It’s officially been one year since Disney World reopened!

Over the past year, things have changed drastically at Disney World! We’ve seen the end of temperature checks, the end of mask requirements in most situations, and the end of social distancing. We’re also seeing more people in the parks as both entertainment and fireworks begin to resume.

But just how different are things today compared to Disney World’s reopening one year ago today? We’re taking a look back to compare!

Magic Kingdom

Then

At reopening day at Magic Kingdom, there were physical distance markers at the entrance spaced six feet apart, according to CDC guidelines at the time.

Guests were to remain with their groups, with each group standing on its own marker.

Now

Now, those markers are gone and guests are no longer putting space between themselves and other groups.

There has also been an increase in capacity in the parks, so more guests are filing through the entrance now.

Then

Main Street, U.S.A. crowds on reopening day seemed pretty intense at first, but they began to disperse making the park feel much emptier overall.

People were also extra conscious of social distancing as they walked through the parks.

Now

Main Street, U.S.A. now looks a LOT different. The crowds have returned to Disney World this summer, and it feels pretty packed.

And social distancing is now just a memory. Also, face masks are no longer required outdoors or indoors for vaccinated guests.

Then

On reopening day, there were times when we had part of the park to ourselves. The area around Gaston’s Tavern was completely empty!

It was like this in many areas of the parks right after reopening!

Now

That’s changed a lot, too. The crowds are back and it’s probably going to be a while before we can take photos in the parks without people in them. We often see a line out of the door at restaurants like Gaston’s Tavern!

Every part of the park feels much busier now (because it is!).

EPCOT

Then

Over in Future World, EPCOT was very quiet and peaceful on reopening day.

There were only small groups of people hanging around.

Now

Things have certainly changed here, too.

However, there is so much space at EPCOT that it’s still relatively easy for groups to keep their distance from others if they choose.

Then

Crowds in the World Showcase pavilions were virtually non-existent when EPCOT reopened.

EPCOT had a VERY laid back vibe.

Now

The crowds are all over World Showcase now, as exhibited in the below photo at the France Pavilion.

It’s a drastic difference!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Then

Entering Hollywood Studios when the park first reopened was very similar to what we saw at Magic Kingdom and the other parks.

There was not much of a line, and there were distancing markers as far as the eye could see.

Now

The distancing markers have disappeared now, and many more people are entering the parks each day.

We’ve also noticed rope drop is a pretty busy time for the parks again!

Then

In Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Oga’s Cantina was virtually a ghost town due to limited capacity.

Before the closure, this bar was usually pretty packed!

Now

Well, Oga’s isn’t quite as packed as pre-closure, but you can tell that capacity has been raised. And guests now share the bar space and tables with strangers again.

However, this is one reservation that’s still hard to get, even with its raised capacity!

Then

Walking towards Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway was pretty chill on reopening day.

The crowds were light and spaced out.

Now

Although we’re still seeing mostly lower crowds than pre-closure, there are still way more people coming to this park now.

Things are getting back to “normal”, it seems.

Then

Popular quick-service spots like the Milk Stand in Galaxy’s Edge had almost no wait.

It was easy to go up to a stand like this and grab what you wanted!

Now

Nowadays, if you want some Blue or Green Milk, you’ll probably be waiting a while.

This is a popular snack in Hollywood Studios, and even though Mobile Order is offered here, you might have to wait in a line like this.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Then

We were in shock at how empty Pandora felt when Animal Kingdom reopened.

And we only had a 10-minute wait for Flight of Passage!

Now

My, how times have changed. The crowds are certainly back in Pandora.

And the wait time today for Flight of Passage was at 90 minutes.

Then

Most of Animal Kingdom had low crowds on reopening day.

PhotoPass lines were short, too!

Now

Well, we think this photo shows best how things have changed since reopening. Here’s what recent Animal Kingdom crowds have looked like.

It’s starting to look a lot more like pre-closure now! But that’s to be expected as Disney World continues to raise capacity and bring back more activities and entertainment for guests. And with more hotels reopening this year, we bet we’ll see even more guests for the 50th anniversary celebration!

We’ll be at Disney World to cover those crowds, too, so don’t go anywhere!

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The post PHOTOS: Disney World’s Reopening Day vs. What the Parks Look Like Now first appeared on the disney food blog.