Walt Disney World has garnered much criticism for opening while the COVID pandemic is going on. The full experience is not available, and you have to wear a mask. This begs the question- is the magic still at Disney? Read on to find out!
For my family and I, going to the parks has been a great experience, and a way to escape reality for a bit. We feel Disney is doing all they can to keep guests safe- you can read more about it in my post Is It Safe to Visit Disney? Depending on when I visit my local grocery store, I feel safer at Disney than at the store!
Another question is- is it worth it to visit Disney right now? Aside from the question about the magic, what is missing in the experience? After spending several days at Walt Disney World recently, I can say that for my family, it’s worth it, AND the magic is still there. The cast members are there making dreams come true for young and old!
Let’s back up a bit and start with the cons of Disney, before we get to the pros. I promise to be real with you, and not view everything through rose colored glasses.
Cons
Masks!
This to me, is the most obvious and biggest impediment to being in the parks. I don’t think I’ll ever get “used” to masks. But if I focus on the kids, the magic, or the character cavalcades, I mostly forget about them.
We took LOTS of breaks at the provided Relaxation Stations, which can be found in every park. Sit down meals are also a good idea! We made sure to have meals where we could be inside for awhile, in the air conditioning! Be sure to make dining reservations through your app or on the Disney website before you go. Due to social distancing, reservations can sometimes be hard to get.
No Live Performers
As of this writing, an agreement has been signed with the Actor’s Equity Association to have a drive through COVID testing site on Disney property. This seems to be a factor in is what was holding up the live performers from coming back to work. You can read the full story here.
However, at the moment there is no official return date for the performers. So, my con stands…there’s very little in the way of live performers right now at Disney World. I really miss my favorite show- The Festival of the Lion King at Animal Kingdom!
The Eat to the Beat concert series at Epcot is not available either. This has more to do with social distancing issues, as it’s an outdoor amphitheater, so crowds could easily gather.
In Hollywood Studios, the Frozen Sing Along show and Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular show are closed. There is a small orchestra show where the Beauty and the Beast show usually takes place. These musicians usually perform at the Grand Floridian. We enjoyed two performances during a thunderstorm one afternoon!
Many Gift Shops/Restaurants Closed
There are a good amount of restaurants closed right now in the parks. Some because they have been made into Relaxation Stations (like Akershus at Epcot), or there just isn’t demand for them. There are not as many people in the parks, so technically not as many restaurants are necessary.
You may want to check the Disney website to see if your favorites restaurants are open, as well as the hours! The only character dining right now is Topolino’s Terrace, which looks like it’s still fun! Be sure to check out my review of when we went to Topolino’s for my daughter’s birthday. My oldest doesn’t love characters, so seeing them while not having to hug them is perfect for him! No buffets are currently in use either. Instead you are given a wide spread of food at your table! Chef Mickey at the Contemporary Resort has a reduced price because there are no characters to see!
Thankfully, Disney Food Blog has recently compiled a list of restaurants open at each park. Here is the link! So helpful!
Touch Areas Closed
Usually when you walk through the queue of Winnie the Pooh there are a lot of touch elements. Likewise, on Test Track, you usually design your own car on a screen that goes through the tests with you as you ride. After Spaceship Earth you can play games on interactive screens. All of those opportunities are currently closed to guests, for COVID reasons. This doesn’t bother my family much, as I was already a bit of a germaphobe before this pandemic, so we don’t usually let the kids touch these areas.
No Preshows
Often times, before you get on a ride there is a room you go into to see a video, or in the case of the Haunted Mansion, the stretching room is the preshow room. None of these are currently in use. You just walk right through or hold for a brief pause until you are assigned a row or number to stand on. Sometimes you are taken out of the order you came into said room as well, based on how they are loading the ride cars (often it’s a party in front and one in the back, or a row between guests, or on Soarin’ at Epcot there are small sections of seats together).
Kidcot at Epcot Not Available
I don’t know about you all, but my kiddos love a good learning hunt!! At Epcot, you can find the Kidcot stops in each of the World Showcase countries. Here you can meet a cast member from the country you happen to be in and learn about their native land. Unfortunately cast members aren’t at the stations right now, but they do have Ziploc bags available at each station. The bags have fact cards for each country, along with a sticker to put on the cards.
We also really enjoyed the Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak Scavenger Hunt. Remy statues are hidden in the pavilions of each of the 11 countries. This is perfect for my 7, 6 and 3 year old kids!
The Wilderness Explorer program at Animal Kingdom is still alive and well (just slightly modified).
The Sorcerer’s of the Magic Kingdom program at Magic Kingdom is also running. A Pirate’s Adventure- Treasures of the Seven Seas is unavailable for now.
No Price Reductions
This is something I think Disney will need to address, particularly for families coming from out of state! It has been acknowledged that even though you aren’t getting the full experience, you are still being asked to pay full price.
If you are a Florida resident you have a chance to snag a good deal right now! Choose either a 2, 3, or 4 day ticket for as low as $49 a day plus tax. These tickets can be used on non-consecutive days through December 18, 2020. Blackout days apply, and if you have a two day ticket both days must be used by September 30th. Check out specific details here on the Disney website. This is smart on Disney’s part, as we can all hop in our car and be to the magic without too much travel time or having to get on an airplane.
Disney has gone above and beyond (in my opinion) by extending annual passes, which they weren’t required to do. Our annual passes were set to expire on September 7th, and instead are now good until February 1st.
No Parades and Fireworks
I will greatly miss the Christmas parade if Disney doesn’t have Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party this year! It is so nostaglic and brings back many memories for me. What I miss even more though, is the fireworks. There are no fireworks like Disney fireworks. The lights, music, perfectly timed explosions of color…ahhh I know I’ll cry when they finally bring Happily Ever After back!!! I can’t wait for that day!
Pros/Cons
This small category can be seen as either cons or pros, depending on how you like to explore the parks, and also on your family’s preferences.
No Character Meet n’ Greets
Sometimes you just need a great big hug from Mickey, am I right? Unfortunately, at the moment that’s not possible (I’m starting to feel like a broken record). There are no character meetings, which can be good or bad, depending on your family’s likes and dislikes.
My son could care less about meeting characters, though he sometimes appeases me by hugging the main mouse. He likes this new way of seeing characters- the cavalcades! He can see and wave to them but there’s no awkward hugging or made up conversations (since Goofy can’t actually talk to him). It’s a win for him!
My girls LOVE meeting the princesses, so no meet n’ greets for them are a bummer, but somehow Disney still makes the magic happen. The character cavalcades let you still see your favorites as you walk around the parks. Be sure to listen for the change in the music, in addition to the music getting louder!
In particular, the princess cavalcade at Magic Kingdom is really neat! Merida asked my girls to twirl for her (from on top of her horse), Rapunzel asked them if they had seen Pascal, and the Fairy Godmother makes a heart shape with her hands. If you make a heart back, she acts like it’s the best thing ever- she says thank you! Once my girls weren’t looking so I pretended I was 6 again and made the heart back, and she reacted the same way. MAGIC, I’m telling you- everyone can be a kid again.
No Fast Passes
This one is a double-edged sword! Gone are the days of waking up at 6am 60 days before your trip to TRY and score those coveted Fast Passes for big ticket attractions like Flight of Passage or the newest ride like Minnie and Mickey’s Runaway Railway (this is a GREAT family ride, I highly recommend it). If you got the Fast Pass you felt like a rockstar, if you didn’t, you were either disappointed or spent hours refreshing the app to try and snag one that someone else had just let go.
Since reopening the parks, there are no.more.fast passes. I see this as a good thing- everyone is on the same playing field. However, I think this mentality will only last as long as the crowds are low. Come the day the capacity restrictions are lifted, I’m assuming Disney will bring back the Fast Pass system, but for now, this is one of my main reasons to visit the parks. This leads me to my first PRO!
PROS
Low Wait Times/No Wait Times
There’s a lot to dislike about 2020. If there are silver linings in this whole dramatic mess we are currently in, it’s that Disney has low wait times. I watch them daily, and have yet to see any “heck no” wait times on the app.
I have seen Splash Mountain at 60 minutes, but during our trip, almost all wait times were lower than posted. And I mean a lot lower. Unless you ended up being in line when Disney was performing a required cleaning, it was lower than posted. When my daughter and I got in line for Mine Train it said 35 minutes. There was a cleaning during our wait, and we ended up waiting exactly 35 minutes. Not bad!!! Then I did rider swap (that system is still going on, thank you Disney), and didn’t have to wait to take my other daughter on for her first time!
I preface this fun nugget of info by saying it was during a weekday, but my kids and I rode Peter Pan’s Flight at Magic Kingdom three times in a row, an hour before closing. We could have ridden it more, but restrained ourselves. In past trips I have usually used a Fast Pass on this classic but low capacity ride. At no point during our trip did the regular line for Peter Pan get too high to wait.
My son was able to ride Buzz Lightyear at Magic Kingdom 5 times in one day, easily.
My daughter and I rode Soarin’ at Epcot 4 times in one day as well.
Space Mountain didn’t get above about 45 minutes during our trip.
We all rode Toy Story Mania on a Friday afternoon 3 times in a row.
We rode and used Rider Swap for Slinky Dog Dash and waited about 20 minutes (this one does routinely get higher than 20 minutes but we were able to jump in line right after it reopened because of a weather delay).
FLIGHT OF PASSAGE at Animal Kingdom is currently less than an hour on most days. Previous to COVID, people would wait upwards of THREE HOURS to ride this one!
My youngest just hit the 40 inch height requirement, and she was so excited. Within a couple of hours at Magic Kingdom we had taken all the empty castle pictures my mommy heart desired, ridden Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and then later in the afternoon she rode Mine Train for the first time. This is NOT possible on a “normal” day at Disney World. These were in addition to several other rides!
There have even been groups of people who have ridden all the open attractions at Magic Kingdom in one day! Check out this post by my friend Julie on her “mom day” with friends who did just this! Pretty cool.
Low Crowds
I admit I can be a bit anti-social/introverted by nature, but not being crushed into a preshow room, or constantly yelling at my kids to get out of someone’s way or to keep moving or worry they were going to get lost in the sea of people during fireworks is nice.
I miss the fireworks and official parades, but don’t miss how I’d be a good citizen and patiently wait for 30-45 minutes to watch the parade to secure our spot, only to have someone shove their kids in front of mine at the last second. I’d also have people squeeze into that tiny crevice between my family and the trash can, blocking my view of the characters coming down Main Street. Can any of you relate?
Disney Like It “Used” To Be- Kinda
Do you remember going to Disney as a kid? We would drive to Magic Kingdom, park, buy our tickets at the gate, walk through and enjoy the day as it unfolded. No fast passes, watching wait times, making dining reservations 180 days out, you would just go where you wanted to go.
It’s not exactly like that (because, masks), but it’s more like that than it has been in a long time. On our most recent trip I didn’t feel the need to be at rope drop, because I knew there was a limited amount of people allowed in the park per day. I knew it was good for my kids to have some pool time in the morning without masks, so they’d be more willing to go for several hours with masks later in the day.
Do I Need to Rope Drop?
Being a morning person is not my strong suit, but Disney is the one place I will get up early for. A couple of years ago I’d stress out about getting up by 6am so we could leave the resort by 7am, and be at the park by 8am for rope drop, to get in as many rides as possible before the bigger crowds showed up around 10am. While that process made for a good amount of getting our favorite rides in, it was also stressful and occasionally not so magical.
So it’s nice to have the option to just chill on the hub grass, take that extra long break at the Relaxation Station (trust me, do it), take 8000 castle pics with nobody in the background (it really is beautiful), ride Peter Pan 3 times in a row, or eat every snack your little heart desires because, why not??! The wait times won’t be astronomical later. In fact, I’d recommend going later in the day, as the wait times drop then!
So Is the Magic Still There?
Friends, while my pros list isn’t very long, the few that are on there are HUGE. I was honest, there’s a lot not “normal” at Disney World right now. But, there’s also a lot to enjoy, because of these low crowds. Both my husband and I smelled all the smells much more (we both commented on the popcorn smell as we were riding Mine Train), noticed details we didn’t notice before (there are a lot more hidden Mickey’s than I realized), took awesome pictures (don’t forget your tripod so you can take your own pics), and enjoyed seeing characters out and about, and not hidden in a room.
If you can get past the masks (or maybe they are a reason you would feel good about going) and feel safe enough to travel, then this is a window of opportunity for those of us who are a bit crowd averse. The Disney bubble still exists (I even tried to bring home the magic at the fast food window on the drive home from Disney. I tried to use my Magic Band to pay for my burger)!
Cast Members still look for ways to make your stay magical, or even just to make you smile. I asked the balloon man on Main St. if he’d let me snap a pic of my girls in front of the balloons, and not only did he say yes, but he joked around and cut up with them. A sweet older cast member apologized for not being allowed to take a family picture for us, then thanked us for being in the park.
The Cast Members at the Plaza Restaurant didn’t think I was weird when I jumped up and left our table in the middle of the meal to go see the Princess Cavalacade come down Main Street. They just smiled and danced with me.
And the magic was still there when my son got brave and pushed through his nervousness to ride Test Track for the first time. I’ll never forget his proud stance as I took his picture in front of the Test Track sign. Or how my 3 year old yelled “Mommy I’m brave” after riding (her choice) 3 roller coasters in one day. I’m tearing up as I type this! Memories can still be made, the magic is still alive.
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Mary
I love this list and how you were very honest about the cons. I see a lot of those cons as well, but I do believe there is still magic to be found!