Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Elle23]

We were at HS today. Mask compliance wasn’t great, probably because it was so hot. As soon as people were outside of the view of CMs the masks came down.

We actually witnessed a man walking by us pull down his mask to sneeze and then pull it back up! And no, he did not cover his mouth! We couldn’t believe it and pray he wasn’t infectious. We could actually see the spray come from his mouth.

It didn’t seem overly crowded today (We were there for around 4 hours in the afternoon). We rode ToT, which was a posted 40 minute wait (we waited about 35), Toy Story Mania (posted wait 15 minutes but was walk on), and Alien Swirling Saucers (posted 20; we just waited a few minutes).

 

[only hope]

I would assume that it’s up to the person following a larger party to put a space between them. I wouldn’t expect a party of 6 to stretch out over three spots - they want to be together and talk to each other and that’s fine, as long as there’s enough space after the last of them, I don’t see a problem. And again, the person responsible for ensuring that there is enough space after the person in front of you is YOU.

I appreciate the feedback on large parties. We are a large party of 9 leaving in 4 days. So, what do you suggest I mention to the girls? I'm the mom traveling with my daughters and friends (3 20-year-olds, 2 19-year-olds, a 16, 14, and 12 year old.) I know they will be "oblivious" and very interested in chatting with each other and taking pictures. But I want to sit them down and talk to them in advance about what they should/should not do in line. Please help. Thank you. Should we try and divide up so we only walk 3x3x3 in queues? So our distancing is spread out a bit and we don't impinge on people around us?

Even if the people behind a large group leave an extra marker to ensure six feet in front, it is still a problem for people who adjacent to the large group diagonally/sideways because of the closeness of the markers. I would break the group up into 3’s to ensure that other parties and you are still distanced sideways/diagonally. When you get to the end, you can regather for rides like Pirates where you all ride together or rearrange into two’s for rides like Haunted Mansion.

 

[dachsie]

I appreciate the feedback on large parties. We are a large party of 9 leaving in 4 days. So, what do you suggest I mention to the girls? I'm the mom traveling with my daughters and friends (3 20-year-olds, 2 19-year-olds, a 16, 14, and 12 year old.) I know they will be "oblivious" and very interested in chatting with each other and taking pictures. But I want to sit them down and talk to them in advance about what they should/should not do in line. Please help. Thank you. Should we try and divide up so we only walk 3x3x3 in queues? So our distancing is spread out a bit and we don't impinge on people around us?

if I were you, I would plan to take up two spaces. Don't go beyond the first or behind the second and just fill in between. There is no way a group your size can stay near one marker. If you do that, you will be just fine. Mistakes happen, so dont sweat it.

 

[Desiree1972]

This thread has been extremely helpful. I have a couple of lingering questions.
For the first part of our stay we are staying at BLT - what is the best way to get to Epcot from there? Is the monorail running from TTC to EPCOT - if so, will I have to get off at TTC go down the ramp and then up another one to wait in another line?

And- which restaurants have outdoor seatings? Feel free to share as many as you'd like as we are visiting all parks and plan on checking out decorations at the resorts.

Thanks!

 

[soniam]

We actually witnessed a man walking by us pull down his mask to sneeze and then pull it back up! And no, he did not cover his mouth! We couldn’t believe it and pray he wasn’t infectious. We could actually see the spray come from his mouth.

Our 14 year old did this. I was mortified. He was actually mortified once he realized what happened. People around us were staring at us like the worst parents in the world. I made sure people could hear me correct him. I think for him it was just a subconscious effort to cover his nose with his hand. He was not infected though; it was allergies.

 

[marsh0013]

I was part of a group of 6, 4 adults and 2 children. I was very conscious of the fact that all of us could not fit on one marker. We were 2 family units, so we mostly split up 2 adults and 2 kids on the first marker and 2 adults on the next marker. My husband and I were the second group of 2 adults.

I had a very unnerving experience in the FOP line. There was another large group behind us, not really sure how many they were. But the woman at the front of this group was literally on top of me, with more right behind her. I asked them to please move back and stay on the next marker, but the woman yelled at me and told me to keep up with my party. I tried explaining that as a party of 6, we took up more space than one marker and to please give me space but she would not let up. I basically shut down at that point and just tried to pretend she wasn’t there. I stopped looking behind me, but their group kept talking loudly about how I needed to keep up with my group. Can’t control other people, and people will be inconsiderate jerks.

I also agree that people don’t realize that when there are switchbacks, even if it looks like more than 6 ft to the next marker, you need to stand where it says because otherwise you’re too close to the next switchback lane spot. But people think they know better.

 

[scrappinginontario]

This thread has been extremely helpful. I have a couple of lingering questions.
For the first part of our stay we are staying at BLT - what is the best way to get to Epcot from there? Is the monorail running from TTC to EPCOT - if so, will I have to get off at TTC go down the ramp and then up another one to wait in another line?

And- which restaurants have outdoor seatings? Feel free to share as many as you'd like as we are visiting all parks and plan on checking out decorations at the resorts.

Thanks!

Not sure about restaurants but the Epcot monorail is not running. I’m sure there will be a bus running from BLT to Epcot.

 

[swelch1976]

This thread has been extremely helpful. I have a couple of lingering questions.
For the first part of our stay we are staying at BLT - what is the best way to get to Epcot from there? Is the monorail running from TTC to EPCOT - if so, will I have to get off at TTC go down the ramp and then up another one to wait in another line?

And- which restaurants have outdoor seatings? Feel free to share as many as you'd like as we are visiting all parks and plan on checking out decorations at the resorts.

Thanks!

You won't be able to check out the resorts unless you have a dining reservation there, or have a mobile order at their quick service/food court. Otherwise, they are not allowing visitors to resorts.

 

[Future_WorldPhonencian]

We just got back from a quick 2 day, 3 night trip. With our 3 little kiddos. We were very impressed with the safety and measures the Disney took. We stayed at SSR and focused mainly on family rides that we could all ride skipping the headliners. Our 3 biggest takeaways.
1. If you are staying at SSR and want to use the busses, stay at the grandstand or the Carousel areas. it is the absolutely ideal situation because they are the first 2 stops. Because the resort is so spread out, there were never more than 3-4 groups waiting at the stop even for the first bus of the day. We loved the distanced buses. Not once were we left off for lack of space, and they came very frequently (we were always the first stop and every bus followed the same pattern) It was so nice not to hear "If you can see the floor there is room for more"

2. The QS situation at Magic Kingdom is not good. We were able to get a Skipper Canteen Reservation for dinner and I was glad we did. Disney is limiting the number of people who can mobile order in a time period based on the number of tables they can safely make available. MK has always been a madhouse for QS meals and with several places still closed and tables not in use, its even worse. Go back to your hotel for a meal or visit a monorail resort. Get a TS ressie if you can. We had 6-10 Feet of space distance from other groups at all of our sit down meals.

3. Disney Springs is the most Popular Area of the Resort RIght Now. They are now temp screening and funneling all guests in through just a few entrances. We had to take the long way around to walk to Disney Springs from our resort via Congress park not the path that crosses the golf course near the main building (it was blocked off) we nearly missed a dinner reservation but we made it. If you go to the Springs, go early. We got an early dinner reservation around 4:30 and were very comfortable walking around. By 7PM on a Thursday we could see and feel the crowds increasing. Eat lunch or an early dinner and enjoy the ambiance on your way out. We arent big shoppers but there were lines to get in most stores when we left at 7:30.

Overall it was so nice to get away just for a few days. It was the perfect trip for our family right now and we got to focus on new experiences that we didn't usually do because other things weren't available. My advice is enjoy the things that you haven't done rather than gripe about what isn't happening. We got to stroll through a fairly empty MK/ AK at night and take in the lights, music and pop up characters rather than fighting crowds for parades shows. It was nice! (still miss the old shows and fireworks) and I am sure they will come back one day.

 

[CarolynFH]

This thread has been extremely helpful. I have a couple of lingering questions.
For the first part of our stay we are staying at BLT - what is the best way to get to Epcot from there? Is the monorail running from TTC to EPCOT - if so, will I have to get off at TTC go down the ramp and then up another one to wait in another line?

And- which restaurants have outdoor seatings? Feel free to share as many as you'd like as we are visiting all parks and plan on checking out decorations at the resorts.

Thanks!

You won't be able to check out the resorts unless you have a dining reservation there, or have a mobile order at their quick service/food court. Otherwise, they are not allowing visitors to resorts.

Visitors arriving via Disney transportation or walking from parks are welcome to visit other resorts. People arriving via private car, and sometimes via rideshare, aren’t always being admitted to the parking areas.

 

[teach22180]

This thread has been extremely helpful. I have a couple of lingering questions.

And- which restaurants have outdoor seatings? Feel free to share as many as you'd like as we are visiting all parks and plan on checking out decorations at the resorts.

Thanks!

At Epcot I ate outdoors at Rose and Crown and Spice Road Table. There are many outdoor patios at Disney Springs. I ate outdoors at Homecomin'. wanted to be outdoors at the other 3 parks, but they didn't have outdoors at TS except for Tony's at MK. I can't eat there.

 

[yulilin3]

I understand that and have done it myself, but it shouldn't be up to the guests to police other guests.

Honestly they should've just brought back furloughed CMs to police lines like every 30 feet or so.

Completely impractical to bring back cm to police, i can tell you the people that will abide by the rules will do it ir without anyone telling them to
and people who won't will not do it with a cm standing right in front of them telling them what to do
I can guarantee this by personal experience

 

[ColoradoMom12]

For the posters who have had a bad experience with the party behind crowding (and anyone concerned about it), here’s what I did. A family of 6 was behind us. They were crowding so close I sarcastically told my daughter I was just going to invite them to join us. I kept glancing over my shoulder and looking at the line where they should have been and shaking my head. The parents seemed not to be paying much attention to what their kids were doing or maybe they just didn’t care. I was really uncomfortable with the crowding and finally turned around and suggested to the parents that we would switch places with them in line. They declined but were much more contentious of what their kids were doing and asking them to keep behind the line. If they had continued crowding us, I would have stepped to the side when the line moved up and said “please, I would feel more comfortable if your family would go ahead of us.” And then I wouldn’t move until they decided to just go around us. Not sure what I would do if they then argued or refused, lol...I don’t have plan for that and hope I won’t need one! We’ll be back next week.

 

[soniam]

I was part of a group of 6, 4 adults and 2 children. I was very conscious of the fact that all of us could not fit on one marker. We were 2 family units, so we mostly split up 2 adults and 2 kids on the first marker and 2 adults on the next marker. My husband and I were the second group of 2 adults.

I had a very unnerving experience in the FOP line. There was another large group behind us, not really sure how many they were. But the woman at the front of this group was literally on top of me, with more right behind her. I asked them to please move back and stay on the next marker, but the woman yelled at me and told me to keep up with my party. I tried explaining that as a party of 6, we took up more space than one marker and to please give me space but she would not let up. I basically shut down at that point and just tried to pretend she wasn’t there. I stopped looking behind me, but their group kept talking loudly about how I needed to keep up with my group. Can’t control other people, and people will be inconsiderate jerks.

I also agree that people don’t realize that when there are switchbacks, even if it looks like more than 6 ft to the next marker, you need to stand where it says because otherwise you’re too close to the next switchback lane spot. But people think they know better.

That's pretty rude of them. Sorry you had to put up with this nonsense. This is why we can't have nice things, because there are people who aren't nice. It's probably best for large groups to just take up what space they need and let the group behind adjust. Those people probably would have been crowding you anyway

 

[Raemama]

Anyone have any experience with DAS right now?

 

[guynhawaii]

9am. Should have mentioned that.

Aloha,

For whatever reason(s), the WDW website stated a 8 AM opening with 9 PM closing this Sunday (15 Nov).

 

[lorileahb]

Back home after a magical trip this week! Arrived at Pop late on Wednesday. Had never stayed at Pop (usually Port Orleans Riverside loyal)... rooms were a little small, but clean - nice. Resort a little big... long walk to our room with all of our luggage. After that - basic, but nice resort. Enjoyed the larger-than-life theming throughout the resort. Hippy Dippy pool was fun for Disney fans... Guess Who, Name that Tune, other fun Disney games. Mask compliance good at resort - though we enjoyed pool time with them off! Super long, so not for the faint of heart... LOL

Thursday at Epcot - already posted.

Friday at Magic Kingdom - took an early Lyft to Contemporary (645 am). Picked up a mobile order to go at Contempo Cafe (chocolate croissant we put in our bag); picked it up right about 7/7:05 a.m. Walked over to Magic Kingdom... about 5th or 6th in line for temperature checks. They held us for a few minutes, then over to entrance... we were walking in about the same time the folks from the buses were walking in. Headed straight to SDMT - walked straight through queue and got on. Over to BTM - walk on, over to Splash Mountain - 5-10 min wait, on to Pirates - walk on, Aladdin Carpets - walk on, Haunted Mansion - walk on, It's a Small World - 10 min (moving the whole time), Teacups - walk on, Tomorrowland Speedway - 10 mins (moving whole time)... then our first real wait... Buzz Lightyear, probably about 20 mins (moving the whole time). Crowds were significantly more noticeable at this point. Browsed a few of the stores on Main Street on our way to Tony's for lunch. Ran into the big cavalcade - able to sit right up front on the curb - Mickey & Minnie on Christmas float, Pooh & friends, Mary Poppins, Donald & Daisy, Pluto and more. I loved being able to see all the characters! Have seen mixed reviews on Tony's, but we LOVED it. Lady and the Tramp are some of my favorites - right up there with Pooh, Eeyore and friends. Ambiance was great - was able to see a few character cavalcades through the windows, and we enjoyed the food (spaghetti & meatballs, Chicken Parm., fried mozzarella, etc. Headed back to resort for a rest. Back to MK via bus late afternoon... On the way to knock out Space Mountain, ran into the Santa cavalcade right in front of the castle - pretty perfect! After a 20-min wait for Space Mountain, on to our much awaited surprise meal for the kids at Cinderella's Royal Table. It was amazing just to be in the castle, and to see Cinderella. The food was good - between all of us, we had almost everything. Surprisingly, the chicken was the favorite main dish - so good (beef tenderloin was also good, but we all agreed chicken was the best)! And the Jaqs and Gus de-constructed cheesecake the best dessert! One snafu when they tried to charge me for an additional two people (had already pre-paid for 5 - that's the only way to get the reservation) even though we only had our five people. The finance lady came out - she wasn't budging at first - and she could only "find" the reservation I had previously for 3, that I had cancelled the previous day when I picked up the reservation for all five of us - I didn't have the cancelation e-mails on my phone, but I did show her the reservation for five I had still active in myDisney app - they ended up not charging for two more people (a lot of money at CRT!!!), but I felt very uneasy that maybe I wouldn't be getting my refund from the reservation I had canceled the day before. I asked for a direct phone number in case it didn't settle out right (not the wait 2-4 hour dining line number), and she gave me a card with a business office number on it. I feel bad, because I really try to go with the flow - if you have ever been to CRT, you know how much money we are talking, and that REALLY stressed me out. I wish I had handled it better - but she was so adamant about how I hadn't paid for the extra two people (and I had the confirmation e-mail on my computer back at the room - AND the cancelation for the other reservation) - I got pretty frustrated. I sent the husband on with the kids and joined them after the CRT finance lady and I came to a resolution. So, long story short - if you go to CRT, make sure the billing is correct and you have access to your reservation confirmations/cancelations on your phone. On to Peter Pan - 15 min wait (always moving), Haunted Mansion - walk on, Swiss Family Treehouse, Dole Whip Break, Ariel - walk on, grabbed Mickey pretzels, Dumbo - walk on, and a 10-min wait for the Carousel at close. We missed out on the Confectionary... we were going to go on the way out, but there was a line of maybe 10-15 people outside the store and we were pretty tired. Overall - almost a perfect day, except for the CRT snafu (fingers still crossed on this one) and missing the Confectionary. Bus ride back to Pop, long line - but it went fast, they had bus after bus pull in.

Saturday - resort day. Mobile ordered Mickey Waffles; ate in our room - ours were good. Went to see Christmas Decorations... Took bus to Magic Kingdom, rode monorail to Grand Floridian and back to Magic Kingdom; boat to Wilderness Lodge - a fairly long wait for this boat (15-20 mins) - mobile order at Roaring Fork (they were short staffed - took forever, but the food was good - plenty of outside tables in the shade to enjoy it) - our favorite Christmas atmosphere. Boat back to Magic Kingdom (only a short wait, 5-10 mins) and bus back to Pop. And, finally, POOL! Perfect weather; enjoyed the games - CMs were upbeat and fun. Mobile ordered the pizza dinner (pizza/breadsticks/salad for 4) and back to room. Enjoyed movies, packed and loaded up car.

Sunday - Animal Kingdom and head home. Early morning - up and out at 545 a.m. - drove to AK since we were headed home straight from the park. In line at parking lot 6 a.m. One of first cars - they held us for awhile (until 6:30 a.m.). Buses and Ubers/Lyfts beat us in (they got dropped off, we had to walk from parking spot) - but didn't matter. Straight to FOP - walked straight through queue (no stopping), on to Navi River Journey - 10 min wait (very little stopping). The bridge from Pandora to Africa is closed because it is the FOP line, so we had to backtrack and take Discovery Island then on to Africa... Kil. Safari - 10-15 min line then the Safari. I opted out due to a bad back... trekked back to Pandora (via Discovery Island again) to get Night Blossom / Pongu Lumpia... carried the treats back to Kil. Safari exit (also picking up a Simba pretzel). Family joined me ,and we quickly enjoyed the snack at a table. On to Expedition Everest - saw a drum/music show on a boat on the water on the way (fun!) - EE longest wait of maybe 20-25 mins. Not too bad; mostly shaded and quite a few fans. On to Dinosaur - walk on and Triceratops Spin - walk on. Pretty hot at this point. Let the girls do a little shopping on Discovery Island - then It's Tough to Be a Bug - 15-20 min wait; not bad - shaded and was able to see all of the amazing animals on The Tree of Life. Surprised - we really enjoyed the show (had heard mixed reviews). On to Kali River Rapids- 10-15 min wait. At this point, was 11:45 a.m. - headed to front of the park to our 12 p.m. Rainforest Cafe reservation - perfect break/rest before the long drive home. On the way, saw a boat with Timon and Rafiki. The heat made this day a little more tiring, but overall, a great end to our trip.

Masks were bothersome, but not a deal breaker. We saw really good compliance throughout the park - and just stayed away from anyone not keeping theirs up. All of the restaurants we ate at (Beaches and Cream, Tony's, Cinderella Royal Table, Rainforest Cafe) had good table spacing - we felt comfortable and safe - and enjoyed the break in mask wearing as we ate at our tables.

Would we go again? Absolutely! Missed the shows (especially Festival of the Lion King and fireworks), but we felt safe and were happy with the whole trip. Never waiting more than 20 mins for a ride (except maybe a few mins more for Exp. Everest/EE), and the only "big" one we missed at the parks we visited (MK, AK, Epcot) was Frozen Ever After. We also consider the skyline a favorite ride.

Go - enjoy - can't wait to read about your trips!

 

[Bullseye]

Even if the people behind a large group leave an extra marker to ensure six feet in front, it is still a problem for people who adjacent to the large group diagonally/sideways because of the closeness of the markers. I would break the group up into 3’s to ensure that other parties and you are still distanced sideways/diagonally. When you get to the end, you can regather for rides like Pirates where you all ride together or rearrange into two’s for rides like Haunted Mansion.

I agree, in front and behind was mostly manageable, but sometimes the adjacent line is right next to you. Good idea to split up into three's! Much more personal space in line.

 

[dachsie]

You won't be able to check out the resorts unless you have a dining reservation there, or have a mobile order at their quick service/food court. Otherwise, they are not allowing visitors to resorts.

You can use Disney transportation to visit the resorts

 

[JFox]

We actually witnessed a man walking by us pull down his mask to sneeze and then pull it back up! And no, he did not cover his mouth! We couldn’t believe it and pray he wasn’t infectious. We could actually see the spray come from his mouth.

My allergy to People and germophobe nature have been training me my whole life to keep my distance. That and the fact that people are gross!