Walt Disney World reopened on July 11, a little over a month ago. As the parks have found their groove with new routines, we’ve seen a lot about how the parks are operating, what the ride times look like, and all the safety measures that have been put into place. But how do these changes affect your family’s visit to the parks? Let’s see how to visit Walt Disney World with little ones in tow.
Winding Ride Queues
Remember the time before FastPass+? Well, if you think of those days fondly, then you will love these ride queues. Now the experience of getting in the queue for a ride is essentially taking a slow walk through, stopping only occasionally for brief moments. So don’t fret when you see a queue that looks really long. While it actually is long in length, it’s consistently moving with fewer people in the line.
Another bonus is the spacing between parties. You no longer have to squeeze in and “fill all available space” while in line. You may even hear on the Haunted Mansion, “Leave plenty of dead space between you and other parties.” What a wonderful change is procedures this is! For this momma who loves her personal space, it’s a dream come true.
Since waits in the before-times could be pretty long, Disney created in-queue entertainment for the little ones. Under normal circumstances, this is actually a thoughtful way to keep kids engaged while waiting for an attraction. However, with the current health situation, all the interactive elements in the queues have been roped off and covered with “do not touch” signs.
The interactive elements also include some of the popular E-ticket attractions, like temporarily removing the customization options for TestTrack at EPCOT.
Relaxation Stations
The Relaxation Stations around the parks are meant to be a safer place for you to take off your mask and cool down while maintaining social distance. They are available in each of the parks, providing tables and chairs so you can actually relax. Some offer standing “spots” as well. However, I’m not quite sure how a parent can relax sitting at a table with a little one. It’s great for a snack break, but as long as you are maintaining social distance and not moving you can find a place to snack pretty much anywhere you please.
Play Areas
Simply put, the play areas are closed. The Boneyard, Casey Jr Splash ‘N’ Soak, the Family Play Zone—all of ’em. While the Relaxation Stations around the parks are nice, these play areas have been essential for my family (especially with a young son) to relax at the parks. Even during a long, hot park day, little ones thrive off the free movement these areas provide. I understand the reasoning behind closures, but it leaves few places for an active Johnny to expel his energy and have some free time himself.
Hollywood Studios lacks any play area. The park does have the Disney Jr. Dance Party. This show is currently available, though with some modifications. Johnny loved dancing in his circle with his Disney friends. Maybe this is something that could be incorporated in other parks?
Character Interactions
Character meet and greets are my nemesis. As parents, we love to hate them. However, Johnny loves getting autographs and hugs from his favorite Disney characters. Do I need to mention that every Disney character is his favorite? As a local, we get pretty picky when it comes to waiting in line for characters and really only went when Johnny mentions wanting to.
The meet and greet locations are closed. Johnny however has loved the impromptu cavalcades of characters throughout the parks. Unlike parades where you commit an hour plus to get a good position and watch, these new cavalcades are quick and spontaneous. With the cavalcades happening multiple times a day, chances are greater for you to see one or more without taking a lot of time out of your day.
In addition, characters can be found at several pop-up locations, particularly at Epcot and Magic Kingdom.
For us, we haven’t missed the meet and greets at all! But looking at it from a vacationers’ perspective, I would probably feel differently and honestly a little let down. Getting that magical picture or video of my little one going up to their favorite character for the first time is so priceless. While unlikely, I do hope they keep the cavalcades when the meet and greets return.
What about all the Safety Procedures?
Masks. Social distancing. Keeping your hands clean. But how does it work in the parks with your little ones?
Maybe I’m lucky here, but Johnny has never fought back about wearing a mask. He has a few different options and we let him pick which ones he wants. When he wants to change them out, we let him. My personal observations are that I see proper mask-wearing is more of an issue with adults than children.
Yes, masks are hot. And you do not realize how much your face can sweat until you are wearing a mask on a hot Florida day in a theme park. But overall, we have not had any issues around wearing a mask. In fact, we have trouble getting him to take his mask off at the end of the day. He LOVES them.
Social distancing is another story. While the lines are essentially pre-marked space allotted for distancing, we have found families can take up more space than originally planned for. The place markers could be spaced out a little more than the recommended 6 feet to allow space for families.
But it’s not always as easy as following the markings to social distance. It is a lot of work to keep your distance from other guests and not everyone is cognizant of distancing. As the parks get busier, it will be harder to social distance when not in a ride queue.
Keeping your hands clean is a whole different animal. After all, little ones touch everything! How on the earth do you keep kids from touching the queue barriers, every part of the ride that they can reach, whatever else you can think, even those you can’t. I do remind Johnny not to touch things, but a constant reminder is no fun for either of us.
Luckily, hand sanitizer is everywhere, and we use it often. When we are getting in a queue. Before we get on a ride. When we get off a ride. And everywhere in between. And then we wash our hands to get the buildup off and start all over again.
Now for the big one, no eating or drinking unless stationary. As a mom, this may be the biggest challenge for me. Johnny is never ready to eat when we are. It’s actually more that he is always ready for a snack. When we used a stroller, snacks between rides were easy. As were drink breaks. We would even have snacks waiting in lines! Now you must be stationary and at a safe social distance to enjoy drink and snack breaks.
Surprisingly, it hasn’t been that difficult to adjust. Except for the Popcorn. Why does Disney have the best Popcorn?! I do miss my sharing of (or fighting over) the popcorn bucket, but it’s just not the same when you are sitting and can easily pass it around.
I will say that I find myself drinking a lot less water, which with the extremely hot summer and humidity hasn’t been a good thing. It now takes thought and planning to have a drink. Maybe there should be some additional signage or announcements to remind guests to stay hydrated…
Making it through a “New” Park Day
Back in the normal times, we had pretty much eliminated the stroller, with the exception of when we had guests joining us and we were marathoning full park days. And when we did bring it, it was much more for a means to house our necessities like rain ponchos, snacks, popcorn buckets, water, etc. We rarely used it for the actual containment of a child it was designed for. Strollers also made great spacers for night shows. Yes, even before social distancing was trendy I really enjoyed my personal space.
Although lately, we have found that we are back to using a stroller. Johnny gets tired faster. Or maybe just crankier. Plus, we have even more stuff to bring such as hand sanitizer, wipes, and extra masks. Also, with limited access to the parks, we are staying longer. Finally, I find it more difficult to offer the occasional piggyback ride while wearing a mask. The good news here is that there are fewer strollers in general. On top of that, the constant rearranging of the stroller areas isn’t needed. In other words, you will find your stroller exactly where you left it!
Final Thoughts
My family has enjoyed these few days at the parks. Having limited reservations and not being able to go to the parks as often as we would like has truly been the hardest part. Some of the safety measures have been more difficult to adjust to. I’m sure I will get used to removing my mask to drink, just before they are no longer required. Others are welcoming. (Hello, personal space!) In the meantime, we look forward to continuing our regular park visits in a safe fashion.
Let Us Help
Theme parks are reopening, and whether you are ready to travel yet or not, there’s no better time to lock in low rates on future travel. But waiting on hold and not knowing what questions to ask isn’t the magical part of a vacation. That’s why MiceChat has partnered with Get Away Today to handle all the difficult stuff for you . . . all for no extra cost. That’s right, they do all the work and it doesn’t cost you extra. In fact, it can actually save you money.
Our travel partners at Get Away Today are here to help you with your theme park booking and rescheduling plans. We know you’re as uncertain about the future as we are. That’s why Get Away Today is offering the most flexible Disney travel options available. Ask about:
Price Protection – When you book a Walt Disney World Resort vacation that includes a minimum of 2-nights Disney hotel and at least two theme park tickets with Get Away Today, if a better special that you qualify for comes out after you have booked, they’ll automatically it.
Concierge Service – Get detailed planning assistance with all qualified Walt Disney World Resort vacations. A certified Disney Travel Agent is more valuable now than ever before as there have been many changes to the Park experience.
Flexible Payments – Lock in your 2020 or 2021 Walt Disney World Resort vacation for just $200 down. By booking early, you secure your availability and have the flexibility to pay as you go. Make as many interest-free payments as you’d like, whenever you’d like, with final payment due just 30 days prior to travel.
Flexible Dates – If you’re traveling in 2020, you can make any changes up to 24 hours prior to check-in with no penalties. In 2021, you can make changes up to 30 days prior to check-in with no penalties.
Give your family something to look forward to:
Let’s Hear From You
Have you visited Walt Disney World lately? What changes have impacted your family the most? And what are your tips? If you haven’t visited, what changes are you most worried about? Please share your thoughts (or concerns) in the comments below.
You must be logged in to post a comment.