WDW 50th anniversary trip rebooking

[jamos14]

Hey guys,
Haven’t posted much lately but have been lurking. It was hard to be around Disney info without any light at the end of the tunnel.
We had a trip cancelled in March when COVID really started shutting stuff down. We re-booked for November with blind hope that things would be safe/normal by then. That’s obviously not the case.
We are now looking to rebook for October '21.
Obviously, this is complete speculation from people but I’d love to hear your opinions on what you expect the parks to be like then.
Crowds? Halloween party? Dining reservations? Dining plan? Etc?
I’m hopeful that with all the vaccinations over Q1 and Q2, that we will be almost completely normal by the fall.

 

[JakeAZ]

Same boat here.

We were April 2020, most likely rebooking to Fall 2021.

I have to believe things will be different by the Fall of next year.

While mask wearing might still be around, I'm hoping things like fireworks, later hours, true park hopping, parades, etc will be back.

However, I hope they don't 100% go back to the way it was. I hope 180 dining reservations never return. I hope Fastpass gets a complete overhaul. I hope they add more benefits for staying on-site.

We shall see.

 

[Catvondita]

Following along. We were May 2020 and rebooked for Feb 2021 thinking it would be okay. Disney actually called us to tell us we got upgraded to highest tier tower at Grand Destino (not sure what that means though?) but still not super comfortable with the idea of going. If I was a local I could imagine myself going to the parks but living in NYC I can't justify traveling just to go to a state that has such high numbers right now. I'm wondering for anyone that was also more concerned about covid, when will you feel safe enough to go or if you did bite the bullet what made you feel comfortable enough to go. I would love to go in Feb but I just don't see that happening :/

 

[kristenabelle]

Following along. We were May 2020 and rebooked for Feb 2021 thinking it would be okay. Disney actually called us to tell us we got upgraded to highest tier tower at Grand Destino (not sure what that means though?) but still not super comfortable with the idea of going. If I was a local I could imagine myself going to the parks but living in NYC I can't justify traveling just to go to a state that has such high numbers right now. I'm wondering for anyone that was also more concerned about covid, when will you feel safe enough to go or if you did bite the bullet what made you feel comfortable enough to go. I would love to go in Feb but I just don't see that happening :/

NJ here! I bit the bullet and went last week, with some modifications:

• I flew in exit rows with empty middle seats (I kept checking the seat map to ensure this, though the flight home was packed otherwise)
• I live alone, so any risk of bringing something home was only to myself
• Indoor dining was off-limits, so I stuck to mobile ordering and outdoor seating
• I promised myself I'd leave the park if I ever felt uncomfortable, which I did a few times

Given that, I definitely spent more time in the room than I usually do (typically around midday after lunch) and I missed certain restaurants. Still, I had fun and was glad I got some holiday cheer.

With all that said, I had enough anxiety about mask enforcement (lots of dads with peeking noses, especially at UOR) that I probably won't go back until next December.

 

[thptrek]

I'm looking at a late October 21 trip. I figure things will be very settled down by then and 50th anniversary things going on. Late October crowds shouldn't be too bad and the weather in normally pretty nice.

 

[MICKIMINI]

Booked for October 2021 14 nights. We're going. I haven't bought tickets yet. If we have to sit by the pool for two weeks we'll do it.

 

[PFopma]

I had an April trip moved to July - then cancelled. I booked for end of Sept to early Oct as soon as dates opened up. We want to be in Magic Kingdom on the official 50th Anniversary. We booked the Oct 1 date in MK even though park reservations may not be needed at that point. Booked a package so only had to put down $200 and have until end of Aug 21 to pay it off. Have no idea what things will be like by then but we will probably go regardless. I expect masks will be a worn even after the vaccinations are widespread.

 

[Shellyred8]

IMO, the parks will be about as full as they are allowed to be in early October. Between F&W, the 50th and Halloween, I think there will be a lot of people in that area at that time...as long as COVID doesn't blow things up again...

 

[Shellyred8]

I had an April trip moved to July - then cancelled. I booked for end of Sept to early Oct as soon as dates opened up. We want to be in Magic Kingdom on the official 50th Anniversary. We booked the Oct 1 date in MK even though park reservations may not be needed at that point. Booked a package so only had to put down $200 and have until end of Aug 21 to pay it off. Have no idea what things will be like by then but we will probably go regardless. I expect masks will be a worn even after the vaccinations are widespread.

Disney has said they will be using the park reservation system through 2021. So, you might want to make your Oct 1 reservation now. I'm betting that day will fill up relatively quickly.

 

[PFopma]

Disney has said they will be using the park reservation system through 2021. So, you might want to make your Oct 1 reservation now. I'm betting that day will fill up relatively quickly.

Already booked it - first thing I did after I got the booking confirmation.

 

[Ila Sikorski]

I lost count the amount of trips we've cancelled. Finally did the dang thing and booked for the 50th this morning. Slim picking on hotel availability already, we were going to use DVC but studios already completely sold out. Riding on the hope we're back to semi normal by then.

 

[SaintsManiac]

It's going to be BUSY. Prepare yourself now.

 

[kylenne]

Following along. We were May 2020 and rebooked for Feb 2021 thinking it would be okay. Disney actually called us to tell us we got upgraded to highest tier tower at Grand Destino (not sure what that means though?) but still not super comfortable with the idea of going. If I was a local I could imagine myself going to the parks but living in NYC I can't justify traveling just to go to a state that has such high numbers right now. I'm wondering for anyone that was also more concerned about covid, when will you feel safe enough to go or if you did bite the bullet what made you feel comfortable enough to go. I would love to go in Feb but I just don't see that happening :/

I'll put it this way: I'm also in NYC, my partner is in Toronto and extremely high risk, we were set to go early May 2020 and pushed our trip out to 5/22/21 - 6/4/21 and we are already mentally preparing ourselves for our previously booked 50th anniversary weekend trip to be the backup plan for the rescheduled one, stretching it out to 2 weeks.

People are really engaging in some magical thinking wrt vaccines, they're not a silver bullet to make everything suddenly go back to 2019. The jury is still out on whether or not vaccinated people can still spread the virus, there's not enough data. Vaccinated people will still need to practice distancing and masking. And Americans' continued selfishness does not give me confidence that this wave is going to be over any time soon. If anything I'm worried vaccines are going to make people even more reckless.

 

[SaintsManiac]

Following along. We were May 2020 and rebooked for Feb 2021 thinking it would be okay. Disney actually called us to tell us we got upgraded to highest tier tower at Grand Destino (not sure what that means though?) but still not super comfortable with the idea of going. If I was a local I could imagine myself going to the parks but living in NYC I can't justify traveling just to go to a state that has such high numbers right now. I'm wondering for anyone that was also more concerned about covid, when will you feel safe enough to go or if you did bite the bullet what made you feel comfortable enough to go. I would love to go in Feb but I just don't see that happening :/

I booked for Thanksgiving next year, because that is the earliest I will feel comfortable going. I'm in Louisiana and we plan to drive there and I still don't want to go before then.

 

[PrincessMar24]

Did the cast members say anything to the people with their nose out of the mask?

 

[wdw&sonny]

Someone should post a poll asking when we are all planning our next trip. I don't know how. The question has been raised frequently about how crowded it will be in Fall 2021 etc. Small sample size, but might be revealing.
I expect parks will be at max capacity from mid-summer onward for a while; based on the anecdotal evidence on these boards, friends and family, media reports of heavy future travel bookings in other areas (flights, cruises), all due to pent-up demand and rescheduling.
When we are given the green light, I know I will be there, even if i have to drive and sleep in my car. Otherwise, why would I be lurking on these boards on Christmas eve?

 

[Ricguz]

We are looking at this differently. Until Disney can get back to normal with everything open, I’m holding off until December 2021 or the fall of 2022. It’s so expensive that when we go, I want to be able to have eats to be beats, food and wine with specialty dining, parades, fireworks and my favorite restaurants open. Until the pandemic is over, we don’t feel safe going to Disney and dealing with others who may not follow the rules.

 

[KrazeeK120]

We are looking at this differently. Until Disney can get back to normal with everything open, I’m holding off until December 2021 or the fall of 2022. It’s so expensive that when we go, I want to be able to have eats to be beats, food and wine with specialty dining, parades, fireworks and my favorite restaurants open. Until the pandemic is over, we don’t feel safe going to Disney and dealing with others who may not follow the rules.

Same. (We are looking at summer 2022).

 

[heathere3]

I lost count the amount of trips we've cancelled. Finally did the dang thing and booked for the 50th this morning. Slim picking on hotel availability already, we were going to use DVC but studios already completely sold out. Riding on the hope we're back to semi normal by then.

Studios were gone at 11 months + 7 days. We were debating but decided to just go in late September and have lower crowds.

 

[Disnsyncey]

We are looking at this differently. Until Disney can get back to normal with everything open, I’m holding off until December 2021 or the fall of 2022. It’s so expensive that when we go, I want to be able to have eats to be beats, food and wine with specialty dining, parades, fireworks and my favorite restaurants open.

Basically the same, I have an AP in the bank and I’m not starting the year until it’s worth it to go with the airfare, hotel, and dining prices. I mean, I’ve been unemployed for a while now, but when I finally DO get a job, I’m gonna need to bank that money before I can plan to go. No use in spending money on something that isn’t what I hoped it would be.