A Look at Walt Disney World Vacations During the Pandemic
Since returning from my first trip to Walt Disney World, I wanted to share some of my observations on the changes to the parks. We’ve already talked about what it’s like in the parks since the reopening this year. But I thought about some more things to share. It’s definitely different at Disney. But as long as you know what you’re in for during your vacation you’ll still have a great time!
Resort Rooms
First off, I know some might worry about your resort room. I know you want to make sure that where you’re sleeping every night is being sanitized and cleaned effectively. I also know that some are packing extra supplies to clean their rooms. This is a personal choice and you have to do what makes you feel comfortable. I decided not to. During my last vacation, I stayed off-property for part of my trip and then on Disney property. I knew that both Disney and the off-property resort had enhanced their housekeeping and cleaning protocols.
When I checked in to my off-property room, my room door was sealed closed so I knew that no one had been in my room prior to my check-in besides housekeeping. I also knew that they had added more cleaning protocols (listed on their website) so I felt safe that my room was clean. Every major hotel chain has made sure to provide information on their website and at their hotels on what they’re doing to help you feel safe while a guest at their hotel. So there was no concern for me while staying off-property. While staying at Disney, there was a list of what extra steps they’ve done to clean our room. This even included our TV remotes cleaned and sealed in bags. I also had the option during my online check-in through My Disney Experience to opt-out of housekeeping so there was less interaction with someone else in my room. All of this helped me to feel that my rooms were clean and safe during my stay.
Online Check-In
Beyond the rooms, I did notice several changes in the parks and resorts. First, before my arrival, I was encouraged to do online check-in for my Disney resort stay through My Disney Experience instead of checking in at the front desk. I’ve used this feature before but never with success so I wasn’t sure how helpful it would be. When you check-in online, you list your expected arrival time in addition to room preference (higher floor, etc). This is also where I opted out of housekeeping as I mentioned before.
When I check-in at Disney, I usually arrive before the standard check-in time of 3 pm so my room is rarely ready before I arrive. I did not have an issue this time! My room was ready before I arrived and I received a text which told me my room number and even a link to the resort map so I knew where my room was. Since my room was ready, I was able to go directly to my room with my bags. To me this was great, I was able to check out my room before I went to the parks. It also saved time with having to call Bell Services to bring my bags to the room.
Resort Dining and Shopping
Another change while at my resort was dining and shopping. I stayed at Art of Animation this trip which has their gift shop in front of their food court. There was a cast member at the entrance of the Ink & Paint Gift shop. They asked if you were going to the gift shop or food court. They are doing this because of crowd occupancy so there might be certain times during the day where you might have to wait in line to go to the gift shop or food court.
Once you enter the gift shop and walk over to the food court (if you’re there to eat) there is another cast member who asks if you’ve already placed your food order via mobile ordering and if it was ready. They are encouraging mobile ordering and the cast members would even help you get to mobile ordering on your phone if you’ve never done it before. Unless you have a food allergy or another reason where you can not mobile order, I don’t think they were allowing people in the food court unless your food was ready.
Once inside the food court, the seating was still available if you chose to eat at the food court (social distance, of course) but the food court section was partly blocked. You could no longer go to the food stations or pre-prepared food section. Your food was now boxed up and on a tray ready for a cast member to hand to you. You just showed the cast member your order number on the app, they handed you the tray of food. You could then take your food back to your room or eat in the food court.
Mobile Ordering
Not only was dining different at my resort but also in the parks. Mobile Ordering was the big thing for quick service. It was still the encouraged way to get your food. In fact, while at Hollywood Studios I ate at ABC Commissary where cast members did not allow you to enter even the seating area unless your food order was ready. If you are not a fan of mobile ordering, I highly recommend budgeting for table service and getting those dining reservations early.
I did check the walk up status of some restaurants while in the parks. Disney previously announced that you could check on your My Disney Experience app any walk-up availability of restaurants. I didn’t have any luck with any walk-up availability. Because of that, I highly recommend making those dining reservations in advance even more than I recommended before.
On the other hand, this was also a good opportunity to try a new restaurant at a nearby resort. For example, if you’re at Magic Kingdom for the day, see what’s available at the Grand Floridian, Polynesian, or Contemporary Resorts, or even Wilderness Lodge! Personally, I don’t think the resort table service restaurants get the love they deserve! I had lunch at The Wave at Contemporary Resort this trip and I’ve only done breakfast there before.
Temperature & Security Checks
Beyond dining, we are all aware of the other changes to the parks. There are still temperature checks to get into the parks and Disney Springs. But now there are security scanners that you go through to minimize security hand checking everyone’s bag. I recommend pulling out your camera, umbrella, water bottle, or other metal items before going through the scanner to try and prevent your bag from getting hand checked. If you do have to get your bag hand-checked, security will direct you to a table for a security cast member to hand check the bag. This process is the same as before except all security cast members are wearing gloves. I did find this process a lot quicker even when I did have to get my bag checked so I hope this version of the security process continues.
Character Cavalcades
Another change we are aware of are character cavalcades. Right now there are no character meet and greets but instead character cavalcades. These are mini parades with no written, scheduled time where various characters come out to greet guest while moving on a parade like route. Every park has this and I loved seeing them! It felt like a little extra Disney magic during my park day. Especially at Epcot where I rarely did a meet and greet before. Now during the character cavalcade, it was harder to social distance in certain areas like Main Street USA at Magic Kingdom just because that’s always a more crowded part of the park. But these cavalcades last only a few minutes so I didn’t feel personally concerned.
Crowds
Speaking of crowds, there were still noticeably lower which was amazing! I was able to get very close to Cinderella’s Castle which was a first in a while as well as walk through the castle. I don’t remember the last time I did that! Now, I’m not saying that there are no lines or wait times for things. There are.
Since there are no fast passes currently, you want to prioritize what rides you want to ride on. Now you do have to remember that there is social distancing in the ride lines. There are marks on the ground of where your party should stand while waiting in line so you’re far enough apart from the parties in front and behind you. Because of social distancing, the lines for rides can look a LOT longer than they are. I recommend referring to your My Disney Experience app for a more accurate wait time for your favorite ride.
I’m happy to report, Disney is doing a great job to help follow health and safety guidelines during this time. If you choose to go to Disney during this time then you will still have a great trip and I hope my tips help!
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