Disney? During these Times?!

So last weekend we did something a bit "crazy". We decided to be one of those families that wears a mask all day long in the excruciating sun just so we could visit Mickey Mouse. Just to give you a bit of history, we are BIG Disney fans in my house. We are annual pass holders, DVC members, and mostly just lovers of all things Disney. There's something magical about just being on Disney property. It's as if the magic is in the air and you can't stay angry or sad for more than a few minutes before you crack a smile.

Anyways, back to our covid adventure. When the parks first opened we were still very unsure of how it would look like and whether it would even be worth going to. So I started paying close attention to my favorite Disney bloggers, specifically Serena (@livingbydisney), and seeing how they were experiencing the parks. For the most part, I heard very similar stories. They said they felt safe, the crowds were very minimal and any groups in the park could be avoided. I also read from a few bloggers that thought the "magic" of Disney was gone and that it was really only worth going for short wait times. Obviously we weren't excited for that last part, but we were ready to take a chance and test it out. So here's my experience with a mid-pandemic Disney World.

Epcot

First up, we went to Epcot for the Food & Wine Festival. In comparison to previous years, they definitely had way less kiosks and also had a large area closed up. There was construction happening on the right hand side of the Epcot ball where the character spot and club cool were, and the really yummy kiosks that were behind that building are not there this year either. The good thing is that although there were probably half as many kiosks, there was also half the amount of people. This meant the lines were pretty doable, although not completely empty. 

One of the new places I visited was the festival center in between Canada and the UK. They had the Desserts&Champagne , Mac&Cheese, and Festival Favorites kiosks. The festival favorites had a few of the favorite items from the missing kiosks, including my favorite item, the Guiness Baileys milkshake! SO GOOD! I also tried the new Nitro Cake pops, which were crazy delicious. Someone in my party described it as a gourmet ding dong, and well they aren't totally wrong, but it is a huge jump in quality of course. These cake pops were super decadent and I probably could have eaten the full thing myself (even though it's huge). I ate mine too quickly for a picture, but thanks to DisneyFoodBlog, I have some pictures of these yummy desserts.

The festival center was one of the more crowded places we entered, but it did have appropriate distancing for tables and floor markers on the lines that helped keep space between groups.

Although we experienced a bit of rain, it actually helped keep the day shaded and breezy. The wait time for Soarin' was only about 15-20 min! Plus, for any DVC Members, the lounge at Imagination was still open, which is a great place to relax without the masks and enjoy some free refreshments (although there's no snacks at the moment)! So overall, our day at Epcot was a total success and I would definitely go back for Food & Wine again!

Hollywood Studios

Okay so here is where our trip took a bit of a turn. We wanted to get to the park before opening, 10am, so we could join the first boarding group for Rise of the Resistance. Unfortunately, we left the Riviera on the skyliner at around 9:15 and didn't make it into the park until 9:59/10am, one person was still scanning their band as it hit 10am and we didn't make the first boarding group. The reason it took so incredibly long to get there was because in the mornings, the skyliner from Riviera to Hollywood requires you to get off and transfer at the Carribean Resort... well that line was CRAZY! Took us about the full 30-40 minutes on that line. The actual skyliner trip is only a few minutes and we couldn't believe the amount of time wasted. Next time, we would probably take our own car to get to Hollywood in time for opening. 

Anyways, once inside, we realized that they have basically closed most breakfast locations except for the Roasters at Star Wars (which only had a breakfast wrap) and Starbucks (which had a very long line as usual). This was super disappointing because I had already hyped myself up to have those purple potatoes at Docking Bay 7 in Galaxy's Edge, but they were not open for breakfast. We ended up waiting the line at Starbucks, which is consistently yummy but also consistently overpriced. I finally tried the Pumpkin Cold Brew for the first time and loved it, so at least there's one highlight to this breakfast drama. 

As most people know, the park was capped at half capacity, which should make all the lines super short, but with all the closures throughout the park and social distancing within the rides (each party getting their own row and/or cart), it turns out the lines were still pretty long. Obviously they weren't as long as the usual, full capacity, wait times. But it definitely wasn't a "walk right up" wait time, many of the big rides were still 60-90 minutes. We did take advantage of these *shorter* wait times to ride the new Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway ride that replaced The Great Movie Ride in the Chinese Theater. We waited a full hour, in a socially distanced line that was mostly outside, but it was in constant motion and there were several fans set up to help cut the Florida heat. Each party got their own cart, and we learned that these carts are completely trackless (something very new for Disney World). We really loved the ride and the technology it used, it was absolutely adorable and a lot of fun. Here's a small spoiler at one of my favorite parts of the ride, the dance studio:

Safety & Cleanliness

For both parks, we were impressed with the cleanliness and extra sanitation methods in place. There were hand washing stations scattered around the parks, close to large rides or eating areas. And hand sanitizing stations were on almost every corner, at every ride, shop, kiosk, and rest spot. The employees were really on top of the mask situations, and there were a lot of them walking around, ensuring that everyone was wearing them when they were not actively eating or drinking and that they were wearing them correctly. We were even told to put our masks on while sitting at a table, drinks in hand but with the cover on. So basically, if you want to be in an open area without a mask, you have to have your food and drink close to you (as in actively eating/drinking) or be at a restaurant or designated relaxation zone. 

 The Riviera

As I mentioned, we are DVC members, which meant we were able to book a Disney resort for this trip. We booked at the new Riviera resort and it was absolutely beautiful. It was simple, in a very European way, but also very elegant and extravagant in a very Disney way. One of my favorite things about the resort was the fact that we could take the skyliner to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Unfortunately, the skyliner is very unpredictable as transportation because of the weather and extremely long wait times. But when you catch it on a good day, at a good time, it is super convenient. 

Besides the skyline, my next favorite part of the Riviera was the quick service restaurant, Primo Piatto. Here we enjoyed one of the BEST breakfasts I've had at Disney. I had the Croque Madame (Classic French Ham and Swiss with a Fried Egg served with choice of side), my family had the Primo Piatto Breakfast Platter (Scrambled Eggs served over Mascarpone Polenta with a Sweet Brioche Roll served with Bacon and Italian Sausage), and we shared the Blueberry Lemon Pancakes (Three, Fluffy House-made Pancakes filled with fresh Blueberries topped with Mascarpone Cream and Lemon Zest served with choice of side). All three dishes were so incredibly delicious and full of flavor.

Finally, our studio fit 5 people and had the pull out bed under the TV that many of the newer resorts have, but it also had the second queen bed as a wall pull out versus a sofa bed. This was super cool and I think much more comfy than a foldaway sofa bed. The mattress was thicker, and closer to a real full mattress bed. And when you put it away, you had lots of space to roam around and enjoy the room. Here's a video of the bed and how easy it was to open/close:

All in all, we had a blast being back at our Home Away from Home. Although things were strange, and hot, and a bit uncomfortable, the Disney magic was definitely still there! I would definitely go back (and I probably will) within the next few months!