It really is still magical!
I had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World with my second youngest son in July, just one week after reopening, and had an amazing time!
- Lines were short.
- Mobile ordering was available at pretty much every Quick Service restaurant
- Crowds were low (making great picture backgrounds)
- Hand sanitizer was everywhere.
- Cast Members were enforcing social distancing protocols and face masks.
- Guests were typically following social distancing and face mask protocols
- Oh…and the Passholder Discount is up to 30%!
We had a great trip and enjoyed being able to spend the time in the parks with so few people around. We were able to get great photographs with so few people in the park and we were able to ride anything we wanted (many more than once)!
Here is some of our favorite things about this post-shut-down trip!
Short Lines
Short lines were definitely a plus! We were able to ride anything and everything we wanted in every park. For several rides, we were able to do them several times in a row!
Even the most popular rides had extremely short lines…with most of them being walk on!
Short likes were also great because it was so very hot!
Low Crowds
Low crowds were great because they made for short ride and food lines and great pictures!
Even though I loved the short lines and unique empty park pictures, I did miss the excitement a crowd brings to the parks just a little bit!
Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group
One of the other benefits of low crowds was being able to ride Rise of the Resistance! It was an amazing and totally immersive experience. I’m not even a huge Star Wars fan and I thought the ride was AMAZING!
New Character Experiences
There are no individual character meet-and-greets at the present time, but Disney has done a great job getting characters out and about!
Each park had a different way to get the characters out! At Magic Kingdom, there were several small parade-like events throughout the day and they had characters at the train station on Main Street USA periodically.
In Animal Kingdom, the various characters floated by on boats! It was a super cute idea! Plus, not only did they have characters floating by, some of the bands that normally play around the different country areas were floating along and playing too!
I think the boats were probably my favorite!!
In EPCOT, the characters were out and about the fields on the Future side.
The characters were driven around in adorably decorated vehicles on the World Showcase side! It was a surprise at first to hear Frozen music outside of Norway and then we realized that the characters were walking and riding by us through the streets! The same musical surprise came when Mickey and Minnie drove by!!
Disney’s Hollywood Studios had cars of characters driving by periodically. However, unfortunately, we were not lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the character showcases in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Pool Time
Considering I had never been to Florida in July, the heat was a bit more than I had expected. Due to that, we made sure to enjoy some pool time each day! It was a great way to cool off and spend some relaxing time!
We also loved being able to explore the various pools at the resorts and enjoy the slides!! We have only been DVC members for a couple of years, so the pool slides are still a big treat for me!!
They also have super fun splash areas for the kids!!
Magic Shots
I am someone who absolutely LOVES pictures! I am also the one who is typically taking the pictures, so I am rarely in pictures. The exception to this is Disney due to Memory Maker!
I love being able to be in pictures with my children and I love the Magic Shots they have available!
A new one this trip and one of my favorites ever (at this point) was our picture with The Child!
Overall…
Overall, it was a really great trip! I loved having the one-on-one time with my kiddo and getting to experience the parks after they were closed for so long.
Now, I can’t wait to go back again!! Our next trip is with three of the five grandkids…stay tuned to see how this one goes…especially since one does not travel much!!
Check out more of our Disney fun with:
- Disney Packing tips
- Disney Springs fun
- Great Disney Restaurants with kids
- And…My Top 10 Favorite Things about Disney World
Wow, this is awesome! Looks like I need to do a visit while it isn’t crowded!
I’ll share this with my sister. Her family’s trip to Disney World was cancelled last March. They are going now in October.
Great to know if you’re planning to visit during this time. I like the fact that you can buy your tickets in advance.
What fun!!! I hope the trip with the grandkids is equally fun!
Sounds like you had a memorable trip!
I am glad people are able to enjoy it. Disney seems to be making the best of an awful situation and providing a little magic along the way as they usually do.
Great info! Some friends of mine are going there next month. I hope they have a magical experience!
It’s definitely still a great time!
Looks like a great time! I hate lines and crowds. Good to hear they were not bad.
I hate crowds, so I would love going with it this empty! Your pics loos awesome. I’m glad to hear face masks and sanitizer were everywhere. It looks like you two had a great time!
It really was a great time!
Now I want to go to Disney! I would love to expereince it without so many people! What a cool experience!
It was nice!
Can’t wait to visit the Star Wars land. Glad you had a great time!
I’m not a huge Star Wars fan and I thought it was amazing!
I am glad to see that it is “safe” to visit Disney. I know some people that will be heading there for vacation at the end of August. Love Disney but I will wait a bit longer before visiting there again. Thanks for sharing.
That sounds so fun! I think I would go to Disney more if it always had less crowds, but they are popular for a reason!
With short lines and low crowds I might try and chance a Disney trip lol
I think it is totally worth it to go right now just to avoid the lines. It actually looks amazing.
It is! We just got back from a second trip!
Summer heat + a pandemic = shorter lines + less crowds at Disney!
You are brave.
Honestly, the heat was the worst part of it all.
Short lines and less crowds make me want to go!! Thanks for sharing your experience!
This makes me want to go right now. I love low crowds!
I am happy that you had a great time. The smaller crowd must have been amazing.
It was!
This would be my kind of theme park visit! We would be all over this if it wasn’t for a 14 day quarantine upon return to Canada.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to quarantine!
Wow, it looks like a ghost town from your pics. I’m still very apprehensive to take my kids but it’s nice to hear they are taking so many precautions.
It feels very safe. I just got back from a second trip…this one with three grandkids (ages 1, 3, and 7)
So glad you had a great time! Looks like it’s a perfect time to go!!
I don’t think I would ever miss the crowds. I would be LOVING the shorter lines. Now might be the time to go.
It’s great! We are actually taking the grandkids this week!