5 Post-Reopening Improvement Ideas for Disney World
Walt Disney World has done a great job with the phased reopening of its resorts and theme parks. Our experiences at Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot have been largely superb. Health safety measures have been thorough and thoughtful, and guest compliance with rules like mask-wearing has likewise been exceptional.
There’s a lot to praise about what Walt Disney World’s policies and protocol, which we’ve done in our various reopening reports. About 98% of our experiences visiting the parks during this period of ‘temporary abnormal’ have been positive, giving new meaning to the idea of a Walt Disney World bubble.
Make no mistake: Walt Disney World is mostly crushing it on the reopening front; as a silver lining, some of the ‘temporary’ changes are an improvement on the norm (we’ll be back with a list of these in the next couple weeks). Perhaps most significantly, Walt Disney World has used previews for Cast Members and Annual Passholders, as well as observed behavior in the parks and guest surveys, to adjust policies and communications to ensure greater safety…
We offer this as preface because there are plenty of people and reporters eager to latch onto any unflattering photo or one-off rule-breaking to vindicate beliefs that the parks should not have reopened. Regrettably, the headline here alone will undoubtedly provide fodder for that crowd.
However, we think it’s still valuable to lay out these areas for improvement. Most of this feedback we’ve already offered directly to Disney (we’ve received more surveys via email following recent visits–including a request for a video interview–than ever before), but thought it would be worth reiterating here. This way, you have knowledge of current shortcomings and can plan accordingly–or perhaps adjust your own behavior…
5. Outdoor Dining & Shaded Seating – We are only dining outdoors for the foreseeable future while visiting Walt Disney World. (See our Best Outdoor Dining Options at Walt Disney World for recommendations.) This is because aerosols can accumulate and remain infectious in indoor air for hours, making dining via enclosed indoor settings or with prolonged personal contact one of the higher risk scenarios.
It’s disappointing that Walt Disney World restaurants haven’t added temporary outdoor seating sections–to the contrary, some have even temporarily closed their permanent outdoor seating areas due to being short-staffed. Part of this is understandable due to a lack of guest demand during the hottest time of year in Florida. However, Walt Disney World could shape guest opinion and behavior on this front by imploring people to spend time outdoors as much as they encourage hand-washing and sanitization.
At Epcot in particular, adding tables in shaded areas or with umbrellas overhead is necessary. Walt Disney World cannot reasonably expect guests to stop walking and eating without presenting a suitable alternative. Most guests are not barbaric bloggers–they will not be comfortable eating on top of a trashcan in the sun.
4. Food Quality – It’s completely understandable that Walt Disney World would shutter restaurants and reduce menus. While some of our favorite dining spots are not operating, we can make do–especially in Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and to a lesser extent, Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Magic Kingdom is another story entirely. With the full toppings bars removed from Pecos Bill and Cosmic Ray’s, the only decent counter service option is Sleepy Hollow…and a waffle isn’t always going to cut it. We’ve already had one surprisingly good table service meal in Magic Kingdom, but we’re not going to be willing to drop $60+ on food every time we visit the park. That means we’ll be eating at home before and after visiting, rather than eating at the park. We’ll happily spend money in Magic Kingdom on food, but we need to be presented with worthwhile snacks and quick service options.
3. AP Appeal – This is less of an immediate concern, but something about which Orlando leaders should begin to consider. Walt Disney World guests are disproportionately locals and Annual Passholders right now. The percentage of longtime fans versus first-time visitors will likely be skewed towards the former for the next few years as compared to the recent (pre-March) norm.
This means that Walt Disney World is suddenly much more like Disneyland in terms of guest demographics than it has been any time in its history. This is significant because Disneyland has operated differently, being much more aggressive with seasonal entertainment, attraction overlays, special menus, AP events, and more to entice locals to visit frequently–especially during California’s off-season.
Walt Disney World should borrow a page from Disneyland’s playbook, figuring out how to appeal to its most passionate (and local) fans. We’ll have a post next week about what this means when it comes to Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary…
2. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – The problems with the blockbuster E-Ticket of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge are well-documented. In Star Wars Rise of the Resistance Ride Report: Our Struggles & Successes, we covered recent experiences attempting to do the attraction.
While Walt Disney World has made an adjustment with boarding pass distribution times that has improved things a bit, we have two additional suggestions. First, dump the queue as soon as it’s clear there will be a downtime of 30 minutes or more. Don’t even give guests the option of waiting–just allow them to reenter later.
Second, allow guests with confirmed Disney Park Pass reservations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to attempt to join the virtual queue without entering the park. Since this would be a small subset of all guests and only ones who are definitely going to attend DHS that day, it shouldn’t cause problems or crash the My Disney Experience app. Doing this would help modulate morning crowds, better distributing attendance throughout the day.
1. Tap Water Availability – Drinking fountain water at Walt Disney World is sourced directly from the swamp, and is actually 3% alligator urine. (I cannot prove that’s true, but you cannot either it isn’t true.) Due to the disgusting taste of Florida water, we carry our own bottles to the parks, and normally fill them up at counter service restaurants.
The problem with this is that Walt Disney World is currently only admitting guests with Mobile Order pickups into most venues. This is a totally understandable policy and we can get behind it. However, that means it’s long past time for Walt Disney World to address its dearth of water bottle filling stations. A few have already been added–finish the job.
Alternatively, a long-term solution that would also be a revenue generator would be to add Coke Freestyle machines (like at Grizzly Peak Airfield in DCA) and sell in-park refillable mugs. This is something Walt Disney World guests have wanted for years, and would likely be pretty lucrative for Disney. (It is for Universal!)
BONUS: Teach Guests How to Walk in Public – One of this blog’s longstanding Walt Disney World pet peeves is walking etiquette. I’ve gone on various diatribes about it over the years in random posts ranging from construction updates about pathway widening to crowd reports. I’ll spare you all of that again. Suffice to say, walking briskly is one of my greatest passions and the way guests aimlessly wander in disorganized hordes drives me bonkers.
In fairness, it’s not our collective fault that Americans do not know how to walk in public. We live predominantly in suburbs or rural areas, get around by SUV, and shop in spacious big box stores. Not being used to congested city sidewalks, the walkways of Walt Disney World are an exotic novelty. Parties often spread out, taking up as much room as there is available space.
We’ve noticed there are times outdoors when physical distancing is difficult to accomplish even though the parks are totally uncrowded. Groups should never walk four-wide, as that always impedes other guests from passing even if it doesn’t block oncoming traffic. With physical distancing now, parties should always walk two-wide at most. In large part, this is simply a matter of guests unlearning old habits. That will take time because it’s unnatural to leave that much space as a buffer between parties in mostly uncrowded areas.
This would be #1 on my list, but the reason it’s a bonus entry is because it’s not really practical for Walt Disney World to address. Disney could put directional tape down or have Cast Members hold signs (like is done quite successfully on New Year’s Eve and other busy times), but honestly, there’s already enough temporary signage and markers. The onus is on guests–we need to be more cognizant of spacing and change our behavior. Part of this will happen over time. Hopefully this diatribe serves as a gentle reminder of that. 😉
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
If you’ve visited Walt Disney World since the parks reopened, what areas for improvement did you see? Any changes you’d like Disney to make as the phased reopening continues? Do you agree or disagree with our suggestions? 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!
I would love to see the arcade games removed from Dinoland and have tables with umbrellas installed.
Another peeve of mine are those who step off escalators and come to a complete stop while they decide on a plan.
Highly doubt additional signage would help people with walking disfunction because people just don’t pay attention. I’m always amazed when people seem at WDW to not even understand the concept of walking on the right side of the path rather than the left. And whenever they used to mark off spots for walking vs standing for parades, there were also lots of people who just ignored it.
Relatedly, I also wonder if they should add a rule than only up to 4 people can occupy a single marked spot in the socially distanced ride queue. I’ve heard reports from people frustrated at large groups that spill outside of the designated “stand” spots in the queues making it hard to keep a 6 foot distance from your spot. One would think this is common sense, again, but oh well.
I’d love refillable bottles, but I don’t like the Freestyle machines at all. They make such muddy flavors! Just offer 4: Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, other.
And the walking drives me bananas! I feel like I’m not supposed to pass people with the social distancing but I’ve got places to go, and it’s hard when your family of 76 people are blocking the path.
I got back home yesterday and I would like to add something that I hope disney works out. Our room was not ready when we arrived at the hotel. The website says check in is at 3. It was almost 4 and we had checked in online. This of course was useless since our room was not ready.
We went to check in and waited in line with everyone else, and were told by the cast member that due to enhanced cleaning it is taking longer than usual for rooms to be ready. He then called someone and said the housekeeping manager was checking our room and as soon as she approved that it was clean to the new standards our room would be ready. He promised us it would “literally be 2 or 3 minutes” and the text would pop up on my phone to enter our room.
Wellllllll an hour later we finally received the text saying our room was ready. I understand if there are enhanced cleaning efforts, but if disney knows this going in then is it possible they bring back more housekeeping staff? or at the minimum change check in time to 5 pm?
It was a great trip though and the 5 minute wait times for rides and attractions made up for our wait for the room to be ready 🙂
“In fairness, it’s not our collective fault that Americans do not know how to walk in public.”
So true! In normal times I work in Manhattan. I can always tell a local versus a tourist. We’re the ones who are walking in the street because the group visiting has spread themselves out over the whole sidewalk and are looking up at the lovely architecture. I always tell my family, people in NYC aren’t really rude, we’re just trying to get to work/a doctor’s appointment/meeting/etc on time and have to do so while passing people visiting here on vacation with less of a schedule
By global standards, New Yorkers are downright polite by walking into the street!
Parisians will stay right on the sidewalk and throw an elbow. Perhaps you New Yorkers should do the same? Think of it as a “teachable moment” and that elbow as a public service! 😉
True, Parisians are in a league of their own it just supports my theory, we’re not really rude
We are here now and the main 2 things I see are 1) they need water stations. There are plenty of CM’s standing around, they need to have water stations set up with CM’s manning them, passing out ice water in the heat.
2) offer better food options. Some of the food locations have even cut their menu and they will not modify food, saying they are prepare with dressing. This takes away even more
I see you have run into the Phalanx Family while in the parks. I first spotted them in 1966 in Disneyland. Amazing how they keep regenerating year after year!.
Food was definitely our biggest issue while we were there. Especially at MK and HS. There was little choice outside of the typical theme park foods. We’re also uwilling to eat indoors at the moment, so finding something to eat for the 3 days we were at MK was definitely a challenge. Even going back to the resort to eat at night at the Contemporary left us with few options. Definitely wish we packed more snack on this trip.
We also found that most of the counter service restaurants were happy to let us in to get cups of water when we asked – even when they were mobile order. Only Cosmic Rays turned us away (but directed us to Auntie Gravities). We bring a filtered water bottle so the taste wasn’t too bad from the fountains, but the water was lukewarm at most and in the heat we were just desperate for cold water.
The amount of people walking four or five across in the park was also astounding – we were trying to be respectful of people’s space, but they always seemed to be the groups moving at a snails pace and we’re probably faster walkers than the normal person. It definitely got frustrating.
I would like to parrot Kelly D’s comments regarding the inherent dangers of operating a scooter in WDW. I have had to use an ECV for many years due to multiple ambulatory problems, and I can attest that it is ALWAYS a harrowing experience. Hey, I understand some of it! Scooters are several feet below the normal sight line of most adults and they certainly are not as nimble as folks walking. But I have observed SO MANY examples where a family will be pushing a stroller with little ones in tow, and, all of a sudden, they will just STOP exactly where they are, with NO concern for anyone behind them or around them. No effort made to move to the curb, no brake lights, just stop in place. If you want to see just how willy-nilly and unpredictable crowd movement actually is at a theme park, do as Kelly D suggested… spend 20 minutes trying to navigate the crowds without having someone slam into you or make an immediate left turn directly in front of you and getting their foot run over by your wheels. And, of course, it will clearly be your fault for having to be on a scooter in the first place.
I often marvel at how remarkably random the walking patterns of humans are in theme park environments – and have found that the excessive use of mobile phones amplifies that randomness by several orders of magnitude. That said, I still relish the time we get to spend at Disney and I fervently wish my fellow WDW travelers could just become a little more aware of their immediate surroundings and perhaps exercise a bit more consideration for those who are traveling nearby.
Tom, I literally laughed out loud regarding your comment on you walking briskly while others aimlessly wander…as I can envision you walking much like my husband does around Disney. I many times have had to try to slow him down to just enjoy the walk…unless we are high tailing it to a line for a ride. But it gave me a good chuckle, as I do agree with your commentary on the how to walk in public.
Oh my, Tom, you’re addressing my dad’s number one rule during our first “family whole”(my 4 year old niece’s description of our group)trip almost 50 years ago. We were told how to walk–two people in front followed by 2 in back of them, following, etc. …and reminded many times to follow this set-up. Walking in a steady pace was part of the rule, also. I’m not sure this would work for all groups, but it was required attention in our Disney World trip. At this time the only park was The Magic Kingdom, and the only. place to stay inside the park was The Comtemporary. Planning a trip then was very easy.
The research has found that most cases of COVID19 are spread from respiratory droplets (small spit droplets).
Outdoors, those quickly dissipate and break down. Indoors, is much different. From what I’ve read, in laboratory conditions, the droplets tend to stay in the air for about 30 minutes, but in real-world conditions, it tends to be lower, maybe closer to 8-15 minutes. However, as the respiratory/spit droplets in the air evaporate, the aerosolized virus can stay in the air for up to 3 hours. The respiratory droplets are the most common mode of transmission, but I believe scientists are still learning about the risk of the aerosolized virus.
There are a lot of news stories out there about this, but here’s one in case you want to read more:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/19/coronavirus-spread-by-talking-can-remain-in-air-researchers-find.html
Oops, this comment was meant to be a “reply” to someone who asked about the length of time droplets stay in the air. I think I commented directly on the blog instead of to the person. Sorry!
Great ideas Tom. I’m hoping to get to WDW soon. I’ve been wondering about how EPCOT can add more covered seating. There seems to be plenty of available space and hopefully they can make them covered. Is the issue blocking sight lines for the shows?
I also think they will need to really appeal to APs. My family of 4 have had APs for years, but am wondering if we’ll continue. Hopefully the next visit will still have the great feeling and make remember why we keep going back and renewing.
Thanks for all the posts.
I know the water quality part was in jest, but here you go:
https://www.rcid.org/document/2018-water-quality-report/
No alligator urine! Compared to my local water, there is more copper, but lower levels of salt/chloride/fluoride/nitrates. The water at WDW has never bothered me, perhaps becasue it is similar to my local city water so I don’t notice much difference. (Or because it’s 90+°, humid, and I’m too thirsty to care!)
I have read that the “flavor” isn’t that off putting to people used to well water. I’ve always (except for six months) lived in the southeast in areas that get water from municipal wells, so it’s not unusual.
Thanks for sharing–that’s actually pretty interesting!
However, I’m not sure water tested at the source is conclusive on the issue of alligator urine. For all we know, that’s an added ‘touch of magic’ inside the parks’ plumbing. (Joking aside, I do think that makes a difference, as there are certain drinking fountains in the parks that are typically okay, whereas some are notorious–a particular one in Tomorrowland comes to mind.)
Tom, a thought recently occurred to me and I would love to have your opinion: Do you think that Disney World will take advantage of this break in the FastPass+ program and shift to a pay-to-play MaxPass-style program when things return to “normal?” I feel like it would be hard to charge $20 per day, given the number of Florida parks and the large cost that would represent to families, but I imagine a lot of people would pay $10 a day for the service.
Yep! We covered exactly that topic here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/fastpass-plus-replacement-disney-world/
Thanks for bringing this post to my attention, Tom! How did I miss that one? Personally, I’d love to see WDW keep the 60-day ADR window and bring in the same MaxPass/Paper Fastpass combo in existence in Disneyland. (At a low per-day cost, or maybe a “reasonable” flat fee for mult-day tickets). My 4 park days between Disneyland and DCA, in January, were reminiscent of former days of flexibility and spontaneity in the World. I’m not saying we need to return to the WorldKey system, but it would be amazing to know we could make same-day decisions while still benefiting from a few shorter wait times.
I just went to Disney World last week and they are doing great. One thing I missed the most is their smile! I think it would be helpful for the Disney employee to wear clear see through mask so the guests can see their smiles. It is hard to feel magical when seeing the Disney employee wearing masks making it impossible to see their smiles
While that could help with the issues some folks have been having with being able to comprehend cast members’ speech (most of us rely on lip reading more than we realize), I think making cast members wear clear plastic masks instead of cloth ones would be a bit cruel–plastic masks are much hotter and much less breathable than masks made entirely out of cloth. Remember that they don’t get to take breaks as frequently as a guest can choose to, either.
I think that’s going to be unbearably hot and sweaty for CMs and they’ll likely just fog up. You should just imagine their smiles and not make what I’m sure is an uncomfortable job more uncomfortable.
I must live in an area with really bad tap water because Disney World tap water tastes fine to me.
Totally agree with the outdoor dining issue – we have decided no indoor dining for us until things improve, lack of outdoor dining options is one of the main reason we are waiting to visit. We are fortunate to be DVC & AP so don’t mind waiting – here’s hoping for some improvement in outdoor dining or in the pandemic before our Nov/Dec/Jan trips.
I think you’ve been very fair minded and fact based on any of your comments surrounding covid. One question though – you note here that particles can hang in the air for hours – what is your research site for that? I thought that theory of spread had been disproven and CDC and other researchers are focused on direct vapor breathed out within 2-6 ft at this point. It’s a small question, just curious.
There was a study published a few weeks ago that claimed the CDC guidance is incorrect and that aerosol transmission is a significant/possible source in addition to direct droplet transmission (Tom links to the paper, or at least a paper, on the subject). It’s far from accepted science either way, but certainly no one would argue that prudence would be to avoid places where aerosol transmission can occur.
The research has found that most cases of COVID19 are spread from respiratory droplets (small spit droplets).
Outdoors, those quickly dissipate and break down. Indoors, is much different. From what I’ve read, in laboratory conditions, the droplets tend to stay in the air for about 30 minutes, but in real-world conditions, it tends to be lower, maybe closer to 8-15 minutes. However, as the respiratory/spit droplets in the air evaporate, the aerosolized virus can stay in the air for up to 3 hours. The respiratory droplets are the most common mode of transmission, but I believe scientists are still learning about the risk of the aerosolized virus.
There are a lot of news stories out there about this, but here’s one in case you want to read more:
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/19/coronavirus-spread-by-talking-can-remain-in-air-researchers-find.html
Thx, agree – better safe then sorry. My wife’s a nurse practitioner, she says there’s a LOT of uncertainty on this whole scene still particularly around the asymptomatic spread theory. Hopefully there will be more certainty soon.
“In fairness, it’s not our collective fault that Americans do not know how to walk in public.”
I love this and could not agree with you more. We live a stones throw from a state park that I’ve felt like I’ve had to myself for years prior to the pandemic. There are a lot of new users back there now, which is great but comes with complications. My chief complaint (other than people littering and showing no respect for nature) is that I swear 90% of people don’t know how to walk. It’s amazing.
This was my favorite comment, too. Until my 2018 move to suburbia, I had spent 24-years -my entire adult life – living in pedestrian-driven cities. Disney World meanderers drive me crazy!! I’ll dip my toe in dangerous waters here, and go on to say that I suspect the majority of the ECV “crashes” occur when walkers are staring at scenery and step directly in front of the scooters without looking at where they are going. The scooter drivers catch all the flack, but those people are more likely to be hyper-aware of what they are doing as they are operating a moving vehicle. I speak from years of observation, as well as personal experience – a couple of years ago I twisted my ankle in Epcot and a friend offered me the use of her ECV to get myself to the front of the park. (She has a congenital condition and can walk about a mile a day, but needs support to get through a 10-12 mile Epcot day). The 20 minutes I spent driving that ECV were possibly the most stressful of my entire life. Literally dozens of people just walked into and in front of the ECV, as I was driving at the slowest possible speed. I just kept shouting “Watch it!” to prevent collissions, but a lot of people didn’t pay attention and stepped into me, anyway.
Yes! Thank you! I use an ECV or electric wheelchair in the parks and elsewhere, depending–I have a permanent injury to my leg that makes walking difficult all the time and painful sometimes. Pedestrians DEFINITELY are not cognizant of their surroundings. Part of it is not their fault, because I realize that I’m short when I’m in a chair, and so not in their eye line, but please do not stop and start and randomly change directions while walking.
I haven’t ever hit someone but it’s been close, sometimes, and it is a constant source of stress.
@brighter, I left out one of the most harrowing details – my experience was on the Saturday afternoon of the opening Weekend of the Food & Wine Festival. I’ve never seen the park so crowded! I agree that the height differential is problematic with the scooter, but I’m not so quick to let people off the hook for that. I have had people accidentally slam into my kids when they were small and holding my hand, instead of riding in the stroller. There are a lot of small people to be alert to when walking around WDW. The only difference is that folks apologize profusely when they knock into your 5-year old, as opposed to the cursing they lob out when you just barely manage to avoid hitting them with a scooter!! Despite my grousing, I’m actually inclined to be forgiving toward most people. I remind myself that most WDW visitors are disoriented, overstimulated tourists and not a crazy person like me, who can draw her own park maps from memory and will include “best places to use the restroom” in her casual advice to first time Disney visitors! 🙂