It goes without saying that the pandemic has changed a lot, and Disney World is no exception.
Disney World has reopened, but there are some major changes from standard operating procedures. So if you’re going to the parks during this time, there are some things you should know before you go.
And if you’re on the fence about if you should even go to Disney World right now, check out this post for some of the pros and cons.
Here are the top 8 things you should be aware of. There are definitely additional changes, but these are the some of the biggest that are likely to impact your trip the most.
You need a mask
Masks are required in all Disney Parks for all guests 2 and up. Disney has updated their mask requirements several times since they instituted this policy, but at the time of writing this, a mask must:
“Be made with at least 2 layers of breathable material. Fully cover the nose and mouth and secure under the chin. Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face. Be secured with ties or ear loops and allow the Guest to remain hands-free.”
You can learn more about Disney’s mask policy on their website.
You need a park reservation
In order to get into the parks, you need both a park ticket and park reservation.
This is in order to keep crowd sizes down to enable social distancing. There’s no extra cost for a park reservation.
You simply go into the my Disney Experience App and make the reservation similar to how you would your FastPasses.
And speaking of FastPasses, they’ve been temporarily suspended. With crowds at such low levels, wait times aren’t nearly as long.
Some of the more popular rides can still get a little backed up, but it’s not like what you’d see under normal circumstances.
You can’t park hop
You also can’t park hop right now. The only park ticket you can purchase is a single park per day admission ticket.
So once you make that park reservation that’s your park for the day. Again, this is to control crowd size in each park to make social distancing possible.
From what I’m seeing, you’re still able to leave the park and return later in the day if you want to, but you have to return to the same park.
You can’t visit resorts
In previous posts, I’ve talked a lot about visiting resorts you’re not staying in. It’s often a great way to spend a lowkey day outside the parks.
Unfortunately, that’s not something you can do right now.
In order to keep crowds under control, you can only visit a resort if you’re staying there or if you have a dining reservation at one of the restaurants at that resort.
So if you really want to visit another resort, you’ll have to make a dining reservation.
There are added safety protocols
In addition to masks, there are a handful of extra safety protocols that have been put in place for the well-being of guests and castmembers.
This includes temperature checks before you enter a part of resort, social distancing, and reduced contact points.
Social distancing is enforced throughout the park. This includes signs on the ground to help guests keep their distance, added barriers, and cast members who are trained specifically to encourage guests to stay at a safe distance.
There are also significantly reduced contact and touchpoints. Many restaurant menus are available on your smartphone and moble order and credit card payments are strongly encouraged.
However, there are options for those who don’t have a smart phone.
You can read more about the current and up-to-date safety protocols here.
No nighttime shows or character meet and greets
In order to ensure guests stay a safe distance, parades, nighttime shows, and character meet and greets have been temporarily suspended.
This is to limit any kind of significant crowd gathering and limit direct contact with anyone outside your traveling party.
However, Disney is still doing their best to keep the magic of meeting characters alive.
There are regular pop-up character “cavalcades,” which is basically a mini, unannounced parade that occurs around the parks on a semi-regular basis.
You can’t get the dining plan
The dining plan may not be the best choice for everyone, but if you’ve spent any time around this blog at all, you know I love it.
Unfortunately, you can’t get any version of the Disney Dining Plan right now.
Because restaurants are operating at a limited capacity, reservations are a little harder to come by and aren’t as guaranteed as they used to be. Additionally, Disney is in the middle of a phased reopening, which means not every restaurant on property is in operation.
This means that dining options are a lot more limited. Because of this, Disney has suspended the dining plan for the time being.
There are still restaurants open and you shouldn’t have a problem getting food in and around the parks, but it may be more of a challenge to get the number of table service meals you may have otherwise paid for in the dining plan.
Another important change to note is the dining reservation window.
Previously, guests could make dining reservations 180 days in advance of their trip. Now you can only make reservations 60 days in advance.
Things are changing constantly
The last think you need to know about Disney World right now is that things are constantly changing.
So much so that by the time you’re reading this, some of the things on this list may not be true anymore.
Disney is doing its best to stay aware of the situation and to flex their policies and procedures appropriately.
As a result, if you have an upcoming trip, you should definitely stay on top of their website and/or your favorite Disney news sources so you don’t end up with outdated information.
For more Disney World tips and tricks, check out the other Disney World Posts!
Sound off: Have you been to Disney World recently? What do you wish you knew before you went? Tell us about it in the comments!