Things that I would like to see happen before I return to Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World is a part of who I am. It’s an inseparable part of my identity. I grew up in Orlando, I have been going there, in some fashion, since I was a kid. Both my father and my grandfather were Cast Members at some point. It was the first place that my parents let me loose on my own with my best friend without supervision. It was where I went to grieve the loss of my father. It was where I got engaged. It was where I went on my honeymoon. It is such a big part of my, and my husband’s, life that we even bought into the Disney Vacation Club (no regrets.) I cannot wait to get back there, especially after the past 14 or 15 months of Covid. My soul needs to go back.

But… as I watch as Walt Disney World begins to recover from Covid, there are certain things that I would like to see as benchmarks of recovery before I will really feel comfortable returning.

1. The Covid Pandemic needs to be under control.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but nothing will be “right” until we get this pandemic under control. We have had a lot of success. But, there are new variants all the time, not all countries are vaccinating at the same rate, and even here in the US, there are a significant number of people who won’t get vaccinated – for whatever reason. The pandemic is real and it’s not over. Vaccines are real. Get vaccinated.

2. All the Walt Disney World resorts and hotels would need to be fully reopened to the public.

There are 32-34 hotels and resorts at Walt Disney World, depending on how you count them. At the time of writing, seven of those resorts are still closed. Although when talking about the Walt Disney World Resort, most people might just think of the Magic Kingdom, WDW actually covers more than 40 square miles and has four theme parks, two water parks, a huge restaurant and shopping district, a campground, a ranch, world class golf courses, and a series of water ways and lakes that facilitate watercraft. The resorts are just as much a part of the fabric of WDW as the parks are. Many people, myself included, enjoy “hotel hopping” which involves having a meal or a snack at a resort, or just traveling there during our stay to tour the resort grounds. It just doesn’t feel right when so many hotels and resorts are not in operation. I think that this a critical sign of recovery.

3. All the restaurants need to be fully open.

Along with the closure of hotels and resorts are the restaurants that are a part of those resorts. Those restaurants not only service the guests at that particular resort, they also serve people who visit the restaurant from other elsewhere on or off property who go there for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Places like Boma and Jiko at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge Jambo House, and Boatwrights at Port Orleans Riverside, are places that we have liked to visit even when not staying at that resort. Also, with many restaurants closed, and seating capacity extremely limited due to necessary social distancing, it makes getting a reservation to eat in the restaurant of your choice all that much harder.

4. Hotel pools need to be fully open and not regulated by queues.

Since social distancing at the open resorts has been a necessity, capacity at pools has gone way down. This means that there is often not enough room for all the guests at the hotel to visit the pool at any given time, which has resulted in a queue system in which guests must wait in line for their turn to enter the pool area. This creates frustration, especially since there is a new park pass system which makes it difficult to get into the parks on any given day without both a park pass AND a reservation for that particular park. This results in people being stuck at the resort on some days of their vacation. It’s on these days that the pool becomes the main attraction and can be a big disappointment when people can’t even get into the pool.

5. The monorail needs to be fully operational.

The monorail, which links most of the Magic Kingdom resorts to each other, the Ticket and Transportation Center, and Epcot, is not the only transportation option, but is considered by many as an attraction in and of itself. Lately, the monorail has been down, either partially or completely, for updates and repairs. Included in this particular list of needs, the monorail station at Disney’s Polynesian Resort and Disney’s Contemporary Resort are both undergoing renovations. The monorail now bypasses both, driving right through the lobby of the Contemporary with renovation tarps covering up all the rooms.

6. The Disney Skyliner needs to stop having accidents.

That’s all that needs to be said really. I am not going to get into a gondola in the sky when there is a consistent track record of breakdowns, mishaps, and crashes. Fix it.

7.  Fireworks and night time spectaculars need to return to the parks.

Disney cancelled all fireworks and nighttime spectaculars due to the need for social distancing in the parks. At the same time, new nighttime fireworks shows are in development for both parks. But, for me, a day at either one of those parks isn’t the same without ending the day with fireworks. I know that they are not for everyone, but we love them.

8. Special fireworks viewing areas and dessert parties need to return.

With the return of fireworks, the return of fireworks viewing areas, dinner packages (I’m looking at you Fantasmic!), and dessert parties need to return.  There is nothing like having a cocktail and watching the fireworks from the top of the Contemporary or Top of the World Lounge, or watching them from within the park with a glass of Champagne and desserts. There is something civilizing and special about that.

9. “Early Morning” and “After Hours” hard ticketed events need to return as a regular part of the Disney Experience.

10. Annual Passes need to return.

11. FastPass Plus (or an equivalent) needs to return for attractions within the theme parks.

12. The Grand Floridian Orchestra needs to return to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
This actually includes all live entertainment throughout WDW. This would include tour guides and drummers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge (see #2); Cirque du Soleil; Beauty and the Beast, “streetmosphere” performers, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and others  in Disney’s Hollywood Studios; the pianist at Casey’s Corner, character meet-and-greets and real parades in Magic Kingdom….you get the idea.