Tuesday I had the pleasure of being one of the first to enter the Magic Kingdom after a very long, the longest ever, hiatus. First and foremost, I want to assure you the magic is still there. It may not be the same magic we once knew, but its still there ready to wow guests.
To start, in order to enter the park you must have a temperature check and a mask. Your temperature cannot be above 100.4 degrees. All guest will be checked prior to entering security. If your temperature comes back higher than 100.4, Disney will provide a place to rest and cool off. They will then re-check your temp, if it is still above 100.4 degrees you will be asked to see a doctor off property. Your mask must cover your nose and chin, and not have any holes. If you don’t have a mask prior to entering the area, there is a vending machine available with masks for purchase. Once past the temperature check, you enter the security check.
Security will no longer be going through your bags. In order to keep contact low, guests are required to take a provided plastic bag and place ALL metal objects in the bag. Anything with metal; sunglass cases, charging cables for phones, cameras, portable batteries, anything metal. Guests will hand the bag to the security guard; he will look at the contents, and the guest will walk through the metal detector with their personal bag. Once on the other side of the metal detector, you can pick up the clear bag with the metal contents and replace them in your personal bag. Now you are through security!! Wahoooo!
Once through security there were several options for transport to Magic Kingdom; Bus, Monorail and Ferry. We chose the bus, since there was no wait. Gone are the days where you walk on the bus and find a spot! Everyone has a spot and that is where you sit. The cast member asked us how many were in our party, we said 3, he gave us a number to stand on. We waited for the doors of the bus to open, once inside the bus, there were corresponding numbers to the number we stood on. If the bus had more people than just us in it, we would have been required to sit in our numbered section. Each section was divided and separated, as well as labeled with different numbers. You can no longer stand up on the bus, only sit. The bus ride was short and sweet!(side note: the monorail functions the same way)
The queue lines for the attractions have seen a makeover as well. All queue lines have designated lines on the ground where to stop and stand while waiting. This keeps the guest from getting too close to any other guest. Some lines have plexiglass installed when social distancing isn’t convenient. Also, before and after every ride, touchless hand sanitizer is available. Every so often, ride lines are stopped for periodic cleaning. All cars on the ride are sprayed down with cleaner and cycled through the ride.
On most rides you are riding with only your party. For Splash mountain, we were the only people in the log! Some of the other rides we were far away from the other guests to keep social distancing.
Dining has been modified, as well. In order to maintain less contact, Guests are asked to mobile order their food prior to arrival at the quick service restaurant. All mobile ordering can be done on the My Disney Experience App. It is super easy on the app. Once you are at the restaurant, you click on the “I’m here” button and your food will be prepared. It seems Disney is holding guests outside until the app instructs the guest what counter to pick up the order at. Much like the bus, everything is numbered and clear on where to go.
Earlier I mentioned that I believe the magic is still there, I am here to tell you it is! The Disney characters make several appearances throughout the day. Some in small pop up parades and some on top of buildings! There are many cavalcades that happen surprisingly during the day. We also walked up and found some characters too! You can no longer get close to the characters, but you can still see them and get a picture. For those of you that haven’t experienced old school Disney, this is what it was like. No lines to wait in, you would randomly see a character in the park doing their thing!
If you need a mask break, find the Relaxation Station. Here you can sit mask free outside while social distancing from other guests. There is a cast member at the entrance monitoring the area and how many people are in there. We took advantage of the Relaxation Station for a few mins. It was nice to have a break from the mask. Get a mask that is comfortable! Bring several if you need it. We had a nice day; it wasn’t too hot and we did ok with the mask on. No problems.
With the limited capacity, it really helps make the day more magical. There are no lines to wait in, no Fastpasses to worry about getting, no people to dodge while walking from place to place. The wait times for the rides were anywhere from 5-35 mins depending on which ride and time of day, majority were walk on. The stress of Disney, with one small virus, has melted away. This is how Disney used to be.
In terms of safety, I never felt safer. I truly believe Disney nailed this one. Disney is known for their dedication to safety for their employees and guests. They really thought everything through and worked through all unsafe problem areas. I had the best day I have had in a long time. I would go back again if I could. I can say Tuesday was more fun than a previous normal day at Disney. I rode every single ride there! When can you say that??
All in all, it was a great day and I wouldn’t hesitate to go again. Please feel free to let me know if you have any questions or comments. I am happy to answer and listen.
