Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[SouthFayetteFan]

Was "Here Now"... Not really "Just Back" anymore... a ONE WEEK later update! I hope this helps some folks as they decide should we go now:

One of the most common things I see on this thread and in other places on the DIS is concern over "IS THE MAGIC THERE RIGHT NOW". I must admit that in the months leading up to our late January trip (basically starting in July of 2020 up until we boarded the plane on Jan 26th) I was torn and conflicted about whether the WDW I was about to visit could live up to my lofty expectations.

Over our roughly 11 annual Jan/Feb visits (and 18 trips overall) to WDW we had honed in our specific preferences while also continually increasing our budget to meet our preferences. In the past three years we had settled in as a Deluxe Only, Split-Stay family with an 8-day largely commando-style touring plan. (I'm not saying this to impress you, just to note how we typically approach WDW - and of course those of you familiar with me on the I Love CC threads know that these trips end up costing us nothing). Basically I point that out to say that we have high expectations of a Disney World trip.

That said - here was my list of things I was concerned about leading up to the trip:

• No Character Meet & Greets - we meet A TON of characters I'd say 30-40 a trip.
• Lack of FastPass and having to deal with standby lines - we leveraged refresh strategies to rarely hit a standby line of over 10 mins.
• Restrictions on Snacking - i.e. I can't just grab a Starbucks or a Churro and enjoy it along the way
• Missing night-time entertainment (HEA, Fantasmic, and Star Wars Galactic Spectacular) - not only would we see each of these shows, we'd often stake out a spot well in advance for our preferred seat and then grab some snacks - they were a HUGE part of our evenings.
• No Shows (BatB, Indy, LM, FotLK, Nemo) - we saw every one of them, every trip
• General Lack of Atmosphere - seemingly felt on Main Street, in DHS, and especially in World Showcase
• Constant Reminders of the Pandemic (plexiglass in lines, announcements breaking in over the themed music, masks EVERYWHERE)
• Ride modifications (missing pre-shows, added plexi-glass, inability to request a certain seat, and other elements adjusted)

First off, I don't want to sugar coat things... all of these elements had an effect on our trip. It was certainly not the WDW that we had come to know and love. And in some ways, we missed many of the elements during our 6 days in Orlando. But I'll tell you what... one week later, none of those bullet points resonate with me!

All I have in my head right now are happy memories! I'm riding that post-Disney trip high that I always get! At dinner each night this past week our family said "one week ago today we were doing XXXXX" just like we always do after a WDW trip. Even now as I type this, I have a smile on my face thinking about that ride on Splash Mountain, the humor at the Frozen show in DHS, the Steak I had at Le Cellier, and a bunch of other happy thoughts!

All of those missing elements, those concerns, could've easily forced me to cancel this trip. But one week later, I am VERY GLAD that I did not. I'll also say that we're blessed that this trip cost us nothing due to my penchant for leveraging credit card rewards. Had this been a once in five years trip, perhaps we wouldn't have gone.

I am by no means suggesting that any person reading this is the same as me, and so maybe you won't feel that way one week later... but that is a LONG list, and a valid list, and for us, none of it mattered once we got to our happy place.

TL;DR: One Week Later... I'm really glad we went!

 

[kengquist]

Was "Here Now"... Not really "Just Back" anymore... a ONE WEEK later update! I hope this helps some folks as they decide should we go now:

One of the most common things I see on this thread and in other places on the DIS is concern over "IS THE MAGIC THERE RIGHT NOW". I must admit that in the months leading up to our late January trip (basically starting in July of 2020 up until we boarded the plane on Jan 26th) I was torn and conflicted about whether the WDW I was about to visit could live up to my lofty expectations.

Over our roughly 11 annual Jan/Feb visits (and 18 trips overall) to WDW we had honed in our specific preferences while also continually increasing our budget to meet our preferences. In the past three years we had settled in as a Deluxe Only, Split-Stay family with an 8-day largely commando-style touring plan. (I'm not saying this to impress you, just to note how we typically approach WDW - and of course those of you familiar with me on the I Love CC threads know that these trips end up costing us nothing). Basically I point that out to say that we have high expectations of a Disney World trip.

That said - here was my list of things I was concerned about leading up to the trip:

• No Character Meet & Greets - we meet A TON of characters I'd say 30-40 a trip.
• Lack of FastPass and having to deal with standby lines - we leveraged refresh strategies to rarely hit a standby line of over 10 mins.
• Restrictions on Snacking - i.e. I can't just grab a Starbucks or a Churro and enjoy it along the way
• Missing night-time entertainment (HEA, Fantasmic, and Star Wars Galactic Spectacular) - not only would we see each of these shows, we'd often stake out a spot well in advance for our preferred seat and then grab some snacks - they were a HUGE part of our evenings.
• No Shows (BatB, Indy, LM, FotLK, Nemo) - we saw every one of them, every trip
• General Lack of Atmosphere - seemingly felt on Main Street, in DHS, and especially in World Showcase
• Constant Reminders of the Pandemic (plexiglass in lines, announcements breaking in over the themed music, masks EVERYWHERE)
• Ride modifications (missing pre-shows, added plexi-glass, inability to request a certain seat, and other elements adjusted)

First off, I don't want to sugar coat things... all of these elements had an effect on our trip. It was certainly not the WDW that we had come to know and love. And in some ways, we missed many of the elements during our 6 days in Orlando. But I'll tell you what... one week later, none of those bullet points resonate with me!

All I have in my head right now are happy memories! I'm riding that post-Disney trip high that I always get! At dinner each night this past week our family said "one week ago today we were doing XXXXX" just like we always do after a WDW trip. Even now as I type this, I have a smile on my face thinking about that ride on Splash Mountain, the humor at the Frozen show in DHS, the Steak I had at Le Cellier, and a bunch of other happy thoughts!

All of those missing elements, those concerns, could've easily forced me to cancel this trip. But one week later, I am VERY GLAD that I did not. I'll also say that we're blessed that this trip cost us nothing due to my penchant for leveraging credit card rewards. Had this been a once in five years trip, perhaps we wouldn't have gone.

I am by no means suggesting that any person reading this is the same as me, and so maybe you won't feel that way one week later... but that is a LONG list, and a valid list, and for us, none of it mattered once we got to our happy place.

TL;DR: One Week Later... I'm really glad we went!

So glad you posted this. I think we all have some reservations. But your post makes me less worried.
Please explain the snack situation. What food and drinks are available outside of restaurants? You mentioned not being able to eat or drink when you’re walking. I wasn’t aware of that. I’m just trying to get a feel for what to expect as far as food and drinks.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Was "Here Now"... Not really "Just Back" anymore... a ONE WEEK later update! I hope this helps some folks as they decide should we go now:

One of the most common things I see on this thread and in other places on the DIS is concern over "IS THE MAGIC THERE RIGHT NOW". I must admit that in the months leading up to our late January trip (basically starting in July of 2020 up until we boarded the plane on Jan 26th) I was torn and conflicted about whether the WDW I was about to visit could live up to my lofty expectations.

Over our roughly 11 annual Jan/Feb visits (and 18 trips overall) to WDW we had honed in our specific preferences while also continually increasing our budget to meet our preferences. In the past three years we had settled in as a Deluxe Only, Split-Stay family with an 8-day largely commando-style touring plan. (I'm not saying this to impress you, just to note how we typically approach WDW - and of course those of you familiar with me on the I Love CC threads know that these trips end up costing us nothing). Basically I point that out to say that we have high expectations of a Disney World trip.

That said - here was my list of things I was concerned about leading up to the trip:

• No Character Meet & Greets - we meet A TON of characters I'd say 30-40 a trip.
• Lack of FastPass and having to deal with standby lines - we leveraged refresh strategies to rarely hit a standby line of over 10 mins.
• Restrictions on Snacking - i.e. I can't just grab a Starbucks or a Churro and enjoy it along the way
• Missing night-time entertainment (HEA, Fantasmic, and Star Wars Galactic Spectacular) - not only would we see each of these shows, we'd often stake out a spot well in advance for our preferred seat and then grab some snacks - they were a HUGE part of our evenings.
• No Shows (BatB, Indy, LM, FotLK, Nemo) - we saw every one of them, every trip
• General Lack of Atmosphere - seemingly felt on Main Street, in DHS, and especially in World Showcase
• Constant Reminders of the Pandemic (plexiglass in lines, announcements breaking in over the themed music, masks EVERYWHERE)
• Ride modifications (missing pre-shows, added plexi-glass, inability to request a certain seat, and other elements adjusted)

First off, I don't want to sugar coat things... all of these elements had an effect on our trip. It was certainly not the WDW that we had come to know and love. And in some ways, we missed many of the elements during our 6 days in Orlando. But I'll tell you what... one week later, none of those bullet points resonate with me!

All I have in my head right now are happy memories! I'm riding that post-Disney trip high that I always get! At dinner each night this past week our family said "one week ago today we were doing XXXXX" just like we always do after a WDW trip. Even now as I type this, I have a smile on my face thinking about that ride on Splash Mountain, the humor at the Frozen show in DHS, the Steak I had at Le Cellier, and a bunch of other happy thoughts!

All of those missing elements, those concerns, could've easily forced me to cancel this trip. But one week later, I am VERY GLAD that I did not. I'll also say that we're blessed that this trip cost us nothing due to my penchant for leveraging credit card rewards. Had this been a once in five years trip, perhaps we wouldn't have gone.

I am by no means suggesting that any person reading this is the same as me, and so maybe you won't feel that way one week later... but that is a LONG list, and a valid list, and for us, none of it mattered once we got to our happy place.

TL;DR: One Week Later... I'm really glad we went!

Great points! My 40th birthday was exactly 1 month ago, now ya got me thinking about how on that morning we rode 5 rides in the first 2-3 hours including Rise of the resistance at Hollywood Studios. About this time we were finishing our droid build and getting ready to eat at Sci Fi. I wanna go back!!!

I totally concur though, if you go in with the attitude of seeing what you can do now, rather than focusing on what used to be and what you can’t do, you’ll have a great trip.

 

[MinnieMSue]

Was "Here Now"... Not really "Just Back" anymore... a ONE WEEK later update! I hope this helps some folks as they decide should we go now:

One of the most common things I see on this thread and in other places on the DIS is concern over "IS THE MAGIC THERE RIGHT NOW". I must admit that in the months leading up to our late January trip (basically starting in July of 2020 up until we boarded the plane on Jan 26th) I was torn and conflicted about whether the WDW I was about to visit could live up to my lofty expectations.

Over our roughly 11 annual Jan/Feb visits (and 18 trips overall) to WDW we had honed in our specific preferences while also continually increasing our budget to meet our preferences. In the past three years we had settled in as a Deluxe Only, Split-Stay family with an 8-day largely commando-style touring plan. (I'm not saying this to impress you, just to note how we typically approach WDW - and of course those of you familiar with me on the I Love CC threads know that these trips end up costing us nothing). Basically I point that out to say that we have high expectations of a Disney World trip.

That said - here was my list of things I was concerned about leading up to the trip:

• No Character Meet & Greets - we meet A TON of characters I'd say 30-40 a trip.
• Lack of FastPass and having to deal with standby lines - we leveraged refresh strategies to rarely hit a standby line of over 10 mins.
• Restrictions on Snacking - i.e. I can't just grab a Starbucks or a Churro and enjoy it along the way
• Missing night-time entertainment (HEA, Fantasmic, and Star Wars Galactic Spectacular) - not only would we see each of these shows, we'd often stake out a spot well in advance for our preferred seat and then grab some snacks - they were a HUGE part of our evenings.
• No Shows (BatB, Indy, LM, FotLK, Nemo) - we saw every one of them, every trip
• General Lack of Atmosphere - seemingly felt on Main Street, in DHS, and especially in World Showcase
• Constant Reminders of the Pandemic (plexiglass in lines, announcements breaking in over the themed music, masks EVERYWHERE)
• Ride modifications (missing pre-shows, added plexi-glass, inability to request a certain seat, and other elements adjusted)

First off, I don't want to sugar coat things... all of these elements had an effect on our trip. It was certainly not the WDW that we had come to know and love. And in some ways, we missed many of the elements during our 6 days in Orlando. But I'll tell you what... one week later, none of those bullet points resonate with me!

All I have in my head right now are happy memories! I'm riding that post-Disney trip high that I always get! At dinner each night this past week our family said "one week ago today we were doing XXXXX" just like we always do after a WDW trip. Even now as I type this, I have a smile on my face thinking about that ride on Splash Mountain, the humor at the Frozen show in DHS, the Steak I had at Le Cellier, and a bunch of other happy thoughts!

All of those missing elements, those concerns, could've easily forced me to cancel this trip. But one week later, I am VERY GLAD that I did not. I'll also say that we're blessed that this trip cost us nothing due to my penchant for leveraging credit card rewards. Had this been a once in five years trip, perhaps we wouldn't have gone.

I am by no means suggesting that any person reading this is the same as me, and so maybe you won't feel that way one week later... but that is a LONG list, and a valid list, and for us, none of it mattered once we got to our happy place.

TL;DR: One Week Later... I'm really glad we went!

we felt pretty much the same way when we went I. September. No regrets at all. Looking forward to spring break now. Sometimes it is a matter of is your glass half empty or half full. We try really hard to be half full people.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

So glad you posted this. I think we all have some reservations. But your post makes me less worried.
Please explain the snack situation. What food and drinks are available outside of restaurants? You mentioned not being able to eat or drink when you’re walking. I wasn’t aware of that. I’m just trying to get a feel for what to expect as far as food and drinks.

So it's worth noting that Disney's rule (and they announce it every 15-30 mins it seems while you're in the park) is that you can only remove your mask to snack or drink while stationary. You can't just walk and eat.

For us I think this came down to our personal preference on how we snack. We rarely will stop and sit down to enjoy a snack. On a TYPICAL trip, most mornings we would grab Starbucks but then drink them while waiting in a character line. We would also grab a churro or pretzel and eat them in lines or while waiting for an outdoor show to start. We also liked to get Ice Cream while sitting in our spot for the fireworks or Fantasmic. Again, these are all really personal preferences. We could've easily fit in snacks in the current setup if we wanted to stop and sit down and eat... we just didn't want to lol!

Our snacks on this trip consisted of:
Day 1 Epcot - Nothing;
Day 2 MK - Dole Whip (we grabbed a bench)
Day 3 DHS - Nothing
Day 4 MK - Dole Whip at Poly during our afternoon "get out of the crowds" break.
Day 5 AK - Popcorn which we ate on a bench while waiting for the Bird show to start (we might have taken liberties with the rules on this one

This was pretty atypical for us as normally we'd have had 2-3 snacks a day at each park. We also grabbed popcorn each day before leaving the parks and my wife and I enjoyed it on the balcony after the kids went to sleep. We replaced some of these snacks by eating some really great meals and mixing in a dessert or two at those meals. We also did a Ice Cream only ADR at Beaches And Cream our last night.

 

[Chris Ehlers]

Ok just back from trip 2/4-2/7 and I have to call Disney BS on the the whole social distancing thing. This has been out 4th trip since reopening. They are no longer separating guest on FOP you are now riding shoulder to shoulder with other riders unless you request spacing!!!!!!! but yet if you ride the train to Rafiki's you only get 3 groups per train ride outside WTH can some one explain this to me ?????

 

[kengquist]

So it's worth noting that Disney's rule (and they announce it every 15-30 mins it seems while you're in the park) is that you can only remove your mask to snack or drink while stationary. You can't just walk and eat.

For us I think this came down to our personal preference on how we snack. We rarely will stop and sit down to enjoy a snack. On a TYPICAL trip, most mornings we would grab Starbucks but then drink them while waiting in a character line. We would also grab a churro or pretzel and eat them in lines or while waiting for an outdoor show to start. We also liked to get Ice Cream while sitting in our spot for the fireworks or Fantasmic. Again, these are all really personal preferences. We could've easily fit in snacks in the current setup if we wanted to stop and sit down and eat... we just didn't want to lol!

Our snacks on this trip consisted of:
Day 1 Epcot - Nothing;
Day 2 MK - Dole Whip (we grabbed a bench)
Day 3 DHS - Nothing
Day 4 MK - Dole Whip at Poly during our afternoon "get out of the crowds" break.
Day 5 AK - Popcorn which we ate on a bench while waiting for the Bird show to start (we might have taken liberties with the rules on this one

This was pretty atypical for us as normally we'd have had 2-3 snacks a day at each park. We also grabbed popcorn each day before leaving the parks and my wife and I enjoyed it on the balcony after the kids went to sleep. We replaced some of these snacks by eating some really great meals and mixing in a dessert or two at those meals. We also did a Ice Cream only ADR at Beaches And Cream our last night.

Do you use refillable water bottles?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Ok just back from trip 2/4-2/7 and i have to call Disney BS on the the whole social distancing thing. This has been out 4th trip since reopening. They are no longer separating guest on FOP you are now riding shoulder to shoulder with other riders unless you request spacing!!!!!!! but yet if you ride the train to Rafiki's you only get 3 groups per train ride outside *** can some one explain this to me ?????

My 2 thoughts:

1) The amount of time spent in the chair at FoP is short (5 minutes?) and everybody is still wearing a mask for the duration of the ride.

2) Wildlife Express is a longer duration (10-ish minutes I'd say with load/unload time). Also, the procedures for the Wildlife Express might be as much about controlling capacity at Rafiki's Planet Watch/Conservation Station as it is about distancing. They could fit more people on the train, but then where would they go once they got there? I felt like the day we were there, Rafiki's was basically at capacity with the number of folks hanging out in that area. And it would've been difficult for them to really stage more people in the load/unload area to efficiently board and turnover trains quickly.

EDIT: I'll add that a lot of people are going on the Wildlife Express to do the Animation Academy too, and when we were there the class we sat in (Drew Dumbo ) was 100% full (distanced appropriately) - I was glad that the train didn't allow more people to get to that area because it could've gotten a little crazy for our liking!

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Do you use refillable water bottles?

We stayed at the Swan, they gave us "free" Dasani bottles (I guess that's what our resort fee bought us). So we just took 2 of those a day.

 

[NC State]

Do you use refillable water bottles?

We love the refillable water bottles stations, I just wish I could find a map with them listed. We were there the last week of October and it was 90 degrees everyday.

 

[pascalspal]

Do you use refillable water bottles?

I used my refillable bottle this past weekend. It is not always super easy to find refill locations, but I found a few in ride lines. When I was out I typically gabbed a coffee from starbucks to take a break and asked for large ice waters to refill my bottle. Worked out well for me!

 

[kengquist]

We stayed at the Swan, they gave us "free" Dasani bottles (I guess that's what our resort fee bought us). So we just took 2 of those a day.

Can you buy bottled water in the parks?

 

[pascalspal]

Can you buy bottled water in the parks?

Yes, but if I remember correctly its around $4+ per bottle. You can get free tap water at most food locations usually if you dont want to pay for water each time!

 

[Chris Ehlers]

I used my refillable bottle this past weekend. It is not always super easy to find refill locations, but I found a few in ride lines. When I was out I typically gabbed a coffee from starbucks to take a break and asked for large ice waters to refill my bottle. Worked out well for me!

you can get free glasses of water at any quickservice restaurant

 

[Toad_Passenger]

Will fill in more details later, but just returned from a 1/31-2/6 trip.

Sunday-Friday were some of the best times I have had at WDW over the years. Mask usage was easily 98%+, people followed the spacings to a T, crowds were low enough that our family of 4 was always given our own car/boat/seats (even on FOP we were by ourselves), it was awesome. Saturday 2/6 saw crowds nearly double and ended up being a disaster in MK as the rules seemed to go out the window for guests and CM’s. So glad we got everything done during the week so we could just find a space to chill and stay safe on our last day.

 

[Cotta]

So glad you posted this. I think we all have some reservations. But your post makes me less worried.
Please explain the snack situation. What food and drinks are available outside of restaurants? You mentioned not being able to eat or drink when you’re walking. I wasn’t aware of that. I’m just trying to get a feel for what to expect as far as food and drinks.

I will say one of the things we noticed right away was we did not want to waste time sitting around finishing drinks. My daughter is a starbucks fanatic so that sort of became an issue. We ended up sharing lots of drinks. Also at the Arts Festival I probably would have purchased more drinks to try but didn't want to stand around to drink them. Snacks were never as big of an issue for us as I would normally sit down to eat anyway.

 

[Orion Nebula]

Will fill in more details later, but just returned from a 1/31-2/6 trip.

Sunday-Friday were some of the best times I have had at WDW over the years. Mask usage was easily 98%+, people followed the spacings to a T, crowds were low enough that our family of 4 was always given our own car/boat/seats (even on FOP we were by ourselves), it was awesome. Saturday 2/6 saw crowds nearly double and ended up being a disaster in MK as the rules seemed to go out the window for guests and CM’s. So glad we got everything done during the week so we could just find a space to chill and stay safe on our last day.

It seems like the weekend crowds have been getting worse and worse. Which makes me wonder if the capacity limits are too high... I mean not enough people should be allowed in to make say mainstreet "normal".

 

[OhioWDWDuo]

1) The amount of time spent in the chair at FoP is short (5 minutes?) and everybody is still wearing a mask for the duration of the ride.

True, IF everyone keeps their masks on properly. When we went in September, there was 1 open seat left between my party and another group. Once the ride started, the other group moved their masks down to chin-straps. It was very uncomfortable. If Disney is going to get rid of social distancing, then mask enforcement needs to be important. Once the ride starts, you are stuck and cannot remove yourself from an uncomfortable situation.

 

[Chris Ehlers]

My 2 thoughts:

1) The amount of time spent in the chair at FoP is short (5 minutes?) and everybody is still wearing a mask for the duration of the ride.

2) Wildlife Express is a longer duration (10-ish minutes I'd say with load/unload time). Also, the procedures for the Wildlife Express might be as much about controlling capacity at Rafiki's Planet Watch/Conservation Station as it is about distancing. They could fit more people on the train, but then where would they go once they got there? I felt like the day we were there, Rafiki's was basically at capacity with the number of folks hanging out in that area. And it would've been difficult for them to really stage more people in the load/unload area to efficiently board and turnover trains quickly.

EDIT: I'll add that a lot of people are going on the Wildlife Express to do the Animation Academy too, and when we were there the class we sat in (Drew Dumbo ) was 100% full (distanced appropriately) - I was glad that the train didn't allow more people to get to that area because it could've gotten a little crazy for our liking!

The train ride is only 5 min as well and its outside. and a new train arrives every 5-7 min so im not seeing your point. they dont just run the train for the Animation Station.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I think it's unrealistic to expect that things won't change over time as the virus situation changes, as Disney comes up with new ways to balance safety and capacity, and as the comfort level of the general population changes. In an ideal world they would make formal announcements in advance of when and specifically what the changes will be, but that would be a PR and a logistical nightmare. I feel that anyone traveling during a pandemic should be prepared for last minute changes that may or may not effect your comfort level. I also think it's unreasonable to expect that every guest feeling uncomfortable should be given special treatment.

I agree! Disney is damned if they do, damned if they don't. There are no easy answers here. I do think we should show grace to people who went under the impression that certain things were being done (because the PR campaign promised them initially) OR were encouraged to simply ask the CM to make an accommodation for them (tons of people have posted personal experiences with that being doable) and find those things haven't happened. They would, understandably, come away discouraged.

I always scratch my head at people who come home and say they feel safer at Disney than at the grocery store at home because that is NOT my experience at ALL and it won't be for many, many people. It's a false sense of security and could be jarring for someone to find themselves in a situation that is not what they expected. It's a reminder to me to be careful in what picture I paint regarding safety in telling others about it.