Happy New Year to you! It has been a while since I have posted but after being on vacation and the holidays, time flies when so much is going on.
My boyfriend and I played around with the idea of visiting a friend in Florida and going to Disney World since they reopened in July with strong COVID guidelines. With Christmas to look forward to, Disney World during the holiday season was a must!
After scheduling our PTO’s and booking our flight, the trip finally came to fruition. We made sure to do our research on COVID-19 protocols for both Disney World Magic Kingdom and Epcot.
Long story short, the trip was a success and we both safely came back home covid-free after testing negative and a self-imposed 14-day quarantine.
So if you are on the fence about making a trip to Walt Disney World in 2021 these are what I found to be the pros and cons of my visit.
While going to Disney World during the COVID-19 pandemic may evoke feelings of anxiety and uncertainty, it isn’t all doom and gloom!
Florida is a current hot mess during this pandemic but Walt Disney World theme parks are still operating at 25% capacity (as of this posting) – that is, 25% of each park’s maximum capacity. According to TouringPlans.com, Magic Kingdom’s maximum capacity is 90,000. Therefore, the park’s daily attendance is limited to 22,500.
There were a few moments during my trip – at Magic Kingdom, in particular – where lines were a bit long but overall the park wasn’t too crowded. It was easy to find a less-crowded space to sit and take it all in. If you haven’t spent much time in public since the pandemic began, keep this in mind before you go.
Face masks are enforced like seriously enforced and I was here for it. Face masks are required anywhere on Walt Disney World property except for eating and drinking and those who don’t wear a mask can risk getting removed from the park.
To be safe we did not remove our masks while taking photos at Magic Kingdom but at Epcot, there were fewer people during the day and we found our secret empty spots to take scenic pictures.
Epcot didn’t get crowded until it got dark which was understandable since it is more of an adult attraction with food and drinks from “around the world” and it was 10/10 great experience food & drinks.
During my visit, I didn’t encounter hordes of people not wearing masks or not wearing them correctly unless they were eating or drinking. The entire park had sanitizer stations and best believe I sanitized after I touched anything and after every ride. Disney by far did the best job at enforcing their mask and COVID policies like social distancing.
Now it wasn’t as magic as I hoped being at Magic Kingdom without the amazing characters but there was a float parade with a few of the princesses.
Up-close character meet-and-greets are temporarily suspended due to covid but there was a nice parade at Epcot where I got to see Elsa & Anna which was pretty amazing along with Mickey and the whole gang.
Prior to COVID-19, many Disney parks were already offering mobile food ordering with the My Disney Experience app. The app was a bit confusing at first but allowed us to sit down as we waited for our order and saved time during the day.
Along with other perks during covid, you are able to bring snacks, small sandwiches and water/juice to the park which is more convenient and inexpensive.
Also, if you're going to any of the parks, bring a mini umbrella just to be safe the rain is unpredictable & ponchos are not cheap - learned that the hard way...
Overall, my trip to Florida was safe and efficient and the hotel we stayed at was amazing with laundry/dryer access and a balcony with a view that we enjoyed on our rest days in-between park visits.
If you want to travel during the pandemic, it’s honestly the best time to do so with cheaper flight prices and fewer people, Disney Parks are the only parts of Florida to safely enjoy the warm weather on a vacation.
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