2020 has brought changes worldwide thanks to COVID-19. Our small neck of the woods was no exception. The kids went on Spring Break in mid-March and never returned. My husband’s office shut down and he took over a piece of our attic to make zoom calls in relative peace. Our college son who was home on winter break never went back and now studies his courses on a laptop in his bedroom. Our daughter who was serving a church mission in Chile came home 7 weeks early. I adjusted to 6 people being home all day, every day.
We are grateful that our family flourished during this difficult time. 3 out of 4 of our kids worked to pass the time. Life slowed down for all of us, with the exception of my hubs.
John’s work has kept him extremely busy during this time. While we are so very, very glad for that job, after several months of this, he was showing signs of fatigue.
His awesome company, recognizing that everyone was working so hard, asked them all to take a week off in August.
In spite of the countless projects to do around the house, we determined that we needed a getaway, just the two of us. The issue with this was of course, COVID. Where would we feel comfortable going?
About the time, Walt Disney World opened back up to visitors with a limited reservation system. As if by divine intervention, they also extended my season pass that had expired into early September! After taking all the factors into consideration, we made the decision to head to Florida for a change of scenery for a few days!
In early August, John I spent an amazing 3 days and 4 nights at the Walt Disney World Resort. We had a magical time and in large part could forget about the uncertainty of 2020.
We enjoyed Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom and Disney Springs. I felt safer there than I do shopping at the grocery store. I think that despite the obstacles, Disney is doing an excellent job of keeping their staff and guests safe and happy.
During our visit, I thought of you, gentle reader. I thought about what you would want to know if you were wanting to take a similar trip. Here’s my top 10. Note: I’m trying to keep these tips particularly specific to the times we find ourselves in.
1. This is a GREAT time to get some magical photo ops! If you have ever thought of investing in Disney’s Memory Maker (unlimited photo pass access to pictures taken in the park for a year), this the time!
Let me share an example. During our Magic Kingdom day, John and I were wandering around near Gaston’s Tavern, which happened to be closed. While there, we spied a Disney Photographer. We asked him to take our picture near Gaston. The magical moment that ensued will be etched in my memory forever. This enthusiastic and possibly bored photo pass cast member not only took our picture in front of Gaston. No, he proceeded to pose us in the nearby French Village, near Prince Eric’s Castle, The Beast’s Castle, 7 Dwarf’s Mine Train, and so on. He was about to snap some photos of us with the castle in the distance when a line formed and he had to abandon ship. The result is some amazing pictures that we will enjoy for years to come.
2. Pack paper masks. Florida is humid. Period. It’s hot, pretty much always. I found the disposable paper masks were much more breathable and replaceable during the day. If you’re not a fan of paper, experiment with different materials. Remember that Disney is VERY specific about their mask requirements. 2 layers of fabric and ear loops are listed as must-haves. I saw people turned away wearing Gators. Don’t do it.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say the #1 thing you should have in your park bag is extra masks. Disposables break. Things spill. Sweat happens. Please, just pack extra.
3. Take the rules seriously. I’m just going to say it. If you have a problem with wearing a mask over your nose and mouth, this is not the time for you to go to Disney. If you have a hard time staying on a taped line 6 feet away from the people in front of you, don’t go to Disney. I love you and I’m not trying to be mean. On the first trip I took with John, people were pretty on the ball. A month later when I traveled again with Thing 4, I saw a few more people being cranky pants about the above rules. Consequently, Disney has recently updated their signs to indicate they can kick you out if you decide to remove your mask. Whether you believe masks are disease preventers or not is immaterial. By walking through the temperature check, the new security station, and scanning your pass, you basically are agreeing to play by Disney rules. Enough said. In summary, don’t be a jerk. Your fellow guests and hard-working cast members thank you.
4. If you enjoy the perk of low crowd levels, go to the parks on weekdays and non-holidays. When I was there, the parks were at REALLY, REALLY low capacity. Now, they are capped at 25%. While 25% makes for lower than normal crowds, on a capacity day it may not feel like it. Why is this? Well, for one, the capacity at Magic Kingdom is 100,000 people. That means that capacity right now is still 25,000 people. That’s still A LOT of people. With the reduced show and food options, wait times may not make it feel very quiet.
Having said that, If you normally go over Thanksgiving or Christmas, here’s the good news. 25% capacity limits will feel AWESOME compared to a normal holiday. Just don’t expect to hear crickets chirping and for rides to be at walk-on status.
5. Be in the parks for the last two hours of the day. Park hours are currently reduced. What does this mean? This means that the people who would normally go back to their resorts to swim and take a nap are staying in the parks. When a park is open from 8 am to Midnight, going back in the middle of the day for a break makes a lot of sense. When the park is only open from 9-6, it feels like there is not a moment to spare.
On my trip with John, I noticed something. We had booked dining reservations around the time parks closed at other locations. This meant we needed to get moving a couple of hours before the park closed. Every time we did this, I found that the masses were exiting the park as we did. Evidently, the rope droppers, satisfied with the amount of rides they had experienced and tired from at hot day in the sun, were calling it quits 2 hours to closing. We noticed this all 3 days at the park. Interesting, huh? When we stayed in a park until closing, we also observed that the park was virtually EMPTY. That’s right. This is a strange time, but I am going to go out on a limb and make this suggestion. If you have to choose, I would arrive late to the park and plan to close it down (this advice does NOT apply to Hollywood Studios because you need to be there at opening to book Rise of the Resistance).
6. Plan to do something nice for at least one Cast Member.
When we walked down main street on the morning of our first day in the parks, I got a big old lump in my throat. Various cast members stood at their posts waving and warmly welcoming us home. I realized then and there that Disney without the cast member would not be Disney.
It’s tough times to be a cast member. If they are lucky enough to be at work, they are navigating fairly new and daunting expectations. They are also sweating in masks all while trying to clearly instruct guests on said expectations. Remember the days when you would be waiting for “A Bug’s Life” or “Haunted Mansion” and the cast member would tell you to fill every available space? Case in point that their jobs have changed A LOT. Between the election, COVID and all the changes, people are kind of cranky.
More than ever, it’s important to remember that these magic makers are legit humans, even if some of them look like Pooh Bear or Darth Vadar.
Doing something nice does not mean you need to dole out bunches of flowers. Kindness could be as simple as thanking the worker who is tirelessly sanitizing the bathroom you are using. It could be marching down to town hall to report a cast member that made your day special. You could carry some sort of card or sticker to hand to a cast member. At a sit-down restaurant, tip a little better than you would normally.
We found cast members to be so personable during our summer stay. Over dinner, they would ask us how the rides were (they weren’t allowed to use their employee passes yet). They would tell us how much they were grateful to be back, but how much they missed their old jobs and routines at different restaurants that were still closed.
7. Consider renting a car. This one is really up to your comfort level. Unlike airplanes, there really isn’t going to be great air filtration on many modes of ground transportation. If you are ok with this, go with it. You do you. I found renting a car to be affordable (deals were ridiculous in August. $49 for a standard car from Monday evening to Friday morning). The car we rented was very clean and I just felt better breathing our own air.
8. If you rent a car, print non-toll directions at home. In the past year, things have changed. You either need to buy a daily toll pass for $12.99 or get hit with high fees going between the airport and the parks. In years gone by, you just paid the car rental company the $10 that you used leaving the airport and returning. I did not understand this and got hit with $80 in fees last December. Ouch! This will happen with ANY rental company you now go with.
I worked around it the next time I went by following the non-toll directions to the resort. However, Google Maps will try over and over to reroute you to the tolls. Google Maps doesn’t hate you. It just wants to help you get to your destination quickly. This gets very confusing. Hence, my advice to print the non-Toll directions ahead of time.
The toll legitimately saves you 15 minutes of time, which is huge. If you want to pay the $13 a day and use the toll, go for it. I just couldn’t mentally justify this for 30 minutes total of time added to my trip. Again, you do you. I just want you to be aware.
9. Upload the “My Disney Experience” app. You will need it for many things, but especially for mobile ordering. Mobile ordering is when you order food, pay for it, and then tell the restaurant when you arrive that you are there. The cast members do not really want to let you in to purchase food unless you have done this.
Now, if you have an issue with your app glitching, they will let you into order. They are going to kindly make sure however that you are for real having an issue with you app before this happens (ask me how I know).
While mobile ordering certainly isn’t new, it is now the norm. Be ready for this.
10. My final piece of advice? Take this moment to savor the small stuff. Enjoy the awesome window displays on main street. Find Walt Disney’s window. Check out all the fun sketches and art back by the Little Mermaid Ride in Fantasyland. Play a round of Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom with your family. If 2020 has taught us anything positive, it is to slow down and appreciate the little things that are right before our eyes. 
Do you have some tips for traveling to Walt Disney World in 2020 that I missed? Share in the comments below!