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In our pandemic plagued world, many of us thrive on good news.  If you are a Disney lover (and if you’re reading this, I’m guessing you are), there is good news in the Disney arena today.  Disney World has reopened at last!  Here’s what we know so far about Disney World reopening.

Watch this short video Disney released of cast members preparing for Disney World reopening.  Warning: it COULD make you cry.  Just sayin’.

Limited Capacity

As we have discussed before, Disney World parks are reopening with limited capacity in order to promote social distancing.  The way Disney is managing park capacity is through a new park reservation system, the Disney Park Pass System.  Every guest with a Disney park ticket must also have a reservation for a particular theme park on a particular day in order to enter that theme park.  At this time, no park hopping is allowed.

Disney has set capacity numbers for each park, controlled through the park reservation system.  Disney is not officially revealing the capacity numbers they have set for each park.  Most likely, these numbers are very fluid and will change frequently, at least this first few months, as Disney observes guest response to new restrictions.

At this time, most park reservations well into August are “sold out”.  However, if you are trying to make a reservation, keep checking because we are seeing changes almost daily as Disney reallocates availability between the resort guests with tickets, non resort guest ticket holders and Annual Passholder groups for each park and each day.  This is definitely a “learn as we go” situation for all of us, especially for Disney.

Annual Passholders and Park Pass System

If you are a Disney World Annual Passholder, and have a resort reservation, you are able to make park reservations for the duration of your resort stay, presuming there is availability.  If you do not have a resort reservation, you are able to book up to three days at a time.  After you have used the first day’s reservation, you’ll be able to book an additional day.  Again, assuming there is availability.  At this time the most limited availability for park reservations is in the Annual Passholder group.  But again, check back frequently if you are trying to make reservations, as we are seeing availability change as Disney reallocates between reservation groups.

Safety Measures

Disney has done absolutely everything they can (short of not opening the parks at all) to protect the safety of park guests and cast members.  This means there are a lot of “new” processes and things to see if you visit Disney during this time.

Transportation and Parking

If you’re driving to the parks, you will immediately notice signs encouraging cashless payment for parking.  Disney will still accept cash, but they are highly encouraging guests to use cashless forms of payment.

When parking, cast members will direct cars to park in every other spot to encourage social distancing as guests emerge from their cars.  After guests emerge from their vehicles and move towards the trams or gates, cast members will fill in the empty alternating spots with new guests arriving.  We love this safety measure!  It makes sense for social distancing, but also minimizes the need to wait for the guests in the next car to close their doors so you can open yours!

Minnie Vans are NOT available at this time.  Guests can still use Rideshare (Lyft/Uber) as an option.

Disney Transportation

Buses are running, and in each bus, some seats are blocked off to encourage social distancing.  Similarly, Monorails are running, and social distancing is encouraged.  The Monorails don’t seem to be managing this quite as well–probably due to volume availability.  There are markers on the ground as you wait for both buses and Monorails, indicating the suggested six feet for social distancing.

Boats and ferries are ALSO up and running, again with social distancing markers to remind guests to maintain appropriate distances.  Lots of new signs promoting social distancing.

Temperature and Bag Checks

Prior to entering the parks, guests visit large white tents for temperature checks.  The tents are manned by Advent Health professionals using handheld infrared thermometers.  If you are wearing a hat or have hair covering your forehead, they will ask you to remove your hat and/or pull back your hair.  This process moves pretty quickly, then you head to bag check.

Security

Bag check has changed.  Previously, if you weren’t carrying a bag, you entered through one area, and if you were carrying a bag, you got in line.  All bags were manually searched by security at tables before you were allowed to move on.  Usually, you were encouraged to remove large items like cameras from your bag to enable security to more easily search your bag.

In the new process, you do not remove anything from your bag.  You carry your bag with you through detectors.  If your bag triggers the sensor, you may be asked to submit to a no-touch bag search.  (Basically, you empty your bag into a tub so security can look at the contents).  This definitely moves more quickly than the old process, but it is likely that this process will evolve over time.

Masks

All guests over the age of two are required to wear a face covering.  This is not optional.  On opening day, guests all appeared to be complying with this requirement.  Hopefully, we will see this compliance continue, as we definitely don’t want to see Disney as a source of increased infections.

Additionally, all cast members are wearing masks.  The only exceptions we have seen have been performers–and they are maintaining a healthy distance from guests and each other.

Guests are expected to wear their masks at all times, except when eating or drinking.  However, Disney has set up several “relaxation stations” in each park.  These relaxation stations are areas with tables and fans, designed for people to sit and remove their masks for a break.  The tables are spread out to maximize social distancing between parties.  They are small areas, but the idea is much appreciated.

Social Distancing

Throughout each park you will see signs reminding you to socially distance yourself from other parties.  You will also see lots of stickers on the ground, designed to help guests maintain proper distance from others.

You’ll notice new health and safety reminder signs on trash cans, too!  Also, Disney has propped the trash cans open so that you don’t have to touch the lid when throwing items away.

Hand Washing and Hand Sanitizer Stations

You will notice new hand washing and hand sanitizer stations throughout the entry areas to the parks, and within the parks themselves.

No Finger Scan

At this time, guests are scanning their Magic Bands or Park Passes to enter the parks. However, the finger scans are covered up at this time.  Disney has done this in the past to speed up park entry during very crowded periods, but it’s not common. Most likely, the scans are covered at this time for disease prevention.  It would be pretty tough to clean the scans between each visitor, and would significantly slow down park admittance.  We don’t know if this procedure change will last, but no finger scan certainly speeds things up!

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom

Both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opened earlier this week for cast member previews and Annual Passholder previews.  MK and AK officially opened to the public on Saturday, July 11, 2020.

Cinderella Castle

Cinderella Castle has been undergoing a makeover (previously reported here).  It appears to be nearly finished, and Cinderella Castle looks BEAUTIFUL.  While cranes were visible during the cast member previews earlier in the week, there were no cranes in sight on reopening day.  Some touch ups probably remain, so it’s likely the cranes are not gone for good.  However, it was amazing to see Cinderella Castle in all its glittering glory on reopening day.

Cinderella’s Royal Table, the table service restaurant inside Cinderella Castle remains closed at this time.

Also, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo is closed for the foreseeable future.

Crowds

Although right after the park opened, Main Street was fairly congested as people moved towards the hub and off into their various destinations, it soon thinned out to a more comfortable level.  Crowds were fairly light throughout the day, and guests did a pretty good job managing social distancing.  Of course, the lighter than usual crowds are due to the capacity limitations Disney has placed on the park.  However, even knowing it is due to dangerous circumstances, it is a joy to see the parks in all their glory without wall to wall people.

Lines

For the most part, lines for attractions remained pretty short throughout the day.  Attractions like Flight of Passage (AK), Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (MK) and Splash Mountain (MK) had the longest waits, topping out around 55 minutes a few times, but mostly staying around 40 minutes.  Splash Mountain was in high demand as most guests are aware the attraction will be closing soon to make way for reimagining for The Princess and the Frog.

Virtual Queue at Splash Mountain GIFT SHOP

Surprisingly, or maybe not?  The longest lines of the day (although virtual) were for the Splash Mountain merchandise shop!  Guests could check in and be given a return time to shop.  Those virtual lines got as long as 3 and 4 HOURS.  It was pretty quick to check in and get a return time; however, the line for returning guests seemed slow. Again, given that this merchandise will soon be gone forever, this shop was in high demand both by Splash Mountain fans, Disney memorabilia collections and eBay sellers!

Interactive Queues and Ride Queue Safety

There are now plexiglass dividers in some of the ride queues where social distancing would be a challenge, given the way the queues loop back and forth.  All of the “hands on” queue activities for rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Winnie the Pooh have been roped off.  Again, it would be impossible to clean these items frequently enough to protect guests as they are handled constantly when in use.  Therefore it makes sense to just block them off.  Its a bummer, but the shorter lines help offset the disappointment.

Attractions

The biggest questions people had before Disney World reopened were about attractions.  As mentioned above, some attractions now have plexiglass barriers between queue sections to help keep guests separated.  All attractions are cleaning the vehicles and public areas frequently.  Most attractions have hand sanitizer at the entrance and exit areas of the queues.  We did notice that some lines looked REALLY long–mainly because of social distancing markers.  Even the longest looking lines moved pretty quickly throughout the day, though. At all attractions, the Fast Pass signs are off and the Fast Pass queues are blocked off.  Fast Pass has been disabled until further notice.

Here’s some additional information on some of the most popular attractions at the park.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

As mentioned above, there is plexiglass in sections of the queue, and the interactive portions of the queue have been completely blocked off.  In addition, there are physical distance markers on the ground throughout to help guests know where to wait.

As guests board the attraction, cast members are leaving empty seats between parties to promote physical distancing.  Also, cast members are not checking the lap bars themselves as they pass to do the lap bar check; they are asking guests to do it themselves.

Haunted Mansion

Honestly, this is the only one we were really concerned about, haha.  Many of you have asked about the stretching room pre show at Haunted Mansion.  Now that Disney Word has reopened, we can confirm that the stretching room pre show is NOT part of the attraction at this time.  Cast members guide guests through the stretching room straight into the doom buggy queue.

This is the only logical outcome, and was predicted as the solution by many experts.  However, we know many of you will mourn the loss of the stretching room.  Hopefully, as the disease is contained and hopefully eradicated, we can return our beloved stretching room to its natural state.

There are social distancing markers on the ground throughout the queue.  As with other attractions, the interactive elements of the outside queue are blocked off and bypassed.

Splash Mountain

Cast members are limiting the logs to one party per log.  We saw logs of logs with 2 and 3 people in them.  This process may change, but for now, get those ride photos with no strangers in them!!  (Hey, gotta find the silver lining, right?)

Loading was a little slower than usual, both because the parties were so spread out, and also because each log was getting sanitized after each ride.  We have to add–as big fans of CLEAN, we are loving the new measures of frequent cleaning.  Disney has always had a great reputation for cleanliness, but these extra measures are taking it to a whole new level.

Much like the virtual queue areas at other attractions, the play area at Splash Mountain is blocked off and closed.

Space Mountain

As with the other attractions we’ve mentioned, the interactive games in the queue were blocked off.

Cast members were leaving empty seats between parties in the ride vehicles.

Wilderness Explorers

Wilderness Explorers can still earn badges and complete activities (and adventures!) Masks are, of course required, as is physical distancing.  However, the Wilderness MUST be Explored!

Pandora

We tend to think of the entire land of Pandora as an attraction, because even if you aren’t going to ride the rides, you still HAVE to visit Pandora and look at everything.  And you have to see it both in the light and in the dark.  Unfortunately, Animal Kingdom (or any other park for that matter) is not open after dark at this time, so the magic of Pandora at night is not an option.

Pandora has a lot of interactive elements.  Drums to play, flowers to touch that react to your touch, etc.  Right now, those interactive elements are not available for guests to play with.  Much as we’ve mentioned for interactive queue elements above, it would be impossible for Disney cast members to keep up with cleaning these elements between each guest touching them as when they are in use, they are constantly being touched.  So it makes sense that you can’t “play” with Pandora right now, but you can still be stunned by its visual beauty.

Flight of Passage

There are physical distancing stickers on the ground throughout the queue.  There are areas where there are plexiglass barriers between queue lines to protect guests.  For those of us that prioritize bathroom locations, we are pleased to report that the mid-queue bathrooms in the Flight of Passage queue are open!

They limited the parties in the preshow area so not all the floor circles were filled.  They also didn’t “pair” you with your banshee during the preshow, so no hands on.

Parties were seated on banshees together with two empty banshees between parties.

The best thing about the limited capacity situation is the queue for Flight of Passage.  This ride usually has 2 hour waits, every single day, all day.  For much of reopening day, Flight of Passage wait times were less than 40 minutes.  Many guests reported wait times of 20 minutes or less.  Silver lining?

It’s Tough to Be a Bug

For this “show-like” attraction, parties are encouraged to stand by physically distanced dots.  Parties of 5 or more will be split in to two (or more) dots.  Every other row is blocked off, and empty seats are left between each group of 4.  Happy to report no magic lost here.

Expedition Everest

At least for now, both the Fast Pass queue and Single rider queue are closed.  There are social distancing markers on the ground throughout the queue.

Empty seats are left between parties, and the ride vehicles are getting cleaned frequently.

Quick Service Dining

Outside each Quick Service restaurant, you’ll now see signs encouraging you to use your My Disney Experience app for Mobile ordering.  Inside, you’ll see some tables are blocked off with signs to make sure guests are physically distancing themselves.

If you do get in line to order with a cast member, you’ll notice the plexiglass barriers that have become so prevalent in fast food restaurants and grocery store checkouts around the country (don’t you wish you owned stock is a plexiglass company right now?).

Table Service Dining

At table service restaurants, you will notice a sign outside encouraging you to use mobile check in for your reservation using your My Disney Experience app and the QR Code on the sign.  This makes us a little sad, as we have always enjoyed interreacting with the hosts at the check in desks–especially when they are from other parts of the world.  However, with the College Program terminated for the time being, and Disney losing more than a billion dollars during the shut down, this change makes sense from a cost cutting measure.  It also helps guests remain physically distanced, but surely plexiglass at the desk and the stickers on the ground would have also accomplished that?  We think this one is more about cost cutting.

Inside, you will see that tables are left empty to promote physical distancing.

Advance Dining Reservations

As a side note, guests are able to make Advance Dining Reservations for table service restaurants sixty days in advance now.  As a reminder, Disney cancelled ALL dining reservations through the end of the year a few months ago.  The process has changed however.  In order to make an ADR, you must have a Park Pass reservation for the day and park the restaurant is in.  This means you must already have your passes purchased and linked to your My Disney Experience account.  In addition, you must use the Disney Park Pass system to book a Park Pass reservation for everyone in your party for that park on that day in order to make a dining reservation.

PhotoPass

As PhotoPass aficionados, we were very worried as to whether PhotoPass photographers would be working in the parks when Disney World reopened.  We are happy to report there were lots of PhotoPass photographers to be found.  Note: For the moment, at least, you must be wearing your mask in the photo, as well as in the queue and when you approach the photographer to scan your Magic Band or PhotoPass card.  We suspect as guests adapt to wearing their masks all the time, Disney may allow mask removal for photos, but for now–you must wear your mask all the time.

Characters

Another huge question we’ve been getting from readers is about character greetings and meals.  Unfortunately, as Disney World reopens there are no Character Meals in the parks, and all standard Character Greetings are on hold.

However, Disney has recognized that for many guests, Character interactions are a crucial part of their Disney parks experience.  As a result they have implemented some NEW Character experiences to help ensure most guests will have the opportunity to see the characters they want to see.  You won’t be able to get the close up experience and character interaction and intimate photos of a true character greetings, but you will see and interact with characters from a distance.

Character Cavalcades

New in the Magic Kingdom are Character Cavalcades.  These remind us a bit of the “Dance Party” mini parades that have been popular the last couple of years–without the guest interaction.  Throughout the day, small floats will tour Main Street and the hub area. These floats are filled with characters and surrounded by Disney entertainers.

Casual Character Sightings

Some characters will also appear in the parks periodically and “randomly”, also for distanced interaction.  For example, you might see Buzz Lightyear in his usual spot for Character Greetings in Tomorrowland–you just can’t approach him and get your photo taken.  At a different time of day, you might see characters on board one of the Main Street trolleys, or riding on a firetruck.  Disney is trying to get Characters out into the public for photos and waving, while still protecting the Characters and guests from each other.  Disney has told us that Characters may surprise guests at any time, walking down a street, or visiting an attraction queue.  While these compromised efforts may not completely satisfy a parent wanting a photo of their child with Mickey Mouse, at least the child will still get to SEE Mickey Mouse.  At this point we will take what we can get!

Disney World Reopens – Is the Magic Back?

Yes, the magic is back.  It’s not the same, but it’s still filled with fun and laughter and brilliant imagination.  We miss some things terribly (fireworks junkie over here), but are thrilled that Disney World has reopened.  We remain hopeful that we will all work together to stop the spread of Covid-19, and that Disney will be able to add more normalcy to the parks as time goes on.

The world is pretty crazy right now, and a lot of people are suffering.  Knowing that Disney World has reopened may seem like a trivial thing to a lot of people, in the midst of all the difficulties people are facing.  For us, it’s kind of a reminder that the good things are still out there, they’re still ahead.  That magic and beauty are still happening, and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Now more than ever, we all need hope, and for us, Disney is providing a beacon of hope.  Disney World has reopened at last!  Lots of fun times ahead, friends!

Happy Dreaming,

Brooke

Disney World vacations are available for booking for both the duration of 2020 and 2021.  If you’d like to get a no obligation quote, please contact me at brooke@disneycastledreaming.com.  I’m also available if you want advice on whether to visit the parks this year.

P.S. If you DO have a trip planned, Disney has put together a Know Before You Go website they plan to keep updated as information changes.  Be sure to check it out!