As you may know, Walt Disney World opened up to guests again recently. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opened on July 11, and Epcot and Hollywood Studios opened on July 15. There are new policies and procedures in place to keep guests safe, including masks worn by all guests, social distancing in the attraction queues, mobile ordering at restaurants, and more. Disney is also requiring a reservation to get into the parks each day, which drastically reduces the number of guests at the parks. Because of this, the crowds at all four Walt Disney World parks are at record lows. So is this the perfect time for you to visit? Well, my answer is maybe…
This may be the perfect time to go if:
- You are healthy. Please do not travel if you are sick in any way. Disney is taking your temperature as you enter the parks each day, and you will not be allowed to enter if you have a temperature of over 100.4. But even if you do not have a temperature, please stay home if you have cold or flu symptoms, or if you’re just not feeling your best.
- You don’t mind missing out on some experiences. There are some things that are missing from Walt Disney World now. There are no nighttime shows or fireworks, no character meet ‘n greets, and none of the normal parades. And some of your favorite restaurants have not reopened yet. So if you’re ok missing out on those experiences, then go and enjoy!
- You don’t mind wearing a mask in the Florida heat. If you’ve never visited Walt Disney World in the summer—it is HOT! If you don’t think you can handle wearing a mask all day in the Florida heat, then you may want to wait to visit. And Disney has just mandated that you must finish all food and drinks in one place, instead of walking around with a drink to avoid wearing your mask.
- You just want to ride ALL of the rides! If your main objective is to ride as many attractions as possible, this may be the perfect time for you to visit. Instead of the normal 60+ minutes for some of the most popular attractions like Flight of Passage, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain, there is now typically a wait of 20 minutes or less!! So if you’re a ride junkie, this is the perfect time to do it all!
You may want to wait to visit if:
- This is your first visit to Walt Disney World. Disney has done an amazing job keeping their guests’ safety and health in mind with their new policies. And they’ve tried to keep as much Disney magic as they can, but it is a different experience. If you have never visited before, then you may want to wait until things are a little more back to normal.
- You’ve got little ones. While children under the age of 2 do not have to wear a mask, it may be difficult to get your 4 or 5-year-old to keep a mask on all day. If you don’t want to constantly remind them to put their masks on, you may want to wait just a bit to visit. And it may be difficult to explain to little ones that they can’t just run and give Mickey a hug right now, or get their picture taken with their favorite princess.
- You want to “do it all”. As I said before, there are some experiences that are not available now. For example, there is no park hopping at the moment, so you must stay in one park each day. Some of the restaurants are not open, and some experiences, such as the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique are not available either. So if you wanted to do any of these things on your visit, you may want to wait just a bit.
If you want to visit now to enjoy the lower crowds, or wait until 2021, your Wishes & Dreams Travel Consultant can help you plan an amazing, magical vacation! We are here to help you understand these new policies and avoid the overwhelm that can accompany any visit to Walt Disney World. So let us know when you’re ready to go!
