My Experience Visiting Disney World During COVID-19

I just got back from a quick trip from Walt Disney World. FYI - my feet still hurt from all the walking ! I have visited Disney World three times prior to COVID-19. Once as an adult only trip and twice with children. I knew that there were quite a few differences due to COVID-19 but it was personally important for me to take my son for his 5th Birthday. Here are the major differences that I personally experienced.

Direct check-in to your room- using your Disney Experience App or Magic Band. The Pro of this was that it was quick and easy, no lines at the front desk. The Cons was that we missed walking into the lobby which sets the tone of the resort. In addition, this was my first time staying at this property and I was not familiar with it. The front desk usually gives you a quick overview of the resort and the amenities. As well as special extras such as Celebration Buttons etc. So if you go during COVID-19 I would still swing by the front desk to ask questions. You can save time if someone in your party does not have a magic band they can give you a card that acts similar to a magic band and save you time from standing in line at customer service at the park.

COVID-19 Specific Regulations - There were spacing parties on buses. This may mean that you will have a longer wait time as buses can only be half full. You can also utilize other transportation if you stay on property at Disney. These include boats, the new gondolas, and monorail. Don’t forget to download a preferred driving service beforehand. Using a driving service can save you quite a bit of time. Another COVID-19 prevention was temperature checks before you enter the park. This was not very bothersome and it didn't take up much time at all. The lines were more spaced out-which made the lines look long but they did not take long to get through. They had markings on the ground to give you a visual of 6ft apart and cast members made sure in some areas that you were not too close to the party in front of you. Masks had to be worn at all times inside the parks unless you were sitting down to eat or drink and cast members did remind us if we accidentally forgot.

No FAST-PASS- Ahhh..I was a little annoyed by no Fast-Pass but understand that safety is the #1 priority. Fast-Pass is just something I have grown accustomed to in my past trips and actually helped me make a schedule for my days in the park because I had a time-line. However, I felt that we were still able to ride a good amount of rides without fast-pass. I was surprised and the lines moved at a good pass. The longest we stood in line for any ride was 1 hour. We did the get in line for a big ride 5 mins before closing trick twice and was able to ride a bigger ride that way. I know from past experience that getting to the park super early helps you beat the crowds and gets you the most of your day. There are many websites that will help you plan your day in the park and I have utilized them in the past but this trip I winged it off of past experience.

Park Hours- The park hours were limited. This was a major Con for us as we are late risers and are night owls. In our past experience we have been able to utilize magic hours in the past on at least one of our nights in the parks which was till midnight. This trip the latest magic Kingdom stayed open was 10pm and the other parks closed at 7pm.

No Character Meet and Greets- Since we have been in the past my kiddos were not disappointed in not meeting characters. However, this was the top thing my youngest wanted to do on our last trip. If your child really loves a certain character they may be disappointed. However they had mini parades with some of the main characters. We were able to see most of the Disney Princess in one small parade in Magic Kingdom, Chip and Dale near AdventureLand in Magic Kingdom, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse in a mini parade in HollyWood Studios. There may be more small parades with characters throughout the day that we did not see. A great tip is to grab a schedule at the front of the park when you walk in and you can also utilize your Disney Experience App on your phone. No matter what is going on , there is never enough time to do and see it all.

No Fireworks Or Nightly Shows- One of my top favorite experiences at Disney is the Night time fireworks and shows that close out the park. This really puts a cherry on top of a wonderful day. I really missed this but am looking forward to the Fireworks and Shows in the future. One tip is that you do not have to have a ticket to see the Fireworks from Magic Kingdom. You can actually view the fireworks from nearby resorts such as The Contemporary or The Polynesian. You do not have to have a park ticket to visit the resort. It is actually my favorite thing to do on an arrival day. Grab dinner restaurants at one of these resorts and watch the fireworks from the beaches as you relax and prepare for your busy day in the parks. The Pro of this was that there was not a huge crowd at the end of the night all leaving at once from the park. That actually felt less chaotic. In the past I felt it would have been easy to lose a kid in the wave as everyone stampeded out.

Although our trip to Disney was different it was still an amazing experience. My son had some pixie dust on our last day and received a Birthday card signed from Mickey, Pluto, Lilo , and his favorite Stitch at our lunch at Kona Cafe at The Polynesian. We can’t wait to go back, I may have already started planning.