Best of 2020 at Disney World
It was a rough year for Walt Disney World. The parks and resorts were closed for several months, only to reopen with much missing plus projects postponed. In terms of new attractions, lands, or restaurants, 2020 doesn’t compare to last year when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Takumi Tei, two hotels, or the Skyliner debuted.
Nevertheless, we’re all about finding silver linings here, and there were some big ones this year. Necessity is the mother of invention, and the required health safety modifications resulted in Walt Disney World getting creative with many quality of life improvements that will live on well beyond the current era of temporary abnormal.
Several of these involve less Cast Members and guest engagement and more use of smart phones–two things we don’t like. However, those same innovations also remove a lot of unnecessary friction from the park-going experience and allow for greater spontaneity, two things we very much do like. On balance, most are net positives. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s take a look at how this year’s improvements and new offerings stack up…
10. Table Service To Go – The takeout business saw a boom this year, and even Walt Disney World got in on the action. After years of aggressively avoiding takeout (most Disney restaurants still require the pretense of a reservation, sitting down, ordering, and then requesting a meal boxed up), Walt Disney World finally relented. At a handful of locations.
Still, progress. We look forward to this being expanded at other resort table service restaurants, particularly those at Disney Vacation Club properties and thematically bland eateries where dining from a hotel balcony might be more appealing and interesting.
9. Canada & Land Movies – It might seem like an eternity ago, but Walt Disney World debuted three new films at the beginning of the year, during the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts. Awesome Planet in the Land pavilion, plus Canada Far & Wide in World Showcase, and the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along running alongside Impressions de France.
Awesome Planet and Canada Far & Wide are solid additions to EPCOT. Both are beautifully shot, amusingly narrated, and will nicely break up your day. No one is going to book trips to watch them, but they’re the kind of supporting lineup improvements that EPCOT has needed. At the other end of the spectrum, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is literally the worst attraction at Walt Disney World, and its eventual removal will crack the top 5 on a “best of” the year.
8. Reflections Cancellation & Primeval Whirl’s Closure – Speaking of addition by subtraction, we come to the portion of the list that touches upon that. Our goal here is to find positivity in a sea of negative, so we’re not going to fixate on this too much.
The good news is that Dino-Rama got a little better this year by partly closing! (The new prizes are also really cool.) Likewise, fans of Wilderness Lodge and Fort Wilderness won’t have a rustic-but-modern Holiday Inn crammed between those iconic resorts. There are actually a couple other cancellations at EPCOT we’re okay with, but let’s recalibrate here and focus on the actual positives…
7. Modified Character Interactions – Even before physical distancing imposed a moratorium on hugging characters, we were strong advocates of the “Disneyland approach” to meet & greets and praised how that was integrated into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at DHS. (Elaborated upon extensively in our First Impressions of Star Wars Land at Walt Disney World.)
Right now, some of the best moments with characters unfold in an organic and spontaneous manner as characters like Mary Poppins, Winnie the Pooh, and Joy from Inside Out wander their little areas of the park. These are great even with barriers between guests and the characters, but will improve exponentially when those are removed and one on one connections can happen. As at Disneyland, these are/will be a supplement to traditional meet & greets, not a replacement for them. So fear not if you want posed photos with your favorites.
6. Contactless Security Screening – For years (years!!!) we’ve been criticizing bag check at Walt Disney World, loudly questioning why the parks didn’t move to the Disneyland Paris or Universal Orlando scanning systems. That this is “only” #6 speaks to how strong the top of this best of 2020 at Walt Disney World list actually is. I hated the previous bag check so much and often went without a bag–even when I would’ve preferred having one–just to take advantage of the “no bags” line.
That might seem like hyperbole, but the old bag check was such an unnecessary point of friction, creating a terrible first impression for guests. You’d often encounter a long line, then watch as another lane breezed through as their Security Cast Member quickly eyeballed items whereas yours meticulously scrutinized every item. It was maddening.
Now, you literally just walk through artificial intelligence scanners and only go to secondary bag check if you set off the system. My camera bag always causes it to beep, but I’ve found that simply holding my DSLR in front of me negates the need for the secondary screening. (Not wanting to end up on some “list” somewhere, I don’t take photos of security areas. As such, above is a stock photo courtesy of Evolv Technology from a different era, when people joyously flocked to security scanners sans masks.)
5. Walk-up Waitlist – This is perhaps the only Walt Disney World prep site that is vehemently anti-spreedsheet and cautions against over-preparing. That’s against our own interests as a planning resource, but we feel strongly about that as fans of Walt Disney World and enjoyers of fun. (See our Being Spontaneous at Walt Disney World for a longer diatribe, including the importance of ‘planned spontaneity.’)
We’re also at least somewhat anti-ADR, or at least bemoan the practice of planning where you want to eat months in advance. That’s why one of the biggest improvements of 2020, in our view, was the addition of the Walk-Up Waitlist in My Disney Experience. While we haven’t taken advantage of this as much as we would in a normal year, we regularly see options like Be Our Guest Restaurant, Chef Mickey’s, Topolino’s Terrace, and other hard-to-book Advance Dining Reservations. All things considered, the last ~6 months have been a fantastic time for Walt Disney World fans who embrace spontaneity.
4. Gideon’s Bakehouse – Making it just under the wire with a soft opening just last week, the award-winning Gideon’s Bakehouse cracks the top 5 thanks to making the best cookies we’ve ever had. (Although judging by comments to our Gideon’s Bakehouse Review, many of you disagree with our assessment!)
There are two other reasons Gideon’s is so high up this list. First, it eschews the tired “rustic hipsters move into an old barn and find some eclectic decor on clearance at Anthropologie” aesthetic that typifies Disney Springs. It’s great to see some ambitious and original design with an interesting backstory that doesn’t feel like an afterthought.
Second, it’s a local success story. Tourists may not know it, but Orlando has an up-and-coming culinary scene, and has a wealth of excellent and inventive dining options. We sincerely hope more find second homes at Disney Springs; local and unique options strengthen Walt Disney World and its place in the community. They’re also great for guests. It’s a win-win.
3. Regal Eagle – Who would’ve guessed as of the beginning of last year that the best counter service restaurant operating in EPCOT at the end of the next year would be in the American Adventure? Certainly not me.
This one brought me a lot of personal joy. When Regal Eagle was first announced, there was no IP integration. In an uncharacteristic move, I politely implored Walt Disney World to use Sam Eagle from the Muppets as the host of this restaurant and proposed an absurdly long name. In an incredibly delightful coincidence, both of those things actually happened.
Setting all of that aside, Regal Eagle’s Distinctly Patriotic Smokehouse: A Salute to All Foods, But Mostly Barbecued Meats is a top-notch addition. It brings edible food to the American Adventure, finally giving our culinary scene worthy representation among the other nations. It also brings more Muppets to Walt Disney World, but in a subtle way that’s respectful to the dignity of the pavilion.
2. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway – Last year was a big one for new additions, and 2020 was always going to be a “smaller” year nestled between the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. No one expected it to be this small, though.
In the end, we only got one new major attraction: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The second big ride, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, was jettisoned from its summer debut and will now open sometime in 2021. (It would’ve been a distant #3 on this list, for what it’s worth.) Other additions like Space 220 Restaurant and the Play Pavilion presumably could’ve opened at some point this year were it not for the closure.
Our Spoiler-Free Review of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway offers an in-depth assessment of that attraction, how it stacks up to its predecessor, and so on. The only thing we’ll add here is that we’ve grown more fond of the ride over time. It seems more exposure to those character models has helped, and that ear-worm of a song only grows more endearing over time. It’s a charming experience and an appropriate evolution of Fantasyland dark rides.
1. Magic Kingdom Walkway – We’ve lauded the pathway connecting the Magic Kingdom to the Transportation and Ticket Center (via the Grand Floridian and Polynesian) repeatedly, and already dubbed it our #1 thing of the year at Walt Disney World. Consequently, seeing it in this spot should not be the least bit surprising, even if it does sting a bit to have a walkway above an actual attraction.
However, there’s no hyperbole here. When Walt Disney passed away and his vision for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow died with him, the Florida Project (not EPCOT Center) was tasked with carrying its torch. In fact, if you watch television specials from the 1970s and 1980s, one topic of constant praise is transportation. More than any city in the United States, Walt Disney World had mastered moving large numbers of people in an efficient manner between accommodations and recreation.
Fast-forward to the last decade, and Walt Disney World’s infrastructure was buckling under the weight of exponentially higher guest and resort numbers. There were no innovations during that time, simply more buses thrown at the problem as a band-aid. The Vacation Kingdom had simply followed the (poor) lead of major US cities, rather than continuing to be a transportation trendsetter.
The last several years have made up for a couple decades of stagnation, with hundreds of millions of dollars spent on infrastructure. The vast majority of these projects cannot be marketed to prospective guests (as exciting as a sidewalk might be to me…), but they’re nonetheless money very well spent. This walkway is not necessarily the culmination of all that, but it’s the final project in an unglamorous but essential infrastructure campaign that eased so many transportation headaches. It’s time to finally give Walt Disney World the (overdue) accolades deserved there. Guests won’t book trips due to easier transit and won’t even notice most improvements, but they would miss them if they weren’t done. Kudos.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you experienced any or all of these new additions? What would make your best of 2020 at Walt Disney World list? Think Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway belongs at the top of the list, or is the sidewalk in its rightful spot? Where do other changes/additions rank for you? Happy to see certain projects “postponed indefinitely” or cancelled? Do you agree or disagree with our rankings? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Our favorite parts were no fast pass and the “pop up parades”.
With kids, it is a huge pain to wait for an hour in a spot, dying in the heat, entertain small ones just for the 30 minute parade and navigate the crazy crowds trying to leave said spot after the spectacle.
Also, no fast passes was such a blessing. We did stand in line longer, maybe, but could actually focus on what matters…our family. I didn’t feel like a pawn in the game and we just talked. I really felt like this is getting back to the heart of family and the values that matter.
I literally burst out loud at this “Last year was a big one for new additions, and 2020 was always going to be a “smaller” year nestled between the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World. No one expected it to be this small, though.”
I cannot wait to walk this path. Walking is by far my favourite WDW mode of transportation and this is long over due. I really hope we make it back in fall 2021 for all these and more!
“Guests won’t book trips due to easier transit…”
This may be true, but I was in the area the Thursday the week before Christmas passing by, I decided to stay at Pop Century instead of 2 nights in Tampa, and of course rode the Skyliner. The other thing I absolutely HAD to do was take the Monorail from T&T Center all the way to Contemporary, so I could walk all the way back using the new path. A perfect stroll even though it was 45 degrees at 7pm. Still grabbed a Dole Whip at the basically abandoned Poly.
One giant thing that Disney did wrong- face masks are required for picture taking. You can stop and stuff your face for as long as you wish; no mask, no problem, but stopping and dropping the mask for a 20 second photo will get you ejected from the park. What BS. It is reprehensible to deny people enjoying a family visit that simple human touch. What a far cry from Walt’s goal of creating a place where families could have fun TOGETHER. The current leadership of Disney is a bloodless bunch of money grubbers, in my view.
Hopefully, with this new security screening system in place, no security officer will pull you aside. I don’t take any bags into the parks when going but my last time there, I was pulled off to the side to do a special screening I think 4 times. I don’t know what triggers them to do this. Do I look like a criminal, do I look like I have a knife on me? The last time it happened, I was a bit perturbed. I finally asked the officer what it was that made him pull me aside. I didn’t yell at him but when he didn’t give me any answer, I prodded some more and he never said a thing and after the screening, just turned and walked away. I went to another officer and told him that as a PO, we have standards, I can’t arbitrarily yank somebody to the side (yes, I know WDW is private property). I said I was asking the other guy what it was because I had been pulled over 4 times on my trip so far. I got no answer but told him to apologize to the other officer for me for making him feel uncomfortable. Still would love to know what an older guy in shorts and ugly legs carrying nothing through trips them off.
We just returned from our Christmas week trip, and we were shocked by how smoothly things went (for the most part). It was one of those rare circumstances where the “what I ordered; what I got” meme would have the better item under what I got! What we thought we would be getting included overly congested crowds, long waits for food orders, and ridiculous ride lines (especially since we did MK on Christmas Day). Our experience could not have been different. We were shocked at how quickly the ride lines moved; other than a few exceptions, how easy it was to avoid those midday congestion points or move through them quickly; and the lightning speed in which our mobile food orders were prepared.
So I agree with most of this list, except that MMRR is at the top for me because I instantly fell in love with that ride. To emphasize how low the Christmas week crowds and thus the lines really were, we made it on MMRR 6 times in one day! Before we left, I was already stressing over whether we’d get to ride it twice.
My only gripe on the trip is that we made an ADR at Tony’s so we could get outdoor seating, but we were there on one of the Arctic days so the patio was closed. Which we didn’t know until we arrived for our reservation. I wish they would have either let people decide to freeze through their meal if that’s what they chose or sent an update to people with reservations that there was no outdoor dining that day.
Otherwise a 10/10 trip. Universal was also good (though less strict about mask compliance) the first day we went, but we ended our trip with a final morning at Universal yesterday, and it was an absolute madhouse. It felt like the crowds were double what we’d seen at Disney and our first Universal day, and there were no food or ride lines under 90 minutes (you know it’s bad when Men in Black cracks an hour). We have APs, so we turned right around and left.
Thanks for all the advice that made our trip such a success and ultimately convinced us it was safe to go in the first place. Happy New Year to you and Sarah!
Thanks for sharing your feedback–glad to hear you had a good trip!
Universal has been absolutely bonkers the last several days. It’s due almost entirely to so many locals with APs being blocked out of Walt Disney World (hence lower crowds there) but not out of Universal. We’d like to visit once more for Christmas, but it’s absolutely not worth those crowds.
Really good, so lovely to read your post.
We loved the short Christmas parades this year! Honestly preferred it so much more in micro doses than the planning, waiting and clogged sidewalk of a “real” parade.
We also loved mobile ordering. We usually do a buffet or signature to rest from crowds but we don’t eat indoors now. Instead we ordered shared entrees and snacks any time we wanted a little something since it didn’t involve a wait. We got to try a lot of the holiday goodies that way too.
All in all, we had a great Christmas at Disney this year though it was so different than our past visits. Ironically two of our most talked about of the week are animal sightings – the Beach Club villa turtles and a white bird catching lizards in the villa parking lot. . As well as seeing the kangaroos at AK.
We also enjoyed the character cavalcades, and there’s definitely something to be said about them being spontaneous, frequent, and included with regular admission.
Nevertheless, I’ll take seeing the full Halloween and Christmas parades in full once or twice per year at night with some effort over seeing the cavalcades a few dozen times with zero effort. Totally personal preference on that, though.
Good to hear you had a pleasant visit! 🙂
Universal hands down was a better experience right now than Disney. I appreciate the hand sanitizer before every ride at Universal. I also appreciated the staff at Universal monitoring the spacing in the line queues for social distancing. Lastly, the best part was we stayed at the Hard Rock and had the Express Pass which we used for all rides except Hagrid’s motorbike and we got a virtual queue and ride the ride with a minimal wait when it was our time. At Disney, the lack of fast passes calls for long wait times with no fast option. Also, waiting for food takes quite some time.
“Universal hands down was a better experience right now than Disney.”
That’s debatable, highly dependent upon when you visit. Go this week or any weekend since October, and it has been unpleasant crowded (if not closed to capacity). Off-season weekdays are a totally different story, and have been wonderful.
I agree that Universal has done a ton right–and better than Disney–but the non-optional hand sanitizer is not one of those things. I absolutely hate that and how it dries out my hands. It’d be one thing if it were effective in reducing spread, but it’s not (and that’s been known for months now: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/scourge-hygiene-theater/614599/ & https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2020-12-16/covid-pandemic-microbiomes-could-be-key-to-stopping-spread-of-future-viruses?sref=XCtcbqbo). It’s simply health theater that’s easy, visible, and gives people the feeling of safety.
Here is my list:
1. Modified character interactions/cavalcades — As a photographer, I enjoy outdoor photography of characters and there were abundance of characters without waiting hours in a regular queue or at hard ticket event. Also, I love we received the greatest hits of the Halloween and Christmas parades during the day without paying the hard ticket prices.
2. M&M RR — Although I miss the Great Movie Ride, MMRR is my new favorite ride at DHS
3. Contactless Security Screening — this new system is so convenient. I used to dread the long arduous security screening especially since I usually have a full backpack. Similar to your experiences — once I pulled out the camera from my bag, I never a set off the “beep”.
4. Suspension of FastPass Plus — With a little planning, I had no problems with doing major attractions with reasonable waits. It seems FP+ created so many bottlenecks especially Peter Pan. I went on Peter Pan more times on recent trip compared to pre-COVID trips. It was nice to experience the detailed queues but lines continuously moved and people kept socially distanced.
5. Walk up wait list — I agree with your anti-ADR opinions and I noticed most popular restaurants had availability while I was in the park.
6. Cancellation of Reflections — Modern Holiday Inn theme smacked in the middle of two well themed resort areas is terrible idea.
TBD (havent experienced) — MK walkway, Regal Eagle, Gideon, Take Out to Go, new attraction movies
Good list. I was tempted to include the suspension of FastPass+, but it’s likely a temporary thing that could be undone within a couple of months, and I’d prefer to include those things that’ll have a lasting impact. (Also, it’s a closer call for me: FastPass+ is great on busy days, but I’m not a fan when crowds are low to moderate.)
I really like all of your items except the Canada movie. The old one was much better….IMHO. Gideon’s is the bomb!!!
I’m with you, Tom. Guests should not underestimate the importance of transportation/infrastructure improvements! Reading your effusive praise of the Skyliner last year seemed a little over the top but when I visited this past February I “got it.” It made it SO MUCH more pleasant to get around without a car. I doubt the walkway will personally affect me as much (I don’t foresee us staying at Grand Floridian anytime soon) but I’m all for having the option to walk places for those who want it.
I totally agree with Drew. We visited WDW 2 weeks ago for a 6 night stay. Considering the circumstances, a great time was had by all. The escapism break from Chicago weather and mundane stay-at-home and essential work, was much needed by all of us. I thank the efforts of the Disney folks. I also appreciate the insights from this blog which helped with our preparations. The only downside, and I can go on and on, was our experience at Crystal Palace. All other ADRs were awesome.
“The only downside, and I can go on and on, was our experience at Crystal Palace.”
If you don’t mind, please do. We’ve heard almost nothing about Crystal Palace, and don’t plan on eating there anytime soon ourselves. Would be great to hear how it fell short!
Good to hear the other ADRs were awesome, too! 🙂
Hello. Our party of 4 adults, one 6 year old, and one 18-month visited the following restaurants: Be Our Guest – EXCEPTIONAL service – the server read our minds and provided desserts asap to amuse children, and was ON SPOT! Food was delicious. Chef Mickeys – as good as can be character experience – great service and food. Hollywood and Vine – again, fantastic food, service, and characters. Oga’s Cantina – yummy drinks, great service – could have lived without the appetizer plate, but, when in Rome …. Sci-Fi Dine In – great mid-day break – got stuffed on the burger and didn’t eat until the next day – good food, great service, fun ambience. Canana Banana at Caribbean Beach Resort – great service, drinks, and service – frozen Jamaican rum runner was a hit. Yak & Yeti – a nice menu change – good food and service. Crystal Palace – we have small children, it is Disney after all! The service was sooooooo slow. The server was doing double duty bussing the tables which is a pet peeve of mine. The ‘family’ style food portions were so tiny, especially the salad. We immediately asked for another portion of salad after waiting so long as a strategy to reduce our wait time – not a normal salad size even for a single salad, let alone to pass around – not even joking 1/2 small bowl size salad. The food was small portioned and mediocre, and served sloth-style. You can request more food since it is faux buffet style, if you can stand the wait time. The cajun fish and grits was good, but the children’s menu was horrific. A tiny ‘not brown’ chicken leg for the 6 year old. Why not serve the kid a piece of that nice fried chicken we saw going by as an adult entree? Child would not eat the paltry whitish leg drumstick – it did look aweful. Also for child, requested ranch dressing and catsup which were unavailable. After the food was cold, the ranch arrived which I believe was procured from another restaurant. For children, ranch and catsup and bbq sauce should be available for dipping at all WDW restaurants – This is what kids want for dipping food. The only redemption for this restaurant was the dessert tray which was quite nice and the biscuits. Definitely not worth the expense!!!! Did I mention SLOW service? I never did get my sugar for the ice tea. SLOW!!!! Not kid friendly. No characters, but we knew this going in.
My vote for #1 would be a generic, “Disneyworld for Making it Happen in 2020.”
It’s pretty easy to critique their operations and decision making process from the sidelines, and they some (often?) times deserve it.
That being said, this year presented them with unprecedented challenges, and I thought, for the most part, they handled it well.
I was questioning my family’s sanity for visiting this December, but it was fantastic (don’t think it would have been the same if it was our first visit). At a time when we needed some escapism more than ever I thought Disney really delivered.
At the end of the day, I never felt less safe in Disney than I do in a grocery store. For an operation of their size and complexity…that’s impressive.
“Making Lemonade Out of Lemons” is arguably deserving of its own spot–it might’ve been an optimistic and upbeat way to end the list.
But…I’m not really sure it’s true? There are numerous ways that Walt Disney World has done a great job, and deserves praise. They also dropped the ball a lot, were constantly a step or three behind the competition, and (IMO) have used the current crisis as a pretense for making an array of cuts that did not necessarily need to occur.
It’s definitely easier to judge sitting on the sidelines, you’re right about that. Personally, I’m skeptical 30,000+ people needed to lose their jobs and so much still needs to be on temporary hiatus. With different leadership or this simply occurring in a different era less beholden to share price, I think we would’ve seen different outcomes on those fronts. Tough to let Disney entirely off the hook for all of that.
Those are all really good points. The job cuts were/are horrible.
I was looking through the narrow lens of given the circumstances was a Disney vacation during a global pandemic fun and safe? In my experience they met the mark on both fronts, which was not a small feat. Our family’s long 2020 started before the pandemic began with a loss to cancer, and the parks/resorts experience was really wonderful after nothing else going right for such a long period of time. I’ll never forget it.
On a side note, being overly critical from the sidelines was not directed at this publication in anyway shape or form. I think you all do a fantastic job of walking that tightrope.
“I was looking through the narrow lens of given the circumstances was a Disney vacation during a global pandemic fun and safe?”
Oh for sure, totally agree on that. If we’re looking solely at the modifications made by the on-the-ground (Operations) team, there is a lot to love about the job they’ve done. It’s truly no small feat!
(And I didn’t think you were criticizing the blog! 🙂 )
I agree with you Drew since my experiences were similar
Thank you for all of your blogs and advice and incites during 2020! We were a little apprehensive and might have canceled our December week at Disney if it weren’t for following your columns. Even though we live in Oklahoma and don’t get to Disney as often as I would like, I’ll most likely keep reading your posts just because they remind me of everything we love about going to Disney. Thank you, Tom, for a slice of 2020 that was positive!
” At the other end of the spectrum, Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is literally the worst attraction at Walt Disney World, and its eventual removal will crack the top 5 on a “best of” the year.” Oh, yesssss. I want to see Impressions de France. Only.
It might have been nice if they had installed a cover over the walkway, like the covered walkway between the GF and the GFV buildings. It might provide a little protection against sudden summer rain, heat, bird droppings, a little shade, etc.