Disney World in 2020 Series – Part 1

It’s been a crazy year and a lot of our traditional Thanksgiving events were sadly cancelled.  We decided to make the most of the time off work and school and headed to Disney World to get a first hand look at what has changed, what’s stayed the same, and how to best navigate the changes to make your next trip to Disney your best trip ever!

How We Got There:

We took a direct flight on Southwest from Kansas City to Orlando.  Masks were required in the airport and on the plane.  Southwest has committed to keeping the middle seats empty through the end of 2020, and this is likely to continue in early 2021.  The only other change we noticed at the airport is the lack on curbside check-in at KCI.  We were happy that we were able to use our TSA precheck and get on our way!

Our flight got into Orlando pretty late, so we decided to spend the first night of our trip at the Hyatt located inside the Orlando airport.  We were so happy with this decision!  The hotel was great and we were able to get an early start the next morning!  We arranged for Disney’s Magical Express to take us from the airport to our resort.  One big change is that Magical Express does not gather your checked luggage for you at this time.  This did not impact us at all as we were able to travel with carry-on luggage only (Away suitcases for the win!), but it is something to keep in mind if you check your bags!

Where We Stayed:

We stayed at the fabulous Riviera Resort this trip.  We will have a full resort review coming in part two of our Disney Vacation series, but I wanted to note a few of the new protocols here.  First, they are highly encouraging online check in.  This worked extremely well – we were sent a text that our room was ready while we were on the Magical Express.  We were able to head straight to the room, bypassing the front desk completely.  We used our Magic Bands to get into the room without any issues.  You can also use your phone as a key through the My Disney Experience App. 

Masks were required throughout the resort, expect at the pools, while seated at a restaurant, or in your room.  There were also a lot of hand sanitation stations set up throughout the resort.  The resort felt incredibly clean and was at about 40% occupancy, certainly less than in a typical year the week of Thanksgiving.

Theme Park Fun!

There were several changes in the parks due to COVID.  Masks are required at all times except when stationary and actively eating.  The cast members take this very seriously and they will remind you to keep masks above your nose if it slips down at any time.

To keep better track of capacity (which is at about 35% right now), guests are required to make a reservation prior to arrival at any park.  Basically, you must first purchase either a package that includes tickets, or stand-alone tickets that are linked to your My Disney Experience.  You are then able to select your dates and choose one park to attend that day. You are able to leave the park and return later in the day to that same park.  We were able to get reservations for each park we wanted to visit, but on Thanksgiving Day the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios reached max capacity.  It would have been terribly disappointing to arrive in Disney World with tickets and be unable to enter the Magic Kingdom!  No worries for our clients,  of course – we will take care of making your park reservations in plenty of time! In 2020, the Park Hopper ticket is not an option, but it is returning in January of 2021!  We LOVE Park Hopper, so we definitely missed it this time.  

What We Ate:

Finally, a quick note on dining as food is one of the most important parts of any vacation!  There are also currently no Disney Dining Plans available.  There has not been a date identified yet of when Dining Plans is coming back.  Most restaurants are open and accepting reservations starting at 60 days prior to travel.  Capacity is limited, so we highly recommend getting reservations if you’d like any sit-down meals!  Most quick service meal locations were also open, and mobile ordering was available.  You must input either a credit card or a Disney Gift Card to pay for meals when mobile ordering – charging to your Disney resort is not an option.  We headed to some of our old favorites this trip, including Via Napoli and Frontera Cocina; and we experienced a new-to-us restaurant, Topolino’s at the top of the Riviera Resort.  When you’re ready to plan your trip, we have tons of recommendations on the best places for your family to dine! 

Thanks for virtually joining us on our amazing Disney get-away!  Stay tuned in the coming weeks for blog posts by our favorite guest bloggers, Kyle and Audrey Legg!

If you’re ready to chat about your perfect family getaway, book your complimentary Custom Vacation Planning Session now by using my online scheduler to find a time that’s convenient for you!

Follow us on Instagram for the latest travel news and inspiration!