Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[Gary Stocker]

Just finished dinner at Boma. WOW! Not a buffet person at all, but was incredibly impressed with the service, the quality and diversity of food, and the atmosphere. Would definitely come again.

Going there for the first time next Sunday night. Hearing good things about zebra domes.

 

[Day-al]

Very few masks on in outdoor queues for food, and definitely no distancing.

Masks outdoors and social distancing were done away with at WDW months ago.

 

[SwanVT2]

Masks outdoors and social distancing were done away with at WDW months ago.

What about masks inside?

 

[Day-al]

What about masks inside?

Check MDE for the latest

 

[scrappinginontario]

What about masks inside?

Disney’s current policy can be found here:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/

 

[SwanVT2]

Disney’s current policy can be found here:

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/

Glad masks are still required indoors.

 

[bsmcneil]

For those who are "here now/just back" - I know weather can be unpredictable and I'm good with layers, etc. But - has anyone brought and needed (or didn't bring but needed) a fan or cooling towel? It seems not necessary given the weather predictions - but I thought I'd check in.

 

[kalista]

We were there just before Christmas, it was pretty awful, so much so we are not going back to a WDW park for the foreseeable future. I still can’t believe I’m saying that. We have quite a lot of DVC points but I’ll be using them for non park stays, and stays at non WDW resorts.

If you have our pattern, which is arrive rope drop and leave after lunch, and it’s busy, Genie+ certainly does not work as you can’t get the rides unless you ‘stack’ and stay in the park late. So when it’s busy Genie+ is useless for those who don't want to be in parks in the afternoon.
Summary:

1. EMH in the morning is now ruined. Whereas before it was moderately busy at Xmas, a side effect of rip off paid rides where a family of 4 pay $70 for a 2.5 minute ride on Mine Train is that everyone now floods to EMH to avoid the charge. This meant 75 min waits at Test Track, Mine Train etc at rope drop at EMH. Queue for Mine Train insane, within minutes wait quickly going to 90 mins In EMH.
2. With non resort guests flooding in at normal rope drop to avoid these charges, EMH is now basically one A list ride, then you are done, with long waits then in normal park time for other rides. Example, we entered Epcot at rope drop EMH and ‘ran’ to Test Track. Because we ran, queue was to the top of the pathway and around the corner with 45 min wait. Within seconds queue extended to the lake, and wait was 75 mins. This was Test Track in EMH - 75 mins massive queue within minutes of rope drop EMH. We did that, then Soarin’ was listed as 80 min wait and Frozen has gone down. We never rode either. Week before Xmas this. Just a typical example.
3. This means that it is basically now impossible, at say HWS or MK to do as we did before, and get multiple A list rides done by early afternoon.
4. For the first time ever we didn’t ride multiple top rides on our trip.
5. As I say Genie+ no good for our park attendance pattern.
6. Epcot is a boarded off mess. Years after the project started, Blog Mickey show very little work being done. It’s a disgrace. Huge crowds as a result trudging slowly around World Showcase.
7. One park where we did get all the rides done was AK, where we had a good time but this is only because it opened at 7am. At 6.45 am the crowds were massive, we queued to get in, and ran/ brisk walked to Flight of Passage. Even then the queues at Pandora were huge, extending outside of Pandora and looping around. They moved reasonably quickly, we were through and off the ride in an hour. This was arriving at the park at 6.45 am remember. By lunchtime though the park was a mess.
8. Park reservation system is clearly a major inconvenience, nothing about limiting numbers, but all about increasing ‘yield’.
9. Parks often lacking in other areas. Try and get a snack in busy times at Sleepy Hollow. No times in the near future on mobile order, queue simply not moving. Staff don’t seem to have any manager trying to speed things up. Infuriating 1 hour wait for a waffle. Starbucks 45 mins + wait for a freaking coffee.
10. Rides were breaking down for extended periods all the time. What is going on there. I’ve never seen this so bad.

Yep we have been at Christmas before, for example, 2019 and nothing like this.

I accept we are particularly badly impacted as Genie+ is junk in busy times and if you don’t want to stay in the afternoons. We have no interest in fighting through all that for 10 hours a day.

Im already making reservations in a deluxe hotel at Universal next year with free Express Pass. On top of hotels I will drop maybe $7k next Xmas there instead.

Chapek, D’Amaro, the board and anyone else responsible really need to take a long hard look at themselves. They said it would be more expensive but the experience would be better. Many, many people are reporting it isn’t better, they just ruined it but certainly made it more expensive though, and it’s become in my view something of an obscene rip off.

We were there that same week. We mostly made it to early entry, but it seemed it only got you a one ride advantage before the masses arrived and waits skyrocketed. When we would leave late afternoon exhausted, I’d look at the folks arriving and think, “Maybe that’s the way to go?” Get Genie+ and stack for later, take advantage of lower standby waits, and let everyone sleep in?!

 

[BK2014]

DW and I are local and have APs. We went to Hollywood Studios this morning. Got in line for the non-early entry folks at about 8:35am. It wasn't until 8:56am that the group in front of us in line realized that this was not the line for early entry resort guests. I felt bad, and would have told them if I had heard them talking about it. They probably need some announcements or something for people who might not realize what line they are in. I saw castmembers with signs, but they were easy to miss. Especially if you are just following the crowds assuming that they are there for the same reason.

We had no plan, except for an ADR at Mama Melrose's for lunch. No Genie+. We started at Toy Story Mania. Wait said 60 minutes. Then went to Swirling Saucers where the wait was 45 minutes. After lunch, I did Start Tours with a posted wait time of 25 minutes while DW shopped. For all lines, we found that the posted standby time ended being about the time from getting into line until exiting the ride after riding it. After that we left for the day.

We are normally 1/2 day park people if we are not staying on-site. And we knew what to expect with no FP+, and not using Genie +. So we weren't really disappointed, but it was the least we have been able to accomplish in a half day at a park since we moved here in 2019.

On a positive note, this was our first time at Mama Melrose's and we both really enjoyed our lunches. I the Charred Strip Steak and DW had the Margherita Flatbread. Service was good. We enjoyed the atmosphere. And there was plenty on the menu that we would like to try again on a return trip.

We did notice that Rise of the Resistance appeared to be down most, if not the entire time we were there. We weren't planning on riding it, but I imagine there were a lot of disappointed people. MDE says it is currently running with a wait time of 230 minutes.

 

[Wakey]

We were there that same week. We mostly made it to early entry, but it seemed it only got you a one ride advantage before the masses arrived and waits skyrocketed. When we would leave late afternoon exhausted, I’d look at the folks arriving and think, “Maybe that’s the way to go?” Get Genie+ and stack for later, take advantage of lower standby waits, and let everyone sleep in?!

i think you are correct. Problem is we are coming from UK so up at 6 the latest anyway due you time difference, and usually afternoons in winter are better for pool time. So it’s totally messed it up for rope droppers in busy times.

 

[WIll C]

HS yesterday was a big mess. Lots of rides down in the morning and big crowds. We had lunch at Sci-Fi and really didn't do anything as we were just taking it easy since we knew the crowds were going to impact things and ended up finishing up our gold coin medallion search. Epcot was still pretty busy in World Showcase when I hopped over in the afternoon and Disney Springs was really packed that night. Reservations, as normal, are a must.

 

[mickeymom629]

We are just back from 6 nights at Kidani 1/8-1/14. We did not do G+ at all. We were 9 adults and 2 5-year-old girls and a 2-year-old boy. The girls did all thrill rides they were tall enough for and loved them! Even ToT! We bought $LL for FoP on Mon 1/10 and RotR on Tues 1/11. We didn't want to give Disney more $ but bit the bullet for just those two. We waited in line 60 minutes or so for many rides, which was annoying, as we have always used FP to our advantage in the past. I was more impatient than the children. The weather was beautiful except for a little rain on 1/10. We did all 4 parks and MK two days. Tried to get to EE for MK on Sunday (see paragraph below for issue), got to EE for HS and Epcot and that made a difference in the a.m. efficiency, for sure! I was very impressed that my group was able to get out that early and stay until park closing almost all days. And still there is much we didn't end up doing because we were slow moving with getting in and out of stroller, stopping for snacks, etc.

Went to MK on Sunday of the Marathon and didn't realize that the buses would have to stop at TTC and we would have to transfer to a bus We were on track to get there about 8 a.m. but ended up being in the park shortly before 9 to watch the welcome show. Went to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland (did Dumbo, Barnstormer, Ariel, PP, Small World, Pooh, Tea Cups and Speedway before eating at Starlight Cafe). After lunch we did Carousel, Splash, BTMRR, Aladdin, Pirates and had a Dole Whip/icecream break. Then to Buzz, People Mover and Astro-orbiter. Mobile ordered and ate by Sleepy Hallow. Watched fireworks in front of Crystal Palace. MK seemed fairly less crowded than expected the entire day (though we passed on 7DMT this day because of the wait times). TP had said that it would be more crowded than our day at MK on 1/13 but the opposite was true and I'm so glad we went on Sunday since Thursday was unbearable (we didn't get there until 10:15), when it was noticably much, much more crowded. Our mission on Thursday was 7DMT (about 70 min wait and then was down for a bit in the afternoon after we rode) and HM.

FotLK was still upbeat and great, but for those of us who know what it was, it was different to see less performers, no monkeys and the birds not flying/close to each other. Happy to see flame thrower performer, though! B&tB show was sad/funny that performers were not as numerous and no embraces. Happy to see the juggler in Italy and the Jammitors. We enjoyed Kite Tails but some thought it was surprising that this was a Disney show.

I loved all the little parades and saw many since I was the one walking with the 2-year-old while others were on thrill rides. We saw Minnie, Goofy and Max, Pooh, Joy, Belle and Arora and maybe others just randomly.

Disney Junior dance party was so fun for little ones. I was happy to see that Alien Swirling Saucers was like Crack the Whip and not Merry Mixer, so that I could enjoy with grandkids. We really enjoyed MMRR, Remy and RotR, all somewhat the same technology. Remy was a little more nauseating. ETA that DH didn't know what all the fuss about RotR was all about, though he enjoyed it, he didn't think it was worth all the hype.

We enjoyed both Harmonious and Enchantment and thought they were very colorful and upbeat.

I loved the spicy, crispy chicken waffle at Sleepy Hallow in MK and the 50th ice cream sandwich at Dino Bites in AK. I love frozen bananas and could only find them at the trolley-looking stand in front of the castle. None at AK.

Buses were pretty good our entire trip. All but one cast member were awesome!

Now hoping that we didn't come home with any illnesses!

Btw, 10 of us drove from MD to FL in a large van through the night on Friday, Jan 7. Went to Disney Springs and explored the resort until our GV villa was ready (about 2p) at Kidani. Two others flew from Kansas. On the way home, 3 of the ones in the van flew home so the van was a little less crowded going back. Two stops on the road down and back. No weather or traffic issues! We were lucky!

Probably won't be back for another 3-4 years with everyone. Because of DVC, DH and I may be back before that. The theme we expected of this trip was 'it wasn't horrible, but it wasn't what we expected', but I think we all enjoyed it overall and are very glad we went!

ETA that we all wore masks in and out as much as possible, even the kids. Disinfected constantly. Two-year-old rolled on the cement in Tomorrowland a few times and ate things that he dropped while tthinking he was funny not listening to his parents, so crossing fingers he (and the rest of us) don't get sick.

 

[Lsdolphin]

I am also curious. I have an upcoming trip 01/25-02/02 and I was hoping the crowds would have dissipated by then. The crowd calendars have never let me down but I fear this may be a first. I think that international travel is what might be causing heavy crowds.

Same here our trip is 1/26-2/2 and hoping for lower crowds and just a bit warmer temps...

 

[Sarahslay]

It was a bad day for the IG this morning (Thursday). The scanners were down so they funneled us all into a visual inspection slowly and then there was no end of hassles with the touch points for the magic bands. Took 15+ minutes to get the first part of the crowd in. Then Remy went down early (if it even opened up). We had a DAS time for it so just came back later in the afternoon after Soarin' and some shopping. It was fun but nothing like MMRR and my wife loved Soarin' a whole lot more. It's new but we're probably not going to prioritize it again.

So are they definitely doing DAS for Remy now? My trip next week is my first trip using DAS with the G+ system and Remy, I set up my DAS the other day and the CM said "Remy isn't included in the DAS pass system, you will need to pay for a lightening lane pass or stand in the queue." I was thinking I had heard someone say that now that they weren't doing virtual queue that it was availalbe to do DAS for it, but then the CM was like "NOPE!" when setting up my initial two DAS for me for arrival day.

 

[WIll C]

So are they definitely doing DAS for Remy now? My trip next week is my first trip using DAS with the G+ system and Remy, I set up my DAS the other day and the CM said "Remy isn't included in the DAS pass system, you will need to pay for a lightening lane pass or stand in the queue." I was thinking I had heard someone say that now that they weren't doing virtual queue that it was availalbe to do DAS for it, but then the CM was like "NOPE!" when setting up my initial two DAS for me for arrival day.

It is included. I haven't seen something that isn't included as far as big rides are concerned. We got our DAS time for Remy, it went down and when it came back up we were able to get right on through the LL.

It's all on the app now and when you are in the park you just select the DAS option and pick your ride. It gives you a time to come back and you're good any time after that.

 

[DisSurfer878]

So are they definitely doing DAS for Remy now? My trip next week is my first trip using DAS with the G+ system and Remy, I set up my DAS the other day and the CM said "Remy isn't included in the DAS pass system, you will need to pay for a lightening lane pass or stand in the queue." I was thinking I had heard someone say that now that they weren't doing virtual queue that it was availalbe to do DAS for it, but then the CM was like "NOPE!" when setting up my initial two DAS for me for arrival day.

This CM is uninformed clearly on the latest updates. I mean, when you opened the app at Epcot you would have SEEN this CM was mistaken. Unfortunately just shows you can't really trust what they said and need to do your own research

 

[orum]

This CM is uninformed clearly on the latest updates. I mean, when you opened the app at Epcot you would have SEEN this CM was mistaken. Unfortunately just shows you can't really trust what they said and need to do your own research

It is also possible this was just a failure to communicate. Remy is not available for advance selection, and it sounds like that is the part of the process the poster was in. The cast member would have been correct that they couldn’t select Remy for an advance selection for DAS.

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

We just got back from an 8 night stay (6 park days) at SSR. The weather was absolutely amazing! With the exception of about 2 hours of rain, we had highs of 75-80 degrees and lows of 55-60 degrees. The SSR refurb was well done and the rooms look great. The pull down beds made a huge difference in sleeping comfort for our party.

We bought Genie+ for our two HS & MK days. We also bought all ILL rides each day. HS we slept in both days and stacked. We got to the HS around 1:30pm and had 5 LL rides waiting including the paid ones. We were pretty much able to ride everything we wanted with minimal waiting. MK days we got there early & used EE to get a few of the smaller rides while paying for 7DMT and Space Mountain. We then basically grabbed rides throughout the day that had close return times. We used Genie+ for 8 rides one day and 10 the other. We also stayed for Deluxe hours at MK and was able to ride Space Mountain several times in a row.

Our Epcot and AK days we paid for the ILL rides but did not pay for Genie+. There just isn't enough to do at those parks to make it worth it....especially since we had deluxe hours at EP. With a group of 8, Genie+ added a pretty big expense compared to previous trips. But it saved us soooo much time that we felt we got decent value out of it. We will almost definitely buy it again next trip.

Crowd-wise we thought it was busy. We knew MLK weekend would add to the crowds towards the end of the trip. But the beginning of the trip was pretty busy too...probably attributed to running events.

Mask compliance was excellent IMO. For the few that didn't have them on indoors, castmembers were there to remind them. I think 100% of people I saw whom needed to be reminded just honestly forgot versus ignoring the rules which was good to see.

Pretty much all cast member we interacted were great! Everyone seemed in great spirits and had that Disney cast member happiness I've become accustom too. Most guests seemed in good moods too. There have been so many reports of fighting guests or angry interaction I was happy to not see any of them.

All in all it was an amazing trip. It was definitely not one of our cheapest trips we've had...but it was one of the best. After all the recent threads of people who have "lost the magic", this trip confirmed that I am luckily not in that camp.

 

[cjlong88]

Today is Epcot / HS. I’ve been stacking LL’s for HS since this morning. We rode Remy during ETPE. We got to IG around 8:55 am. Waited about 5-10 minutes before they opened the ride. It was a walk-on. Then rode Soarin’, LwtL, and Nemo…all walk-ons. Made our way from Mexico through Germany today. Will do the other half of WS tomorrow. Relaxing at the hotel before we head back out later this afternoon

So far we have RotR, MMRR, MFSR, RnRC, and SDD LL’s booked for this evening at HS. Next window is in 4 minutes. TSM and ToT still show availability. Should be a good evening.

Having an amazing time so far!

ETA: Just snagged one of the last ToT LL’s!

 

[jillinastoria]

Today is Epcot / HS. I’ve been stacking LL’s for HS since this morning. We rode Remy during ETPE. We got to IG around 8:55 am. Waited about 5-10 minutes before they opened the ride. It was a walk-on. Then rode Soarin’, LwtL, and Nemo…all walk-ons. Made our way from Mexico through Germany today. Will do the other half of WS tomorrow. Relaxing at the hotel before we head back out later this afternoon

So far we have RotR, MMRR, MFSR, RnRC, and SDD LL’s booked for this evening at HS. Next window is in 4 minutes. TSM and ToT still show availability. Should be a good evening.

Having an amazing time so far!

This is a really smart strategy! Am I right that you had a park pass for Epcot, but starting at 7, got a LL for HS (guessing Slinky Dog) and then stacked at HS every two hours after Epcot park opening? Sounds like a fantastic day!