Photos: Megan Haulbrook with Little Palm Travel

UPDATED May 6, 2021

As the world is opening up more and more, one of the questions we are getting the most is what is Disney World like right now? We wanted to help answer that question to help you decide if now is the right time for you to visit the magic. We’re breaking down some of the most popular items to give you insight, but if you have any specific questions we didn’t get to, contact us with YOUR specific questions and we’ll be happy to answer those as well!

While much of the experience is still the same such as seeing your favorite characters in the parks, experiencing classic Disney attractions and eating some incredible Disney meals and snacks, some experiences are altered a bit and the way you experience these things may be slightly different than what you’re used to if you’ve ever visited Walt Disney World in the past.

COVID-19 precautions:

The most obvious of the changes are the requirement of a face covering to be worn at all times when visiting the Walt Disney World Resort. They have detailed guidelines as to what type face covering may be worn and which ones are not acceptable. Guests are required to properly wear their face coverings at all times including for any photos while on Disney property. The only exceptions are while stationary in aRelaxation Station or when eating or drinking while stationary. UPDATE: Face coverings are now OPTIONAL for guests in out door areas! Yay for maskless Castle photos again! Face coverings are still required for any outdoor lines, indoor attractions, theaters, restaurants etc.

Prior to entering each location they have a temperature screening for all guests. This means theme parks, Disney Springs, resorts and restaurants.

UPDATE May 6th: Beginning on May 16th, Disney World will begin phasing out temperature screenings for guests.

Additional information can be found at the Know Before You Go page, which we advise all guests to visit prior to visiting Disney World.

RESORTS:

Walt Disney World has over 25 resorts on Disney property to choose from, however not all of them are currently opened. Disney has implemented a phased reopening of most every aspect of Walt Disney World and this is certainly evident at the Disney resorts. You can view the full resort reopening date breakdown here. It is important to know that a few resorts are not open yet and while most have a scheduled reopening date, not all do at this time.

CHARACTERS:

For many who have visited Walt Disney World in the past, one of their favorite things is seeing the Disney characters they know and love in real life! The good news is you can still see and meet them, but it will be from a distance. They still have characters that you may stumble across in the parks and you can take a photograph or selfie with them, but it’s not quite the same as before. At this time you can’t get an autograph and hug Mickey, Minnie or your favorite Disney Princess but again you can still get pictures with them in them distanced behind you. Disney has also added new and unique ways to see your favorite Disney Characters through the park so you never know who you may see frolicking around the parks!

Winnie The Pooh chasing butterflies at Epcot

PARADES AND SHOWS:

Disney is known for its amazing productions in the parks. From stage shows and parades to its nightly entertainment and fireworks, Disney has entertained us for decades. At this time, this is one of the more dramatically affected areas of visiting Walt Disney World. Many stage shows, such as Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, Beauty and the Beast Live On Stage and others have still not returned to the parks, but we are hopeful of their return soon! Disney has begun testing for its new nighttime show HarmonioUS at Epcot recently so we take that to mean good things are on the horizon!

Donald Duck and Launchpad sailing around Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Parades have been a long loved part of any day at Disney, but post COVID, they are currently not running the “typical” parades. However many of our favorite characters can now be seen in short mini parades, also called cavalcades, and other unique experiences. At any given moment during your time in the parks now you may be surprised with one of these mini parades of characters. We’ve seen everything from a Princess Cavalcade to Nightmare Before Christmas characters during the Halloween season last year. At Animal Kingdom there are even frequent boats passing by with some of your favorites dressed for a day of exploring!

DINING:

Dining is always a highlight of any Disney vacation. The largest change in regards to dining is that you currently can not add one of the Disney Dining Plans to you vacation package. There are also restaurants that have yet to open back up and some restaurants are only operating seasonally or only on the weekends.

We’ve had a lot of people ask us if character dining is available and we are happy to say: yes! Again the experience is altered a bit in that the characters are only able to interact with guests from a distance, but you can still enjoy a great meal and meet some of your favorite Disney pals at the same time! There are some restaurants that were previously character dining meals that have reopened but unfortunately without characters, like The Crystal Palace for instance.

Many character dining locations pre-COVID have been all you can eat buffets. Since the parks reopening, Disney has yet to reopen any buffet style restaurants as such. Instead, restaurants such as Chef Mickey’s and The Crystal Palace have reopened as family style, all you can eat meals. It’s important to note that some menus are also limited a bit. So it is possible that some of your favorite menu items may not be available at this time.

FASTPASS+ and Memory Maker:

Fastpass+ has been the system Walt Disney World has used to allow guests to bypass the main lines for some of their favorite Disney attractions. Previously most guests could select three attractions each day. At this time they have not reinstated the Fastpass+ system so guests enter through the main queue lines for all attractions and shows. These lines are physically distanced requiring parties to remain at least six feet a part while waiting in lines.

We were excited to see Disney has kept the Memory Maker as an optional add on for guests after COVID. This feature gives guests digital copies of their ride photos as well as any photos taken by Disney’s Photopass Photographers while in the parks. There are a number of new “magic shots” available in the parks guests can take advantage of when they add the Memory Maker to their vacation.

Magic Shot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Park TICKETS and park hopping:

Walt Disney World has added a new reservation system for entry into the parks. Once you have your park tickets, you can use the Park Pass System to make your park reservations for each day in the parks. Without a park pass reservation, you will NOT be allowed entry into the parks, even if you have a park ticket. You can always check the Park Pass Availability Calendar online to know in advance which parks have availability when planning a trip. Park Tickets and Park Passes are now the number one priority when planning and booking a trip. We are seeing many guests who have bought tickets on their own and didn’t make the Park Pass reservations unable to get into the parks during crowded days. Don’t let this happen to you. As of publishing, there are multiple days in which all four parks are fully booked in regards to the Park Pass System. In this regard, it is more important than ever to book your Disney vacation well in advance.

Park Hopping has changed a bit post COVID as well. Previously you could park hop at any time during the day as long as you had a Park Hopper Ticket or a Park Hopper Plus Ticket. At this time, guests are only allowed to park hop after 2pm each day.

Being in the parks and crowd levels:

This is perhaps the biggest question on most everyone’s minds: how crowded are the parks post COVID? Disney has been operating at a limited capactity. They have not specifically released what this number is at the various parks but we’ve heard that they are operating at 30-35% of their typical capacity. Again, since there are no Fastpasses lines all guests wait in a single line for attractions. While we can’t predict what a crowd level or wait times will be like on any given day, we can say that it truly does seem like crowds are lighter than pre COVID days. But that doesn’t mean you’ll just walk right onto every ride. The further out from reopening, the more we are seeing an increase in crowds in the parks at this time.

physical distancing :

As mentioned, Disney has taken measures to ensure physical distance between guests. This means lots of plexiglass and ground markers everywhere. Unfortunately this can interfere with some ride photos as you see below. Not a major concern but it is something to be aware of if you’ve purchased the Memory Maker.

WDW Megan Frozen Attraction Social Distance Epcot Walt Disney World .jpg

With the added distance between guests, Walt Disney World also has extended the ride queues for many of the lines for the attractions. They also have implemented specific directions to access the lines too. You can read more about how to better navigate the some of the parks from the Disney Food Blog here. They have created images that illustrate which entrances are open and which ones are currently blocked off at this time.

enhanced cleaning:

While Disney World has always been impeccably clean, you will now see Cast Members routinely doing advanced cleaning procedures on the parks and especially high touch surface areas. Pool loungers are sanitized between guests and attractions are routinely cleaned as additional precautions.

Magic Bands and magical express:

Another change in 2021 is that Magic Bands are no longer included with your Disney Vacation Package. You can still add them to your vacation at a discounted price before your arrival. These can be added and purchased through My Disney Experience under the My Plans section.

The most significant change to the Magical Express is that your luggage is no longer”magically” delivered to your room. We loved the ability to check our luggage at the airport, board our plane and surprise… our luggage suddenly appears in our room at our Disney resort.

Due to COVID, they are now requiring guests to pick up their luggage at baggage claim and bring it with them to the Magical Express. And while this doesn’t pertain entirely to 2021, we do want to note that the Magical Express will end on Dec 31, 2021. At this point guests will be responsible for setting up a form of transportation to get them from the Orlando airport to their Disney resort.

Extra magic Hours:

Last but not least, we are sad to note that Extra Magic Hours have been suspended upon the reopening of Walt Disney World. Previously guests staying at select resorts had the opportunity to visit select parks one hour before official park opening and stay two to three hours after the official park closing time. This was our favorite perk to staying on Disney property and we are keeping our fingers crossed it will return soon!

So what do you think about the recent changes? Let us know in the comments below!