Here Now & Just Back WDW Reopening Experiences Including Park Hopping

[cdurham1]

It's a small thing, but the lack of tram service really got under my skin yesterday at MK. I don't often use the tram, but when you want it, you want it. We were walking back to our car to go take out afternoon break and the sun was beating down on us after fighting the crowds in MK all morning. I was thinking, "geez, they have no problem increasing the park capacity, but can't do something like bringing the tram back?!" Sometimes it is the little things that can irritate you!

 

[cdurham1]

We are planning on going next week while we are there and really looking forward to it. We love water parks! How were the crowds?

Crowd didn't seem bad at all. We started to walk up stairs with a raft and froze at the wait time sign. It said 90 minutes. Two young guys were zipping past us and said, "don't worry, that's wrong, it's basically a walk on." And they were right. One of my daughter did the tallest slide and waited less than 10 minutes.

I was really surprised. With Typhoon Lagoon closed, the heat, and the crowds at the parks, I expected it to be very crowded. We were really pleasantly surprised.

 

[disny_luvr]

Crowd didn't seem bad at all. We started to walk up stairs with a raft and froze at the wait time sign. It said 90 minutes. Two young guys were zipping past us and said, "don't worry, that's wrong, it's basically a walk on." And they were right. One of my daughter did the tallest slide and waited less than 10 minutes.

I was really surprised. With Typhoon Lagoon closed, the heat, and the crowds at the parks, I expected it to be very crowded. We were really pleasantly surprised.

Great news!

 

[cakebaker]

Crowd didn't seem bad at all. We started to walk up stairs with a raft and froze at the wait time sign. It said 90 minutes. Two young guys were zipping past us and said, "don't worry, that's wrong, it's basically a walk on." And they were right. One of my daughter did the tallest slide and waited less than 10 minutes.

I was really surprised. With Typhoon Lagoon closed, the heat, and the crowds at the parks, I expected it to be very crowded. We were really pleasantly surprised.

We were at BB today too. It wasn’t empty, but certainly not crowded. Wait times were short, plenty of great places to park your stuff.

We had a blast and stayed until closing, just now getting back to our resort. The absolute best part was not standing in lines and not fighting crowds. It was finally a relaxing day. We also got to miss whatever drama there might’ve been with masks.

Checking out of Fort Wilderness in the morning and glad to be going to the beach club. We extended our stay there to 2 nights before our trip ends. Tomorrow is the MK both morning and evening.

I have to say, the worst part of our trip has been the people. We rarely run into it, but we’ve had some really nasty encounters.Maybe it’s the heat or more likely the frustration of long lines and not much to do but stand in them. Whatever it is, people just seem to be in bad moods. I rarely see a smile.

 

[notatallmagic]

Oh, I'm really interested about the DAS pass issues you had. We're going next week and utilize DAS for a condition I have.

DAS issues at Magic Kingdom -

I'll start by saying that I am very grateful for the ability of our family to use a DAS; without it, we could no longer do Disney at all. We have a family of 3; and the pass is for my daughter, who was diagnosed with her disability about a year ago.

Our previous 3 trips since diagnosis - DAS has worked perfectly fine. She cannot stand in direct sun/heat for extended time periods, and needs the ability to eat/drink in line. Bathroom breaks are also a pop-up issue, so longer lines can be a problem. We also encountered NO problems this trip at the other parks - they appeared to have trained DAS staff to both issue returns times, and check us back in. Wait times were accurate from DAS within 5 minutes. Almost always, there were 2 distinct Cast Members and/or lines for the 2 different functions - but the DAS lines were also long, so be prepared for that.

Our first MK DAS problem was first thing in the morning; we obtained a 70 minute DAS return time for Seven Dwarves, and headed straight to Pan, since that line is usually shorter and shaded first thing in the morning. We walked up, asked the DAS Cast Member how long the wait was, and he said "5 minutes at the most". I could see that the line was already down the hill past the Tangled bathroom area, and when I asked if he was sure, he acted very put out, and said "I TOLD you it's 5 minutes!" Well, 35 minutes later, we rode the ride. Fortunately, we were able to stay in the shade, and she didn't need to leave the line or use the restroom, but that's a big miscalculation when you ask specifically, and with DAS, riders need more accurate information than that.

Our crisis came for Splash Mountain, which was insanely busy. My son had gotten a return time for 80 minutes, so we went to try to check back in to ride, and the DAS line was literally backed up to the river. It was wall to wall people ( I took pictures), with at least a 30 minute wait to check back in. They had the wheelchair line mixed in, as well as the "Complimentary Return" kinda Fastpasses, which is typical. BUT, with as overwhelmed as the parks were this week, there were TONS of folks trying to use the "Disney screwed up, here's a FastPass". There wasn't a good way to separate our party - there wasn't anywhere close or shaded to wait, and the kids couldn't have gotten back to the line due to the density of the crowd.

So we waited about 30 minutes, and witnessed just horrible service from the one poor, untrained Cast Member trying to deal with all the angry DAS and FastPass folks. The worst part was, there was a management type with a trainee behind him for at least 20 minutes, doing NOTHING. When we got to the front of the line to check in, after watching a large party leave with the adult man in TEARS because the Cast Member wouldn't let him use his passes - he actually asked the guy, "so, what IS your disability?" - which I'm pretty sure is not ok. BTW, he didn't have a DAS - he had the Recovery Passes due to other issues with their party earlier. I mentioned to the Management Cast Member that it would be helpful if they had more help, since the line was so crazy long and many of the folks in the DAS line were struggling. Her response, "Have a Magical Day." with a smirk and a laugh.

So, it was NOT super magical when we finally got onto Splash Mountain, and my kid ends up having a medical crisis during the ride that was TOTALLY avoidable had the DAS worked like it should and like it is promised to work. We had to leave the park after that, and take about four hours before she felt well enough to be up and around again. I can offer more details if needed, but I will be following up with Disability Services. TOTALLY unacceptable.

 

[tinkerhon]

Just got back from an 8 day trip - I can post more later (lots to catch up on); but just my quick observations:

- Pop Century did a pretty solid job. We had 3 towel/coffee/trash take outs without calling and called another time and had what we needed right away. No visible piled garbage this time, and the main pool area and landscaping were in great shape. The main building was not as clean as it used to be, and the Food Court is very blah. Still, much better than what I was expecting, and way better than our Coronado experience earlier this summer.
- The parks were WAY overcrowded. I would never recommend a first timer visit now. It was wall to wall people, with lots more rude folks (super hot, too crowded, and crazy wait times will do that to people). We have a "touring plan" of our own that works pretty well, but it was still brutal. Simply awful if you were a once and done or Disney rookie.
- Cast Members were a toss up; I'd say about a third were awesome; a third were ok, and the other third were untrained or awful. I get all the economics and HR issues, but not the typical 85% awesome, 13% ok, and 2% yuck Disney standard of the past.
- 80% of the sanitizer stations weren't full/working.
- Bathrooms were either sparkling or trashed. I didn't see any piled trash.
- Animal Kingdom and Hollywood seem to have it together. Epcots's back half is still fun, albeit gutted without the Cultural Reps and live music/shows. Food booths we tried were excellent. They front half of Epcot is brutally hot (whose idea was it to make those dividing walls black in the summer heat?) and ugly.
- Magic Kingdom was a hot mess. We did two full days there, and two nights for Happily Ever After. By far the worst crowds, clueless cast members, terrible lines, mess, angry folks...simply awful. It's my daughter's favorite park, and we were celebrating her graduation, but she even said, "this trip ALMOST killed Magic Kingdom for me." It. was. awful.
- If you need a Disability Access Pass, I will post about that later. It was dangerously terrible at Magic. I get that I'm biased, but putting untrained Cast Members in that job is not a fit, and downright dangerous. Two terrible experiences.

In summary, unless you have sunk costs like we did (airline vouchers that expired and a kid leaving for college) I would NOT visit now, especially Magic Kingdom. Yes, we found ways to enjoy things and make memories, but it was very rough.

THIS X 1000 !!!! We just got back Weds, and honestly--- said the same thing about MK--- was an absolute mess--- we had two park days reserved there, but after the first, switched the second one--- luckily, landed an ADR for an 8:15PM dinner at Kona, and watched (and listened to-- music was piped in) HEA from the pool area at the Poly-- it saved the day !!!

 

[notatallmagic]

Just another thought if you are someone who is worried about distancing - now is NOT the time to come to Disney.

We had a really sad/awful experience at Slinky in Hollywood. There was a lady there with two boys, maybe 8 and 10. They were all double masked in the outdoor line, which is fine and their business.

What WASN'T fine was when they loaded our cars (she was on her phone the whole time and wasn't really paying attention), and our group of 3 and her group of 3 meant that she got put in a seat next to my son who was NOT masked (this was last week, so he didn't need to be). She literally SHRIEKED at the Cast Member about how she didn't want to ride with anyone else, distancing, mask, blah...blah...and then spent the whole ride hysterical and screaming at my kid, and balled up in the corner of her row trying to be as far from my kid as she could. The PhotoPass pictures are so crazy...and my son was completly freaked out - getting screamed at by a stranger for doing nothing wrong.

So, again, whatever the rules are at the time - like being told to fill all seats at Bugs Life, Lion King, Frozen, etc. - don't take it out on your fellow guests.

 

[fla4fun]

It's a small thing, but the lack of tram service really got under my skin yesterday at MK. I don't often use the tram, but when you want it, you want it. We were walking back to our car to go take out afternoon break and the sun was beating down on us after fighting the crowds in MK all morning. I was thinking, "geez, they have no problem increasing the park capacity, but can't do something like bringing the tram back?!" Sometimes it is the little things that can irritate you!

I have an AP and I am not doing any day trips until the trams come back. It’s hot enough walking from the resort transporotation to the parks, let alone from the parking lots.

 

[DisneyFive]

Thanks for the report. Are masks still buy one get one free, or are they back to full price?

All masks (Disney themed) that I see are $9.99 each. No buy one get one
Dan

 

[MEC004]

I like the idea of the lanyards for when we remove masks to eat/drink so we don't accidentally drop/put them down on tables etc.

Second this! They were a lifesaver when we went in December. You didn’t have to put your mask down on anything grody.

 

[lovethattink]

All masks that I see are $9.99 each. No buy one get one
Dan

Thanks for looking.

 

[cakebaker]

Just another thought if you are someone who is worried about distancing - now is NOT the time to come to Disney.
.

What WASN'T fine was when they loaded our cars (she was on her phone the whole time and wasn't really paying attention), and our group of 3 and her group of 3 meant that she got put in a seat next to my son who was NOT masked (this was last week, so he didn't need to be). She literally SHRIEKED at the Cast Member about how she didn't want to ride with anyone else, distancing, mask, blah...blah...and then spent the whole ride hysterical and screaming at my kid, and balled up in the corner of her row trying to be as far from my kid as she could.

We are ones who are not comfortable riding right next to someone who is not masked. I didn’t realize on slinky they were putting strangers together, but when we did, just as they put us in line, I stepped back and told the CM we did not want to ride like that. I was perfectly happy to take the exit and not ride, but the CM was quite nice and insisted we just step to the side and she put us on the next ride.

There was no excuse for her behavior. She could’ve chosen not to ride or asked to be seated alone and they would have done that with no problem.

We are extremely careful in the parks and have skipped doing many things because of crowds. Honestly, right now, I wouldn’t recommend anyone go to WDW.

 

[smitty0705]

A relative there now said back to regular price.

the masks are $6/4 on ShopDisney

 

[cakebaker]

All masks that I see are $9.99 each. No buy one get one
Dan

I forgot to bring my mask Wednesday evening to the MK and bought 2 with the buy 1 get 1 free deal. I guess that went away when they started the new mask policy today. I did notice they had moved the mask kiosks outdoors at the shops in AK this morning.

 

[Pyotr]

Just another thought if you are someone who is worried about distancing - now is NOT the time to come to Disney.

We had a really sad/awful experience at Slinky in Hollywood. There was a lady there with two boys, maybe 8 and 10. They were all double masked in the outdoor line, which is fine and their business.

What WASN'T fine was when they loaded our cars (she was on her phone the whole time and wasn't really paying attention), and our group of 3 and her group of 3 meant that she got put in a seat next to my son who was NOT masked (this was last week, so he didn't need to be). She literally SHRIEKED at the Cast Member about how she didn't want to ride with anyone else, distancing, mask, blah...blah...and then spent the whole ride hysterical and screaming at my kid, and balled up in the corner of her row trying to be as far from my kid as she could. The PhotoPass pictures are so crazy...and my son was completly freaked out - getting screamed at by a stranger for doing nothing wrong.

So, again, whatever the rules are at the time - like being told to fill all seats at Bugs Life, Lion King, Frozen, etc. - don't take it out on your fellow guests.

If you’re that concerned, maybe going to a crowded theme park isn’t the best choice.

 

[soniam]

Add in my cooling towel and my neck fan and I look SEXY.

Don’t forget what my husband calls my summer foundation, ghostly white zinc oxide sunscreen

DAS issues at Magic Kingdom -

I'll start by saying that I am very grateful for the ability of our family to use a DAS; without it, we could no longer do Disney at all. We have a family of 3; and the pass is for my daughter, who was diagnosed with her disability about a year ago.

Our previous 3 trips since diagnosis - DAS has worked perfectly fine. She cannot stand in direct sun/heat for extended time periods, and needs the ability to eat/drink in line. Bathroom breaks are also a pop-up issue, so longer lines can be a problem. We also encountered NO problems this trip at the other parks - they appeared to have trained DAS staff to both issue returns times, and check us back in. Wait times were accurate from DAS within 5 minutes. Almost always, there were 2 distinct Cast Members and/or lines for the 2 different functions - but the DAS lines were also long, so be prepared for that.

Our first MK DAS problem was first thing in the morning; we obtained a 70 minute DAS return time for Seven Dwarves, and headed straight to Pan, since that line is usually shorter and shaded first thing in the morning. We walked up, asked the DAS Cast Member how long the wait was, and he said "5 minutes at the most". I could see that the line was already down the hill past the Tangled bathroom area, and when I asked if he was sure, he acted very put out, and said "I TOLD you it's 5 minutes!" Well, 35 minutes later, we rode the ride. Fortunately, we were able to stay in the shade, and she didn't need to leave the line or use the restroom, but that's a big miscalculation when you ask specifically, and with DAS, riders need more accurate information than that.

Our crisis came for Splash Mountain, which was insanely busy. My son had gotten a return time for 80 minutes, so we went to try to check back in to ride, and the DAS line was literally backed up to the river. It was wall to wall people ( I took pictures), with at least a 30 minute wait to check back in. They had the wheelchair line mixed in, as well as the "Complimentary Return" kinda Fastpasses, which is typical. BUT, with as overwhelmed as the parks were this week, there were TONS of folks trying to use the "Disney screwed up, here's a FastPass". There wasn't a good way to separate our party - there wasn't anywhere close or shaded to wait, and the kids couldn't have gotten back to the line due to the density of the crowd.

So we waited about 30 minutes, and witnessed just horrible service from the one poor, untrained Cast Member trying to deal with all the angry DAS and FastPass folks. The worst part was, there was a management type with a trainee behind him for at least 20 minutes, doing NOTHING. When we got to the front of the line to check in, after watching a large party leave with the adult man in TEARS because the Cast Member wouldn't let him use his passes - he actually asked the guy, "so, what IS your disability?" - which I'm pretty sure is not ok. BTW, he didn't have a DAS - he had the Recovery Passes due to other issues with their party earlier. I mentioned to the Management Cast Member that it would be helpful if they had more help, since the line was so crazy long and many of the folks in the DAS line were struggling. Her response, "Have a Magical Day." with a smirk and a laugh.

So, it was NOT super magical when we finally got onto Splash Mountain, and my kid ends up having a medical crisis during the ride that was TOTALLY avoidable had the DAS worked like it should and like it is promised to work. We had to leave the park after that, and take about four hours before she felt well enough to be up and around again. I can offer more details if needed, but I will be following up with Disability Services. TOTALLY unacceptable.

That is terrible! I am so sorry your daughter got ill. It’s horrible having medical issues while on vacation, much less at Disney. I have diverticulitis, and it’s exhausting when it acts up at the parks, but it’s manageable for me. I know there have been times when I have secretly judged people at Disney. It’s wrong, and I have been trying to instill the opposite behavior in my son by expressing compassion and understanding for people that don’t always have it as easy as him.

Just another thought if you are someone who is worried about distancing - now is NOT the time to come to Disney.

We had a really sad/awful experience at Slinky in Hollywood. There was a lady there with two boys, maybe 8 and 10. They were all double masked in the outdoor line, which is fine and their business.

What WASN'T fine was when they loaded our cars (she was on her phone the whole time and wasn't really paying attention), and our group of 3 and her group of 3 meant that she got put in a seat next to my son who was NOT masked (this was last week, so he didn't need to be). She literally SHRIEKED at the Cast Member about how she didn't want to ride with anyone else, distancing, mask, blah...blah...and then spent the whole ride hysterical and screaming at my kid, and balled up in the corner of her row trying to be as far from my kid as she could. The PhotoPass pictures are so crazy...and my son was completly freaked out - getting screamed at by a stranger for doing nothing wrong.

So, again, whatever the rules are at the time - like being told to fill all seats at Bugs Life, Lion King, Frozen, etc. - don't take it out on your fellow guests.

We were wearing masks while indoors before today. I didn’t expect others to do this or even physically distance. People really need to research and be honest about their comfort levels right now.

 

[bookgirl2632]

Crowd didn't seem bad at all. We started to walk up stairs with a raft and froze at the wait time sign. It said 90 minutes. Two young guys were zipping past us and said, "don't worry, that's wrong, it's basically a walk on." And they were right. One of my daughter did the tallest slide and waited less than 10 minutes.

I was really surprised. With Typhoon Lagoon closed, the heat, and the crowds at the parks, I expected it to be very crowded. We were really pleasantly surprised.

Can you tell me, how much walking is there at BB? What I mean is for some of the slides. At Volcano Bay, there are so many steps. It was daunting and my mother, who is in good shape for her age, just hated it. Mind you, we won’t be doing the huge slides. We stick to the tamer ones. We usually do Typhoon Lagoon and I know they don’t have too many bad climbs to get to their slides.

 

[Marvin1968]

If you’re that concerned, maybe going to a crowded theme park isn’t the best choice.

This ⬆

 

[DisneyOma]

Our previous 3 trips since diagnosis - DAS has worked perfectly fine. She cannot stand in direct sun/heat for extended time periods, and needs the ability to eat/drink in line. Bathroom breaks are also a pop-up issue, so longer lines can be a problem. We also encountered NO problems this trip at the other parks - they appeared to have trained DAS staff to both issue returns times, and check us back in. Wait times were accurate from DAS within 5 minutes. Almost always, there were 2 distinct Cast Members and/or lines for the 2 different functions - but the DAS lines were also long, so be prepared for that.

Our first MK DAS problem was first thing in the morning; we obtained a 70 minute DAS return time for Seven Dwarves, and headed straight to Pan, since that line is usually shorter and shaded first thing in the morning. We walked up, asked the DAS Cast Member how long the wait was, and he said "5 minutes at the most". I could see that the line was already down the hill past the Tangled bathroom area, and when I asked if he was sure, he acted very put out, and said "I TOLD you it's 5 minutes!" Well, 35 minutes later, we rode the ride. Fortunately, we were able to stay in the shade, and she didn't need to leave the line or use the restroom, but that's a big miscalculation when you ask specifically, and with DAS, riders need more accurate information than that.

Our crisis came for Splash Mountain, which was insanely busy. My son had gotten a return time for 80 minutes, so we went to try to check back in to ride, and the DAS line was literally backed up to the river. It was wall to wall people ( I took pictures), with at least a 30 minute wait to check back in. They had the wheelchair line mixed in, as well as the "Complimentary Return" kinda Fastpasses, which is typical. BUT, with as overwhelmed as the parks were this week, there were TONS of folks trying to use the "Disney screwed up, here's a FastPass". There wasn't a good way to separate our party - there wasn't anywhere close or shaded to wait, and the kids couldn't have gotten back to the line due to the density of the crowd.

So we waited about 30 minutes, and witnessed just horrible service from the one poor, untrained Cast Member trying to deal with all the angry DAS and FastPass folks. The worst part was, there was a management type with a trainee behind him for at least 20 minutes, doing NOTHING. When we got to the front of the line to check in, after watching a large party leave with the adult man in TEARS because the Cast Member wouldn't let him use his passes - he actually asked the guy, "so, what IS your disability?" - which I'm pretty sure is not ok. BTW, he didn't have a DAS - he had the Recovery Passes due to other issues with their party earlier. I mentioned to the Management Cast Member that it would be helpful if they had more help, since the line was so crazy long and many of the folks in the DAS line were struggling. Her response, "Have a Magical Day." with a smirk and a laugh.

So, it was NOT super magical when we finally got onto Splash Mountain, and my kid ends up having a medical crisis during the ride that was TOTALLY avoidable had the DAS worked like it should and like it is promised to work. We had to leave the park after that, and take about four hours before she felt well enough to be up and around again. I can offer more details if needed, but I will be following up with Disability Services. TOTALLY unacceptable.

Couple of questions for you - how does DAS give you permission to eat/drink in the queue when it is only a pass that gives you a return time? And how does it keep you out of heat and sun when it just gives you a return time? Are you able to find shady areas nearby, or do you have to walk pretty far in the heat/sun? How does she handle the heat/sun just walking through the park? I've got heat/sun issues, and find walking through the park to be much harder than being in a queue, but that was when FP+ was active. Going in a week myself and am concerned about the outside queues. Are there a lot of them?

 

[disny_luvr]

Second full HS day today. Today, July 30 is the shift back to masks in some areas. I will update this thread regarding the new mask policies at the attractions we go to! We plan to get to Hollywood studios around 8 AM

Got BG 10 this morning! Our plan is to do MFSR at rope drop since that was our longest standby wait of our four days so far at 90 minutes. Then maybe MMRR before our BG is called

Walked from the Boardwalk. Through security at 7:58 AM. Let through tapstiles at 8 AM, being held in front of “Vacation Fun” next to frozen theater until 8:30am.
View attachment 593297

Just spoke with Tran, one of the lead cast members. So far it is sounding like it is strictly inside buildings or entering an attraction marquee (which is where it lists the standby and fast pass return times) that we have to wear masks. So some of it may be outside depending on the ride. Will update

At the very front of the line for MFSR this morning.
View attachment 593310
Very orderly progression. Crazy how some people are still jockeying for position, even still. In the ride queue at 8:40am. On ride at 8:48am. Off MFSR at 9:00am. Soooo much better doing it this way than waiting 90 minutes after we did tower of terror and rock n roller coaster the other day. Ok I just walked past the start of the line for MFSR, it is longer than the other day when it took us 90 minutes. I can’t stress enough getting to the park at 8 AM if you want to do MFSR with a little wait.

9:13 AM, in line for MMRR. Posted 85 minutes. On in 36 minutes. Touring Plans estimated 34 minutes BTW. Masks are NOT required in the extended outside portion of queues. Masks start once you go through the marquee entrance. In some cases some of that may be outside.

Loved MMRR! Fantastic visuals and imaginative.
View attachment 593330

10:12am Going for some coffee and snacks now.

11:15 AM. Getting in line for Muppets 3-D since all the rides are at peak waits right now.

ROTR is down a lot today so far. Our group was called but it’s down again. Was told we can return any time before park close. Glad we have an early boarding group

View attachment 593363
Prime Time Cafe at 12:10pm today. Great comfort food and the atmosphere is so cool.

1:04 OK heading to ROTR then back to the resort to nap. I will say that mask compliance inside of the appropriate areas has been very good here at Hollywood studios today. No mean interactions with CM’s that I have seen yet.

Left the park around 3 PM and rode the Skyliner back to the Epcot stop, just for fun. it was our first time riding it. Loved it! Even in 92°, sunny weather it was comfortable in the vehicles.

Relaxed at the resort for a good while.

7 PM, back to HS. The park seems to be clearing out tonight. The line for slinky dog Dash was entirely in the formal queue. Haven’t seen that since we’ve been here.
View attachment 593417
The same goes for Mickey Minnie runaway railway.

Scarfing down some food at Docking Bay 7. A couple new options today. Plant-based meatballs and hummus Felicia Kefta) and the spicy Tip Yip.
View attachment 593418
View attachment 593419

We are going to try to ride one more attraction standby, and then jump in either RNRC or TOT right at park close.

7:38 PM we are in line for MMRR. At the formal Marquee entrance now. At the first movie screen scene in 16 minutes .Got off the ride just after 8 PM.

This really points out how nice it would be to have the parks open longer. Closing at 8 PM is rough because lines are finally starting to diminish because the little kiddos can’t make it that long but the adults and older kids can. It would help spread out the crowds

Successful day.

Dan

Thanks for sharing your day with us! I’m glad it was a great one!