I have been to Disney probably a million times in my life. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but I’ve definitely been a lot. But, up until a couple weeks ago, I had never been to the Disney parks during a pandemic. And boy, did things look different.
Of course, things aren’t exactly the same as they were before. The parks reopening meant certain changes in order to keep cast members, performers, and guests safe. That also means some of the things we know and love are either gone from the parks or have been modified. Here are some of the things that are different now in Disney World and what you need to know about what your park experience may look like if you take a trip soon.
No more FastPass+ and what the wait times are really like.
At least for the time being, there is no FastPass+ option available, meaning that for all the rides, you’ll have to wait in the Standby line. As expected, this may mean long lines and longer wait times. But, I’ll admit that the wait times posted are usually longer than the actual wait time. For example, when a time posted said 45 minutes, we usually only waited about 30 to 35 minutes. And, the time does go by pretty quickly; the wait doesn’t really feel long. Because the lines are moving much faster, it makes you makes you realize how much lines get held up by FastPass.
Just because the lines don’t feel long or they’re not as long as the time posted, that’s not to say that lines aren’t long. Because of physical distancing, the lines ARE long. So, keep this in mind when you’re thinking of getting in a line, especially if you don’t want to wait out in the heat.
Pre-shows are different
To account for physical distancing, another change you might see in the attractions are the ride pre-shows. Some of my favorite attractions are known to have iconic pre shows like Tower of Terror or Haunted Mansion. But because they have to account for physical distancing and can’t cram a lot of people into a small room for a preshow anymore, they’re either modified or not running at all. Here’s what we experienced when we went:
Tower of Terror – No preshow running (you just walk right through the library where the pre-show video would usually play).
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster — No pre show plays; the room is used for the queue.
Haunted Mansion – No stretching room, you just walk through.
Dinosaur – The pre-show video plays, it just depends if you’re in the room when it plays or not. The room is used for the normal queue, so you walk through it as you wait in line. But, the video did play when we landed in there, so we got to see at least part of it.
Flight of Passage – Modified pre-show. They put two parties (depending on their size) in the room where the first video would play and then another party or two (again, depending on size) in the room where the second would play. The same video plays in both room; they cut the two videos together to make for a modified/shorter pre-show.
No parades, castle shows, or meet and greets
This one sucks. There are currently no meet and greets, parades, or castle shows going on. It makes sense because they don’t want crowding. But, there are new experiences to make up for it.
To make up for parades, there are different character cavalcades that go on around the park. They happen multiple times a day and are not announced, to avoid crowding as people wait for them. They’re actually really exciting because you can catch them randomly throughout the day, and don’t have to take time out of your day waiting for a good parade spot. They happen in all of the parks, but, are a little different depending on the park. For example, in Hollywood Studios there’s a Pixar cavalcade and a Disney Junior one, and in Animal Kingdom they’re in boats circling the park and have their DAK outfits on.
To make up for meet and greets, in a lot of the areas in the parks, characters will randomly come out for a physically distanced appearance. For example, storm troopers will come out in Galaxy’s Edge on elevated platforms, or I caught the evil stepsisters Drizella and Anastasia make a random appearance outside Princess Fairytale Hall. Again, similar to the cavalcades, they are random, but still fun if you happen to catch an appearance!
In addition, a lot of shows are closed and may not be opening for a while. This is because it is harder to have limited capacity and physical distancing in shows like Festival of the Lion King, Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage, or Finding Nemo the Musical.
Only mobile ordering for restaurants
At almost (if not all) the quick service restaurants in the parks, there is only mobile ordering available. This is presumably to avoid long lines to order and pick up food, as well to limit contact with people taking orders. So, you place your order on your My Disney Experience app, then go to the counter when you get a notification that your order is ready. It’s actually a really easy and efficient process.
At stands/booths around the parks, you of course don’t have to mobile order; those you can still wait in line.
These are the biggest differences you’ll see in the parks if you visit anytime soon. Even though things look a little different now, there’s still a lot of fun and excitement happening in the parks. If you do decide to take a trip, be safe, be careful, and have lots of fun!