Here at DFB, we take pride in our Disney World trouble-shooting capabilities! We love decoding the theme parks and breaking down all of the key pieces of advice we need to equip y’all with so that you can have the best time EVER on your vacations!
Recently it dawned on us while we’ve been dishing out Disney World advice to our family and friends that some of the theme parks’ biggest challenges might no longer be applicable when the parks reopen!
Yes, we’re bummed that certain guest experiences are being modified or will be temporarily unavailable for a large portion of 2020, but try to look on the bright side — with less stuff happening, we might be in for a MUCH easier time at the parks when Disney World officially reopens July 11th and July 15th!
Here are some major problems you likely WON’T have to solve in Disney World this year!
Finding a Parking Space
How much do you dislike parking at Magic Kingdom? No? Just us?
Since the parks will be opening with a limited capacity, we’re thinking this could mean waaay fewer cars! Of course, more folks might be driving instead of flying to Disney World this year so we can’t guarantee you won’t still lose your car (as we have on occasion!). But the idea of an easy-breezy time finding our car at the Transportation and Ticket Center sounds like a dream!
Ever lost your car at Disney World? Find out what you should do if this happens to you here!
Getting a Seat on the Bus
Sometimes finding a spot to sit down on the bus is next to impossible! We can count on one hand how many times we’ve actually been able to sit down and relax on a bus heading home from the parks at the end of the night! Normally we’re elbow to elbow, standing room only, and counting down the seconds ’til we get to our resort!
But thanks to fewer passengers being loaded onto Disney World’s buses when the parks reopen, and required limited capacity and physical distancing, finding a seat might not be such a rare treat! Now that’s a big change our tired feet and aching bodies could really get used to!
Click here for the latest updates regarding Disney World’s ground transportation!
A Shared Log
It’s likely that when rides begin operating at Disney World again strangers won’t be seated together on some attractions that place guests in close quarters, like Splash Mountain.
Logs are normally filled to capacity, but we have a feeling Disney World will be taking a lot of extra precautions by spacing out peeps as much as possible! This has some potential to be a one-log-per-family scenario!
And that’s just one example — think about riding Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s a small world, or even Spaceship Earth with smaller groups or JUST your fam (btw, Spaceship Earth WILL be reopening since its reno got postponed!). A lot fewer friends in our ride vehicles sounds downright magical to us — not to sound antisocial or anything!
This also means PERFECT on-ride pics of JUST your family! No more wondering why grandma’s face is blocked by some guy in front of her in the pic from Frozen Ever After! Finally, a PhotoPass in-ride family portrait worthy of a frame!
Waiting in Long Standby Lines
And while we’re still awaiting more details about the new virtual queue system Disney World will be implementing, Disney CEO Bob Chapek has already stated rides will have significantly shorter wait times due to the parks operating with a limited number of guests!
Fewer people? Less waiting? This is starting to sound like a pretty sweet deal if you ask us!
Not Bringing Enough Hand Sanitizer With You
Didn’t we hear somewhere that all the water rides and pools are having their H20 replaced with Purell? Boy wouldn’t that be nice, but we kid, WE KID!
Ok, hand sanitizer madness hasn’t gotten THAT bad, but here’s the thing — Disney World will provide plenty of free hand sanitizer as well as additional places for guests to wash their hands when the parks reopen. Don’t freak out if you can’t find the stuff at your local grocery stores. Rest assured hand sanitizer will be in high supply!
Click here to learn about the new feature Disney added to its app that shows guests where the nearest hand sanitizing station is located!
Having to Stake Out Your Spot for the Parade or Fireworks
Even though we’re sad about Disney World’s parades and fireworks being canceled for now, at least we won’t have to lose an hour (or MORE!) of our time staking out the perfect viewing spot!
(Real talk — we love the fireworks and parades and are quite bummed these will be missing for a while — and we know lots of you are, too — but we’re trying to see the bright side.)
We’re also not going to miss getting caught and almost trampled in the mass exodus of people once the parade and firework crowds let out. That doesn’t mean we won’t be wishing for these special events to return — but if there’s a silver lining to be found, we’ll just enjoy more time on rides than waiting for shows!
Click here to learn more about the parades and fireworks being put on hold in Disney World
Making Awkward Chit-Chat With Disney Face Characters
Since most character experiences (except for Topolino Terrace’s character breakfast) won’t be resuming right away, another thing we’ll be cutting back on is the awkward small talk we sometimes have with face characters. Meeting Mickey and Minnie seems easy-breezy, but coming up with a few topics to discuss with princesses requires a lot of effort!
Don’t get us wrong — we love a chance to gab with Cinderella or Snow White! But there are only so many ways a grown man or woman can ask about gooseberry pies or talking mice before it starts to get weird!
We’re just trying to stay positive and hopeful about the new routine once Disney World reopens (which is shaping up to be something we NEVER thought we’d ever experience!). But if you only take away one piece of info from this story, remember this — Disney World is so much more than just a sum of its parts. Take some of those parts away, and it will still be Disney World, no matter what! We just have to look on the bright side!
Read about 6 good things that might come out of Disney World’s temporary closure, click here!
What are some things you’re looking forward to not having to deal with when Disney World reopens? Tell us what they are in the comments below!