2020 has been a rough year for a lot of reasons. My family lost two furry members in quick succession, and due to his commitment to the Army National Guard, my husband has been away a lot more than normal. To add insult to injury, our family vacation, a Disney Cruise, was obviously cancelled. Our family needed a little sunshine and a little happy, some magic if you will. We booked a sort of last minute Disney trip over a long weekend and guess what?
Disney is still the happiest place on earth! Even during a pandemic.
There were obviously some differences between a Covid visit and a good ol’ days visit to Disney, but I feel like they’re doing a good job of keeping not only us, but their cast members safe. There were face shields and masks for cast members dealing with the public and masks are required at all times for visitors over the age of 2, unless you’re actively eating or drinking. Late October was a great time to visit because it wasn’t too hot. There are markers on the ground for every ride, some shops and some restaurants. Currently, there aren’t fast passes available, but Hollywood Studios has a sort of stressful virtual queue system for its newest ride, Rise of the Resistance. The method for ordering quick service food through the app was a change I hope they keep forever. It’s so convenient and allows you to figure out what your kids are eating before ordering. Game changer, I swear. They also take your temperature before you can enter, and there are no more bag checks!
The best part about Disney was that the magic was still there.
With the decreased park capacity, the wait times were so reasonable. My kids were able to ride rides we had never had the patience to wait for. Mine Train anyone? We still got our Mickey and Simba pretzel, Mickey shaped ice cream bar, and Dole Whip. The cast members seemed genuinely happy to be there and every encounter was a positive one once we were in the parks. Another magical thing? Absolutely no waiting in the restrooms.
A lot of things about 2020 have not lived up to the expectations. Our long weekend trip wasn’t one of them. We had some reservations about going while so much of the world is shut down but, Disney is still the happiest place on earth! Even during a pandemic.
