The Dawn of a Temporary Disney Era
The changes and health safety protocol implemented during phased reopening of Walt Disney World’s parks and resorts–no nighttime spectaculars, parades, or meet & greets, reduced hours, advance reservation system for attendance, and more–will transform the guest experience this summer and beyond. You could even say it’s the dawn of a new Disney era.
We wouldn’t say that, but you could. For us, it feels more like the “dawn of a temporary abnormal season at Walt Disney World that is a necessary prerequisite to resuming a permanent sense of normalcy.” But that doesn’t roll off the tongue or evoke positive feelings of nostalgia quite the same way as “dawn of a new Disney era.”
There’s a lot of uncertainty on the near-term horizon at Walt Disney World. Fans have many questions to which they want answers and there’s a lot of apprehension about what the future holds for the parks. In thinking about this, I wanted to contextualize what lies ahead with a look back at another ‘era’ in Walt Disney World history. As it turns out, I didn’t have to look too far…
Last spring, Walt Disney World surprised everyone with the August 29 opening date of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. At the time, it was widely believed that the land would open in late fall (because Disney said so!), with rumors pointing to a December debut in time for the holiday season.
Many diehard Walt Disney World fans who feared a “crowdpocalypse” situation upon the debut of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge had already booked fall vacations to experience the calm before the storm. Some had taken advantage of the Free Dining promo and had little choice in modifying their travel dates. A lot of fans were worried about being denied access to the parks because capacity would be limited and by lottery. The chorus of comments we received was almost exclusively complaints. Over 95% of readers were unhappy with this. Many threatened to cancel their trips, and a lot actually followed through on that.
Sound familiar?
For our part, we encouraged optimism back then. We advised guests that school schedules and weather were limiting factors on demand for early fall, and that crowds likely wouldn’t be nearly as bad as everyone feared. Our revised Walt Disney World crowd calendar (released well before the land opened at Disneyland or Walt Disney World) ranked September as the best month to visit for the remainder of the year.
When Extra, Extra Magic Hours were subsequently announced, we gushed about this offering. Not only would it be a fun opportunity to be in the parks before sunrise, but it was likely to feature low attendance because the vast majority of guests cannot or will not get up that early on vacation.
When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened and Extra, Extra Magic Hours debuted to some of the lowest crowds at Walt Disney World in years, we repeatedly encouraged readers to take a last-minute trip before the offering ended if at all possible. We booked several last-minute DVC nights to take full advantage.
To be clear and transparent (lest it seems like I’m straining a shoulder patting myself on the back), I’ve gotten a lot of predictions wrong over the years, including some with the reopening already (I did not expect Epcot to open before fall, and anticipated hotels reopening after the parks). However, I was dead-on with these predictions that bear more than a passing similarity to present circumstances.
Since the closure started, I’ve been going through unedited photos during my free time, and recently stumbled upon those from the last morning of Extra, Extra Magic Hours. (All of the dawn photos in this post are from that final November day of ExEMH. A totally empty Fantasyland is pictured above–that photo was shot about 30 minutes after park opening.)
That was one of our all-time best mornings in the parks, and those few months were a glorious run of great days at Walt Disney World. What lies ahead is obviously very different. Yet I cannot shake the feeling that it presents a similar opportunity.
Before I get all “embrace the silver lining” on you, I want to “get real” with you. Even though I’m looking on the bright side here, this most definitely is not all sunshine and rainbows.
If I were planning my family’s once in a lifetime trip to Walt Disney World, there’s no way I’d book it for July through October 2020. Even November and December are highly questionable. (If you’re trying to plan a summer vacation and Disney doesn’t work for you this year, check out my post: Why This Year Is Perfect for a National Parks Trip.)
If it were our first trip or even if we visited every few years, we’d likely be rescheduling for 2021. There’s the obvious hope for fewer rules/restrictions, plus entertainment and nighttime spectaculars resuming. It’s also a simple call because of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. (In fairness, we would’ve chosen 2021 over 2020 even before all of this.)
As an annual visitor, I’d have pause depending upon the circumstances. Even with the inevitable discounts, Walt Disney World is an expensive vacation destination, and a lot of compromises and concessions are going to be required of visitors in the near-term. I’m not sure I’d be up for those, especially if I had small children or older family members.
Now that we’ve ruled out…pretty much everyone?…let’s get to the upside!
Crowds, or lack thereof. That’s the big advantage. While Walt Disney World has declined to offer official capacity limits, several comments from CEO Bob Chapek and others have suggested the cap will be around 20-30% of normal attendance.
With cuts to park capacity, there will also be reductions in ride capacity to accommodate physical distancing. This means that, at least in theory, the capacity reductions could cancel each other out, resulting in wait times comparable to normal numbers.
There are also worries that Disney will further reduce attraction throughput to save labor and operating costs. This is a legitimate concern given both past precedent and the fact that park hours are already being cut.
However, this is not what has been observed thus far at Shanghai Disneyland, even with significant cuts to ride capacity and park hours. There, wait times are less than half of their normal levels, and many attractions are veritable walk-ons.
Per the official app, posted wait times for headliner attractions such as Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle Power Run, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for the Sunken Treasure are all frequently in the 10-40 minute range. Even Soaring, perpetually the park’s most popular ride, is usually under an hour. (Less than half its normal wait time.)
Equally as important, “crowds” in Shanghai Disneyland are non-existent. We’ve seen photos of Mickey Avenue (that park’s version of Main Street) totally devoid of people, and other areas of the park are sparse.
The idea of visiting Walt Disney World without crowds and congestion sounds fantastic to us. We love themed design and simply being there, and frequently stay late to savor the atmosphere. Being able to enjoy the ambiance for the entire day–even in the heat and humidity–really appeals to us. I’ve also been salivating at the idea of pristine park photography during the middle of the day, which is normally impossible.
Of course, there are obvious differences between Shanghai Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
For one, Florida has Disney Vacation Club resorts, and those are likely to hit a high occupancy rate even if the hotels don’t. Walt Disney World also has a passionate fanbase and ardent Annual Passholder population. By contrast, Shanghai only has a couple of hotels and Disney’s brand affinity is in its nascent stages.
The other side of the coin is that Shanghai only has one park to “soak up” guest demand, guests there are accustomed to wearing masks (so there’s little resistance), and 300 million people live within three hours of the park by car or train.
By contrast, Walt Disney World has 4 parks to absorb guests, people are already cancelling trips due to health safety requirements, and aside from a modest local population, the vast majority of visitors will need to book and take flights to visit Florida.
These are all significant hurdles for Walt Disney World that Shanghai Disneyland simply does not face. On balance, this all suggests to me that Walt Disney World’s crowds during the initial months of reopening will resemble those in Shanghai–with Walt Disney World potentially having lower crowd levels.
Then there’s what has been observed at Disney Springs thus far. Aside from the World of Disney store’s opening day, when eBay pirates docked their ships and stormed the store, Disney Springs has been totally devoid of crowds. Read Our “Ghost Town” Experience at Disney Springs for an idea of how it has looked.
Of course, just as there are differences with a theme park halfway around the world and Walt Disney World, so too are there between theme parks and an outdoor mall. Nevertheless, this is all instructive, and the best “data points” that we have.
Perhaps the best recent data points for Walt Disney World’s reopening come from California, and the months leading up to Disneyland’s Diamond Celebration several years ago. (We could look further back and see the same with Disney California Adventure during its massive overhaul and reimagining.) This is probably a more apt domestic comparison than Disney Springs or Extra, Extra Magic Hours because visiting pre-Diamond Celebration or during DCA’s transformation entailed a similar compromise.
In the ~5 months leading up to the Diamond Celebration, entertainment at Disneyland was incredibly limited (the blink and you’ll miss it fireworks show was a joke that disappointed virtually everyone who waited more than 5 minutes for it), Sleeping Beauty Castle was behind a giant scrim, and way more attractions than normal were down for refurbishment. It was a rough stretch and, at the time, we discouraged tourists from visiting.
However, it was also absolutely glorious. In retrospect, I’d gladly take that stretch of months over the chaos that followed for the next few years (I loved Paint the Night, but not that much). Disneyland’s popularity exploded thanks to all of the new entertainment and offerings and the park became uncomfortably crowded.
Prior to the Diamond Celebration, crowds were incredibly low, wait times were minimal, it was easy to dine wherever, and there was a sense of optimism in the air about the future. This last element should not be dismissed, and I’d expect the same to be true at Walt Disney World the next few months.
After months of misery being stuck at home, those guests who do choose to accept the limitations and visit Walt Disney World anyway will be enthusiastic just to be there. Rather than sporting “Most Expensive Day Ever” shirts, people will be less cynical and ready to have some fun again.
Many others think there will be disputes or grumbling about new rules–I empathically disagree. That’s happening online now. In park, it will filter itself out via self-selection of attendees. The vast majority of those who proceed with vacation plans will be doing so not with the intent of breaking rules for a week–they’ll be doing so because they really need a vacation, and will be happy to escape the real world.
Admittedly, we also come at this from a different perspective than many people. Paradoxically, we are not huge planners even though we offer a wealth of resources for that. We welcome the return of more spontaneity to Walt Disney World with open arms and hope some of these changes are permanent. (See our Being Spontaneous at Walt Disney World post for more on the importance of this.)
We also think it’s absurd to be expected to know where we want to eat 6 months ahead of time (see our post: The Case for Sleeping on Advance Dining Reservations), prefer making day-of FastPass selections, and are not particularly keen on the Disney Dining Plan (save for certain circumstances). Basically, all of the cancellations announced the other day bring Walt Disney World’s planning process in line with that of Disneyland, and we far prefer the latter’s approach.
Many readers have remarked that there’s nothing magical about all of the new rules or changes Disney is implementing. This is a fair point (to a degree), but it’s also the temporary abnormal–a necessary compromise if you want to enjoy some aspects of public life for the next year or so while the country is still in the midst of a pandemic. Your entire life is going to be full of compromises; while Disney offers a “bubble” and feelings of reassurance removed from daily life, it is still very much located within the real world.
In any case, we think there’s nothing magical about planning a weeklong vacation down to the minute months in advance; many fans have just been conditioned by Disney to view that as normal. For the first time in ages, a Walt Disney World trip should now feel like an actual vacation, with spontaneity and the freedom to relax. (That’s true even with the temporary protocol in place.) For many, this will be a very different way of doing Disney and will require an adjustment. You might just end up liking this laid back approach more!
We embrace new ways of experiencing Walt Disney World. Prior to becoming locals, we would try to find a new “angle” for each trip to keep things fresh. It was a fun challenge, and we’d create artificial impediments or themes to force ourselves to try new things.
Even more recently, we’ve done things like this (see our “SS Harbor Beach Club Strategy“). The upcoming changes present new obstacles to navigate and I am, perhaps weirdly, looking forward to making lemonade out of lemons and finding fresh ways to do Disney during this unprecedented time. Among other things, I’m really looking forward to more resort time and ways to make the most of those pricey places to stay.
It should go without saying, but that’s not going to be everyone’s approach–nor is it even normal. Many frequent Walt Disney World visitors go for the sense of familiarity, to relive past experiences, or with certain-must dos in mind. The next several months–maybe the next couple of years–are going to alter a lot of that.
If certain components of the Walt Disney World experience being absent (or the addition of new requirements) make it a non-starter for you, nothing written here is going to change your mind–nor should it.
Rather, what we’ve attempted to do here is offer some degree of ‘grounded optimism’ amidst a sea of sadness. It’s easy to be pessimistic right now–the news is a nonstop barrage of negative stories, a lot is changing, the future is uncertain, and many compromises will be necessary as we go forward. Some (many!) people should simply opt out and cancel their upcoming Walt Disney World vacations in light of this. There’s no amount of upside or spin that can change that.
However, what is getting lost in the chorus of complaints is the potential upside. Just because it’s going to be a bad time for many people to visit doesn’t mean it’s a bad time for everyone. (To the contrary, precisely because it’s a bad time for so many means it’s likely to be a good time for those who can make it work.) Ultimately, we’ll put our money where our mouths are on this–we’ve already booked several DVC resort stays in the last week and are dreaming up ways to leverage the current circumstances to our advantage. With that said, we would recommend choosing travel dates very carefully, and we’ll be back with Part 2 of this post tomorrow to discuss exactly that. Stay tuned!
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
Will you be visiting sooner rather than later, likewise hoping to make lemonade out of lemons and do Disney differently? Or, will you hold off, not viewing the current value proposition or guest experience as being workable for you? Do you agree or disagree with our perspective? A variety of viewpoints are welcomed here, but we will not tolerate insults, arguing, or politically-charged comments. Additionally, please do not debate the efficacy of health safety policies—all such comments (for, against, otherwise) will be deleted. Those arguments are played out and isn’t the appropriate forum for that.
I LOVE your optimism. You were so right about last year. My wife and I had planned our first ’empty nest’ vacation to Disney World without our kids for early September 2019! We had planned nearly a year in advance, planning for the best time with low crowds, as well as the calm before the storm theory! I was then one of those complaining when Star Wars decided to open early. We plunged on and followed your advice. Got up to be at DHS at 5 a.m. etc. We had the best vacation of our lives! I too lament the days of spontaneity, and we are seriously considering a return trip! We may just decide to be spontaneous and go. Who knows. Thanks for all your articles! I really enjoy your insight (and attempts at comedy.) Best regards!
I’m personally pro-planning because we like to go once every few years (coming from the UK) and splurge. A WDW trip is a huge deal for us, so knowing we have a lot of our favourite experiences locked in in advance is nice for us.
That said, I’d have no issue if they changed it to, say, 60 days for ADRs, and 30 days for on-site FastPasses, with 14 days for off-site.
Tom & Sarah, thank you for your optimism! We are still going for our family’s annual August trip 🙂 Your fresh point of view is inspiring & appreciated!
I don’t think I’ve ever commented before but I do really love your articles. I just wanted to thank you for looking for the bright side. We are scheduled to go mid September for our trip of a life time where the whole family is going. However, we wish we could reschedule but we’re kind of stuck since we rented DVC points to stay at our dream resort (poly). So now I’m trying to find ways to still make this memerable and “worth it” since it was my idea for the family to rent points. I really appreciate your looking on the bright side without being disingenuous! Thank you!
I know so many people on this site want more spontaneity, but for me the ability to plan out all the decisions in advance is exactly what makes Disney the only vacation I want to go on. We have 4 small kids and waiting in lines is so miserable it’s just not worth it, and trying to figure out last minute when/where to eat is impossible with a sobbing hungry toddler in your arms. So I plan everything over the year prior (which is fun anyway!) and actually, ACTUALLY get relax on my vacation. We take 10 day trips every 2 years and shoot for just 4-5 rides a day. So basically just our FP selections and one or two others that are likely to be walk-ons, like the tea cups or Dumbo on repeat just before closing. Comes to 50 rides over the trip which is plenty! Otherwise we are all about shows, parades, character dining, ect. All this to say…we are probably not the ideal visitor for this new wave of Disney. But I’m not canceling, hoping maybe FP will come back by November. And if it doesn’t I’ll roll with it but just wanted to point out the perspective of someone who loves the planning in advance!
I have a very short trip planned for early September, scheduled and booked before all of this started, with the specific goal of riding Rise of the Resistance. I don’t think that narrow goal will be much harmed by the new precautions, even if they’re all still in effect then, and lower crowds will likely make even the brief trip more eventful. If I had a regular full-length trips scheduled for that time frame, I’d likely postpone until 2021 as you mention– and I’d certainly do so if it was a once-in-a-lifetime trip. In that case, missing fireworks and parades and character meetings would loom much larger in the calculation.
Meanwhile, funny you should mention your post on a National Parks trip this year, because that IS the big trip I have planned: and I’ve planned it to start 10 days from today (as I type). No flights, I’m driving a grand circle through the west. I’m watching in great suspense whether all the hotels along the route will be open in time: it is turning out that my itinerary has me coming in usually around a week after they are scheduled to open, and the risk of something changing and stranding me is one I’ll have to carefully consider.
I live in Louisiana and have been to Disney at least a dozen times.. I am also 63 years old. Loved every trip i took there. This trip I am taking my daughter and her 3 kids. The kids have never been. I wanted to bring them before the older one graduates next year and goes in the Military. I know they will enjoy the trip no matter what. they don.t know what it was like before. I love just being there and I know they will to. The only thing for me is that the baby which is 2 will probably not keep the mask on. He dosent’ understand the reason why it needs to be worn.. So what do we do if he will not keep it on? are they going to kick us out i would hope not I will be happy just to visit each park. I also wonder about the park hopper pass our trip is the end of November’ And it we can’t use it , is there going to be a refund for the cost?
Masks for children 3 and up. The baby doesn’t need one.
I have a little too and she’s exempt.
@Maria thought I read that they changed it to 2 and up as per CDC guidelines?
Yes just checked the website. It now says masks or face coverings for 2 and up.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Since you don’t have to show a birth certificate at the gate and kids under 3 are free anyway just say the baby is under 2.
I liked it at 3 people that meant all kids with tickets would need to wear one. I think it’s unenforceable at 2 (our little is still exempt). No CM will stop you and say “hey that toddler looks 2!”
I think people aren’t so upset with lower crowds as the lack of discounts and transparency on Disney’s party. Weren’t we told the last price increases were to “control crowding”? Crowding is no longer an issue prices could go back down.
I’m not saying a Disney trip is totally out for us this year but we would need a big off season discount.
Although, they may be overestimating demand again. After Toy Story Land opened attendance was so bad they gave silver passholders the month of June for free. That was pretty sweet. I hate Florida in June but we managed to go twice. I think we couldn’t go to Studios which was fine since AK is my favorite park.
I’d be surprised if we saw discounts this year. Disney isn’t allowing any new reservations or ticket purchases for this year right now. I think they are more hoping people will cancel.
So we still have early September booked at CBR — our first resort experience. And we booked that because of free dining, which is now kaput. I definitely would look forward to less people. But we do have an option to cancel the resort and stay with our son who lives nearby. We could even do Universal too, which we’ve never done. And perhaps save money on the vacation as a whole. My questions about keeping our resort reservation, which I hope you can help answer, are as follows:
1. Does it make sense to keep the resort reservation if we get no extra magic hours and little other types of perks for staying on Disney property?
2. Will we still receive Magical Express transportation?
3. We also booked park hopper tickets — do we have to reserve each park each day? If so, that’s not the spontaneity we were hoping for.
4. They are giving us 35% off the room rate (which I have no idea how much the room portion is because it was booked as a package). Anyone know how to find this out? For our situation (2 adults, no kids), the amount off *may* be the same as getting a QSDP.
As I am typing this, I really do wonder if we should cancel and stay with our son, saving a large portion of money, since we get little benefit. But we’re not ready to cancel yet! 🙂
I, too, wonder if the Magical Express buses will be running from the airport. Has Disney mentioned this in any of its communications?
I have to agree. For the first time or trip of a life time people or even the every few years visitors it would be a nightmare. We are frequent Disney goers and although we aren’t super keen on some of the restrictions this is the first actual trip with just myself, my husband and our kids and I planned on not being super planner so I’m seeing a definite silver lining. I originally was going to cancel, but decided to hang in there. After all I think it will be fun in years when my kids are grown to show my grandkids pics of our pandemic Disney trip complete with very likely once in a lifetime extremely low crows. At this point I feel like once all of the bad news is out there we might start to see some good news coming out? I could be wrong, but here is hoping.
Thanks for your positive thoughts Tom! We are scheduled for mid-September. Two things that I haven’t seen mentioned (or missed it) is whether all the resort pools will be open; and whether the Skyliner will be running. These are both must-haves for us. My sense of logic tells me that they should be open and running, but hey……
Thanks,
Cindy
Yes, we’re booked at CBR, and I was wondering about Skyliner access too!
I would think that the Skyliner would be safer from a C-19 standpoint, so they’d want to run it. Negative- no good way to sanitize the Skyliner between riders. Positive- even at 20% occupancy I’m not sure they can practice safe distancing on the buses. They’ve been jammed to the gills whenever I ridden them. Overall, I’d rather chance riding on a non-sanitized Skyliner than taking a bus.
Thanks for your continued up to date articles,that give me hope “ for a great big beautiful tomorrow”. I won’t be coming to WDW this year because of my age and risk factors with pandemic.
However, I took your advice last year and took a spontaneous trip in beginning of Oct. with 5 days notice. I had one ADR and about 5 fast passes for the week. I RODE MORE RIDES AND MET MORE CHARACTERS AND SAW MORE LIVE ENTERTAINMENT THAN I HAD IN YEARS! Your advice was spot on. I visited one park each day and arrived before opening and most days left parks between 12-2 having riden all the headliners and everything else I wanted! On Magic Kingdom day I rode all but 5 rides including all the mountains!
I wish I could join in the fun if your predictions are correct for the upcoming months. If my health allowed I would relish crowds that I haven’t enjoyed since offseason in the 1980’s and very early1990’s. I’d gladly strap on a mask and go if I could…..maybe not for my first trip or a one and only trip…..but as a regular heck ya!
For now I’ll have to be content with my goal of watching every full length feature Disney ever made….and of course reading your articles.
My sister and I, originally booked a sister trip for her Birthday, this weekend. When everything shut down we rescheduled our trip for the second week in August. Not our ideal plan because of the heat, but we have modified our packing list so we should be fine. We are so excited about the idea of light crowds and photo ops not normally possible because of the crowds. We are planning to come back for the 50th, so are current plan is to relax take it easy, sleep in and go with flow with no plans, well maybe a dining reservation when you make them again.
I’ll withhold judgment until we see how this actually pans out. But, without the evening extravaganzas, meet & greets, character dining, and all the other niceties and interactions we expect Disney to have, it will be little more than a very expensive amusement park without the magical bubble. It will look like Disney, but the experience will be more like watching Disney on TV, without the in-person immersion. You can wave at the princesses but not get your picture taken with them. You can have breakfast and see Mickey or Tigger, but they won’t be coming to your table for personal photo ops or a high-five. And how do you end a long sweaty summer day without the awesome fireworks and projections on the castle?
I understand the need… for now… but it sure won’t be the Disney we all know and love. And speaking of that, I sure hope we’re back to normal for the big 50th celebration. For the past 2 years I’ve been looking forward to a big July 2021 stayover week, to commemorate 50 years since my first trip as a kid in July 1972.
I have a trip planned for the beginning of October with a few girlfriends. I told them up front that we may not get the traditional Disney experience. I work in healthcare and at this point am so ready for a change of scenery and a break from work. Also we go to Disney fairly regularly so missing out on a few things isn’t as detrimental to us. The lower crowds and spontaneity will be a welcomed change. I could see it being hard for people who have never been and dreaming of certain entertainment options or certain restaurants. As long as some hotel restaurants/bars are open and the weather is nice, we are totally okay with not getting into the parks every day of our trip. Hopefully we can replace a theme park day with a monorail bar crawl day instead.
I’ll still be heading from Southern California to Central Florida next week for a much needed getaway. But instead of a 11-night trip with my Wife staying at the Polynesian, Riviera and Wilderness Lodge which includes the Theme Parks, H2O Parks, Disney Springs & a ton of Disney Resort Hopping, this one will be an 8-night solo-excursion staying at the Universal DoubleTree, Wyndham Lake Buena Vista & Orlando International Hyatt Regency.
Much, much, much different than I would have thought 6 months ago.
I’ll spend a ton of time exploring Citywalk, the Universal Hotels, perhaps those Parks, and Disney Springs.
I’m also oddly very excited about my stay inside the MCO airport before my early morning flight out. I’ve always wanted to stay at that hotel, but Magical Express made it kind of pointless.
I think the whole trip will be a blast.
Not the type of WDW vacation most people would enjoy, but I’m a strange cat.
And hopefully, my Wife & I can still a enjoy somewhat “normal” WDW trip this December at Wilderness Lodge & Boardwalk Resort.
everybody wants to be a cat! love your attitude
This sounds great! The changed itinerary might have been out of necessity, but it’ll probably end up being fabulous, you’ll experience things you otherwise never would have, and you’ll be so pleased with having forged ahead with the trip. I have also always wanted to stay at the hotel inside MCO & never done it for the same reason. One day! I wish you a fantastic holiday! Cheers.
Thanks for the enlightening and positive outlook on these changes. My family has a trip planned for December, around Christmas time. We love the park hopper option, as it affords us (all adults) the ability to hit our favorite attractions in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, then head to Epcot for a slower, more relaxing evening. Does anyone have any insight as to 1) Whether their best educated opinion suggests that masks will still be required in late December. 2) Whether the park hopper option is likely to be available again for that time. Thank you!
We are still going the first week of September. We have 3 little kids, and character meet and greets are a big deal to them, but I decided to just put a positive spin on it all. I told them they’ll still get to see the characters but won’t have to wait in line to do it, and that they might get to ride rides more than once. We also told them it will be a special way to experience Disney without as many people. I told them I’ll do a princess makeover since our girls won’t get BBB, and they may be more excited for me to do it myself, haha. Instead of looking at everything we are not getting, I’m looking at what we are getting. As long as my husband and I have positive attitudes and make it fun for them, then I know they’ll love it and we’ll make special memories. Also, we are staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge, which was their number one choice. If we delay it, we won’t be able to do that because our youngest is under 3, and still free. 5+ occupancy there goes up by double the price. I honestly don’t know how the next year will go and if they’ll re-close with a second wave, plus an anniversary year next year and everyone from this year rebooking for next year. I could delay and not get my dining reservations and fast pass reservations I prefer, so it would just be delaying to do similar things with more crowds. Fireworks and parades aren’t a deal breaker for us – 2 kids scared of fireworks, and while the parades are amazing, they aren’t any of our top choices. And all the money we’ll actually save from not doing character dining, experiences, etc. We‘ll be back in a few years, and I’m hoping things will be back to normal then (surely!). But this year, we’ll enjoy this very unique experience and make the most of it to make great family memories! Basically everything in this post is what I’ve been thinking, and I was so happy to read it!
Right on, you!
We have reservations for late September. It’s me and my 15 & 18 year old boys. The “missing” experiences don’t really concern me as we rarely take advantage of parades, shows, or meet & greets and only sometimes watch fireworks. I had the DDP in our reservation but only because I was hoping for free dining. My main concerns are the health rules (absolutely not debating at all, just stating it may be a deal breaker for us) and the fact that I actually wasn’t expecting any discounts. I never go full price (product of growing up in Florida and being an AP much of my life) and I’m not sure it would be worth it with the reduced hours + no park hopping. We are in North Georgia. We usually drive but would likely fly due to an abundance of Southwest credit after several canceled flights this spring. My plan is to see how July and early August play out before full payment is due. We may push it back to November. We may go in both Sept and Nov. Looking forward to the second half tomorrow and also your assessment in July.
I also appreciate the positive approach. I actually just talked with my kiddos about the trip would be what we make it. And if we go in with a positive attitude we’ll have a great time an if we go in with a bad attitude it won’t be any fun. So we are planning on keeping our December trip and just changing our expectations. I do hope some of the restrictions are lifted by then. Mostly fireworks and I would really like my dining plan back (it wasn’t free we were paying for it) and not having to wear a mask would be awesome, but we’re going to go and enjoy the trip. My only concern would be how can I be sure we’ll get park reservations? I would hate to travel all the way there and have our tickets/resort reservation and still not be able to get into the park we want. I hope we get a lot more information about that soon!