What Disney World is Like Right Now

Are you thinking about going to Disney World this year? This year is going to be a great year to visit, but there are a few things that you need to know before you go.

Quick Jumps:
Park Reservations
Park Capacity
Masks
Calvacades/Character Meet and Greets
Rides
Dining
Mobile Ordering and the app
Park Hopping
Nighttime Shows
Epcot Disclaimer
Is It Worth It?

Park Reservations

In order to enter any of the Disney World parks, you must first make a reservation using the Disney Park Pass system. Disney has confirmed that this system will be around into 2023, so if you plan on visiting in the next couple of years, you will need a reservation. In order to make a reservation, you need to have valid theme park admission, either in the form of an Annual Pass, or a Day Ticket. Tickets can be purchased on Disney’s website. You can also make your park reservation on the website. Annual Passholders can make up to three days of reservations. Day Ticket holders and people staying at a Disney Hotel can make reservations for every day they have a ticket. Be sure to make these reservations early, as some days fill up quickly. You can check the availability calendar here. Your reservation is valid for the park hours of that day. You can also leave the park and return at any time that day.

Park Capacity

Disney has released a statement saying that their current capacity limits are 35%. Many people assume this means the parks will be empty. It doesn’t. 35% means it’s 35% of the total capacity of the park. When Magic Kingdom is at capacity (Think Christmas Day or New Years Eve) there is no room to move, it’s shoulder to shoulder people as far as you can see, and it took us 2 hours to move 50 feet. So it’s 35% of that, which might be just a normal day at the park, but it does mean it definitely won’t be super crowded. Also note that because lines have six feet spacing, the lines usually will go out of their queue area, meaning the line will be out on sidewalks or other areas, this definitely makes the parks look more crowded.

Masks

Masks must be worn at Disney World for guests ages two and up. These masks must be cloth masks (or the paper disposable ones) with two layers or more. They must also have ear loops. Gaiters, bandanas, and masks with valves are not allowed. Make sure you have the right kind of mask when you show up, because if you don’t, you will either be turned away, (or at Disney Springs) a Cast Member will direct you to a mask vending machine that has disposable masks for around $2 (which is really expensive for a disposable mask). So if you even think your mask might not fit their standards, bring a backup one so you don’t have to worry about risking getting turned away or buying an expensive replacement.

It’s a good idea to bring more than one mask anyway, just in case your first mask gets sweaty, wet from a water ride or rain shower, or breaks.

Masks must be worn at all times, except while eating or drinking. However, you must be stationary and out of the way to be eating or drinking. You may not walk around drinking a beverage or snacking on a turkey leg with your mask down. You also may not remove your mask to take photos. There are Cast Members that patrol popular photo spots and will remind you to keep your mask on. Just view it as a sign of the times, and years later when you’re looking back at your photos from the trip, you’ll know exactly when you visited.

Calvacades/Character Meet and Greets

While Disney World does not have character meet and greets where you can get up close and get autographs, there are still characters that you can interact with from a distance. At all four parks there are also character calvacades. Calvacades are basically small parades with a few characters on a float. They do not have specific times, but they happen throughout the day. At Animal Kingdom these calvacades happen on boats that are visible from almost anywhere in the park!

Rides

While there are no shows happening right now (but some are coming back this summer!), most of the rides are operating right now. At the entrance to the rides there is hand sanitizer available, but it is not required. There is also hand sanitizer available at the exit to the rides. Lines are spaced out six feet with markers on the floor to mark where you should stand. Some people do forget, but most people will back up if you ask them to.

A few of the rides are seating every row, but the ones that do have plexiglass between the rows. Off the top of my head, rides with plexiglass are: Kilimanjaro Safaris, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Rise of the Resistance, and Frozen Ever After. (There may be more, these were just the ones I remembered). The plexiglass does reflect some on dark rides, but it won’t make or break your experience on the ride. The other rides are leaving spacing between parties. Either way, your party will be the only party on your row, so if you’re a single rider, you get the whole row to yourself!

Dining

Before Covid, dining reservations could be made 180 days out. Now they can be made 60 days out. This is nice if you’re planning a spontaneous trip, since everyone only has two months lead time on making reservations. It can also make picking park days difficult because you don’t know if you’ll be able to get reservations at the restaurants you want until two months out. Restaurants do have distancing measures in place, tables are spread out, and if you leave your table you must put your mask back on. There are also a few places that have Character dining: Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast, Chef Mickey’s Breakfast, Garden Grill Lunch/Dinner, and Hollywood and Vine. The characters do not come up to the table or sign autographs, but they do interact from a distance.

Mobile Ordering on the App

For quick service restaurants (not table service), most restaurants are using Mobile Ordering on the Disney World app. You can even order with an allergy on the app, but if you don’t feel comfortable with that, you can also ask to order inside at the register.

If you are wanting to order at a popular restaurant (Woody’s Lunchbox), I would suggest mobile ordering a few hours before you want to eat, because if you try to find a time right around lunch, there probably won’t be a spot available for a few hours.

To see a video on how mobile ordering on the app works, click here.

Park Hopping

As of January 1, 2021 park hopping is back at Disney World. You must have a reservation for the first park you go to that day. Then, after 2pm, you can hop to any other park that is not at capacity. You can even do all four parks in one day, you’ll just have to visit the last three all after 2pm. You can always go back to the first park after leaving, even if it says it’s at capacity. Since you had a reservation for that park, you are included in the capacity count, even if you leave.

Nighttime Shows

Right now, there are no nighttime shows happening at Walt Disney World. However, equipment is in place and testing is happening for Epcot’s new nighttime show, HarmonioUS. Nighttime shows will come back, there’s just no way to safely bring them back at the time.

Epcot Disclaimer

Epcot is a mess right now. Most of the front of the park is under construction. If you’ve never been to Epcot, I really don’t suggest you go now, but maybe wait a couple of years when the construction is done. World Showcase is fine, and if a festival is going on, you’ll probably spend most of your time there anyway. All of the rides are also open (right now, Spaceship Earth is due for a remodel, we just don’t know exactly when). But there are a ton of construction walls and the whole middle section is behind walls.

Is It Worth It?

If you go into the trip with an open mind, it is definitely worth it. Things are different right now, so don’t go into it expecting Disney World to be exactly the same as it was before Covid. Mainly, just be patient and courteous to everyone, especially the Cast Members. If you are open minded and patient, the magic is definitely still there.