyMB]

It surprised us . . .

- PRO: How comfortable we were eating in restaurants at Disney! We hadn’t eaten out at a restaurant since last March and were apprehensive, but it was lovely and we felt safe.

- CON: How much we missed FastPass! I kept hearing how others didn’t miss FP+ but this was definitely not the case for our family. We always rope dropped and then did FP when it started getting busy. The time we were there (2/11-2/15), within 1.5 hours or so after opening everything was at 45+ minutes and it lasted almost until close. We just skipped some rides and left the park when the lines got too crazy.

 

[AngieInOH]

I was surprised by the amount of cast members chatting with each other while ignoring guests. It happened almost never before COVID, and happens a lot more often now. (Not to say it’s common, it’s just noticeable now.)

We also saw this. Three cast members right outside the restrooms chatting it up while the restrooms were disgusting. There was one CM in the men's restroom wiping the handles. I'm sure it was a Covid precaution......but really

 

[VandVsmama]

I was surprised by how relaxing our trip was last month. It was really nice to not have to think about juggling between FP+ reservations and ADRs. It was way easier to change our ride plans on a dime. The CMs were great.

 

[e_yerger]

This morning was our ADRs and my first surprise was how easy it was to get the reservation dates & times we wanted for Topolino’s Terrace breakfast, and Homecomin’ dinner.... but not the ideal time we wanted at Sanaa??! I remember Sanaa always being easy to get in to. The only thing I can think is because we’re looking to go there on a Saturday?

 

[nm107]

We have been back twice since park reopening - 8 days in August and 17 days over the Christmas holiday. During our time at Disney we stayed at Contemporary, Riviera, Pop Century, Coronado Springs, and The Swan. What surprised me was how relaxed our vacations were. The parks closed early and for most of our Christmas trip we could not park hop. We got to the parks when they opened and decided which way we were going in the park. Instead of crisscrossing the parks, we moved from area to area enjoying the rides and entertainment in each section before moving on. I was surprised how much we enjoyed the queues we normally do not go through because we have FastPass+. My daughter found the engagement ring in the Haunted Mansion queue; a "hidden" window in the Pirates queue; and walked through the bedroom scene in Peter Pan.

We were also surprised at how much we enjoyed the various resorts we stayed at. There were characters that visited each resort through the day and you could view and interact with them from a distance. We spent hours at the pool at each resort without feeling like we were missing out not being at the parks. We tried different things - we went horseback riding at Tri-Circle D ranch and played mini-golf several times. We ate at new restaurants and ate our mobile order food in our room while watching Disney+ that we could cast to the resort room TV.

One negative surprise was the lack of food options at Coronado Springs. This was the last resort we stayed at in January and we knew that it had limited dining locations. What surprised us was the lack of variety of food options available at the few places that were open. If you stay here, plan accordingly and keep an eye on the times when the dining locations are open. If you are a late night eater, you may be eating vending machine snacks!

 

[TikiRob]

We have been back twice since park reopening - 8 days in August and 17 days over the Christmas holiday. During our time at Disney we stayed at Contemporary, Riviera, Pop Century, Coronado Springs, and The Swan. What surprised me was how relaxed our vacations were. The parks closed early and for most of our Christmas trip we could not park hop. We got to the parks when they opened and decided which way we were going in the park. Instead of crisscrossing the parks, we moved from area to area enjoying the rides and entertainment in each section before moving on. I was surprised how much we enjoyed the queues we normally do not go through because we have FastPass+. My daughter found the engagement ring in the Haunted Mansion queue; a "hidden" window in the Pirates queue; and walked through the bedroom scene in Peter Pan.

We were also surprised at how much we enjoyed the various resorts we stayed at. There were characters that visited each resort through the day and you could view and interact with them from a distance. We spent hours at the pool at each resort without feeling like we were missing out not being at the parks. We tried different things - we went horseback riding at Tri-Circle D ranch and played mini-golf several times. We ate at new restaurants and ate our mobile order food in our room while watching Disney+ that we could cast to the resort room TV.

One negative surprise was the lack of food options at Coronado Springs. This was the last resort we stayed at in January and we knew that it had limited dining locations. What surprised us was the lack of variety of food options available at the few places that were open. If you stay here, plan accordingly and keep an eye on the times when the dining locations are open. If you are a late night eater, you may be eating vending machine snacks!

In all my trips, December was the first time I saw the full queue for Flight of Passage, Frozen Ever After and Peter Pan.

I’m not saying I need to make a habit of it, but I was surprised how much I liked not worrying about FastPasses. Notably, everyone in my family that doesn’t plan the trip, missed them!

 

[bizeemom4]

A Positive- no ones butt in my face on the bus, and socially distanced lines!

You don't enjoy this?! ;-)

 

[MrsBueno]

Just back from a trip 2.25& 2.26 and I was surprised by how much further we walked! The lines are spread out more and move which I thought was great but we walked so much further. 13 miles on day 1 (AK/MK) followed by almost 10 on day 2 (HS/EP). For reference in the afternoon at AK we did a rider swap and i did the whole FOP queue with DH and Dinosaur queue with DS while my husband only did the FOP FP queue and I walked more than an extra mile.

Also with a moving line it was harder to entertain the kiddos (5&7) because they had to pay attention and keep up with the line and not just play a game on my phone if the wait was long.

I was also surprised by how much we enjoyed some of the temporary dining changes like extra space between tables and the changes from buffet to family style. I am all about not getting up for a bit once we’ve sat down to enjoy a meal and a little more elbow room.