Good Afternoon from Walt Disney World!
We’re reporting live from Walt Disney World, where it has already been a busy morning (although it’s basically midnight to us given how long we’ve been awake…assuming time still has any meaning). We started today with the modified character breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace, bookended by Jedi Training Academy: Trials of the Tourist—err, attempting to book Disney Park Pass reservations.
That was followed by a morning stroll around Disney’s Riviera Resort before heading over to Disney’s BoardWalk Villas and checking into our room. As you can imagine, things are a bit different from when we were last here a few months ago. We can’t take the Skyliner to Epcot to stroll around World Showcase or Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass Dash.
We’ve already been back to Disney Springs a few times since that shopping and dining district reopened, so a lot of what we’ve experienced thus far here is familiar territory. At the same time, it just feels different. I’ve made clear that I’m not a huge fan of Disney’s Riviera Resort, but the atmosphere thus far is, in a word, better.
Disney Springs has become our local mall, where we went to see movies (back in the “normal times” when that was a thing) and where I’d go to buy socks. By mall standards, Disney Springs is very nice–but it still doesn’t exude the same charm and atmosphere as the resorts, especially the Crescent Lake ones.
To be sure, a lot is still very surreal about being at Walt Disney World right now. As with Disney Springs, there are visual reminders everywhere that we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic. Warning and liability disclaimer sandwich boards, ‘what to wear & how to wash’ signs, enter/exit info, and where to stand markers.
After seeing all of that several times, it’s mostly just white noise that our brains filter out at this point. (I’ve compared it elsewhere to California’s Proposition 65 warnings. That pretty much everything in the state may cause cancer freaks out visitors, but locals don’t even notice the signs anymore.
The bigger thing is seeing everyone in masks, which will take more getting used to.
Right now, Cast Members outnumber guests by around a 20 to 1 ratio (that’s not even remotely an exaggeration–maybe it’ll pick up more later today). All of them are wearing masks, many are waving giant Mickey Mouse gloves, and everyone is eager to welcome guests home.
Already today, I’ve had more in-person interactions with people not named “Sarah” than I have in total over the course of the last three-plus months. I’m normally fairly introverted, but talking to Cast Members has honestly been pretty great.
There is a palpable energy, and a lot of Cast Members are clearly happy to be back. I wasn’t quite sure whether that’d be the case, but it is with everyone we’ve encountered. Cast Members are incredibly high-energy, and their enthusiasm is contagio–uh, their joy rubs off on you.
As for other guests…we can’t really speak to that. Between Disney’s Riviera Resort and BoardWalk Inn, we’ve seen a totally of maybe one dozen other parties. Probably fewer than that. Disney’s Magical Express buses are out and about, and it’s still early, so I’m assuming more guests are en route.
I’m cognizant of the fact that this is a very optimistic tone to strike on the same day that Disney Park Pass went live to predictably catastrophic results. However, that was easily foreseeable by pretty much everyone who has any experience with Walt Disney World release day. My bar is so low with Disney IT that I was pleasantly surprised it didn’t eat away our entire day.
This isn’t to diminish your frustrations if you haven’t gotten through to make Disney Park Pass reservations. We feel for you. (Seriously–we’ve been in your shoes many times and it remains mind-boggling that Walt Disney World’s IT infrastructure still is this bad.) Take solace in knowing that the vast majority of dates are not going to run out of availability any time soon (if ever) and things will probably/hopefully be much smoother by tonight.
With that said, as cheesy as it might sound, there is a certain magic about being back at Walt Disney World, even if it’s just the resorts.
We’ve been grinning ear to ear all morning (not that anyone can tell!), and this has already been way more fun and satisfying than I anticipated.
It’s probably fair to say that pretty much everyone is in need of a vacation. After the last few months of only leaving the house for groceries and a handful of other occasions, this has already been fantastic.
Walt Disney World offers something uniquely reassuring and nostalgic. Even with some of the “illusion” blemished, it has already done us wonders to be back. This is the most relaxed and decompressed we’ve felt in months–like a weight has been lifted.
This is not to “pitch” you on booking a return trip to Walt Disney World as soon as possible. (It’s not like you can right now, anyway.) Our circumstances as locals and regulars are very different from once in a lifetime or infrequent visitors, and that’s worth reiterating. As we’ve said before, if this were our first/only trip to Walt Disney World, we would not be visiting in 2020.
It’s basically just to share how things are going thus far. We’ll have plenty more measured planning advice and commentary–this more more stream of conscious, heat of the moment excitement we wanted to share while we’re here.
To that end, let us know if you have any questions or want to see anything in particular from the Barefoot Bay Boarding Bailiwick (the “cool” name we gave the Riviera and Caribbean Beach Resort area that, shockingly, never caught on) or Crescent Lake Resort Area. Don’t expect real-time responses (same goes for the posts about Disney Park Pass–sorry!) but we’ll catch up later and incorporate answers into upcoming posts.
We plan on spending most of the day savoring our stay, making laps around Crescent Lake, eating sugary snacks, doing more laps to burn off said snacks, and taking photos. Our goal is 20,000 steps and 3,000 photos today to make up for lost time, so hopefully we can see and document quite a bit and return with a more thorough report in the next few days. If you’re at Walt Disney World today and happen to see us wandering, don’t be afraid to say hello–from a safe distance of more than six feet away, of course!
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
Do you have any questions about the resort experience at Walt Disney World right now? Anything you’d specifically like to see or know about Disney’s Riviera Resort or the Crescent Lake Resorts? Will you be attempting to visit Walt Disney World this summer or fall, or are you waiting until 2021 or beyond? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Hi! I have a quick question. So you guys are able to wander in and out of the resorts…even without having a reservation? I had read a rumor that access to even the lobby and QS restaurants might be restricted to only the registered guests at that specific resort. Which when I read that made me concerned. Because for our family no Disney trip is complete without a stop at Captain Cook’s for lunch even if we’re not staying at The Poly. Thanks and have a great visit!
Thanks for the update! Being locals as well, we frequently visit the resorts to take advantage of dining options and loving beer and the Boardwalk atmosphere means lots of trips to Big River. Any word on when or if they may be reopening? And would locals still be able to park at the resorts like before or does it require reservations?
Hi Tom and Sarah! I’m sad because I should have arrived at WDW yesterday, but with a bunch of kids it wasn’t the best idea. I’m wondering if you’re allowed to walk over to the Yacht Club and stroll the outdoor area there. If you can, please send me a few photos, because it’s my favorite place on Earth! Looking forward to more posts about your modified Disney experience!
Am I able to book a 2021 vacation package on June 28th? We want to go in late March. Or can you only book if you’ve previously had a package scheduled and you had to cancel?
If I make a new reservation renting dvc points can I add park tickets to the reservation. And is transportation running to get from one resort to another for dining reservations?
Tom, how are things being handled at the pool? Any indication that a reservation system will be put in place at the resort pools? Do you need to wear a mask on the pool deck while not in the water or are you allowed to be mask free while on your chair like at Vero Beach?
This post was such a ray of sunshine. Thanks, Tom, for sharing, and enjoy your visit!
Agreed! I am even more hopeful our planned trip for November ends up happening after reading this!
Nosy question… I know room upgrades are very rare when using points. But, I mean, if the resort is 10% full or something…?
Did you get what you booked?
I, too, would like to hear if they will let guests from one resort visit another. For example, if we were staying at Old Key West, and we drove to the Poly to eat at Captain Cook’s, would they let us into the parking lot? I’d also like to hear about if/where they’ve set up more outside tables for dining in the open air and how that is. Thanks – love your blog!
I want to thank you for being the most informed and insightful Disney fan site on the web. Your switching to incognito to get park reservations was brilliant, I find that you are ahead of the curve on rumours and your intuitions on things more often than not ring true. It’s great to have someone truly in the know keeping tabs on things. Keep up the good work as you are truly appreciated.
Tom,
You are lifesaver. How you figured that browsing incognito would work is beyond me. I followed your instructions and it was well over an hour of watching a Millenium Falcon flash at me before the Frontera Cocina reservation window opened. Of course I had stepped away from my computer when it opened, but luckily it didn’t kick me out. I was able to get park reservations for 3 days of a Disney stay without issue. Thanks for your great help and info today. Love that there is still magic to be found. You and Sarah keep enjoying and we will patiently await our chance.
I’m eager to hear about & see photos of the modified character breakfast! As for park pass reservations, I made it through after 3 straight hours of waiting only to discover our APs weren’t valid for our booked dates I WAS able to score park passes for my brother’s family, in October However, I am on their room reservation, but have no ticket. I am REALLY going that I can get through the busy signals so that I can get this straightened out!
Yes. It is magical… anytime
Agree!! I miss it so much!!
Hi
Son and girlfriend were on computer all morning to get park reservations. Annoyed the girlfriend finally switched computers and browsers and magically got reservations in mid late August. They are pass holders by the way. Not sure this helps but I thought I’d share.
This article literally made me cry. I know Disney won’t be the same but I am so happy to go back! My son is 3 and has been twice already and was very disappointed we couldn’t make are trip last month but we’re so excited to head back to Disney. Everything will be so different but there is always something magical about a Disney vacation, no matter how modified it may be (and stressful to plan ).
Ashton I agree. My daughter is 6 and has never been. Even though there are some modifications, I know she will still have a magical experience.
Do you know if they have resort mugs available?
Saw a report elsewhere that Resort Mugs are indeed available, but Cast Members have to refill it for you.
No self-service.
that disney IT is still so abysmal just shows they are well aware that they have a cornered market on planning a vacation. there is no alternative- you can use a travel agent, but they just do the waiting for you, it’s not like they have a totally system that has no kinks- nope, it’s the exact same end. disney really should have google-level IT and websites and apps, but it’s so clear that is not of interest to them. the closest option for a competitor is touringplans, but again, unofficial and not complete. it’s really disappointing that this aspect of the guest experience is so atrocious, when it should be top-notch.
Tom, I have tried all morning and have not gotten into the Park reservation system yet. what is the average wait you have heard of. I have sat for two hours straight twice this Morning
DON’T GIVE UP. I watched the pink castle for 5 hours straight. All of a sudden the screen changed. I was in shock. I got all my days perfectly for THANKSGIVING WEEK!
Hi Dave- try Chrome. It’s what my agent recommended after I spent 4 hours. And I was using Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. Safari will do nothing right now- I got white screens every.single. time. So I closed evvvvereything, and just did Chrome. It took 2 hours (I started the process at 11 and I got in at 1pm). If you get in and are IN the reservation system and get an error screen with Olaf, don’t panic. Delete the word “error” from the URL and hit enter. It will bring you back to the park reservations screen so you can do the same park reservation again, not the beginning of hell. I saw Olaf and almost started crying and then figured I would try just deleting the “error” word of the URL. Worked perfectly.
Three hours for me. Yes
Question for Tom: Are you able and allowed to visit other resorts? I would love to see what the Polynesian is looking like during this time or other resorts.
I am staying at Pop Century this August, but I was only able to book 1 day in MK, and now it tells me that ALL other days are booked–even August 2021, which makes me think it is a system glitch.
Thank you!
Diann J.
Diann J,
Keep trying! We are scheduled for September and I kept getting the same message. I just moved on to the next day and the next, and finally got one to work. Then I went back and was able to get the other days exactly like we wanted. Definitely glitches!
I am anxious to hear how the modified character breakfast was. I’m assuming you’re going to do a separate post about that or include more details later. Thanks for positivity!
There is a really great video on youtube from someone who was there this morning. His name is Prince Charming Dev.
Tom-have you ever considered vlogging? Just curious. You absolutely have the most informative blog posts and helpful information out there. Thank you for always keeping us up to date!
Tom & Sarah dabbled very briefly in vlogging.
But to be honest, there’s so many good vloggers out there, and the bar for success there isn’t nearly as high as for blogs.
Great writers are much, much harder to come by. I hope Tom keeps doing exactly what he’s been doing.