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 think one of the big “What will Disney do” questions has to be paying full price for Annual Passes but no longer having the ultimate in flexibility and availability (depending on type of pass a Passholder has) to attend the park when you want too (based on the reservations needed to attend for all park goers). There are some compensations being made to Disney Shanghai Annual Passholders, I think along the lines of everyday you can’t get a reservation a day is added to your Annual Pass ending date? I don’t know, but this has to be addressed.
Even that is not an equitable solution. If an AP holder has Saturdays free to visit, but is unable to secure reservations for 4 weekends, that’s a month of delay, yet under those terms, they would only be credited for a 4 day extension. That’s not even enough to “get to the next weekend” from today. The clock needs to NOT restart until they delete the reservation lottery AND reinstate the Disney feature, experiences, and benefits we passholders PAID FOR IN ADVANCE. Honestly, folks, that is what’s at stake here.
We paid $700 per-pass for a certain experience, which today Disney cannot provide. I understand the pandemic is not their fault; it’s not ours either. I won’t ask for any refund, meaning Disney gets to keep (and earn interest on) the $2000+ paid in advance, but in return I expect the clock to remain paused until the experiences, features, and benefits I “prepaid” for return. I think that is more than fair for both sides.
This is the content we need right now. Thanks, Tom.
Okay, now you have me excited to go in September. We are AP holders and have rented DVC points for a split stay at Boardwalk and Beach Club, which we cannot cancel or move. At first I was super bummed about all we planned that we can’t do now, but you’re right. This is an opportunity to slow down and actually just enjoy a relaxing vacation. A lot of the stress is now gone; kind of cool.
This article was fantastic! It made me think about all the things I’m still looking forward to when we go down in October, in no particular order:
1. Getting our money’s worth out of Animal Kingdom Lodge since park hours will probably still be decreased.
2. An excuse to trying some new restaurants if our favorites are closed or not affordable without the dining plan.
3. Actually going on rides since there won’t be a 1-2 hour wait
4. One last hurrah as childless adults in Disney World
5. Enjoying a much needed vacation after a couple of crazy years
All that being said…I’m still crossing my fingers they bring back the MK fireworks 🙂
I am very much looking forward to our August trip for all of these reasons. While I enjoy planning (and sometimes over planning) I am looking forward to experiencing Disney during this time as it will probably (hopefully!) never happen again. There is something about being spontaneous at Disney that I can’t wait to experience. So what if I have to have a Mickey Pretzel for dinner?
I am however concerned about the pause and hold on reservations. We booked our stay (DVC) for the end of October and bought our MNSSHP tickets. We did not, however purchase our park tickets. I am hopeful that we will still be able to purchase those tickets prior to our trip.
This is the best post you’ve ever written and I thank you for writing it.
We were going to visit in the first week of December, but decided to push it back to the first week of February. Hoping things will be a bit more settled by then, and international travel (I have a friend coming in from Ireland for her first trip) opened up.
Love the positivity! I’m trying! Being local like you and going so often does have some different considerations than a person who hasn’t gone in years and three seniors that have never gone. Cross fingers and hope for the best in December.
2020…. aaaarrrrrhhhhh
We started the year in February with our 9 year old daughter being diagnosed with bone cancer, which she is going through treatment and that’s supposed to finish September!
Then we thought we might be able to do a trip end of year, Nov/Dec .
We then get this pandemic, which is scary and trying to stay safe from!
So now we dont know when with all the restrictions, changes and possible risks!
From the UK
So sorry you have been through so much.This is just my opinion but she still has a compromised immune system. She should not be in Disney yet. Reschedule for when things are better. Hope all goes well.
I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. I am not going to give medical advice or tell you if you should go, that is completely out of line for anyone on this blog to say, and I’m plenty sure that you have very knowledgeable doctors to help make that decision. I am going to say that I hope you are all able to go very soon, and your daughter and your family have a wonderful time!
Wow. You are having a year. I imagine that it would be pretty great to wrap up 2020 with your daughter in remission and a family trip to Disney. Sending your daughter and your family wishes for a speedy recovery. And hope for a magical trip to Disney when that happens.
Oh my, the decision of rebooking looms! We managed to book a bounce back offer for free dining the week of Christmas to New Years, that seems to be no longer an option. Making a special trip to get the offer then to lose the free dining, for an eight day vacation with a family of five, can not be made up with a 35% off room offer! I know there is so much at play here….. just so sad for so many!
If my son still lived in Orlando and I still had my AP, I would go as soon as it opened and stay until my son kicked me out of his apartment! I think those local AP holders will love having the park to themselves.
I’ve always wanted to go for my birthday, but being in Christmas week, and generally feeling insane crowd adverse, it’s never happened. But this might be the year for it, if I can get it booked with all the capacity caps. I’m ok with waiting on lines, so long as I don’t have to be elbow to elbow with everyone.
Im staying on the +positive side… our trip is coming soon. July 27-31 with 2 b-days in there. We had everything planned to the dot. But, it is was it is!! We are going to pixie dust (Magic) it ourselves â€â™€ï¸ Hope people really start thinking more +positive. #Disney 2020/ Stay +
Excited for part 2! I’ve been thinking the same thing…there might be a golden opportunity for a less busy, spontaneous visit that could harken back to the memories I have of visiting as a child in the 90s. Elements missing plus the extra necessary precautions would be a bummer, but a less crowded park and no need to prebook experiences sounds too appealing to pass up!
We have a family trip planned for the first week in December. I have been planning this trip since around November of last year. We have been dreaming of a Disney vacation for the past few years, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to spend the money on it. With our girls getting older (jr. high and high school), we decided it was time to take the trip before the they are off to college. Since we homeschool, early December is the perfect time to enjoy the holidays without the extreme crowds or missed school work. We are on the fence about keeping our plans. My husband and I have differing opinions on what we’re willing to give up to keep our scheduled trip. He doesn’t want to go if we have to wear masks, or if any of the fireworks and shows are cancelled. I haven’t decided how I feel about any of it yet. I have been excitedly planning our trip, so the thought of not going breaks my heart. My husband just sees the dollar signs for a sub par experience that we’ve waited a long time for. I see his point, but… Since our trip isn’t until December, I am taking the wait and see stance. We’ve rented DVC points from a member, so I’m not sure if we can even get our money back if we cancel. We’ve already purchased the park tickets, and I know that we won’t get money back on those (just a credit towards new dates). With all of the money already spent, I’,m leaning towards going anyway. We shall see, I guess.
Hi Michelle,
If you rented points through David’s, it is non-refundable. I’m sure other DVC rentals are similar. From what I read, after they closed Disney, David’s was working with owners and DVC to come to some sort of reimbursement agreement but I don’t think everyone got their money back, probably most didn’t. if the parks are open at the time of your stay, then I would say it’s highly unlikely you would get your money back. Check in with whoever you rented from. And as far as claimable through insurance, it would naturally be dependent on the terms of your agreement. We have insurance but in order to get our money back for our DVC rental, Disney would have to be shuttered or the border closed. (we live in Canada) Good luck with your decision but definitely check about the point! That might be your decision made for you. We are going the first week in December too (Boardwalk)! (cross fingers – we have decided to drive to avoid the whole plane situation)
I agree with FairyGodDaughter. I love the time I spend planning. I do know what I will eat (and where) six months in advance. I will miss that until it returns. However, I remember back in the late 70’s and early 80’s when I took my children to Disney World in March — no lines, no wait, sometimes we could stay on the ride and go around again. You could eat in any restaurant without waiting. It will be like traveling back in time. All this will be very interesting.
Julia, I think it will be very interesting also. I remember those times in the 70’s and 80’s so well! So here’s hoping that we’ll have some refreshingly simpler experiences and that we find places to eat!!
I was nodding along with ALMOST all of your article–till you got to the point where you thought that there wouldn’t be “disrupters” who refuse to go along with the rules.
I feel like you can’t go through a single day at Disney without seeing some guest completely blow up at a staff member over something they could have known about with minimal advance research online (and maybe did know and are just throwing a fuss to get a guest services freebie). Some prime examples are: “I’m not leaving until you let me and my family go inside to eat in the Castle without a reservation–don’t you know how much I paid for this vacation???” It’s not fair that those guests get to go through the fastpass line–nobody told me you had to make fastpasses for flight of passage before showing up today!!!! I insist that you remove the automatic 18% gratuity for our party of 6–that’s an outrage!!!!
I think you are very much overestimating the average person’s ability/motivation to find out the rules before they go, and/or vastly underestimating people’s willingness to throw a big stink over a rule they know full well exists.
So true–you know people will be complaining even more now about all the health and safety measures also as well as the usual things!
I agree. There’s something about Disney that brings out the worst in self-entitled people. My Mom was at Disney Springs today enjoying the chance to get out of the house. It wasn’t crowded and most people were following the rules. But there’s always that one family – carrying their drinks around to thwart the mask rule, not even attempting to mask the kids and generally walking around with an attitude daring someone to object. *sigh*
Hey Tom,
Any thoughts on why they’re opening the parks at 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00 AM? I would’ve assumed that a uniform 9:00 AM opening across all parks would help to spread out the masses? Thanks – Adam
Not Tom but I believe when this was discussed in another post–it is because of social distancing on buses–so all the buses can do one park at a time?
Thanks- that makes sense. Dispersing bus stop crowds. I had been only thinking about crowds at the gates.
Great post, Tom! I love your sense of adventure. For me the big takeaway is that if you’re a WDW regular and want to check something out that may never happen again, go for it! I’m going for it!
I’ve been planning on September since before Covid-19 shut everything down and the parks closed. I’ll still be going for my original dates as planned and while I’m upset I no longer have my free dining and my reservations will be canceled I am still excited to see the parks again and to have a trip that isn’t as planned out. I’m sure Disney will do their best to make sure all of their guests still have a magical trip and I am counting down the days.
We went for our first time in 10 years last Nov for the Christmas party and in Jan for 3 nights for Galaxy’s Edge and Animal Kingdom. All of the planning aids were new to us.
I made lots of pre-arrival plans 180 days out as I love planning vacations BUT once there I loved planning with the MDE app on the day before or day of and changed the reservations multiple times as we changed our minds or ran late watching Kylo Ren or something.
I got all our desired ADR’s and Fast Passes except Be Our Guest, even Ohana and Avatar, as other people cancelled at the end of the cancellation period. And Be Our Guest I found only a week out from our party day.
I just checked during down times. It was like a fun game to see if something would show up on the app.
At late 40’s in age, our plan for Dec is one ‘must do’ a day (which I buy ahead), no waiting in a line over 45 min, a nap between 1-3pm, and two real meals a day.
Tickets to the new Disney Cirque du Soleil show at Disney Springs are still selling as normal as I just bought them for arrival day.
A day for rides/holiday sights and a leisurely brunch on leaving day and we’re all set.
God bless you and your families.