Disney World’s COVID Closure: Changes, Cutbacks & What’s Still Missing 6 Years Later.

ByTom Bricker
68 Comments

I still remember where Sarah and I were when the announcement was made that, out of an abundance of caution, the theme parks at Walt Disney World would close on March 15, 2020 through the end of that month. It was one of those moments anyone paying attention knew was coming, but still hit like a ton of bricks. (How many of you had a sinking feeling just from seeing the above graphic?)

We had become acutely aware of COVID two months earlier, as the impacts on Hong Kong Disneyland and Shanghai Disneyland were playing out even before both closed on January 25, 2020. Still, it felt distant–literally and figuratively. That changed for us when Tokyo Disney Resort closed on February 28, 2020 and COVID waves swept through Europe in the days and weeks thereafter. Then CEO Bob Iger abruptly stepped down, which we assumed even at the time was really due to the ramifications of COVID and not a careful-but-secret succession plan.

The gravity of the situation for the United States came into full focus on March 11, 2020. That fateful evening when Tom Hanks announced he had COVID, and NBA player Rudy Gobert tested positive. Within minutes, the dominos started falling. The NBA suspended its season, setting the stage for most other sports leagues, large scale events, theme parks, and more to do the same in the hours and days after. An announcement the next day that Walt Disney World and Disneyland would close was thus inevitable, but yet another gut-punch that made things feel more real. Uncertain. Scary.

Six years later, I could contribute a complete oral history of the Walt Disney World COVID closures to the record. It’s funny–I can watch a movie on Netflix and completely forget what happened within weeks. But I remember so many moments and days of the COVID era in vivid detail. I wish I didn’t.

I remember the weeks and days leading up to the closures. Our last ‘for fun’ parks visits, as part of Moonlight Magic in Magic Kingdom and the opening of Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Our last ‘for research’ visits, as we monitored operational changes pre-closure. The massive crowds in the parks, and the sharp contrast with the mid-July and beyond dates that followed.

During the lockdown portion of the COVID closure, Sarah and I would take nightly walks in our neighborhood, talking about the aftermath of COVID and how the world would forever change.

Neither of us believed Walt Disney World and Disneyland would be closed only until the end of that month. We had been watching the markets and everything else, and it was pretty clear that this was another 9/11 in terms of the long tail consequences–if not worse. Summer felt like the best-case scenario, with sometime in 2021 a distinct possibility.

A lot of what we expected would happen was, thankfully, way off base. Long before “revenge travel” entered our collective vernacular, analysts predicted a prolonged recession, with travel not recovering for 5 years, if ever. As the stock market got pummeled, a prolonged recession seemed like the baseline scenario.

While walking through our Horizon West community, we predicted that homes under construction wouldn’t be finished and future development on the just-started next phase would pause for years. Work resumed a couple of weeks later, the next phase was built and sold out quickly, and our old neighborhood is almost unrecognizable from when we moved in. I made a lot of other very bad guesses about how things would unfold, thankfully.

And even today as I’m typing this, I have a sinking feeling in my stomach. I don’t want to relive those final days the parks were open, the long drives to Trader Joe’s through a desolate Walt Disney World, hotel stays in the early days of the phased reopening, or ghost town park visits in August. I’ve come to appreciate moderately busy days in the parks, as people give them life, and don’t like eerily uncrowded dates that remind me of the phased reopening.

I’m also guessing that, aside from the handful of you who have asked for a ‘history’ of Walt Disney World during COVID, there’s little desire to read about what happened. You either remember and don’t need it, or don’t remember and don’t want to. If you do for whatever reason, here’s a selection of contemporaneous COVID posts:

In that spirit, let’s just move right along to what was lost and still hasn’t returned in the 6 years since Walt Disney World closed on March 15, 2020.

Gone for Good?

The COVID era was a tumultuous time that offered Disney the cloak of the phased reopening as an excuse to reset the guest experience–and consumer expectations. We know from contemporaneous interviews with then-CEO Bob Chapek and Josh D’Amaro that Walt Disney World would use the pandemic as an opportunity to make decisions that would otherwise be unpopular and met by fierce fan backlash.

Here’s a list of the permanent changes, cuts, etc. to the guest experience:

  • Extra Magic Hours
  • Park Hours
  • Disney’s Magical Express
  • Airport Luggage Handling
  • Resort Merchandise Delivery
  • Tables in Wonderland
  • Free FastPass
  • Free MagicBands
  • Maintenance, Upkeep & Ride Downtime
  • Emphasis on Mobile Order, Table Service To-Go, Walk-Up Waitlist, etc.

These are all hugely consequential changes to the guest experience, and I don’t want to simply gloss over them. But the fact of the matter is that we’ve written countless articles about each of these changes, and there’s really not more that can–or needs to be–said.

The bottom line is that if you visited in 2019 or earlier, you already know what’s missing in terms of the guest experience. If you’re a relative newcomer to Walt Disney World and have only started visiting in the post-reopening era, I cannot overstate this: ignorance is bliss.

It’s going to be tough to unring any of these bells, but “gone for good” is not necessarily accurate. Forever is a long time horizon, and we’ve already seen some “permanent” changes rolled back. As much as D’Amaro gushed about park reservations, those have been mostly undone for everyone but Annual Passholders. I could easily foresee a time when park reservations are gone for good in Florida.

One example of this that we’ve started to see play out in the last year is the return of Airport Luggage Transfer. While currently only available as part of a limited pilot program for guests who fly Southwest Airlines and stay at the Value Resorts, the intention is to scale that up and bring it back for everyone. It’s just taking time to get off the ground.

Once that does happen, though, it also arguably lays the groundwork for the return of Disney’s Magical Express. That’s not idle speculation or wishful thinking–read Will Disney’s Magical Express Airport Shuttle Ever Return? for an explanation of why the airport wants DME back, and is willing to subsidize the cost!

There are other entries on the above list of ‘gone for good’ things that could make a surprise return, especially if there’s an economic downturn and Walt Disney World needs to scramble to pull more “levers” to incentivize demand. In other words, as highly improbable as anything on the above list changing or returning at this point might seem, never say never.

Construction Cancellations

Less than one week after the parks closed came the word that all construction was being paused at Walt Disney World. This would result in lengthy delays for certain projects, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and TRON Lightcycle Run. All of those attractions were slated to debut in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary (speaking of something upended by the COVID closure, the lackluster “World’s Most Magical Celebration” is a prime example).

Then there are the projects that were cancelled or attractions that were shuttered and never reopened. Here’s a rundown:

  • Primeval Whirl
  • Stitch’s Great Escape
  • Main Street Theater
  • Mary Poppins Cherry Tree Lane Expansion at EPCOT
  • Spaceship Earth Reimagining
  • Play Pavilion
  • EPCOT Multi-Level Festival Center
  • EPCOT Central Spine (The Good Stuff)

Some of these entries are almost certainly not COVID cancellations. Reflections, for example, is now happening–just by a different name. Primeval Whirl is technically a COVID closure since it operated in March 2020 and never reopened, but the writing was already on the wall–and had been for years.

Stitch’s Great Escape is even more tenuous, as it had not been open pre-closure for a couple of years. COVID was the final nail in its coffin and became the point of no return for a possible seasonal status of the show.

Of the above list, it’s arguable that only the final four entries of ‘EPCOT stuff’ were actually cancelled due to COVID and would’ve opened otherwise. The Mary Poppins flat ride was on thin ice pre-closure, and might’ve never come to fruition. But we were absolutely deprived a reimagining of the central spine of EPCOT and a new festival center that actually would’ve been good.

When it comes to cancelled construction, the bigger impacts are the unknowns. Early 2020 was shaping up to be a banner year for Walt Disney World. After the opening months of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge underperformed expectations the previous fall, attendance was through the roof from December 2019 through mid-March 2020. It would’ve almost certainly been a record-setting year for Walt Disney World.

Between that and a 50th Anniversary celebration that was actually good and would’ve fueled attendance–not to mention billions of dollars not diverted to Disney+ during the COVID closures–it’s likely that the 2021 D23 Expo would’ve been huge for Walt Disney World announcements. There were several on the table that were held back in 2019, and those probably would’ve become official in 2021. So the big story here is what could have been.

What’s Still Missing

In addition to things we know have forever changed and Walt Disney World has no intentions of bringing back, there’s still a lot that’s “missing” and could return at any point. It’s far-fetched for some of the entries on this list, but it’s still possible. 

Here’s just a partial list of the atmospheric acts and shows that are still conspicuous omissions from Walt Disney World entertainment lineup:

  • Citizens of Hollywood
  • Jedi Training Academy
  • Citizens of Main Street
  • Main Street Trolley Show
  • Pandora Rangers & Drummers

It boggles the mind that some of this is still missing. Jedi Training Academy was absolutely adored by guests, and was a ‘magical moment’ for so many kids and their families who had the chance to participate. It couldn’t have been that expensive to produce, was enjoyed by guests even without participating children, and had to help sell plenty of lightsabers. Another make it make sense entry to this list.

Then there are the larger-scale entertainment offerings. On the nighttime front, the following remain missing:

  • Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
  • Once Upon a Time
  • The Kiss Goodnight
  • Cinderella Castle Dream Lights
  • Rivers of Light

Of this list, losing Rivers of Light was and is the most brutal. That nighttime spectacular, and the initiative behind it to turn Animal Kingdom into an ‘after dark’ park, lasted for less time than it was in development. It’s still hard to believe that Walt Disney World just gave up on keeping guests in Animal Kingdom after 3 pm after putting years of effort and untold millions of dollars into the push.

But even when the parks were doing gangbuster business in early 2020, Rivers of Light wasn’t playing to packed houses. Maybe the writing was on the wall for DAK as a nighttime park, and it needed Tropical Americas even then.

The Kiss Goodnight was one of those if you know, you know magical moments. One of those ‘big little’ things that left such an indelible impression on the guests who saw it that it could help turn them into lifelong fans. Words, photos, and even video cannot do it justice.

We nevertheless tried, singing its praises in “The Kiss Goodnight: The Greatest Thing Most Guests Don’t See” and “The Kiss Goodnight, Revisited.” (Two articles about something that lasts only a couple of minutes–that should say everything that needs to be said!)

Then there’s the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. We’ve been on something of a crusade to convince fans to convince Walt Disney World to bring it back. Again, words and photos cannot do it justice. I’ll never pass up the opportunity to sing the praises of the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights. Those icicle lights were one of our favorite things about Christmas at Walt Disney World for the decade-plus prior to them being cancelled in 2020.

I remain convinced that bringing back the Dream Lights is one of the best ways for Disney to entice longtime fans to visit for Christmas 2026. It still makes no sense to me that the Cinderella Castle Dream Lights are still gone. Like Disney’s Magical Express, this feels like an accountant failing to see the forest for the trees.

A lot has changed with WDW dining since February 2020. This seems like such a little and inconsequential thing, but we hear from longtime Walt Disney World fans who are still disappointed by restaurants or special meal options that are still missing:

  • Be Our Guest Restaurant – Breakfast & Counter Service Lunch
  • Brunch at California Grill
  • Dining with an Imagineer
  • Plaza Restaurant – Breakfast
  • Trattoria al Forno – Bon Voyage Character Breakfast
  • Pizzafari Family Style Dining
  • Restaurantosaurus Burgers & Sundaes
  • Restaurant Marrakesh

What’s interesting here is that Walt Disney World had been making a push in the few years prior to increase the number of ‘interesting’ or novel dining options. Many of the entries on this list weren’t even that old–they were part of that initiative.

Losing Bon Voyage Breakfast was a big one. Same goes with breakfast and lunch at Be Our Guest Restaurant–a venue that’s fairly beloved, but not for the current prix fixe dinner. Probably less significant to average guests, but we really miss Brunch at the Top.

On a positive note, there’s still hope for both of these! Although it took several years, 1900 Park Fare did finally return following a refurbishment to the restaurant. And Garden View Tea Room at the Grand Floridian was just removed from the list above because it’s on the precipice of reopening in March 2026 after a six-plus year closure!

So there’s still hope for all of the above, especially as ADR demand is on the decline. Disney is “discovering” that spicing things up with unique upcharge offerings is a smart strategy. Just as it was in 2019.

Similarly, menus were scaled back and simplified during the phased reopening. Although strides have been made since then, many locations are still shadows of their former selves as compared with February 2020. The trend up until that point had been one of improvement, especially as ‘Disney food’ became an attraction unto itself and reason for repeat visits.

Just look at the formidable restaurant roster at Disney’s Riviera Resort when it opened in December 2019. It’s still strong, but locations like Primo Piatto (instantly the #1 counter service at Walt Disney World upon debut) are nothing like they once were.

As Disney’s dearly-departed CFO famously put it, substitutions were made, suppliers were changed, and portion sizes were decreased for the sake of guests’ waistlines (you’re welcome). In fairness to Disney, part of this is due to the externality of inflation–and similar changes have happened everywhere–but the proximate cause of that is COVID.

Another big change to the ‘eating experience’ at Walt Disney World came via the Disney Dining Plan. That’s now back, but with only half the tiers that existed in February 2020, and dramatically higher prices for adults. Our anecdotal impression is that between price hikes and cutbacks, the DDP is far less popular than it once was.

Even Free Dining has been less popular in the last 2 years in early 2020. It seems very clear to us that guest spending has been reallocated away from other discretionary purchases at Walt Disney World in order to afford Lightning Lanes.

This is evident in ADR availability, Disney Dining Plan interest, and even Free Dining uptake vs. room-only discounts. Demonstrating yet again that the impacts of the COVID closure have been multifaceted and far-reaching, even with changes that have been seeming undone or among offerings that have been restored.

At the exact opposite end of the spectrum, there are guests who miss the “opportunity” to spend even more money at Walt Disney World on experience enhancements–a fancy term for upcharges. There’s still a lot in the Enchanting Extras Collection (and associated add-ons) that gives Walt Disney World a tremendous amount of repeatability for regulars.

Things like certain behind the scenes or VIP tours, dining or dessert parties, early or late park access, and much more. The big one for us is the EPCOT festival seminars and experiences–without those, Food & Wine has lost a lot of its luster. (They’re also missing from other festivals, but it’s most glaring at Food & Wine.)

Although I’m not huge on upcharges, I’d likewise love to see another themed After Hours at Magic Kingdom event. The short-lived Villains After Hours was better than the vanilla version, and it’s about time Walt Disney World revived the Pirates & Princess concept. I’d also love to see a Nostalgia Nite at Magic Kingdom with Wishes, Disney Afternoon characters, and more.

Ultimately, a lot has changed at Walt Disney World since Spring 2020 and, six years later, there’s still much that’s missing from the guest experience in addition to what’s likely gone for good. The impacts of the COVID closures cannot be overstated, as it’s not just a matter of what was directly lost starting March 15, 2020.

Sure, we can watch this brilliant piece of marketing and be depressed all over again about the obvious cuts and changes. But it’s also all of the indirect changes and cascading effects of the closure. It’s not just the projects that were cancelled, ride closures, or entertainment cutbacks–it’s also the unannounced additions that would have happened, but for COVID.

The delays, feet-dragging, and glacially-slow phased reopening. The coupling of “revenge travel” with excessive losses on streaming that gave rise to and helped justify guest unfriendly changes.

Since we cannot go back and change that, what’s most important is all of the little things that are somehow still missing. In aggregate, these made a tremendous positive impact to the guest experience.

These are the things that could come back any day now–the damage that can be undone. That’s precisely why a disproportionate emphasis of this article is on these seemingly insignificant (but not really!) things–because there’s still hope for them. It’s beyond time to restore these aspects of the guest experience, ensuring that Walt Disney World is a world-class vacation destination that keeps forging new fans, and diehards continue to fall in love with all over again with each visit.

This is what Walt Disney World is all about. It’s not just the little details in themed design or placemaking, it’s also that attention to detail in the guest experience. Going above and beyond in ways big and small. Enhancements guests may not notice in isolation or mostly wouldn’t mourn if missing, but that collectively make Walt Disney World feel like a well-oiled machine and a world-class vacation destination where every guest is a VIP. Giving guests things they never knew they needed.

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

What are the biggest changes, cutbacks and cancellations at Walt Disney World due to COVID? How has the experience changed for you today versus 6 years ago? What would you like to see done to improve the guest experience and satisfaction at Walt Disney World? Which of the entries on this list have a realistic chance of coming to fruition? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!

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68 Comments

  1. Grand Floridian Society Orchestra is so sorely missed. Anyone who has sat in that lobby , relaxing and listening will know the feeling. Does not feel the same

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  2. Here are two other things that we miss that aren’t specifically in the post.

    The meet and greets that used to happen outside Hollywood Studios (between the ticket booths and where you scan your bands) with some of the characters from the Fantasmic Show. This was a great way to meet and interact with some unique characters without long waits! Maybe this one has returned and we just haven’t found it again.

    The Christmas packages that used to be offered, I guess this one falls into the upcharges that haven’t returned. We booked the package in December 2019 and loved the extras we got at the parks as well as the Christmas presents that were delivered to our room. We also attended the villains after hours event in August 2019 and would love to see that return too!

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  3. One of the only good things about COVID was when the parks reopened, I was able to get quickly on rides like Soarin’ & Flight of Passage. I remember before COVID, to get on Flight of Passage, I booked a staycation just to get the earlier Fast Pass window. I hated wearing masks, though, & hated seeing other people wearing masks. They’re ugly & remind me of my surgery phobia, since surgeons wear them. I’ve been collecting theme park photos off the internet for years, & during COVID, would try to get ones without people in them, because I didn’t want to save any mask imagery. During the lockdown, I watched a lot of ride & parade videos from theme parks around the world.

    I relate to Tom talking about films about COVID not being likely. I followed Garfield, Luann, & Pearls before Swine comic strips, & only Pearls before Swine dealt with living with COVID. The others depicted life as it had always been, & I liked it that way, even though Pearls’ humor about the situation did help. Same for the contemporary Harlequin romance novels I read–just life as normal. Only now that COVID is generally over have I noticed 2 recent books referring to there having been a COVID pandemic in their fictional universe, one book talking about students going back to a physical school, & the other having a Mom mistake her daughter’s pregnancy test for a COVID test. I write fanfic, & I don’t like the idea of my favorite characters having to wear masks, so I mentioned in the big anime one I was working on that a time traveling character had stopped a virus from leaking out of a lab in Wuhan, thus showing the COVID epidemic was prevented from happening in my fanfic’s verse. I saw a glimpse of the sitcom “The Connors” & they showed their characters wearing masks & I was so glad I didn’t follow that show.

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  4. What about the Grand Floridian Soviet Orchestra? Anybody who knew this band understands what is missing from that hotel and lobby. Such a beautiful sounding band. Also miss Tables in Wonderland which has not been reactivated

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    2. Critics say Disney isn’t a proud American company these days, but I dunno, few things more distinctly patriotic than cancelling the Soviets!

  6. This blog has gotten me through some dark times since I started reading nearly a decade ago, none more so than the early days of COVID. I remember the articles from that era so well, especially the one about the Cats of Disneyland taking over and the one celebrating Lt. Bek. That article is a big reason why I gasped in awe my first time on Rise of the Resistance. Here was the hero I had seen celebrated literally inches away from me. I’ve never reacted to an animatronic like that before even after years of going to the parks. I actually cried when we got to the end and he was ok.
    Thank you again, Tom for everything you do here.

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    1. Thanks for the incredibly kind words, and for sharing your story–that put a smile on my face!

      The weird posts in the early days of COVID were largely for my own sanity and to try to spread some joy. I’m glad they were effective in that regard, but I’m guessing some people stumble on them now and are left scratching their heads.

  7. We were so all in on Disney (2 DVC-direct contracts even) and had our last visit three weeks before shutdown. Magical and awesome as ever, even with the fraying edges. Then, the delayed open put the handwriting on the wall for us. We sold the contracts and haven’t been back. I’m gutted by your list of what is still in the COVID boneyard. These were little things (some big, admittedly) that made Disney magical instead of a collection of nicely themed rides. We may never go back. I honestly hope Epic Universe kicks Disney’s butt and they rediscover their creativity. Until then, it’s the real world for us (eight countries, four continents and counting since 2022). Turns out the Real Life EPCOT is more magical and cheaper than the Lake Buena Vista version.

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  8. I remember the menus becoming identical and bland across all restaurants and resorts, the same braised beef, grilled chicken, or steak meals at coral reef, BOG, CRT, and so on. The same breakfast at Yacht Club, GF, Contemporary, and so on. All very boring and bland….surprisingly it is still homogenous after all the complaints (I stopped getting the after resort stay survey requests, I wonder why). F&W last year was probably one of the worst. Art festival hasn’t been good for 10 years. The capacity issue for rides is mind boggling. We hear of a new ride in the works and get excited for the increased capacity, then find out they’re ousting Tom Sawyer for it, for a ride that is based on a movie from 20+ years ago. Not very imaginative. And Disney spent millions to drain it for refurb in 2020…how wasteful now to get rid of it. (The Steamboat is on tracks but MK ferry isn’t) What idiots are running this clown show? They’re quickly burning through all the brand building loyalty that was created pre-Iger. The lack of housekeeping is also a huge issue. Even as DVC I expect to walk into a clean room that is fully stocked with towels and supplies (not having to call the front desk to have missing items delivered EVERY STAY) if they always make me wait until 3:55pm for my room. But it never fails, there are dirty/unwashed dishes in the cabinets, dirty hand prints on doors and counters, dirty/stained blankets and towels….I could go on. I’m sure Tom’s experience is different since he is a well known blogger, they must do 3 sweeps of his room and it is ready at 10am, along with in-park experiences compared to us peasants. And STOP calling me at 8:30am on check
    -out day every 30 minutes to see if we have left yet. AK, GF, Saratoga, and Beach Club. That is a new and very annoying tactic implemented the last year so not covid related. If you are hustling me out of my room at 830am then why are you making me wait until 4pm to check into a dirty room? The magic is definitely long gone and I don’t foresee it ever coming back. Covid was the excuse but pure greed is the real reason.

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  9. I also really miss the Christmas Lights on the castle, Restaurant Marrakesh and Animal Kingdom at night. You didn’t mention the orchestra at Grand Floridian, but the other thing not mentioned that I really don’t understand is bringing back full housekeeping. We recently stayed at a Hampton Inn in Orlando near Disney and had full housekeeping every day. If Hampton Inn has finally gone back to regular housekeeping why can’t a vacation destination like Walt Disney Resorts do the same at this point.

    Reply

    1. They use climate change extremist alarmism as the excuse, saying washing towels every day would be bad for the environment. Still mad about Disney’s sense of “environmentality” (as they dub it) meaning plastic straws being replaced by gross paper ones. I just don’t use straws there if I can help it, or bring plastic ones from home. I was glad that they compost leftover food instead of just tossing it, though. It made me feel better as a solo diner at the family-style Roundup Rodeo BBQ when I could hardly finish all the food they brought me.

  10. I loved reading your article, well story actually because it hot on so many things that made a disney trip special. and what many of those items were not E ticket rides but small simple things that gave you that warm feeling which I must say is sadly missing.
    when covid hit, i have to agree with you that management took an opportunity to get rid many of the small things that made disney special. not sure why this generation of management thinks they need to change so many aspects of the parked to keep up with universe because by them doing so they are becoming just another park . . .
    your story reminded me of our last trip to disney. we has a reservations for a week at Saratoga springs and as our trip date approached covid was getting worse. we debated on canceling but rolled the dice.
    our arrival day was the last day the parks were open. then the pools closed so we were left with hotel hopping. the the resorts anounced they were closing,
    which was on our last day of our stay. our flight was late, around 9 pm so we just hung out at the resort enjoying the day.
    we had management come up to check on us asking if we were ready to get on the magical express to the airport. it was around 4:30 so we declined, we said we had a later departure. around 5pm the gm of the resort came out to check on us, we said the same thing and he went on to say that we were the last guests at the resort and if we could leave early to the airport so he could close the resort and send staff home.

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  11. I had a sinking feeling when I saw the graphic to the point where I almost didn’t open the article, but I’m glad I did. Sad for what’s been lost, and what could have been, but optimistic about the future. Still renewing my AP. 🙂

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  12. The one change, we truly miss, is the park purchases being delivered back to our resort. This one service, I can not understand why it has not been implemented back in. It is my understanding, that it has been put back in place at Disneyland. I know my family holds off on purchases because we don’t want to carry them in the parks. By the time we are leaving for the day ,we are too tired and it is too late to go back and find everything we wanted, so we end up buying much less. I would think Disney would understand that and realize people would spend much more because of that convenience. Perhaps I am looking at it wrong.

    Reply

    1. I agree, seems like an oversight that is reducing per guest spending.

      I think they should bring this back and expand it, they should hold merchandise at the front of the park for guests that aren’t staying on-site to pick up at the end of the day.

      We’ve probably passed up on thousands of dollars of purchases because we didn’t want to carry it around the park.

  13. I recall going down there in the week between Christmas and new year 2020. I recall walking around Epcot, and it was quite cold then so maybe that was a reason, but we literally were the only people there close to closing time.

    I recall the mandatory masking and “stand here” signs as well as the weird plastic sheets that they put up as you snaked your way onto a ride.

    I also recall someone yelling at me from probably 100 yards away to put my mask on.

    And I also recall the somewhat menacing announcements that if you did not adhere to the guidelines, you would be ejected from the park.

    But I really do miss the free ride from the airport. That was always an energizing and positive way to look forward to getting to the parks.

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  14. Tom,
    I have to thank you for this blog, it helped us find one bright spot during the lockdowns.

    Thanks to your updates on the closure status, I was able to get us a trip to Disney World in July of 2020. This was no easy feet as you’ll remember Disney wasn’t even selling tickets when they first reopened and if I remember right you had to be a resort guest to get in. Thanks in part to your blog I was able to make that trip happen, and despite all that was missing, the masks, etc. It is still a great memory for our family. In part that is because it was a bright spot during an otherwise dark time and in part because we got to enjoy the parks with so few people in them.

    I wouldn’t want to go back to those times. And you’re right Disney’s approach to reopening was…flawed, but that trip will always be a good memory for me.

    So, Thank You!!!

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  15. What I miss most is room service. I never cared about fast passes even when they were free. But I would love to have room service back.

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  16. Although I never used the Magical Express since I live in Florida, It seems to me that bringing the resort luggage delivery back, and even charging a fee would be hugely popular. Not having to deal with luggage lugging while in the bubble is pure vacation bliss.

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  17. The family just went to Disney and I couldn’t believe how unmagical it feels now. It truly feels just like another theme park- a theme park that is likely going to appear lesser to many families with Universal’s new park opening. Combined with their high pricing I’m not sure what their business end game is here
    Not to mention their soon plans to drain the water and build the cars attraction on top of it- truly losing the Walt Disney touch that made it stand out with each passing year

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  18. Disney world saved our sanity during Covid. Once it reopened it was a place we could go mainly outside and away from the confines of our home. I liked physical distancing…all those 6 Ft stickers everywhere. (No squeeze in to fill all the available space.)

    But it was a wonderful day when all those stickers miraculously disappeared and the energy returned. But the miracle I am still waiting for….the Cinderella’s icicle lights. I’m 71 and I have NEVER seen them. I’m a Disney fanatic and a Christmas fanatic so Disney I beg you…bring back the lights! And then I’ll promise never to set foot in Epic. Plus Megatron and my grandsons must see them!

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  19. “It’s beyond time to restore these aspects of the guest experience, ensuring that Walt Disney World is a world-class vacation destination that keeps forging new fans, and diehards continue to fall in love with all over again with each visit.”

    Could not agree more! Wow, what a great reminder of the WDW before, the during, and after COVID. My wife and I were at Grand Floridian a couple of weeks ago. We greatly miss the orchestra.

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  20. You didn’t mention a major issue.
    The parks used to be spotless. No trash left lying around.
    And all of the infrastructure was kept up.
    Not anymore.
    The parks and hotels look OLD.
    Why would APs want to keep going??

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    1. I’ll offer my personal reasons as an annual passholder for still going. Nostalgia about the magic these places have played in my life. Liking to vary up my weekly outings by not always just going to a local restaurant. Disney’s APs proved cheaper for me than Universal’s, & I get 4 parks instead of 2. And I still have fun at the parks though I miss Fast Pass & out of spite for that being gone, boycott Lightning Lane. Plus with my being more careful about thrill rides with warning signs, Disney provides me a lot more mild options than the thrill-oriented Universal & SeaWorld parks. Those parks assume everyone just loves roller coasters & refuse to cater to any other demographic, like little kids or older adults.

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