For those who don’t know, I come from a Disney family. I’ve been going to Disney for most of my life and it actually feels like home when we go down. We’ve been Vacation Club members since about 1997 and I’m pretty grateful to have been able to experience the magic that is Disney almost every year since.
In that time, we’ve done a few big family trips down here and 2020 was supposed to be another one of those trips. When everything shut down in March, we thought “no way will this affect our trip in September”, but here we are. After a lot of consideration and research on the health and safety guidelines, we decided we would come down anyway because there wasn’t an option to reschedule a trip of this size. A few family members weren’t able to join us, but most of us made it down. Most of the hotels are only open to Disney Vacation Club members right now which is helping keep the capacity of the parks and resorts much lower.
I shared a bit about the trip down on my Instagram but here are a few highlights.
✨ We flew Delta and I felt very safe. We were the first flight of the day, it was only about 25% full, and they gave out hand wipes more than once.
✨ We rented our own car which was wiped clean before we got in it.
✨ The hotel was pretty deserted which was a weird feeling. All staff had masks AND face shields.
✨ New cleaning protocols were listed in the rooms and they were doing more cleanings than usual.
✨ Everyone has to wear a mask unless eating and drinking or in the pool. There is hand sanitizer everywhere and the staff are being regularly quizzed on protocols by their supervisors.
This trip was more of a staycation than your usual Disney vacation but I’m really glad we went. Most days I stayed at the hotel pool but we did venture out a few times. We went to the Polynesian Resort for drinks one night and that hotel was a bit busier but still felt safe. It’s weird to see people sitting at bars ordering drinks since we can’t do that at home in Massachusetts, but it seemed like everyone was taking the proper precautions. Another night, we went to Disney Springs and the line to get into the World of Disney store was the longest we waited in all week. Ultimately it moved pretty quickly but standing out in the Florida heat isn’t ideal. That night, we also went bowling at Splitsville. and I know what you’re thinking “bowling in a pandemic, are you kidding?” I would normally agree with you but we had our own enclosed section and lanes and they came over to sanitize all the balls in the middle of our session. There were plexiglass walls installed as barriers from the other bowlers and a hand sanitizer dispenser at the top of the lane.
Those were really the only two times we went out and did an activity off property with the exception of the one day at EPCOT. I decided to pass on going to any other parks but EPCOT is a favorite and we all were able to reserve the same day. For reference, you can’t park hop anymore and you have to reserve your park day ahead of time. So far, it doesn’t seem like they’re selling out and everything is pretty available but maybe in a few months that will change.
Here’s a breakdown of what going to the park looked like:
🌐 First, they take your temperature before you can proceed through security and the gate.
🌐 There are now metal detectors to walk through at security and I think the bag checks are random — I walked through with my backpack on and didn’t have to stop for a search.
🌐 You don’t use your fingerprint to get in anymore, you just tap your band or ticket to the machine.
🌐 Once in the park, it was a little congested at the beginning but the crowds dispersed about 50 yards in.
🌐 We went to do a few rides first and the lines were 10-15 minutes long. There are markers on the ground where your party needs to stand and you have to keep your mask on in line and during the ride.
🌐 Hand sanitizer is literally every 15-20 feet and there were a few mobile hand washing stations around the park.
🌐 The Food and Wine Festival was going on but it wasn’t like usual. I’ve been to the park during this time to run Wine and Dine Half Marathon in 2015, 2017, and 2019 and this was a very new experience. What is usually an incredibly crowded time felt pretty empty. A lot of the stands weren’t open which was a bummer but at least the lines that were open were shorter.
🌐 The characters come around a few times a day in cars or carriages so you can see them, but you can’t take photos with them.
🌐 To eat or drink, you can take your mask off but you need to be stationary. You can’t walk and drink or eat.
🌐 The park was only open from 11AM – 7PM, which is way different than during normal operation.
🌐 There are no fireworks, which is a huge bummer. I’m sure this is to stop from crowds gathering and it’s also a huge expense to do nightly, but I think it would be nice if they did something once a week since it’s such a big part of the Disney experience.
Overall, I’m glad we went. Is it a great time for your first visit? Absolutely not. It won’t be the same and while there are some perks like shorter lines and fewer crowds, you don’t get to experience a lot of the special things that make Disney what it is. I have no idea how long this will last or what Disney looks like post-COVID, but hopefully as lot of these new health and safety procedures stay put and ultimately make for a better Disney experience in the future.