How is Disney World doing?

[TravelTime]

We have plans to go to Disney World in Florida in June. However, I just found out my daughter has two weeks off around Easter. Her school decided to give the teachers an extra week off since it has been a tough year. So now I am thinking it might be better to go in the spring instead of the summer since the weather is better. I am wondering how Covid restrictions are affecting Disney World in Florida? Is it still open? Any operating changes? Any chance it could shut down?

 

[elaine]

Just returned. You need a park reservation for each day in the park as well as a ticket. Easter is always very high season and crowded. The parks now operate at 35% capacity but my friend with an annual pass says it feels much more crowded than that. Some eating places and stores are closed putting pressure on the open ones. No character meets or shows which crowds other rides.
the good news is that easterweek will feel like any other day with capacity controlled.
disney springs was crowded. At 3pm, I waited 30 minutes in a socially distanced line at the world of Disney store. As much as peak Xmas in normal times.
We’ve gone most Easter week for 15 years, and the weather is almost always fabulous. We’d go into park in am and leave at lunch and enjoy the pools. If you had that plan, you’d be fine. Disney resorts show movies outside at night. That’d be a fun addition.
Wdw is very strict and enforcing masks. I don’t know if any covid outbreak traced back to wdw. I don’t think they’re shutting down again. Supposedly park hopping is back in Jan. Don’t know how that’ll work. There are no fast passes. If you did park hopping, I’d plan to just walk around in the afternoon evening at Epcot etc. no fireworks or parades. It’s not the typical wdw experience. But at Easter that experience was very crowded and one had to alter plans and didn’t get the best experience anyway due to high crowds.

 

[elaine]

We stayed at akv Jambo. Only dvc Rooms open. No restaurants and not many people. Over at kidani the little store was jammed in the evening as was Sanaa the only food place open. All socially distanced. We Moved over to Old key west and that was fully operational as was riviera. Sky liner is super cool.
so if you stay at wdw. Be sure to check what’s open at your hotel.

 

[mentalbreak]

My understanding of the return of park hopping is that you still need to have a park reservation and visit that park first with a park hopper ticket (or AP). Then you may enter another park after 2pm.

 

[amyhwang]

If it were me, I’d opt for the later in the year option of June. Hopefully, regular folks will be getting vaccinated more by then, so travel would be safer.

 

[rickandcindy23]

We have gone twice since October, two weeks each time. We just got back yesterday. Loved the experience. You should go in the spring.

Our granddaughter is three and she really missed the Buzz character greeting. She loves Buzz, he is by far her favorite character. She wore her Cinderella dress to Magic Kingdom each day and got a lot of attention from the princesses from a distance, both in the parade and for the train depot upper level when we arrived in the morning. She loved turning around to show off her dress for Cinderella and the fairy godmother. We truly enjoyed that! She wouldn't be one to allow a princess to touch her anyway, not even Grandma can touch her as she has gotten older. I believe she is somewhat autistic. She loves Grandpa however. My daughter has a theory that small children are generally afraid of older women because of the "old witch" syndrome they get from the Disney movies, and Bella watches Disney movies all day long. Makes sense to me.

We went to the parks five times, manageable crowds. We went to Disney Springs twice, and we only waited in line for 5 minutes to visit the World of Disney store. All of the other stores were open for business, even the Christmas store, no wait at all. I think evenings are a really bad time to visit Springs, and the daytime is the best time, especially before lunch and out by 1 PM. We didn't eat down there.

The only meals we ate at Magic Kingdom was at Pecos Bills. We also ate at Prime Time Cafe. I am not a fan of Disney food, as most people know. The prices are crazy high. I could cook a meal for 8 for what their fast food costs for two, so I am just not impressed with the prices and the food quality. The food at Pecos Bills was good. I had beef nachos. Rick had fajitas and thought they were pretty good and filling. I didn't get enough "green" that night. We wanted to see the Christmas projections on the castle that last night at Magic Kingdom.

I really think they should do away with FP+ altogether. We never waited more than 20 minutes for Peter Pan, and we all know how long that line is normally. I would definitely go. We go again next month. We are staying at AKL and OKW via exchange, and we have exchanges for our son and his wife as well. Looking forward to more time with Bella.

 

[dioxide45]

We have been several times. We aren't your typical Disney park goer though. We have APs, so our park stints usually only last a few hours. Walk around. Enjoy the sights and ride a couple rides. We actually got in the queue for Rise of the Resistance and were able to ride by late afternoon. It was broke down (typical) most of the morning. We were quite impressed. We were also in line for Runaway Railway when it broke. We still had time before our boarding pass would have been called for Rise, so we waited it out. A bunch of people got out of line, so when they got it working after about 30 minutes, the line was shorter . Both rides use similar ride vehicle technology, so be prepared for breakdowns on those two rides and don't count on being able to ride them on your day at Hollywood Studios.

Right now it seems that wait times are hard to measure. Lines will look huge because of social distancing but they move pretty fast. You will often see a line and not really know what it is for. There is usually an employee at the end of the line with a marker. You may see this for some stores also.

In all, our experiences have been pretty good. We are going back again in mid January and staying onsite at DVC. A first for us! Though we may not make it to the parks as much that trip because we want to check out the resorts.

The typical Disney we all remember from a year ago is gone. It may come back, but I wouldn't expect a similar experience for a few years. They say that the reservation system may be here to stay. The shows may take a while to come back and some are likely gone forever. We may never see buffets back again at those restaurants that had them, but I am actually more okay with the family style option that they have instead put in place.

 

[TheHolleys87]

The two of us were there the week before Thanksgiving and will return the week leading up to Christmas with the kids and grandkids - a trip that was 2+ years in the making! We're also booked to return the first week of March. Our experiences were similar to others posted above and obviously didn't discourage us from returning. I doubt it's going to shut down again. Instead I expect a gradual reopening of stores, restaurants, and attractions as (hopefully) we start to see fewer cases, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer deaths from COVID-19 as the vaccine rolls out. However, even though I hope to be vaccinated by the end of February, I still expect to be wearing a mask when there.

The most up to date information about operational changes at WDW are found at the very top of WDW's main page, https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/. As things change, fan sites such as DISboards will note and analyze the changes. By Easter I think it will look a lot different. So an Easter trip sounds good, although if you want to be cautious, don't book anything that's not easily cancellable!

 

[TravelTime]

Are Fast Passes still being used during Covid when they are limiting attendance?

 

[mentalbreak]

Are Fast Passes still being used during Covid when they are limiting attendance?

no. Fastpasses have not been available since they reopened and they have not announced anything about their return.

 

[littlestar]

We just returned Saturday from WDW. Ditto all the comments so far. The weekends seemed more crowded to us in the parks and at Disney Springs. We noticed Epcot became more crowded after 4 pm during the week.

 

[TheHolleys87]

We noticed Epcot became more crowded after 4 pm during the week.

Presumably local residents, especially AP holders whose APs are blocked out starting Dec. 18. But when park hopping resumes on Jan.1, Epcot crowding might become more noticeable after 2 PM - the most common comment I’ve read has been from people hoping to visit one park early in the day, then hop to Epcot for dinner!

 

[TravelTime]

no. Fastpasses have not been available since they reopened and they have not announced anything about their return.

That’s too bad. I love Fast Passes. It makes the lines manageable.

 

[TravelTime]

I decided to reserve for Easter break based on everyone’s feedback. If it does not seem safe or too much is closed, we can reschedule. The weather will be better in the Spring. That will make it more enjoyable. I sure hope Covid is gone by then. Wishful thinking

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I decided to reserve for Easter break based on everyone’s feedback. If it does not seem safe or too much is closed, we can reschedule. The weather will be better in the Spring. That will make it more enjoyable. I sure hope Covid is gone by then. Wishful thinking

Oh my gosh, your daughter is going to have such a great time...Have Fun

 

[TravelTime]

If we are going to WDW in early April, how soon in advance should we make the park reservations?

 

[Firepath]

I heard you could make them through 2021. Since you are going at Easter, I’d make them sooner than later - now, if possible.

 

[TravelTime]

I heard you could make them through 2021. Since you are going at Easter, I’d make them sooner than later - now, if possible.

My concern is if I make them early and we have to cancel, will we get a refund?

 

[elaine]

You have to have tickets to make a park reservation. If you booked a wdw package, you used to have 45 days out to Canx for free and could pay maybe $100 to be able to Canx up to 6 days out?
If you buy tickets from wdw separately, no refunds for tickets but value of tickets are good (forever) for purchase of new tickets.

 

[AnnaS]

We went late October - capacity was at 25% then. Now I keep reading it's up maybe 35%?

We are going back end of February . If we find crowds are a bit much - we will stay away/enjoy the resort/move away, walk away. Whatever we have to do. The weather will be warm in April but so much better than June.

We go back in early November and already have our park reservations. Just know what to expect before you go and be prepared. It's hard to say how things will be in April - things can change daily, weekly. Your daughter will love it. Hope you both have a great time and if it's a go, come back and give us your thoughts.

 

[TheHolleys87]

My concern is if I make them early and we have to cancel, will we get a refund?

You have to have tickets to make a park reservation. If you booked a wdw package, you used to have 45 days out to Canx for free and could pay maybe $100 to be able to Canx up to 6 days out?
If you buy tickets from wdw separately, no refunds for tickets but value of tickets are good (forever) for purchase of new tickets.

This is from a Disney-sponsored site, PlanDisney.com, and states what I’ve read on DISboards as well regarding resort packages purchased from Disney directly: “all Disney-imposed cancellation fees for vacation packages and Disney Resort Hotel stays are waived for reservations with arrivals through April 30, 2021! The due date for payment remains at 30 days before your vacation start date....” Many people are choosing to book packages for this reason, not to mention that Disney is offering some good prices now as well. The DVC rental market is suffering somewhat as a result, as people would rather book a refundable room or package than a non-refundable DVC rental, not to mention that Disney’s prices are very competitive with rental rates.

Disney’s refund policy would not apply to your tickets if you reserve only your room through Disney and purchase tickets elsewhere (at a discount), but as @elaine says, your tickets would retain their $ value indefinitely. Disney would value them at whatever Disney’s online price was when you bought them, so if there was a price increase in the meantime you would pay the difference when you traded them in for new tickets.

PS park pass reservations can be canceled and rebooked without penalty. There’s not even a no-show penalty, as there is with ADRs.

 

[TravelTime]

This is from a Disney-sponsored site, PlanDisney.com, and states what I’ve read on DISboards as well regarding resort packages purchased from Disney directly: “all Disney-imposed cancellation fees for vacation packages and Disney Resort Hotel stays are waived for reservations with arrivals through April 30, 2021! The due date for payment remains at 30 days before your vacation start date....” Many people are choosing to book packages for this reason, not to mention that Disney is offering some good prices now as well. The DVC rental market is suffering somewhat as a result, as people would rather book a refundable room or package than a non-refundable DVC rental, not to mention that Disney’s prices are very competitive with rental rates.

Disney’s refund policy would not apply to your tickets if you reserve only your room through Disney and purchase tickets elsewhere (at a discount), but as @elaine says, your tickets would retain their $ value indefinitely. Disney would value them at whatever Disney’s online price was when you bought them, so if there was a price increase in the meantime you would pay the difference when you traded them in for new tickets.

PS park pass reservations can be canceled and rebooked without penalty. There’s not even a no-show penalty, as there is with ADRs.

So does this mean I can purchase tickets for April but if we can’t go, then I will not get a refund but I can cancel the dates and the value of what I paid will be a credit indefinitely?

How do you cancel the dates on tickets if you can’t go?

I have an Interval week so we will be staying at one of the MVCs instead of onsite.

 

[Sugarcubesea]

My son and his family is going to WDW in late May of 2021. Does anyone know of any places I can buy discounted GC’s for Disney. Are there any cool experiences Ivan purchase for them that you recommend?

 

[elaine]

So does this mean I can purchase tickets for April but if we can’t go, then I will not get a refund but I can cancel the dates and the value of what I paid will be a credit indefinitely?

How do you cancel the dates on tickets if you can’t go?

tickets expire based upon dates, but value stays locked--you can apply to future purchase. I'd check with "experts" on disboards under tickets forum.

 

[rickandcindy23]

My son and his family is going to WDW in late May of 2021. Does anyone know of any places I can buy discounted GC’s for Disney. Are there any cool experiences Ivan purchase for them that you recommend?

I guess I didn't understand your question fully, but I know that Kroger grocery stores offer Disney gift cards and give us 4X fuel points. A $250 gift card gets us 1000 points, which is $35 off on gas ($1.00 X a max of 35 gallons). We take both vehicles to use the full 35 gallons. We also take our gas cans. We use those fuel points well. We buy Amazon gift cards during the 4X promotion and load them to our Amazon account, too. It's always 2X, so $500 purchase gets $35 off on gas.

If you have the Chase Ink cards and get 3X or 5X points, those are also a great value. I will be buying $3500 worth to pay our Disney MF's, which will get us 5X Chase points. I will probably use them for SW. 17,500 points gets one of us RT to Hawaii on SW, or both us of RT to Orlando (when airfares are as low as they are lately). We paid 3,033 points each way to Orlando for January. That's 13,000 points for both of us. Kind of crazy cheap.