Is visiting the Walt Disney World Resort during a pandemic different than the usual experience? Absolutely yes, but don’t worry, it’s not all doom and gloom! There are some changes that I would not be sad if they stuck around once this pandemic packs it’s bags and takes a permanent vacation!
In the following list, I will try to provide the facts for you. If you are still trying to decide if you should even be considering a vacation to Walt Disney World during this pandemic, you might also want to explore my personal opinions, Should You Visit Walt Disney World Resort During a Pandemic?
I do not have a crystal ball, but man, that would be fun! I do not know which of these things are temporary, and which are here to stay. There are of course some of these things that I hope are temporary, and there are far more that I am ok with in the long run.
- Proper Mask Use Enforced: Let’s talk about this first and foremost. If you, or your child cannot tolerate a mask for any reason, then Walt Disney World is not the place for you right now. This is a popular question that I get asked by my clients. Many wanting to know if shield usage is acceptable, and the definitive answer is no. Disney is requiring that you wear a properly fitting mask with ear straps (no gaiter style masks allowed), over your nose and your mouth at all times unless in a designated area.
- More sanitation options: I don’t think I have ever met a parent of a pre-schooler or toddler (or heck, even teenager) who would turn up their nose at MORE opportunities to wash away whatever mystery stickiness is on their hands! You will find an abundance of hand sanitizing stations all around property. From portable sinks to hand sanitizer at both the entrance and exit of most rides, you should not feel the need to seek out a restroom just to wash up.
- Social Distance Markers on the Ground: These are something we have become very accustomed to at this point, both at the grocery store and theme parks alike. These fall into the category of, wouldn’t be sad if they stuck around. Don’t get me wrong, as an educator, I can appreciate kids. Even other people’s kids. Even while on vacation. However, I think we can all agree that being constantly kicked, or shoved by someone else’s child when it is well past nap time isn’t my idea of a good time. 6 feet is good for me!
- Plastic Dividers: Which brings me to my next “please don’t change” item that has been added. In many cues where it is not possible to stagger the 6 foot markings while the line twists and turns, they have installed plexiglass between the rows. (Now, yes, I do have slight nightmares of seeing other children, and hopefully not my own, licking said plexiglass, at least they won’t be licking me!) Some rides have even had plexiglass installed between the rows of ride vehicles so that they can increase the total ride capacity.
- Scheduled Cleanings: No one really likes it when the line stops moving, but at least for a while, every 2 hours, you will find that each ride will be stopped. A cleaning crew will enter with a spray sanitization system, and each ride vehicle will be sanitized. Depending on the ride this can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. I guess this is a small price to pay to know that the rides are being thoroughly cleaned.
- Generally Shorter Lines, but No Fast Passes: As of this publish date, there has been no talk of Fast Passes returning. I have my own speculations about the future of Fast Passes, but I refuse to add to the rumor mill, so for now, just know that the park capacity is reduced and your wait times should be theoretically shorter than average.
- Limited Character Meals/Interactions: Though we are starting to see some of the “masked” characters coming back to dining venues, they are not meeting with families at their tables, rather, just wandering around for socially distant photo ops. I would expect that we will see the masked characters leading the way of change as we continue into 2021. Please know that many of the restaurants you may think of having characters, such as Crystal Palace, have not seen the return of characters yet. Please be sure to research, or reach out to a travel professional, such as myself for more assistance! You might find that you may be gifted a character autograph card, with the autographs already included, you can leave your sharpies at home, because, at least for now, characters are not signing anything in person.
- Health Screenings and Revised Security: Prior to entering each park, and Disney Springs, you will be required to go through a health screening tent. Your temperature will be taken by an infrared touchless thermometer. The exciting change is that you will be able to keep EVERYTHING in your bag (with the exception of umbrellas and metal water bottles). They aren’t digging through your bags (or dumping out your diaper bags all over the table). You just keep it on your person, and walk through the metal detector.
- Few Shows: If you have come to love shows like Festival of the Lion King, or Finding Nemo Musical, you may be sad to know that these have taken a temporary pause in production. Let’s face it, the flying monkeys just wouldn’t be the same (or probably safe) wearing masks. Until then, YouTube will be your go to for reliving these memories. However, not all magic is gone. There are some shows, such as the bird show at Animal Kingdom that Buddy got to be a participant in this time. During these shows, they have every other row blocked off, and staggered seating to provide distance.
- Reduced Hours and Mass Gatherings: For now, Extra Magic Hours have been removed from the calendar, as well as Fireworks and Parades that would encourage people to gather in one location.
- Limited Parties on the Buses: If you have ever been crammed on a bus full of over tired parents (and their tiny sidekicks), you might agree that the limited parties on the buses can be a very good thing. Each party is designated their own section of the bus, and everyone has a seat to sit in. Gone (for now) are the days of trying to balance your folded stroller between your legs, while holding a popcorn bucket, backpack, and 3 pairs of Mickey ears while also attempting to stand upright on a moving bus.
- Park Reservation System: This item could have come first, because it is important. Having a ticket to get into Walt Disney World is no longer good enough. In order to manage the limited park capacities, you will now also be required to reserve a park entrance for specific parks on specific days. Yes, certain parks do sell out. No, sorry, adult or child tears will not make more slots available if you roll up to the gate without a reservation.
- No Dining Plan and Limited Food offerings: Have your heart set on a specific menu item at your favorite little food stand? Don’t count on it. Due to the limited capacity, many of the food stands are not open, and the ones that are, have a limited menu, to cut down on potential waste. Due to this (as well as the lack of character meals), Disney has currently removed all of their dining plans typically available to resort guests. All of this boils down to the potential that you may have to use a food delivery service such as Door Dash or Uber Eats to deliver food to the resorts at night, or use a grocery delivery service like Shipt or Instacart even if you never have in the past.
- Emphasis on Mobile Ordering: Plan on becoming very familiar with the mobile ordering function on the My Disney Experience Ap. On previous trips, it has saved us hours in food lines, and has always been a sort of “insider tip.” However, now, some food establishments will require you to mobile order to reduce human contact. Don’t worry, there are still Disney Guest Experience team members ready to assist you in making your mobile orders if you get stuck while in the park.
- Pin Trading Modified: One of the special activities that my kids enjoy while we are at Walt Disney World is the pin trading. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and almost didn’t throw their lanyards into the bag this time, but I was glad we did. Where previously, most cast members would have had pins to trade, now the pin trading is reduced to one main pin board per park. You can still trade 2 pins per person, but you do have to wait in a line, and follow the new directions, which includes placing your pin into a basket to be sanitized before it is added to the board for others to trade.
- Gift Shop Capacity: As with most people, it occurs to us to head into the Gift Shop at the end of the evening, when the park is closed and the rides are no longer an option. With a reduced capacity for entrance, when we attempted to go into the gift shop at the Magic Kingdom, we were shocked to see that the line extended all the way up Main Street to the castle. I can’t even remember what we wanted, but we agreed that no one needed it THAT bad!
- Capacities for Disney Springs: Instead of fighting the line at the Magic Kingdom, we did head over to Disney Springs to visit the World of Disney gift shop. Particularly during national holiday breaks, Disney Springs does close for capacity. Having a dining reservation is not a guarantee that you will be granted entrance, so arriving mighty early would be sound advice during holiday breaks.
- Pool Social Distance and Capacity: Another question I get asked a lot is, “Do we have to wear our mask in the pool?” and the answer is no. The pool area at your resort will have the chairs spaced out 6 feet from the next set of chairs. This will allow you to be mask-free while sitting in your own chair, and while walking to, and swimming in the pool. If you are headed to the rest rooms, or snack bar, you will need to put your mask on while walking around.
- Restrictions on Park Hopping: Beginning January 1, 2021, Disney will begin to allow Park Hopping again. It will look a little different than in the past. Guests will need to have a reservation for their first park of the day, and actually arrive at that park and scan in. Then at 2:00, park hopping will be allowed if the desired park has the available capacity. Guests wishing to park hop, must purchase the additional Park Hopper pass in addition to their park tickets. Park Hoppers must be added to all of your tickets, and cannot be added to just one day.
- Limited Resort Hotels Open: This last one seems like it would be a drawback, but if we frame it in a different light, just may be a positive. As humans, we are creatures of habit. I know that our family has our favorite resorts, and we tend to only stay at them when we visit. Currently they are all closed, so when we visited in August, we needed to choose from the open resorts. This gave us the opportunity to branch out and try something different. The reward for that was the convenience of the Skyliner, which was much appreciated!
Now that you have had a chance to look through what I feel are the twenty most influential changes of the pandemic on a Disney Park experience, feel free to reach out to me for personalized attention and service. I offer FREE Travel Planning to my clients to destinations all around the world, such as Walt Disney World Resorts. Jessica.Priem@OrangeGroveTravel.com
