We just returned home from our 10-day long trip to Universal Orlando and Walt Disney World. As travel agents and bloggers, we always keep up-to-date on everything that’s going on in the theme parks. Even still, with so many constant changes it can be hard to keep track. Plus, you never really know what it’s like until you’ve experienced it for yourself. From crowd levels, character experiences, wait times, new policies and modified/unavailable experiences, a lot has changed since Walt Disney World reopened in July. Today we’re sharing our experiences with all these changes, whether it’s still worth it and what it’s really like to visit Walt Disney World right now!
Crowd Levels and Wait Times at Walt Disney World Right Now
Crowd Levels
Since the parks reopened, we’ve seen plenty of photos showing an empty park and very short wait times. Seeing those photos might make you think ‘Wow! Now is a GREAT time to visit!’. I think a lot of people felt that way and planned trips. Our experience this past week was noticeably busier! The crowds have really picked up in the last month, and when you’re walking around it really feels like any normal (pre-COVID) crowds. You almost don’t even feel the reduced capacity. I’m sure there are multiple reasons for this, like how without shows, all the guests who would be seated in a theater are out walking around. Crowds did vary a lot depending on the day of the week and time of day. Our recommendation is to avoid the weekends when you can and try to enter the park early in the day.
Wait Times
As for wait times, there are a lot of factors that impact them. The reduced capacity leads to shorter wait times, but the physical distancing on the rides make the wait times longer. To space guests on rides only some seats are in use and often there’s only one party per vehicle. All these factors pretty much combine to equal about normal wait times. If you’re hoping to get shorter than average wait times, you may have to lower your expectations! We also have found that the wait time signs are not always accurate. This is likely because it is much harder to calculate when they have to account for physical distancing. Finally, wait times look longer because the lines are all physically distanced. Frequently they extend far beyond the usual queues and out into the walkways, making them look longer than they are.
New Health and Safety Policies
Face Coverings (Masks)
The new health and safety policies are the biggest changes to the Disney experience. Most notably, having to wear a face covering. At Disney World, all guests (age 2+) have to wear a face covering at all times. The only times you can remove masks in the parks is when you are actively eating or drinking while stationary. At the resorts, you can also remove your mask while swimming. Additionally, they have mask relaxation areas where you can remove your mask while you sit at your physically distanced table.
For us personally, we really got used to wearing a mask so much. On the hottest days of our trip, where temperatures reached 87-91°F, it definitely did get hard. Those were the days we visited Universal, and we ended up leaving the parks early those days. While not the only reason we left early, the heat in the masks definitely contributed to why we left. However, the rest of our trip the temperatures were more comfortable, between 77-85°F, and we found it much more manageable. We really got used to it and it was not as bad as we thought it would be!
Physical Distancing
The other major change is the physical distancing policies. Disney has done a good job putting new policies into place. However, with the crowds it really is just impossible to stay physically distanced from all guests all the time. However, the times when you would be in close contact with another guest for extended periods of time (like waiting in line, on rides, in shows and waiting for parades), Disney has made it possible. As I mentioned, many ride lines wind out of the queues and into the walkways because guests are standing on line markers 6 ft. apart. On rides and in shows, guests are spaced out to keep 6 ft. between parties. Disney has also installed plexiglass to create barriers in many places where keeping distance isn’t possible.
Reducing Contact
Disney has also implemented many other policies to help reduce contact. Some examples include QR codes for menus, mobile ordering for quick service restaurants, online check in at resorts and more. We really appreciated all the efforts they put into reducing contacting and promoting physical distancing!
Character Experiences at Disney World Right Now
Character Cavalcades
For many guests, meeting and taking pictures with characters is a highlight of their trip. While traditional character experiences are unavailable, I definitely felt like we got to see and interact with characters a lot this trip, just in new ways! The new cavalcades were a hit – we love these little ‘pop-up parades’ that you can see throughout the day. Personally, I don’t usually care to watch parades so it was great to see the little floats go by throughout the day and enjoy little snippets. It’s so fun to hear the music starting, and look around for the cavalcade!
Modified Character Dining
Modified character dining experiences are available at four restaurants – Topolino’s Terrace, Hollywood & Vine, Garden Grill and Chef Mickey’s. We dined at Hollywood & Vine and really enjoyed it! While the characters don’t come up to your table, you can say hi, wave, talk to them and see them dance a short distance from your table.
Surprise Character Sightings
Lastly, characters were also available to see in select unique places around the parks. Whether it’s Stormtroopers patrolling in Galaxy’s Edge, Stitch hanging out in Tomorrowland or Winnie the Pooh frolicking in Epcot, it was fun to see the characters unexpectedly like that! I love that Disney is being creative and bringing the characters out in new ways. Despite the changes, I feel like we got a great overall experience with characters this trip!
Modified and Unavailable Experiences
I was worried that we would really feel a hole missing without fireworks, parades and most shows. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I didn’t miss them as much as I thought I would. Personally, fireworks are always a must at Disney World, but with the parks closing earlier I really didn’t even feel like we missed them. Most nights we were out of the park before dark so we never felt like it should be time for fireworks only to have them missing.
The cavalcades for me really replaced the parades so I never felt like those were missing. As for shows, sure there was a little less to do in the parks without having shows to watch but there are so many attractions that you still don’t run out of things to do. Overall, I feel like you can still have an amazing Disney World experience even with the modified and unavailable experiences!
Conclusion – What It’s Really Like to Visit Disney World Right Now
Overall, while there are many changes at Disney World, the magic is still there! I hope this post gives you a better understanding of what it’s really like to visit Disney World right now. You can still have an amazing experience and create special memories if you choose to visit this year! Regardless of when you decide to visit, you’re sure to have a magical time.
If you are looking to plan a trip to Disney World, I highly suggest contacting Josh at Wish Upon a Star with Us! He is an expert in all things Disney and would love to help you plan your own magical adventure!
Do you have any other questions about what it’s like to visit Disney World right now? Let us know in the comments so we can address it on a future post!
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Hi there. I enjoyed reading your blog. My daughter and I are traveling to WDW for a week in November. We’ve been planning this trip since August of 2019. We are still on track to go there. But I don’t think it’s too late to switch. This is my daughter’s first visit and my first time since I was my daughter’s age, which she is 9.
Do you feel it’s worth it for us to go? We picked November to see all the holiday stuff, including A Very Merry Christmas, which is now cancelled.
My agent has been great, but wanted a second opinion 😊
Thank you for your time!
Hi Jodi! First off I want to thank you for reading our blog, I’m so glad you are enjoying it. That’s a great question and I hope I can provide some more insight for you so you can make that informed decision. This is a question Josh gets a lot from his own clients, so hopefully I can share some of what he tells families in the same boat as you. The hard part I think for agents is being able to step back and look at it objectively from the eyes of a first time visitor, since they (like us) are so used to visiting often. This can be good and bad in this situation, the good is obviously they know what to expect, and what each families need to do to make the most of their trip. The slight negative side to this is that sometimes agents get too caught up in the comparison of the pre-COVID experience compared to the reality of the post-COVID experience. The nighttime fireworks/shows at Disney are amazing, but if you’re a new family like yourself you aren’t going to have that feeling that you’re ‘missing out’ since you’ve never experienced Disney World prior. If you’re not focusing on what’s NOT being offered right now or how the experience is different from pre-COVID, the experience is still going to feel magical and you’re just going to be able to enjoy all the things that Disney IS still offering. Yes, we missed the fireworks on our last visit but we did not regret coming for the new experience. Similarly, if your daughter had been before and got to hug all the characters, she might be disappointed this time to not be able to get close to them. But, since it’s her first visit she’ll have all the excitement to see and wave at the characters and it will be super magical, even without that element.
“Is it worth it” is a tough question since it’s different for each individual family. Overall and personally I would say yes, it’s still a good time to go if you want to travel. The Magic is still there, it just looks a little different. The main thing is figuring out what’s important to you for your visit and are those experiences going to live up to your expectations. Your agent has probably provided you with a link to Disney’s “Know Before You Go” page which really has a ton of helpful information for what you can come to expect during your visit. Face coverings are obviously the big one, some families feel they can’t wear one all day or worry about the heat. If that’s a concern for your family, that’s a huge yellow flag that I would discuss as a family and make sure it won’t have too big of an impact on your trip. Keep in mind you can’t take them off for pictures even, so masks are a reality of your memories too. Not a big deal to some but to others it’s a deal breaker.
Crowds have picked up since the September holidays and it’s doubtful it will slow down into November. This is a huge shift in mindset because early on in the summer people (agents too) were showing pictures of empty parks. This is NOT the case any more. While capacity is limited you will still feel the crowds. This is also due to rides operating slower because of spacing families out and cleaning. Not to mention the limited shows going on so more families are out and about in the parks. Another consideration that will be different for each family is the safety factor. It’s not if the parks are “safe” but if you will feel comfortable visiting. Disney has done a great job in their safety protocols but it’s not perfect, and each family still has to decide if that make them comfortable enough to travel at this time.
Sorry for getting a bit long here, but I hope this gave you some things to consider as you make your final decision. Whether you travel in November or decide to postpone, I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time when you do visit!
Thank you!
Hello. Thank you for this post. I’ve been debating on a Christmas time visit. We are disneylanders and so this would be our first trip to disney world. We were planning a disneyLAND Christmas this year. My question is regarding rides. I am concerned that given the low number of rides in each park that will also make wait times longer. If rides are the main thing I want to experience is now a good time to go? Also are the parks typically busy on Christmas eve day and Christmas day?
Hi Crystal! Christmas is so magical at Disney World, we especially love all the decorations. However, it typically is very busy. From Christmas to New Years is the busiest week of the year, and it typically hits capacity several days during that time (including Christmas Day). COVID has tossed our usual predictions out the window, but I’d expect that holidays will still be busy as usual this year! With the limited capacity and the way the crowds have been increasing these last few months, I’d personally expect it to be very crowded and hit capacity over the holidays, likely with long wait times for rides. If it can work with your schedule, you may want to consider going earlier in December if you still want to experience the holiday decorations without as many crowds. Early January (a few days after New Years) is also typically very low crowds and can be a great time to go for lower crowds and less ride lines. Regardless of when you decide to go, be sure to make your Park Pass reservations far in advance so they don’t sell out!
Thank you for your post. We are going to WDW December 6th to 12th, 2020. We are from Idaho so this is a long ways. My grandkids are 7 yr and 5 yr olds. Can you get autographs or trade pins from the Disney characters right now? We have character dining reservations at Cinderella’s Royal table, minnie’s seasonal dining at Hollywood and Vine and Chip and Dales harvest feast lunch at Garden Grill. I worry that we can’t get the autographs or pins at the character dining. Can you help answer this question? Thanks
Hi Alda, thanks for your comment! Due to physical distancing, characters are not signing autographs right now. However, at your character dining they should be able to give you a postcard that’s been signed by all the characters. Sometimes they pass these postcards out to everyone, but we didn’t get one when we ate at Hollywood & Vine so you may need to ask your server for it. Pins are actually traded with Cast Members (employees), not with the characters. Right now, they have pin trading stations set up where guests can choose pins off a cork board to trade and they sanitize the trades in between each guest. That way guests can still enjoy pin trading but in a way that aligns with the new safety protocols! There will still be a Cast Member there to talk with you and assist you with the fun pin trading process. The restaurants you picked are great, I’m sure your grandkids (and the grown-ups too) will love them. I did want to note that Cinderella’s Royal Table is not actually character dining right now, but I have heard that Cinderella has been making appearances there. Hope you have an awesome trip!
Hi, Brittany! We are venturing to Magic Kingdom and animal kingdom in November with our 2 year old. Did you see a difference in the crowds with different parks? And are the lines for littles just as long in MK? I was hoping that the majority of the crowds would consist of slightly older children.
Hi Kimberly, that’s a great question! Crowds vary heavily on a couple factors like school breaks, holidays, new events (festivals/parties), and even days of the week. This year in particular has been really hard to predict because everyone’s calendars were all scrambled due to COVID. We are much more likely to see a random crowded weekend now than we were say in 2019 when crowd predictions calendars were much more accurate, due to easily being able to follow trends. That’s all out the window right now and will be until we see things stabilize again. Crowds are high at the moment and I won’t really sugar coat that. Despite Disney’s limited capacity policies, the parks have still felt pretty crowded the last couple of months. I feel like many folks saw the amazing summer crowds and low queues and made plans for Fall, and now we’re seeing heavier crowd levels as a result. We noticed our Animal Kingdom day did have way less crowds than both are Magic Kingdom days but again there are many factors that can affect crowds which will determine some of that luck!
To answer your second question we did see less toddlers/infants but unfortunately that doesn’t always correlate to meaning that rides like Dumbo is going to be a short wait time. Even though some rides might be more suited to younger kids, you will always find plenty of older kids or even adult-only groups riding pretty much any ride.
A few quick tips I would share with you to help your odds of lower crowds for your visit:
-Avoid the weekends, if possible
-The father out from Thanksgiving the better
-Visit Magic Kingdom during the middle of the week. A lot of folks make MK their first park day of their trip, so earlier in the week tends to be busier!
-When scheduling your Park Passes, check the availability calendar to see which weeks/days are filling up compared to others that might be way more open.
I hope this helps a bit, and I also want to wish you a magical time at Walt Disney World!