What to Expect Visiting Disney World During COVID-19

Your visit to Walt Disney World in Florida will look a bit different if you plan to visit during the Coronavirus craziness. There are certain precautions and changes of operating procedures you will experience during your visit. Read on for more info and why I think its actually a great time to visit!

Reservations are Required
In order to gain entry into the park, you HAVE to have a valid park ticket AND a reservation to visit a specific park on a specific date. No walk ups are permitted, so make sure to plan ahead. The easiest way is to do this on the My Disney Experience App.
Read about Park Reservations on Disney’s Website HERE.

Masks are Required
I know, masks in the Florida humidity can seriously suck. But right now masks are required for entry and must be worn at all times. Disney is also pretty strict on mask types. There cant be a vent/filter device on the side, it cant be a mesh mask, and you cant wear a face shield instead of a mask.
Read the full info on Disney’s website HERE.

Temperature Check
Before entering the park, each person in your party will have their forehead temperature taken. If someone is considered to have a fever, they will not be permitted in the park.

Metal Detectors & Bag Check
You will be required to walk through metal detectors. If you don’t go off, then your bag will not need to be checked. If it does beep, then they will also check your bag.

Character Experiences are Modified
Gone are the days of waiting in long lines to snap a photo with characters. Characters can be seen upon entry into the park, or in a specified area. They will wave and interact but from a distance. Ask a Cast Member during your visit about where and when characters will be as there is no set schedule.

disney princess parade walt disney world

There are no Parades or Firework Shows
To avoid gatherings and crowds, there are no set times for the big extravagant parades. There are also no big firework shows at Park closing. Don’t worry though, there are still options on seeing characters in floats or cool cars. Ask a Cast member for routes and times, they were generally traveling through a certain area once every hour. These “mini” parades usually consisted of 1-2 floats or just vehicles with characters.

Fast Passes are No More
Fast passes are no longer a thing (for now) but don’t fret. Since Disney is operating at a reduced capacity, lines for rides are greatly reduced. The most popular rides are generally only an hour to an hour and a half wait. If it was a regular crowded day, they would be 3-4 hours wait. We also noticed that ride times were generally about 5-10 minutes FASTER than what was showing upon entry. The longest ride we waited for was Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railroad. The queue said 80 minutes when we entered and it only took us about 50 minutes to get through.

Ride Queue Changes
The interactive displays that are in a lot of the ride queues are currently disabled and covered up to prevent touching. Virtual ride queues are available in the My Disney Experience App such as games. There are markers on the ground to make sure each party is keeping six feet of distance between. Also, eating or drinking is not permitted after entering the line. Make sure to finish your snacks before getting in it! On the ride itself, you will also be spaced out. Depending on the ride, rows will be skipped in between or only one party per car will be allowed.

Paying at the Counter at Restaurants is GONE
This one drove me a little nuts, 90% of the food places are only available to order from the My Disney Experience App. So you MUST download the app and use it to place your order. Quick service restaurants will not even let you inside until your app shows you the “Your Order is Ready”. When placing your order, you must also select an arrival window to visit the restaurant. Table Service restaurants are available to book 60 days ahead so reservations for us (we only planned about two weeks ahead) were non-existent due to the extreme limited capacity.
For more info and to make Dining Reservations, click HERE.

Eating & Drinking While Stationary
Not going to lie, I got pretty tired of this phrase. It is broadcasted at least three times an hour throughout the day on the loud speakers at the park. Basically it means if you are eating or drinking, you’ve got to be sitting or standing in place. IE: You cant walk and enjoy your snack. They are pretty strict about this and will remind you if you forget.

A few other notes:
Monorail is only operating from the Transportation & Ticket Center to Magic Kingdom. They are only allowing two groups per car.