Our Surreal Stay at Disney World: Sunset Funset
After a few months away, we return to Walt Disney World for the reopening of the Deluxe Villa Resorts, using our DVC points for a stay at the BoardWalk Villas plus meals at Topolino’s Terrace. In this quasi-trip report, we’ll share photos, what it was like to be back, and why we would not recommend planning a trip in the near future.
As the title suggests, it was surreal. That’s something we mostly cover in the other half of this post: Our Surreal Stay at Walt Disney World: Health Safety. The signage and protocol definitely give off a ‘trying to regain normalcy in a post-apocalyptic world’ surface level vibe. However, that quickly fades into the background.
Once all the signage becomes familiar, your brain begins to filter most of that out as white noise. At that point, the magic about being back at Walt Disney World takes center stage, and even the modified experience shines. It was reassuring and nostalgic, at once offering an escape from the daily barrage of depressing headlines and a return to some semblance of normal…
Originally, I planned on posting this the day after we returned from our stay.
While I could use the excuse that other news preempted this post, the reality is that I went a little wild taking photos. It turns out that capturing thousands of images means you have thousands of raw files to sort and process. Who could’ve known?
I still haven’t gotten through all of them, but wanted to at least edit and share some.
During our stay, we got really fortunate with some great weather (minus the 97 degree daytime highs).
Beautiful puffy clouds (a Florida summer trademark) during the day, plus spectacular sunsets, followed by an impressive lightning storm the first night. And virtually no rain!
Sarah captured a bunch of cool videos while I was taking photos–we’ll start sharing those on our Facebook page later today.
The lack of other guests probably should’ve added to the surreal quality of our stay.
Honestly, it didn’t too much for me. I’m used to staying out late and getting up at the crack of dawn for photos, and there are seldom more than a handful of joggers at those hours.
It was definitely odd for the daytime hours and sunset, but not incredibly jarring to me.
Your perspective here could differ dramatically, especially if you’re used to heavy crowds.
For us, it was like a ‘best of both worlds’ thing.
We had plenty of interactions with Cast Members inside the resorts where they outnumbered guests, and outside we were able to enjoy the ambiance and serenity of Crescent Lake without many other people around.
It was sort of like seeing an old friend from college–no matter how long it’s been or how much things have changed, you can pick up right where you left off.
And that’s exactly what we did. We walked around Crescent Lake, wandered through the lobbies, and enjoyed the peaceful promenade back at the Beach Club Villas.
We lounged in some of our favorite spots, decompressed, and simply enjoyed being there.
From what we heard, most of the resorts were operating at under 20% occupancy last week. That would certainly mesh with our observations.
We also did dinner at a nearly-empty Topolino’s Terrace.
We still haven’t reviewed this restaurant and are not really sure how to handle that. We’ll probably just review the modified menu at some point in the near future, and hold off on the full review since that does you no good at present.
It’s likely that resort occupancy will pick up on July 10, but we’re wondering to what extent that’ll actually occur.
Based upon what we’re seeing, every single Disney Vacation Club resort has availability for reopening weekend. Beyond that, there’s a ton of availability for July and August (way more than normal) and a lot of availability for September, too. (It’s a very different story in October and beyond.)
For both of these reasons–the low crowds now and the likelihood of it being more difficult to book DVC reservations October and throughout 2021–we’ve actually made more DVC resort reservations.
We don’t want to be in a position where we have a hard time using our points, and doing these quick escapes to resorts is a perfect way for us to rest and recharge.
We really cannot underscore how fun and decompressing this was after months of being stuck at home, only venturing out for groceries, doctor appointments, and late night walks around the empty streets in our neighborhood.
Being back at Crescent Lake had this detoxifying effect–we didn’t fixate on the news, social media, or any real world problems. Our cares melted away, replaced by the charm and allure of Walt Disney World.
Part of it is probably unique to us–as we’ve visited Walt Disney World more frequently, some of the “magic” has started to lose its luster. It’s really something how familiarity or over-exposure can result in taking pretty spectacular things for granted. We recognize that and realize we’re very fortunate.
For many people, four months is a short time to be away from Walt Disney World–and it really is not that long. But it being longer than normal for us–coupled with the trials and tribulations of the last few months–amplified how special it was to be back. Suffice to say, all of this gave us a new appreciation for Walt Disney World, and we won’t be taking it for granted ever again.
No matter how frequently or infrequently you visit, I’m pretty confident your next trip–whenever that might be–will similarly just feel different. More special. More cherished. And it won’t be about what Disney does or does not do–it’ll be about you.
It’s easy to be cynical about how Disney has been handling things, what’s being cut, temporary rules, reservations systems, etc. There are a lot of valid complaints. However, I’m confident most of that will melt away when you step foot back onto Walt Disney World property.
Perhaps I’m overly optimistic or still riding the high of this stay, but I think we–collectively as a society–are going through a transformative event that will change us for the better. That’s not totally evident yet as there is still a decent amount of conflict, angst, and fear. Understandably so.
I think this will crystalize in the coming months, and upcoming trips–or any sort of communal events with other people–will feel differently. They’ll feel better. People will be more grateful, less tense or standoffish, and with a renewed sense of togetherness and conviviality. At least, that’s my belief and strong hope.
Not to stifle the positivity by ending this on a sour note, but it’d be irresponsible to only highlight our fun while ignoring reality on the ground here in Florida. Frankly, we would caution anyone against traveling to Walt Disney World right now. With spiking cases in Florida, we simply would not visit from out of state for at least the next couple of months. We’d also be incredibly apprehensive about planning a trip for the fall, opting to wait and see how (or if) the state gets a handle on things.
Our circumstances as locals and regulars are very different from many reading this, and that bears reiterating. We can go in chunks of only a few hours, staying physically distanced and entirely outdoors where it’s objectively safer. (Attractions like Haunted Mansion are a non-starter for us.) If we were out of state visitors, the circumstances would be very different and we’d undoubtedly be pumping the brakes. As we’ve said before, if we were infrequent or once in a lifetime visitors to Walt Disney World, we would rule out the remainder of 2020. Florida is starting to make changes (closing bars, mask mandates, etc.) that will hopefully cause a decline in new case numbers. Until that actually happens, we wouldn’t book anything.
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
Are you eagerly awaiting your next vacation ‘escape’ to Walt Disney World, or still apprehensive about everything going on right now? Do you have any questions about the current resort experience at Walt Disney World? 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!
Enjoyed the photos and if I were a nearby resident, I think a “staycation” to a Disney resort might be something I would contemplate. Looks very peaceful!
We just booked a visit for NEXT June, 2021 at the Cabins at Fort Wilderness. We had originally contemplated October, but with everything going on and the uncertainty of where the virus will go this year, we decided this year wasn’t the time, not to mention the Halloween cancellations. Sadly, even a year out, things may not be back to normal so we will be monitoring this and making a decision before our 30 day cancellation window closes.
Also, not telling the kids, just in case things change, plus the surprise is always fun!
We are a Disneyland family & have only been to WDW 1 time, March 2019, and we stayed @ the Beach Club. It was the perfect vacation. Thank you for your beautiful photos-it brings back so many happy memories.
Those photos really hit the spot – thank you.
We were there last week as well. We did a split stay at Riviera and OKW. We are from Illinois, so we are used to masks. We felt very safe and were impressed with all the safety precautions. It was so bizarre tho to walk in the hotel lobby and be outnumbered 8 to 1, CMs in the majority! We thoroughly enjoyed the down time, all we did was pool and DS for dinner. We did go to City Walk one night and they were equally as diligent.
We have another trip planned for early August, at this point we are planning on keeping it but we will see.
Beautiful pictures and nice article. We cancelled our early August trip. Maybe next summer.
Any information on how they’re controlling the numbers at the pools? We have a trip planned for July 19, staying at Boulder Ridge Villas and are holding out hope for the numbers in Florida to go down.
Thank you for this post and the caveat at the end. It’s a beautiful reminder of what WDW can do, while also acknowledging your circumstances. I live in Center City in Philadelphia and I’m able to do a daily walk down the block to Independence Hall (which isn’t open, but is still there) and the Liberty Bell and such, but I would not recommend anyone come visit right now either, especially as I see worrying behavior from other Philly residents as things start reopening.
Also, I don’t think things are going to get drastically more crowded at WDW when more resorts and the parks open. If Disney were worried about that, I imagine more resorts would be opening along with the parks (this is also why it’s so insane to me as an NBA-neutral person when people lose their minds over the NBA staying at hotels that likely would have just remained closed otherwise). I think maybe the NBA resorts might be the most crowded, just because people staying there have a job-related reason to be there, but even then, not as occupied as they usually would have been.
“I don’t think things are going to get drastically more crowded at WDW when more resorts and the parks open.”
To be clear, neither do we. However, it’ll be harder to book DVC resorts using points (it already is) and that has an impact on how we plan our visits.
@Tom
No doubt there’s going to come a time when most DVC owners feel comfortable using their points again and all of the points that have been sitting there will flood the market, but I still don’t see that happening in the near future. I imagine a lot of DVC owners will be playing it by ear with trips booked for the remainder of 2020, and while DVC owners as a group might be more willing to go to Disney right now than a typical vacationer, a lot of them are also probably in a financial position where they can afford to cancel eat the cost of unused points if they don’t feel comfortable coming this year.
Because many people might be holding onto reservations who ultimately decide its not worth the risk closer-in for the next few months I could see more “last-minute” availability popping up as those DVC owners cancel. Basically, I think the current DVC availability/lack-thereof for the remainder of 2020 and early 2021 might make it seem that a lot more people will be coming down than those that actually keep those reservations and do so.
Thank you for the living room photo of the Beach Club. It made me smile!I spent a vacation there when I was pregnant and needed a break.
Really great photos!
Tom,
Off topic….spent the afternoon Sunday in Fishers IN at Portillo’s and had an Italian beef sandwich in your honor! Are they still putting one outside Disney Springs?
Many years ago our family went in December. It was so quiet. We stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge and were upgraded because of low occupancy. We were even alone on buses. It was great! Will take the crowds to be done with COVID.
Oh my. Isn’t that the truth? Crowds would be welcome compared to all this.
We are DVC members and have reservations for a trip to Disney at Hilton Head Island from 7/12-19/20. We have been back and forth about whether we should cancel because of Covid-19; we live in MD where there is a declining rate of positive cases and SC currently has an increasing rate of positive cases. Of course, we will practice all personal safety measures and we know that Disney will be doing the same. On your resort visit, did you feel restrained and stressed about all the Covid-19 regulations or did you feel protected and able to relax?
Looking at the pictures of the empty locations is making me reconsider a visit just to go somewhere with the kids. If I lived far away, I don’t think I would travel right now, but since I can just go for an hour or two it might be okay.
We just returned to Chicago from a 5 night stay at Copper Creek. We did get the elusive upgrade after being placed in a room with malfunctioning air. We went to Universal for two days and stayed around the pool the other days. We ate at Disney Springs 3 nights and at The Wave and Topolino’s the other two. The resort was definitely not busy. Most other guests we talked with were Florida residents. We were already used to wearing masks so that wasn’t a huge deal to us. Even at Universal with the heat, we managed okay. The wait times were almost nonexistent. We have a September trip and December trip planned as well so this was a test run for us. I was pleasantly surprised with how things were handled. If Disney handles things as well as Universal did, I will feel quite comfortable returning to the parks.
Really enjoy reading your resort updates. Thanks for what you do, it’s helpful to have “eyes” on the situation with near real time reporting. We have reservations late Oct this fall for a couple of days at Beach Club. Thinking we will just cancel those, but holding out to see what you report the situation evolves into during the next month or so. We also have a week in December with fiends at the Grand Floridian using our DVC points. Our friends are beginning to make noises that we should cancel. My question for you is, assuming we cancel either or both of the referenced trips, should I put them out to be rented or bank them to 2021 and rent them in that year? Our use year is April. And, generally is it better to rent the points or make a confirmed reservation at a deluxe resort and then try to rent that reservation? Any advice from the pros is appreciated.
How’d you get into Topolinos without a resort reservation ?
We did have a resort reservation.
I love the photos! While I am not a DVC member, I generally make the 14 hour trip to “our happy place” twice a year. I am eager to be there and would welcome a stay at one of the resorts if I were only able to get a reservation. I wish I didn’t have to wait until 2021.
I know logically I should just cancel our trip, but it is so hard to escape the lure of a once-in-a-lifetime quiet, peaceful Disney World trip, especially since the kids have already been disappointed with multiple cancelled vacations this year, and we as parents are burnt out and need a break somewhere. We will be monitoring to see if low crowd levels at the parks do hold true once they open, and if Florida’s numbers get better in the next month or so (our trip is mid-August). Honestly, where we live is very high risk as well, and at least at Disney World CMs will forcing people to wear masks (which they refuse to do where we live).
Great post. I agree that people will appreciate life and Disney more now after these trying times. Have 2 trips booked for late this year, still plan on coming but the virus may change that. Disney is our happy place, I spend a lot of time planning our trips, planning is part of the fun. Thanks for all your great information and pictures, need a little bit of Disney magic, now more than ever.
Disney World has been part of my life for almost 50 years and it makes me so sad to know that I’m not able to visit for a long while. So, I really appreciate your spectacular photos. Thank you for sharing them with us; it makes the waiting easier!
Great photos, and the hopeful and positive vibes are on on point. Thank you.