There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow…
For months, I’ve been daydreaming about our return to a mostly-normal day at Walt Disney World (literally since putting together Our 2021 WDW Bucket List). Unlike most of our totally-spontaneous visits, this one was meticulously planned.
It would involve staying at Beach Club. We’d do breakfast at Cape May Cafe, rope drop Disney’s Hollywood Studios, do MuppetVision 3D and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, lunch at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant, then head back to the resort to float around the lazy river in Stormalong Bay for a couple hours, dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse, see Impressions de France, and end the night with a post-show stroll around World Showcase.
This perfect-day plan obviously made a lot of assumptions, the main being that we wouldn’t be fully vaccinated until late May. Second, due to that timeline, Beach Club would be open and along with it, most restaurants between those two resorts. The best laid plans of the Mouse and humans often go awry…
In this case, things not going as planned was a change for the better. We were able to get fully vaccinated much earlier than anticipated, and scrambled to revise our plans as a result. Unfortunately, Beach Club management didn’t get the memo and that hotel did not move forward its scheduled May 30, 2021 reopening date.
Before we get started into the substance, I want to start with a couple of prefatory notes. First, this is a rambling one. The post changed dramatically from conceptualization (a fancy term for me finding a way to justify something fun I want to do/eat) to publication, and it probably shows.
Second, part of our intent with this post is sharing our personal return to normal-ish and rationale for that. This is a continuation of our post-reopening reports, in which we’ve offered thoughts on our risk tolerance and mitigation efforts, what we were or were not comfortable doing, and the bases for our decisions. Some of readers have found this useful, others not so much.
To be abundantly clear, we are not passing judgment on those who have taken or will take a different approach than us–and that goes in both directions. There’s more than enough shaming on the internet and in the real world, none of it is productive, and all of it ignores personal needs and unique individual circumstances.
For us, the vaccines are a complete game changer–miracles of modern medical research. Hesitancy was always going to exist, but the biggest disappointment in the last few months has been the exacerbation of that caused by baseless pessimism and unforced errors in public health messaging. But I digress.
At this point, we are comfortable doing anything we would’ve done in January of last year. We’ve read enough credible studies about real world efficacy, likelihood of infection and transmission (or rather, lack thereof), comparative risk analyses, and commentary from respected epidemiologists. It should go without saying, but we’ll still follow face mask and physical distancing rules or mandates where those exist. Life is otherwise largely back to normal for us as two fully vaccinated adults without kids.
We are excited to once again dine indoors, go to the movie theater and gym (“excited” is the wrong word for the latter one), and most importantly, travel. We’ll be doing that soon with post-vaccinated vacations (I’m not using the obnoxious buzzword that combines those two v-words) to see my parents for the first time in over a year, attend a wedding, and visit California.
This is the most excited I’ve ever been to do any of those things. Of course, none of these activities are no-risk, but literally nothing is in life.
To kick things off and make up for lost time, we decided to start by planning the “perfect” day at Walt Disney World. It was a comedy of errors. The initial plan was not going to work, so we called an audible. It wasn’t even a last minute change of plans–but it was inside 60 days.
It turns out that Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater is impossible to book for a party of 2 (perhaps literally) inside the 60 day ADR window. Even being flexible on days, there were absolutely no options. In general, ADRs are really difficult to score right now. If you’re looking last minute, hope you like Spice Road Table or the least-popular restaurants at Disney Springs!
We thus changed approaches and opted to visit DHS a couple days, hoping for a walk-up waitlist opening. This was an exercise in futility. Similar scenarios played out with other restaurants, but I won’t bore you with the details of our misadventures with ADRs. Suffice to say, we are very ready for more restaurants to reopen and capacity constraints to be relaxed.
We also learned just how much we love MuppetVision, and it turns out the answer is “not enough to wait in line outside for 45 minutes on a hot day.” We will surrender our Muppet fan creds if you insist, but for what it’s worth, there’s almost nothing we’ll wait 45 minutes to do. A lot of the shows we love in part because they’re easy, no-wait midday breaks now have longer waits due to physical distancing–and because long lines are a self-fulfilling prophecy.
For our second attempt at the elusive perfect day, it appeared the stars were going to align, with the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover serendipitously reopening during a previously-planned day at Magic Kingdom. However, that did not happen. Sadly, the power of positive thinking was not enough. Perhaps next time we’ll try to harness the power of the Tomorrowland palm trees.
But enough with the negatives. Although we didn’t have a single perfect day, we did have several a couple great ones in this quest. We did several favorite attractions, enjoyed leisurely days and evenings in the park, did a long afternoon coffee break in the Imagination lounge, and had a great time with old friends.
It was great seeing all of our favorites again after over a year. Happy to confirm that Carousel of Progress, Country Bear Jamboree, American Adventure, and Impressions de France are all still fantastic.
This is very much an overdue and probably irrelevant report, but Walt Disney World also did a great job of physical distancing in the pre-show or holding areas, and the theaters themselves.
While we’re fine having erred on the side of caution, in hindsight, we probably would’ve been fine to do any of these shows previously given the protocol in place and their duration. There’s also presumably some sort of air filtration or refreshing going on in each so they don’t smell or feel stagnant.
In the case of Impressions de France, there was also the reality that hardly anyone else was in the theater. (This was actually mildly worrying when it comes to that show’s future. It’s a good thing that Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is an abomination.)
Our first meal ended up being dinner at Topolino’s Terrace. This was actually the last restaurant at which we dined indoors, eating there on the resort’s reopening day last June before learning more about indoor v. outdoor transmission. It was nevertheless surreal to eat inside a full restaurant–last time, there was only one other party in the entire place.
Surreal, yet very comfortable. For many people, there’s an understandable fear or anxiety about reacclimating into society and certain activities. That is not the case for us at all. There’s a brief moment of awe that we’re able to do something again so soon, followed by a near-instant feeling of familiarity. In addition to being our first indoor meal, Topolino’s Terrace ended up being our first concert, with a symphony of flavors dancing on our taste buds in delightful harmony. But more on that very soon in our long-overdue Topolino’s Terrace dinner review.
Our next meal was at Via Napoli with our friends Jenny and Adam, the brains behind the smash sensation, Burke Head Toys. We have been dreaming of this pizza for months now, to the point that maybe we built it up in our heads a bit too much and were setting ourselves up for disappointment.
Nope, not the case at all. Via Napoli still exceeded the hype. After some initial hesitation, we ordered the Carciofi Pizza, which is our go-to at Via Napoli. It was as amazing as ever. This white pizza with artichoke, fontina, mozzarella, and truffle oil may not sound as exciting as the meat-centric pies, but I promise, it is glorious. If you only take one thing away from this post, it should be to take a chance on the Carciofi Pizza.
Now that we’ve imparted this post’s sole piece of wisdom, it’s probably a good place to wrap the rambling up. Hopefully, our quest for a perfect day illustrates and reiterates a couple of things.
First, chasing perfection at Walt Disney World is a fool’s errand that only leads to disappointment. You have to roll with the punches and adapt. Almost nothing in our “perfect” day went as originally planned, and yet we unwittingly had amazing experiences surpassing what we envisioned.
Second, there really is a great big beautiful tomorrow. I know that sounds cliche, but it’s true. Back when the parks reopened, I waxed poetic about how meaningful that was after a tough few months, and how we had a newfound appreciation for Walt Disney World. Additionally, how 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.
That’s all still true. For us, this was a continuation of that; another big milestone in our personal return to normalcy, even if it’s something we could’ve done for months at Walt Disney World. This isn’t to say that you should plan a trip ASAP for summer and unquestioningly accept the compromises that visiting currently entails–going right now definitely is not for everyone. It’s more to point out that when it comes to visiting Walt Disney World, a lot of the meaning and happiness comes from within.
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
Thoughts on our quest for a “perfect” day at Walt Disney World? Are you eagerly awaiting your next vacation ‘escape’ to Walt Disney World or elsewhere, or still apprehensive about traveling? Looking forward to more normalcy in the parks and life in general? Will you be attempting to visit Walt Disney World this summer or fall, or are you waiting until 2022 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!
You sound paranoid. The parks need to return to normal now.
End the masks in the Florida heat , most people are vaccinated and bring back the fireworks. MY GOD ENOUGH.Come on Disney WAKE UP!!!
@Jessica_Tursi yes, fireworks are desperately needed! I miss them most of all.
I love all of your articles!! I love the way you both love Disney! I was there in December and have a vacation planned for this October. I am currently looking for someone to do a weekend trip in Early June. I am also fully vaccinated but this hasn’t stopped me from living my life. I wash my hands, I wear my mask(even if I don’t like it) and am anxiously waiting for fireworks to come back. Thank you for all your positiviness when the world is filled with such negativity. I am going to try to make my next trip filled with restaurant’s that I haven’t tried yet and I am ready for a GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW!!
We just returned from a quick mini Disney trip. We took my 84-year-old grandma to Epcot for a quick two day trip because her dream was to go around to all the countries. I was super excited to experience this with her and it was awesome. I planned dinner in Italy at via-Napoli as this restaurant was on my Disney bucket list. We order the chicken Parmesan, an Alfredo creme pasta, and of course the pizza!!! I was so disappointed. A pizza was extremely soggy. It ha since flavor but it was so soggy. We had to use our silverware to even eat it. Did we just catch it on an off night or is this par for the course?
The Alfredo pasta was phenomenal. The chicken Parmesan was pretty mediocre. I don’t think I would get it again but the pizza was such a disappointment I’m just curious your thoughts.
Thanks for all you and Sarah’s updates! I enjoy reading them. The pointers for the rise of resistance definitely helped we managed to score boarding group 68 for our Hollywood half park day!! (We only had a half day planned there since our trip was only 2 days short. so I was very excited we got in). It was an incredible ride experience. My grandma thoroughly enjoyed it.
We just got back yesterday from a short trip after 14+ months. It felt so good to be back. Yes, things weren’t perfect- ToT went down and my daughter couldn’t ride it for the first time, TTA line was crazy so we skipped that, we had to skip Epcot due to time/cost, and wearing masks and standing in the sun isn’t fun. But… it was still magical and transportive to just be there.
Just returned from Disney World. Went to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Came with a plan and ended up just “winging it.” I was met with extra long lines, impossible crowds, no fast passes, and a lot of disappointment as I followed all of the hacks and tricks but we STILL were unable to get Rise of the Resistance.
We did stand in line in the hot sun for close to an hour for Mickey’s Runaway Train and got on but not without a lot of perseverance and a large diet soda that kept me cool.
I’m ready for normal Disney as this Disney wasn’t great. I gotta say.
Thank you for letting me ‘travel’ vicariously with you to Walt Disney World. I have my own perfect day plan, well actually perfect week plan.
As a Canadian I am unable to travel to Orlando until the travel ban is lifted. But I have personally had Covid and it has been a struggle. My symptoms were relatively mild but I did experience a tightness in my throat. That was scary; and I have been struggling to fully recover. (I was infected mid November) So this has been ongoing, frustrating and often depressing. I wish you all health, safety and hope for a great big beautiful tomorrow.
rode the People Mover in the magic Kingdom on Tuesday. It was great for us. nothing changed that I noticed. (wish the dark segment had something to look at) still is one of our favorite experiences at the MK. The California Grill is also still the amazing dinning experience it has always been. Perhaps the Contemporary restaurants are leaning a bit more toward the needs of it’s own guests during this limited time. We especially love the “segmentation” of the monorail. We love being put into our own compartment (separated from other parties). Hope they keep the partitions.
@Jim s, AMEN!! Tom and Sarah’s posts are not only informative, they’re written in a balanced, humorous and humane way. I could maybe see the Harmonious Stargate or the scriptwriter for the Beauty and the Beast sing along coming hard at them, but, otherwise, there is no need to address them with agression or disrespect.
Tom and Sarah, We all aren’t always going to agree with you 100 percent of the time. However, for every hostile comment, there are probably thousands of your fans who agree with you and really appreciate you both. You guys do your homework and have a lot of integrity. Keep up the good work!
Hey Tom, thanks so much to you and Sarah for always providing such in-depth and detailed WDW insights. I’ve planned several WDW vacations and use your research a lot!
Can you elaborate a little more on some ADR tips you have for restaurants? I think I misunderstood but it sounded like even planning 60 days out you weren’t able to have any luck with the places you wanted. We have a trip coming up in September and I am trying to stay on top of getting a few ADRs in place, but want to have adequate expectations.
You get up early enough to have breakfast at Cape May Cafe AND rope drop DHS? Impressive.
Where did Sarah buy that adorable polka dot dress?
The phrase about your plans that you used early in your blog is from Robert Burns and should be “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men…”. The poem is titled “The Mouse”.
It’s a riff on that. Disney is commonly known as “the Mouse” (hence the capitalization).
I feel that you will take any opportunity to remind us all how terrible the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is and I love it.
Also, I think you’re very right about cherishing things now and the magic of the trip coming from within. We ended up taking a spring break trip with our newly 1-year old; two things I used to swear up and down I would never do. Despite the fact that “he won’t remember it” and all our photos have masks, it was one of the most magical trips I’ve ever taken. We experienced WDW in a completely new way and had moments for beautiful spontaneity that I probably wouldn’t have created space for before. Appreciate all your reporting!
“I feel that you will take any opportunity to remind us all how terrible the Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along is and I love it.”
While it may seem that way, this is actually false.
Every time I pass France and the extended queue is in use, I take a photo with the intention of using it in an EPCOT update with a snarky caption. I think I’ve deleted every single one before publishing because they’ve felt a bit too mean-spirited (especially with guests in the photo). Some might argue I’ve denied the world a valuable PSA by leaving those photos and captions on the cutting room floor–it’s a tough call. 😉
Your facts are very far off-the new guidelines are ONLY for fully vaccinated people and only about 30% of the us population is fully vaccinated!
What, specifically, do I have wrong?
Still have fingers crossed for Dining plan return in time for my trip in September.
If that happens, we hope to continue our Arrival day tradition of Dinner at California grill.
We r staying at Pop Century.
I’m hopeful that it’s back by October, but we shall see. Hope Walt Disney World is able to staff up and reopen more restaurants!
Tom it appears the comment are turned off on your other CDC mask topic which is a shame because it was well written and thought out much like this one. The one issue I see is that many folks are unwilling to get vaccinated even a few friends of mine in a blue state. I’m slightly surprised because I see vaccines as the gateway out of this mess. Anyhow I respect everyone’s opinions and greatly appreciate your continued reports.
The comments being off was intentional. I was busy today and wouldn’t be able to adequately moderate, and if comments on yesterday’s update (not on this post–to another one) were any indication, it was mostly going to be hostile and argumentative. There’s been more than enough of that here lately, and it’s honestly exhausting to have to attempt making “balanced” judgment calls on moderation that leave a lot of people pissed off.
Vaccines are indeed a game-changer! Thanks Tom for the report. I’ve travelled internationally for work and pleasure and vaccines are routine for many of the places I have been like Brazil, for instance. This is no different and if we can all do our part, the better the experience of “getting back to normal!” Glad to hear of your most excellent day!