First trip since Covid!

[WittyreaderLI]

Hi all!

I'm excited to be fully vaccinated and planning my first WDW trip in over a year. It has been very hard to go from going three times a year to not going for over a year! That being said, I'm a pretty casual park visitor. I would often go and not be crushed about not being able to see or do certain things since I would usually be back a few months later. That being said, what are some key things I should be prepared to adapt for upon going back to the parks?

I know about Park hopping being only after 2pm, and Boma is still closed (my favorite) but what else? I'm not a big parade or show person so I'm not crushed by the lack of those things, but what are some other tips and strategies I should implement. I LOVE Splash Mountain and always try to go on it a few times a trip. Should I make a beeline for it upon entering MK? I also really want to ride Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Another beeline?

Thanks all!

 

[stinkpickle]

Unless you have immediate plans, I would wait until the Early Theme Park Entry program is active if you're staying onsite. You could knock those headliners you want out of the way, and then enjoy the rest of the day.

 

[sunsetbeachgal]

Unless you have immediate plans, I would wait until the Early Theme Park Entry program is active if you're staying onsite. You could knock those headliners you want out of the way, and then enjoy the rest of the day.

Is there a date for this?

like the original poster, we have a trip planned for May. We are two adults who tend to go every year and I got a good deal at the Swan so excited to stay on the Boardwalk. I will definitely miss the entertainment and parades, but I love so much more about Disney we will be fine.

 

[gharter]

They have not announced when the 30 minute early entry will start, but guesses are summer or for the 50th.
Currently, many reports of most parks opening 45 minutes before posted times with rides open.

 

[auntlynne]

Posters have been saying Splash is not open during that early arrival window. BTMRR seems to be, then scoot over to Splash.

Shortest lines reported in that 45-60 minute period before official open (this is for everyone, it just resort guests) and the last few hours of the night.

No transport from parks to DS.

The park hours may be longer than what you are currently posted for your dates. Updated hours come out about 3 weeks ahead of time, it’s also possible that they don’t change if you are in the slower middle part of May.

Lots of people run to SDD and MMRR; late night might be better. If doing ToT or RnRC, you might want to hit them first. Tower line gets long and stays that way.

POC is another one to catch early. That and Jungle Cruise lines get long.

You do have Park Reservations? Not just tickets.

(My advice is just a quick-and generalized synopsis of what I have been reading for the last six months).

Don’t get too wet on Splash!

 

[Bobb_o]

No transport from parks to DS.

No, but you can take a bus back to Saratoga Springs and get off at Congress Park. It's less than a half mile walk to Disney Springs. Can also walk to the Contemporary and take a ride from there if leaving MK or head to Beach Club if leaving from Epcot.

 

[BrianL]

I am also taking my first trip back since COVID - I feel like I am relearning everything! I planned my window too closely so I can't get a lot of reservations, but we'll see. Otherwise, I am hoping it is still a fun time - different but fun!

 

[auntlynne]

No, but you can take a bus back to Saratoga Springs and get off at Congress Park. It's less than a half mile walk to Disney Springs. Can also walk to the Contemporary and take a ride from there if leaving MK or head to Beach Club if leaving from Epcot.

Thank you for having info I don’t know. And sharing it.

 

[ScubaCat]

I planned my window too closely so I can't get a lot of reservations, but we'll see.

Stuff will open up closer to your trip, especially the evening before when people cancel to avoid the fee. Don't worry about that part; just check back periodically a day or 2 before.

 

[WittyreaderLI]

Thank you all of the helpful advice! I knew about that tip about Saratoga, I've done many trips where i've had magical express drop me off directly at Saratoga so I can hightail it to DS for lunch! Sadly since they arent' doing luggage pick up anymore, I'll actually have to go to my resort first!

 

[Jackie H.]

While it is true there is no early entry yet, all the parks are opening before the stated opening time. We got on WDW transportation when it started every day (an hour before park opening) and every park was already open when we arrived. The thing is which rides were running? That seems to vary. But it is always the high demand rides. For example, one day we rode SM, BTMRR and HM before the stated opening time. Another day SM & BTMRR wasn't open but HM, Space and PP was. I cannot say if the others were open on the opposite days - I can only tell you what was open was I was at.

However, it is true that at the end of the night ride lines were shorter again.

 

[Traver Freeman]

When I went in September, we rode Splash without issue. We didn't "beeline" it straight there, but we did it early in the day before it got hot.

And for Mickey's Runaway, we did it later in the day and waited 45 minutes for it. It wasn't terrible. You could rope drop it, but Molly at All Ears recommends rope dropping Tower of Terror as the waits can be 80+ minutes and you'll not see a wait that long for Mickey's Runaway or Slinky Dog Dash.

I would treat the parks just like you normally do. Not much has changed about how you ride rides. Since there's no fast pass, stand by lines are reasonable. In fact, lines looks a lot longer than they really are due to social distancing, and the times are almost always way higher than they really are. If it says it's a 45 minute wait, there's a chance you'll wait 45 minutes, but most people (and from personal experience) are reporting that it's more like 20-25 minutes.

Disney would rather you be pleasantly surprised and happy about shorter waits, than them get the time wrong and you be grumpy.

I haven't seen them handing out the red cards, probably due to touch and COVID, so the times aren't as accurate as they used to be, but that works to your advantage in this scenario!

 

[Shellyred8]

We are not usually ones to stand around to watch the parades or wait in line for character meet and greets. So, we don't miss that they don't have those. However, we found that we thoroughly enjoy the pop-up cavalcades and the impromptu character appearances where there is some interaction from a distance. You can enjoy these for a few minutes and then move on with your day. I, personally, hope they keep these around even after Covid stuff calms down. The impromptu character appearances have really been the best in my opinion.

 

[Traver Freeman]

We are not usually ones to stand around to watch the parades or wait in line for character meet and greets. So, we don't miss that they don't have those. However, we found that we thoroughly enjoy the pop-up cavalcades and the impromptu character appearances where there is some interaction from a distance. You can enjoy these for a few minutes and then move on with your day. I, personally, hope they keep these around even after Covid stuff calms down. The impromptu character appearances have really been the best in my opinion.

My wife commented during our last trip in September that she loves the current setup with characters better than meet and greets. They remind us more of Disneyland. Here, you could see characters just wandering around, but at WDW it always seemed they were behind closed doors hidden away at the end of long lines.

It's so great to see the characters riding by in a car or boat, or waving at you from the rooftops.

 

[kniquy]

I LOVE Splash Mountain and always try to go on it a few times a trip. Should I make a beeline for it upon entering MK? I also really want to ride Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway. Another beeline?

I think those 2 rides, unless you are in the line right at or before park opening might be better left for later in the day. Everyone else has the same plan so those lines can get very long in the morning. We heavily watched the app wait times and typically if less than 40 minutes we would hop in line. On average our waits were usually less than posted times.

I think the only difference between now and pre-covid is the long lines, not long in actual wait time but long as in you might have to search for the beginning of the line. There are CM's holding signs so you should be able to locate them, but they might not be where you think they would be.

The other newer thing is mobile order for food. If you want to eat at a busy time 11-2 or 4-6 then put your order in early, select "i'm here" as you are walking to the restartant so by the time you get there your wait shouldn't be too bad. Also for dining do not expect to be able to walk up to a restaurant to get a reservation. We saw people in November walking up and asking and being turned away. Nothing worse than being hungry with no place to eat. There is the option to be added to a waitlist but often those do get long or shut down. Make any ADR's that you might want at 6am at the 60d mark. If you are a party of more than 5 you will likely have to split up. My motto is to book more than we might intend on using and cancel the night before if our desires change.