Is Disney World “Magical” Right Now?
“Is visiting Walt Disney World still magical right now?” and “is the magic really back without [insert something cut] at Walt Disney World?” are two common reader questions. We’ll attempt to answer here based on visits to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, and Magic Kingdom.
This is an ongoing series, coming in response to feedback and concerns raised in reader questions we’re frequently receiving on our Walt Disney World reopening reports. Along with questions about discounts, crowds, policy changes, face mask and physical distancing rules, and Annual Passes, this is an unsurprisingly common reader inquiry.
Of course, “magical” is a nebulous term, meaning different things for different people. Some people, sexy geniuses you might call them, would say there’s nothing more magical than waving at bumpkin bears. Others might require full parades, fireworks, character meals, and other such frivolity for a magical experience. Only the sexy geniuses are going to be satisfied with visiting Walt Disney World right now…
Joking aside, we’re going to eschew the range of varying definitions of “magical” and instead treat the term as a synonym for escapism. While there’s a certain elusive and inarticulable je ne sais quoi quality of a great and special visit to Walt Disney World, we suspect that most of that is encapsulated by escapism.
In our view, there are two components that are key to escapism: the real world and the fantasy one. How “magical” Walt Disney World is comes down to the differences between the two. This is still fairly abstract, so let’s paint a picture…
Excited to start your day in the Most Magical Place on Earth, you walk from Contemporary Resort to the park. Along the way, you’re greeted by a series of around a half dozen sandwich boards, each offering a liability disclaimer warning or new rule. After a quick stop at a tent to have your temperature taken and bag scanned, you continue towards the park.
Upon entering Magic Kingdom and rounding the corner under the train station, you hear the cheery background music, smell nostalgic scents, and your eye is first drawn to Cinderella Castle. In short order, your attention is pulled back to a series of health warnings, rules, and various other signage plastered to the side of virtually every trash can on Main Street. Cast Members line the curb, waving and clearly smiling with their eyes, but with their faces obscured by masks and shields.
This scene is every bit as jarring, dissonant, eerie, dystopian, etc. as it sounds. There’s no denying or sugarcoating that. What’s normally the greatest ‘reveal’ at Walt Disney World now has an unsettling, contradictory quality. It’s a really weird first impression, rather than being an unequivocally happy one.
The silver lining is that this is about as awkward as things get–and there are ways to sidestep that surreal sensation. Our biggest recommendation on that front is visiting the park you view as “most magical” last. Go to Epcot, the park most grounded in reality, first. (We also recommend this due to operating hours.) Then do Hollywood Studios, finishing with Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom.
We recommend ordering the parks this way because so much of what appears unharmonious online fades away in person. After seeing all of the health safety and warning signs several times, they become white noise that our brains filter out. It’s science. We’ve compared this elsewhere to California’s Proposition 65 warnings. Pretty much everything in the state may cause cancer–which freaks out visitors–but the obnoxious signs are so ubiquitous that Californians don’t even notice them.
It’s the exact same idea. You may notice all of the signage when looking at photos while sitting at home, but by day two of visiting Walt Disney World, they’re mostly invisible. Perhaps a more apt comparison is trash cans–when you look at a photo of Main Street when empty, the number of trash cans is almost startling. How many of you actively notice or count the number while in person, though?
Face masks are a different story. Those never fade into the background, neither the fact that you’re wearing one or that most Cast Members have masks plus shields. Even after wearing them for a couple of months, it’s still a relief to get to a Relaxation Station or back to the hotel room and remove them.
However, masks are also not as dreadful as some feared. Those prophesying that theme park guests would “drop like flies” due to heat exhaustion and Disney would be inundated with lawsuits due to the supposed harms caused by masks were wrong. (Shocking as it might be, thousands of guests per day are not suffering “death by mask” at Walt Disney World.)
Masks in the summer are definitely uncomfortable, but you know what else is uncomfortable? Florida in the summer. We’ve done full days in the parks with ‘feels like’ temperatures above 100º, and I can’t say it’s any worse than before. Instead of focusing on my sweat-soaked shirt, I fixate more on the mask. It’s a six of one, half a dozen of the other situation. Oppressive heat and humidity are going to be uncomfortable regardless, and I can’t say it’s appreciably worse due to the masks.
“Still awful” is not really a ringing endorsement, but if you visit Walt Disney World in the summer, you more or less know what you’re getting yourself into. To that point, if you read the comments on our various posts, you’ll probably notice a lot of people returning from Walt Disney World saying that wearing masks wasn’t as bad as they expected. From what we’ve heard, that’s the general consensus.
With that said, all of these health measures are a double-edged sword. They definitely have the effect of ‘ruining the illusion’ and allowing the real world to bleed into the Walt Disney World “bubble.” They also bring a sense of safety and comfort that you can’t find in many other places.
True to form, Walt Disney World is once again an idealized version of the real world when it comes to health safety measures. You’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere in the real world where mask compliance is 96-98% (depending upon the park), where physical distancing is observed and actively enforced, and everything is just so clean.
In our view, this is where escapism (or “the magic”) depends both upon the fantasy and real worlds. The backdrop against which all this is set–raging pandemic, economic uncertainty, and the greatest social tensions of our lifetime–is inescapable.
If the last four months have been the best of your life, we deeply envy you. We’re not going out on too much of a limb by saying that’s probably not true for the vast majority of people reading this. I can’t imagine many people exited the theater after Contagion and said, “I really hope we get to live through that someday–it looked delightful!” It’s probably not necessary to explain why or how the last four months have been awful, depressing, and so forth.
The point is that real world circumstances have a bearing on escapism. The lows of the last several months amplify the highs of visiting Walt Disney World now and in the future.
You may not be experiencing as much escapism or “magic” when visiting Walt Disney World in the near-term, but the gap between the real and fantasy worlds is more pronounced than normal. Your cares won’t totally melt away when visiting Walt Disney World (nor should they) now, but it’ll be even more of an appreciated distraction.
We’re pretty confident that your next trip—whenever that might be—will just feel different. More special. More cherished. More magical, if that’s what you want to call it. However, it will be less about what Walt Disney World does or does not offer in terms of programming.
It’ll be about you. So much of the stress and tension that’s been bubbling beneath the surface will melt away when you step foot back onto Walt Disney World property–it’ll be like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. At least, this has been the case for us.
On a personal note, we don’t need character meet & greets or parades for visiting Walt Disney World to be special. If anything, we prefer the modified character encounters. Although the character cavalcades don’t hold a candle to full parades, there’s also way less effort required to watch them. I’ve seen more total minutes of these cavalcades in the last two weeks than Festival of Fantasy in the last year.
We’ve also had a ton of fun watching Winnie the Pooh clumsily trying to catch butterflies, Joy skipping through a garden, and Stormtroopers doing their thing. Entirely a matter of personal preference, but I far prefer the Galaxy’s Edge or Disneyland-style spontaneous moments to static meet & greets.
For us, the lack of nighttime spectaculars and simply being in the parks at night are the bigger blow. Ending the day with Happily Ever After and a tranquil stroll around Magic Kingdom with the park all lit-up is a quintessential Walt Disney World experience for us. On the upside, nighttime in Magic Kingdom will once again be possible once Daylight Saving Time ends.
For now, we’ve been savoring our evening walks around Epcot. Enjoying a virtually empty World Showcase at sunset has been simply sublime–and something we never expected to be able to do. We cannot overstate how much just being able to go to Epcot and take laps around the park has improved our mood, outlook, and spirits. We’re actually able to relax and decompress again.
To that point, it’s worth reiterating that the cuts come with upside. Because park capacity has been reduced and others aren’t visiting for a number of reasons, weekday crowds are low and wait times are minimal. Weekends have become a different story, but weekday crowds have been low since reopening.
Suffice to say, there’s nothing “magical” about waiting in long lines and navigating heavy crowds. I don’t think anyone has ever said, “I’d rather wait 120 minutes for Flight of Passage than 20 minutes.”
This is not to say you should race back to Walt Disney World ASAP to escape reality and get that dopamine hit. If you’re uncomfortable visiting (understandably so), you should not. That discomfort won’t simply vanish upon arrival. This post is more to address the time after which you’d be comfortable, but are still worried that there won’t be sufficient “magic” to make visiting fun.
The good news is that Orange County has started to improve (see positivity and hospital capacity numbers here and here) despite every theme park in the county now being open. Additionally, Florida as a whole seems to have turned a corner. With that said, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves–Florida’s numbers are better but still elevated. Plus, other locations that improved have seen subsequent second waves.
Ultimately, this article is still pretty abstract in trying to answer whether Walt Disney World is still magical. That’s the inherent problem in attempting to explain a feeling that’ll undoubtedly vary from person to person. I guess the salient point, if there is one, is that it’s surreal to visit Walt Disney World right now…but simply existing in the real world is also incredibly surreal.
We don’t view “magic” as a fixed concept that can be quantified by checking off a set number of boxes in terms of character greetings, nighttime spectaculars, parades, or what-have-you. For us, “magic” is circumstantial. In light of the present real world situation, even with so much of the guest experience being “temporarily abnormal,” Walt Disney World is very much magical by comparison.
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
Does Walt Disney World seem as “magical” to you right now as before? Do you agree or disagree that “magical” is a circumstantial idea? Are you eagerly awaiting your next vacation ‘escape’ to Walt Disney World, or you waiting until everything returns to normal? Will you be attempting to visit Walt Disney World this fall or holiday season, or are you waiting until 2021 or beyond? 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!
Tom, thank you so much for this thoughtful post. We have 4 small children (5 and under) In our group and will certainly miss the character dining/meet and greets/parades which they absolutely adore. However, we did decide to go ahead and book our trip for the first week in February staying at POP vs a more expensive resort. This seems logical to us given this will be a somewhat *modified* experience plus many of our favorite resort restaurants are currently closed (Ohana, Park Fare, Boma). That said, we are looking forward to any bit of Disney Magic that we can capture and and excited about using the Skyliner as transportation. And actually, I think the children will find POP delightful. Our main question at this point is which restaurants currently open will be most appealing to young children?? We normally do Tusker at AK but are thinking about Rainforest Cafe. Any suggestions for the other parks? Thanks again for such an informative blog!
Not Tom, but just a suggestion since you are staying at POP you could take the skyliner to the Riviera Resort and do the modified character breakfast at Topolino’s. Tom’s review on it was great and it is on my list of places to eat with my kids in Dec.
Thanks Dee! That looks like a great option!
The Everything POP food court at the Pop Century is very kid friendly. It’s a loud environment, so it won’t be an issue if the kids are rowdy and make noise.
It has a lot of dining options to accommodate picky eaters. One of the signature dishes is the tie dye cheesecake.
Thank You, Tom! This article was one of your best! (they are all great). I am going December 9th thru 16th, staying at The Yacht Club. I have been trying to make up my mind on going or canceling my trip. You broke it down so eloquently! I need to escape! And, Disney is my BLISS! I even have a room which I call The Disney Room. I cant wait to go. Thank you again.
Such a great article! But I would expect nothing less from you two sexy geniuses.
Thank you for the post Tom. We are going in November and thanks to you a lot of my nervousness is going away. You are so upbeat and so are a bunch of your posters. I am hoping that the crowd levels don’t get much worse. Don’t stop posting Tom. You are the highlight of my day. Thank you
What defines magical is certainly a difficult and subjective topic. You did a fine job of articulating your thoughts. As a parent that looks through our visits to Disney World through the eyes of my children, there seems to be little magical about the current operational state of affairs. I think the perspective one has is likely to be vastly different between parents with children and childless adults.
Respectfully disagree with Ears. We have a 10 year old kid and I don’t look at Disney World through her eyes. I would say that my eyeballs pretty well align with Tom’s perspective (or at least what I think would be my perspective if we were to visit during these times – we are in Canada and our trip isn’t until December 2020).
My husband & I cancelled our trip for November this year. We will not go until this crap is over with. We don’t mind so much with the 6 ft rule, or washing/sanitizing hands, but the masks crap is too much. The magic disappeared with all the restrictions. We will wait or go to Universal, because it seems like they would get rid of the mask rule would dissipate before WDW.
Tom & Sarah, thank you for this thoughtful, powerful post. I have had a hard time explaining to my friends and family why I am so drawn to Disney vacations again and again. I have never realized that the ‘’magic” that brings me back is the escapism. Thank you for helping me understand what it is that I am seeking. My family and I are YEARNING for the escape and while it is not the right choice for us now I can’t wait til we enjoy the magic again soon!
I decided to book a back up trip for February 2021 because I am worried our December 1st trip will be a no go. Not sure what 8 weeks will do but… Coming from Canada, not only are we not wanting to mask up in Florida heat (even in milder weather) but I’m not sure we will be permitted to cross the land border we use to get to our airport of choice. Not sure if February will buy us enough time to see some easing of restrictions? I like the idea of impromptu character sightings instead of the stress and wasted time getting a good parade spot. Fireworks are a downer but it’s not our first trip and low wait times for rides cancels that negative out. The real clincher will be mandatory masks. I can’t handle them in air conditioned stores let alone an outdoor theme park where even in winter temps are in the high 70’s- 80’s. I get toms point that it’s all about perspective and what you make of it. And I don’t disagree. I can look past a sign. I’m not sure I can do 8 hrs outdoors with a mask. And I know my kids won’t. So- It’s a waiting game. Hopefully one I win, because we miss Disney. Wish I had a crystal ball.
I won’t be going anywhere including Disney if I have to wear a mask for vacation. I can barely take it while grocery shopping. And with things cut back or not open It’s just not worth the dollar amount for me. When I can’t even go to Walmart after 8pm now stores are just not open decent hours. A trip to Orlando seems to be a no go as I do the parks but shop and enjoy other restaurants off site and at this time I will just put the money in the bank till things open back up.
We’re going in 2 weeks. Does anyone have suggestions for masks that are more breathable but don’t violate the rules… I have boxes of blue surgical types but not sure they’re the best type for the heat and humidity…
Disney has some masks you can purchase. However the “large” mask was only big enough to fit my 5 year old. We wore cloth masks while in the parks and a heavier duty N-95 mask when walking in the hotel lobbies. The mask really didn’t bother us. It’s hot, but it’s Florida in July/August so regardless you are hot. We loved being able to ride all the rides in MK and Epcot within 4-7 hours. The longest wait was 20 minutes for Frozen at MK. The estimated wait times, you can cut those in half. It was great being in the parks when they aren’t completely packed out. We absolutely have loved our trip. Leaving tomorrow. As for masks, try to get some nice comfy cloth mask/adjustable if possible. They worked great for us and we never had a concern about people being too close. Everyone was respectful and this will go down as 1 of our favorites. Although, I probably say that every time. We have come over 100 times and we just love it.
Thanks Matthew
This is for both Docmarmo and Matthew,
One is a suggestion and the other a question.
As to masks. I have no problem wearing the mask but I use a face shield which a cast member told me is acceptable. They protect the eyes and as far as breathing goes it’s a 100% improvement. Locally here in NY there was only one store (Pier One) that asked us to put on a mask. Even our local Disney Store allowed the face shield we were wearing (and they had three people meeting at the entrance checking everyone). The shield has to go around to your ears and down past your chin. Like anything there are those who say they aren’t as effective as face masks and those who say they are better. I think they are just different with pluses and minuses. The face shield does some things better and the face mask does other things better.
I’m not a doctor. I just read a lot of articles like everyone else. From personal experience the Face shields are superior for breathing and cover the eyes. Dr Fauci is now suggesting goggles. Can capes and tights be far behind? Seriously though he’s right. Plus with the face shield you don’t end up touching your face because you’re not adjusting and readjusting your mask, They are easy to clean and never have to be thrown out, You can wear them in the rain and they still work. The main advantage to the face mask is that the entire nose and mouth are sealed off (assuming they’re worn properly which means snug tight all around the face with no openings). The face shield is close enough to the face that with any sneeze, cough or shout, the virus hits the shield. So you’re not putting others at any risk. The risk comes to you in that there’s a slight chance you breathe in something hanging in the air below your shield or if a small child is standing on your foot and sneezes directly up from under your chin. That said I carry a face mask with me to add to my face shield if I feel uncomfortable in my surroundings or should I be asked to by a store owner which happened that once. Be sure to get a good solid shield. They have thin ones which overtime can get bends or wrinkles in them and make viewing more challenging. The other thing is that I have read articles where the virus might actually be so small that it goes through some masks. Not sure how true that is but there is no particle too small to go through the plastic shield.
Now my question for Matthew.
Are you from the tri state area? If so have you had any problems in FL with being questioned about the 14 day self quarantine? I ask as we are scheduled to drive down for Aug 12th and a FL official told me they are not enforcing stops at the border or in the airport. One reason is that they recognize NY is not a problem anymore.
I also heard from another state official that they do follow up if there are any complaints like a FL resident sees you’re license plates and makes a formal report. I’d appreciate any first hand information or experiences you might have? Thanking you in advance, Most Sincerely, Mickey1928
I thought Disney wasn’t accepting a face shield as a replacement for a face mask. Someone feel free to contradict me, I’m not at a Disney park nor do I work for one, but I thought neck gaiters and face shields didn’t meet the requirements (I remember some unhappy commenters on another of Tom’s articles). I think it says the covering must be made of fabric and fit snugly against the face, which a face shield wouldn’t do. I have no personal feelings on face masks vs face shields and whether one is better than the other, but you may want to do some deeper research before assuming this is ok. I just thought I’d throw that out there in case someone was planning on a face shield instead of a mask and arrived to a park unprepared 😀
I also have heard no face shields allowed at Disney World, must be a mask. Would not take that one cast member’s word for it.
Also Tom recommends the Suay masks for all day comfort in the parks. I got one on his recommendation and will order more–they are great and comfortable for me!
Hi Nicki,
You’re right. No one should show up unprepared. As I stated I always bring a face mask with me. I have no problems wearing it but if I have the choice I go with the face shield. I only had one WDW CM tell me they’re wearing face shields. I will be making several calls over the next couple of days about a number of issues like AP’s and moving one of our other trips to 2021 and will report whatever they tell me concerning face shields. I could very well get another CM who tells me no face shields except in a combination with a face mask. Currently I’m more concerned about the 14 day self quarantine when you arrive in FL. Just this past week I had a FL state Health Dept official say it’s crazy they are allowing people in form CA and TX and there’s still a law against NY. They also said that they are expecting the Gov to change that this week with an email which they told me is how they found out LA was being taken off the list. As for the info I put in my earlier response was told to me by two different FL sources. DOH and Orange county police. According to them NY is one of the best states in the country and it’s a waste of state resources to be stopping everyone from NY from coming in , testing them, have them fill out forms and checking up on them. But again let’s say someone sees a NY license plate on a car outside a bar that is not social distancing they can call the police and they have to follow up on that and you could end up in trouble.
I laughed out loud in our hotel room tonight when I read do Epcot first. We live under 2 hours away and the short lines tempted us to come back. Future World is a hot mess and I don’t mean the 90 degree weather-all walls and strange traffic patterns. Attendance seems to be increasing but we waited less than 30 minutes for TT and Soarin. Frozen was 45. Others all less. World Showcase was very good, but not all the shops are open. We are some festival food then got ice cream and a baguette in France. Great to be home – but yes a weird energy about the whole thing. Did I mention all the walls in FW.
Looking forward to MK in the morning. (Lifeline Floridians not scared off by a little rain.
Thanks for the great article!
Out of curiosity, the 2-.4 % of the people not wearing masks are not wearing them…….why??
Just my opinion, but I strongly feel if you cannot wear a mask, for whatever reason, you should not be able to enter the parks.
And if you’re bringing children under two years old……maybe you shouldn’t?
Does anyone else feel the same?
Yes.
double yes.
We went to MK and HS July 24/25 and had the time of our lives! Disney was so clean and well organized and the Cast Members did a stellar job of politely and kindly enforcing all of the new rules. People were almost 100% compliant with social distancing and masking. I think everyone was just so glad to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine, laughing and celebrating this beautiful life with their friends and families, they were willing to sacrifice a little comfort for that privilege. You could feel the joy! The masks, signage, sanitizer stations, and plexiglass didn’t demoralize us one bit–we we’re having too much fun. At MK we rode ~15 rides/attractions back to back with virtually no wait times. We joked that this must be what it feels like to be Walt Disney’s grandchildren- having a day in the park alone. Got to eat in some fabulous restaurants with little to no crowds/wait. At HS, my 10 year old got to converse with Rey, Chewbacca, and a Storm Trooper–He was thrilled! We had a rare and up-close look at Savi’s before buying a treasured light saber. Oga’s was virtually empty-had our own table! Made it onto Rise of Resistance-no sweat. It was our first and probably last visit to the Disney Parks (last visit only because we like new experiences) and the memories we created as we walked these 22 hours over two magical days will never be forgotten.
I can not begin to tell you how much I loved this post/article. Thank you so much – vicarious from NJ
We are so on the limb about going. We have reservations Sept 8th thru 15th we are traveling from TN with 7. Ranging in age from 70 to 7. We have had reservations since pre Covid with free dining, but now have a reduced rate on our room with an upgrade. I would really like to he there with the reduced crowds but would miss the fireworks. The numbers in FL are so high now that I know we would not go if it were today. I am wondering if the numbers start going down by our trip and we would have wished we would have gone if we cancel. Our final payment is due next Saturday. Sorry for the long message
Great, thoughtful article. Thank you both.
What a great post; thank you.
Once again, a thoughtful, exceptionally well-written post. I really appreciate how much your articles have provided a glimpse into the magic at this time. I appreciate too the way you qualify what you say, and I’ve tried to adopt that in talking to my teenage daughter. Nobody can be sure of much of anything now, but when we take a breath and look at things logically, we can come to some helpful conclusions (such as that no matter how safe the Disney parks may be once you get there, you have to wade through a lot of pandemic Florida first). We had a trip planned for October with the whole family, including my elderly parents, but Disney was more than happy to let us postpone until next March (fingers crossed that we’ll all be properly vaccinated by then). My guess is our triumphant return in March will really be magical.
Rides and ambiance are what we appreciate most about Disney. We will miss the fireworks and parades but the thought of potentially going to Disney without crowds and having to hyper-plan is soooo exciting! We already have our tickets and park reservations for mid-Oct but have not rented a place to stay. Any tips on how to go about renting last minute? We don’t want to commit until closer to our trip dates. There will be 6 of us so we usually stay off-site in a condo but would love to try something different!
Hi Tom! We love Disney but we would not go at this time. A Disney vacation is so expensive that we will wait to be able to enjoy the full experience, with the fireworks and everything else (and, especially, no masks). But, we would go now if money were no problem, just to experience how it is now. Keep up the good work (you and your wife)!
We went back for the 1st time Thursday to Epcot. It was definitely a different atmosphere to us. We enjoyed the extremely short wait times and the extreme lack of crowds, but there was an eerie quietness throughout the park. The excruciating heat was a reminder of why Disney in the FL summertime is a bit overwhelming….especially when you have to add wearing mask to it. The small appearances of the few character is a reminder of how different things are right now. We enjoyed the few F&W stops. But it was until we rode our last ride, Soarin’, to remind us the lack of fireworks that do add that bit of Disney magic to the parks. Overall, it was good to be back.