Just returned from a 4 day trip. We arrived via plane and joined our family at SSR on Thursday. We booked a preferred two bedroom villa for 4 adults and 2 children, and the kind cast member at check-in changed the location of our room to be closer to Disney Springs as we had a couple of dining reservations there. We hung out at the pool, did Rain Forest Cafe at DS for dinner and went to MK the next day. From Congress Park, it only took a few minutes for a bus to arrive, and we pulled up at MK about 22 minutes later. We missed rope drop, and at 9:30 am, the lines were already 45+ minutes for most of the popular rides. Unfortunately, the wait times were accurate. We wanted to do Peter Pan's Flight, but wait times for that were about 60 minutes, so we settled on Small World. The wait time was 45 minutes, and it took about 50 minutes. The entrance is being refurbished or refreshed, and we spent the first 15 to 20 minutes outside in the sun. Next was Winnie the Pooh, and the wait time for that was just about 30 minutes. Got on in about 25 minutes, this line seemed to move much more quickly. By this time, it was around 11:30 am, and people were getting hungry. Mobile order in MK was a little chaotic. We picked a timeframe for Pecos Bill and then placed the order. Once in our time frame, we checked it to let the restaurant know to start preparing our order. It took about 35 minutes from the time we checked in to the time our food was ready to pick up. You can't wait in the restaurant, and cast members were standing at the entrance to make sure people entering were only those whose mobile orders were ready for pick up. This was super tough as it was a little past noon at this point and the group was hot and hangry (temps were in the high 80's)! Finally the food was ready, but half the group decided to take their food to go and eat it while standing in line for another ride. My group decided to stay and enjoyed a descent meal with air conditioning inside Pecos Bill. I would have preferred Columbia Harbour House, but it was closed. Next was PotC. The wait was accurate at 45 minutes. I mobile ordered ice cream from Aloha Isle. It took a while, but the Kakamora Float was delicious!! Next was Carousel of Progress, a little less than the posted 20 minute wait, and a much needed break from the heat. After that was Dumbo. Posted wait time was 10 minutes, but it took about 20 as they stopped the ride to spray everything down and then run the ride with no one on board. Next was the Little Mermaid, an accurate 35 minute wait. We had dinner reservations at Be Our Guest. The Beast makes an appearance with a quick wave and a bow. We saw him about three times through the course of the dinner. To end the night, we got a quick picture from the photo pass photographer in front of Cinderella castle, masks and all to capture the moment! We then made our way to the exit. I thought I would stop in at the Confectionary to pick up a candy apple, but the line was long, and people were tired!! Next day was Animal Kingdom. Our group got a late start. It did not take long for the bus to arrive at the resort, and we walked into the park around 10:30. Wait times were about 45+ minutes. FoP was at a 105 minute wait, and Navi River Journey was a 90 minute wait. Dinoland USA was kind of sad. With many of the attractions closed (Primeval Whirl, The Bone Yard, no Chip and Dale dance party), it was kind of a ghost town. We walked onto Triceratops Spin. Dinosaur was a 50 minute wait, so we skipped that and did It's a Bugs Life, about a 20 minute wait. Then we got in line for Kilimanjaro Safari. The line stretched all the way behind Tusker House, but it moved quickly, probably just 35 minute wait. Based on our experience with mobile order at MK, we picked a timeframe for mobile order for Flame Tree BBQ. We checked in as the Safari ended, and within about 5 minutes, our food was ready for pick up. We were still on the safari truck and had to wait about 5 minutes to exit. Then we raced across the park to Flame Tree, but it said our order was not picked up and our credit card would be refunded. We checked with a cast member, and our order was promptly remade and ready for pick up in about 5 minutes (they forgot my cupcake, but this was probably for the best). We enjoyed a nice leisurely lunch near the water and got to see boats drive by with characters and drummers. We decided to wait in the 70 minute line for Navi River Journey. While my group waited in line, I picked up drinks for us at Pongu Pongu. They will only allow one person to pick up two alcoholic drinks, so instead of two beers and a Night Blossom with rum, I got two beers and a regular Night Blossom (still delicious!). We called it a day after Navi River Journey and headed back to the room. My children stayed at the resort with family while my husband and I enjoyed a date night at California Grill and then shopping at Disney Springs. I don't know why, but my husband and I left our magic bands and planned on using our phones to unlock the door. We couldn't get either of our phones to work, so we had to wake up his mother to let us in! The next morning, we packed up and got brunch at Chef Art Smith's Homecomin'. It was delicious, and the portions were huge! Overall, this was a great trip! We have had better experiences at MK for sure, but the ability to combine a Disney trip with seeing other family members (10 of us total) made it special for us.
Take aways:
If we hadn't been able to combine this trip with seeing our family, I don't think this trip would have been worth the cost. The crowds and wait times have increased since initial reopening. The cost of the rooms and the tickets are the same even though there are no fast passes, no park hopping, several restaurants are closed, and experiences are cancelled or altered (fireworks, character meet and greets). Most of the time, wearing a mask was a non-issue for myself, my 5 year-old, and my 3 year-old. I can't speak for the rest of my family. Many people commented that the wait times decreased in the afternoon and evening. This was not the case for a Friday afternoon/evening at MK. I think the best way to enjoy a trip under the current circumstances is to set your expectations low and pack your patience. It is a different experience, and right now may not be the best time to visit if you are expecting to capture the same magic that you experienced on previous trips.
Forget social distancing at MK, it's not going to happen. Too many people and not enough cast members to enforce it. However, mask compliance was actually pretty good from what I observed. Asking guests to stand still while eating or drinking was largely ignored in the two parks we visited and at Disney Springs. Social distancing at Animal Kingdom was much better in most places.
Be prepared to wait in line for almost everything as they are capping the number of people inside shops and stores. However, don't let the length of the line fool you, they actually seem to move pretty quickly. The line for World of Disney at Disney Springs looked really long, but we were inside the store in about 7 minutes on a Saturday night around 8:30 pm. None of the other stores had lines to get in at this time from what I observed.
The Saratoga Springs Resort is beautiful! The newly refurbished two bedroom villa suited our group perfectly (4 adults, 2 children). The bus transportation was not an issue for us at all. We did not have to wait long for a bus to pick us up from the resort or from the parks. We were never turned away from boarding a bus due to the bus reaching capacity. The walk to Disney Springs from Congress Park was easy and pleasant. I also could easily walk from Congress Park to Artist's Palate for a quick bite.
California Grill (loved the grouper), Be Our Guest (loved the lamb chops), and Chef Art Smith's Homecomin' (loved the hallelujah biscuit) were all wonderful! Portions at all three of these restaurants are generous, so come hungry or split a meal (not sure if you can split a meal at Be Our Guest).
My preferred way to experience MK is paying extra for early morning magic or staying club level and paying extra for three additional fast passes. Not being able to do either of these kind of puts a damper on the experience as I was left feeling like the value of the experience did not equal the cost of the park admission ticket. Thankfully being able to spend time with extended family made up for the difference. It seems like Disney could still offer early morning magic as it is a separate, ticketed event, and they could maintain low crowd levels for social distancing.
Probably more detail than needed, but I hope this helps for someone planning or about to experience a trip in the near future.