Things are constantly changing in Disney World. Things are also constantly changing in the world outside of the Most Magical Place on Earth, which can impact rules and regulations in the parks.
Walt Disney World is Getting Ready for Its 50th Anniversary!
Not too long ago, Disney World updated its mask rules, Orange County, Florida (where part of Disney World is located) ended its state of emergency, and other changes have been made. All of that got us wondering whether some of you out there, our fabulous DFB readers, have decided to change your 2021/2022 Disney World plans, or if you’re still going forward with your trip. So, we reached out to you all, and here’s what thousands of you said.
Big Changes Made and More Coming
Before we get into the poll, let’s talk about some of the changes that have been made lately or other factors that may be impacting your trip plans.
At Disney World, lots of things have changed or are set to change soon. Buffets have returned to locations like Biergarten, The Crystal Palace, and Boma. Hotels like Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge have reopened along with Port Orleans French Quarter, Port Orleans Riverside, and All-Star Music Resorts.
Dinner at Boma
Halloween celebrations have come and gone, and holiday celebrations are HERE, but things are or will be a bit different. The traditional, seasonal parties we’re used to have been canceled, and NEW After Hours events have replaced them.
Time for Some Halloween Fun!
Some things are coming back in a new form — like parades, but really only during the Very Merriest After Hours event. Along with the new additions, old favorites like Festival of the Holidays, Candlelight Processional, and giant Gingerbread houses are coming back for the holiday season.
Hi Pooh Bear!
Disney Genie has launched at Disney World, and Disney’s NEW paid FastPass replacement — Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection — was launched with it.
And while many things have reopened in Disney World, like some entertainment offerings, several things are still closed. Some forms of entertainment, like Meet-and-Greets, have returned in new modified formats.
Traditional Meet-and-Greets Still Aren’t Back
Many things opened ahead of or during Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. There are new fireworks shows, new statues to see, and much more.
©Disney
In terms of impacts from the world around us, the situation with the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve. Right now, masks are required in Disney World in all indoor locations and all enclosed transportation.
©Disney
As of October 2021, Florida COVID-19 cases have begun to drop and the state of emergency due to COVID-19 in Orlando ended due to improving conditions.
Also, many young children are still not able to be vaccinated against COVID-19, though vaccines were just passed for kids ages 5-11.
Mask signage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
And that’s just a little preview of some of the many changes that have taken place or will take place soon, several of which may be concerns or things you’re taking into consideration in light of your upcoming trips.
The Poll
That leads us to our poll. We placed a poll on our Instagram asking readers whether they’re still planning their 2021/2022 trip to Disney World.
Over 40,000 of you responded and the majority said…
The Results Are In
…”yes.” About 78% (32,610) of you said your 2021/2022 trips are moving forward, while 22% (9,025) said your trips are no longer a go. Here’s a look at some of the comments we received in response to the poll.
Yes, Still Going
As we noted above, the majority of our readers said they’re still moving forward with their 2021/2022 Disney World trip plans. One reader told us they are going, but not in 2021. Specifically, they noted that they’re still planning to visit but will wait until 2022 when their kids under 12 can be vaccinated.
Animal Kingdom
Another said they had a trip coming up for Labor Day Weekend, and that they would be doing their best to be careful. They also mentioned that the health and safety rules and precautions that are in place in Disney World gave them some comfort.
Nope, Not Anymore
Other readers’ plans, however, are no longer happening. One told us that the high level of COVID-19 cases in Florida at the time was concerning to them, and specifically mentioned the fact that Orlando has requested residents conserve water due to potential issues that have been raised regarding the demand for liquid oxygen. (Note: this poll was originally surveyed in August 2021).
Disney World
Another told us that they had a trip to Disney World in September, but they just canceled it.
Yes, But…
Some were in the “yes, but…” category, meaning their trip is still a “go,” but things could change. One said they’ve got a trip planned for late 2022, but they may change their plans depending on the level of COVID-19 cases in Florida.
You Can See Those Updated Health and Safety Reminders on the Left
Another said they may go depending on what Disney’s health and safety rules and regulations are at the time. Keep in mind that Disney’s health and safety rules and regulations can change often, even during one of your trips. It’s important to check for all of the latest updates to ensure that you’re following the present policies.
Toy Story Land
And that’s a quick look at what our readers had to say about their upcoming plans. What about you — do you have upcoming plans for a trip to Disney World in 2021 or 2022? Are you still moving forward with those plans or rearranging things? Tell us in the comments. We’d love to hear from you.
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We already went in June. We go almost every year (not 2020 though) and this was our worse Disney World trip over the last 30 years. We still had great fun, BUT our favorite restaurants were closed, the merchandise was stale, park reservations required, masks, Epcot construction, Epcot monorail closed, Finding Nemo the Musical closed, … I could go on and on. My biggest gripe is the need for park reservations. BUT we are planning on going in 2022, and are expecting better!
We have at trip scheduled for December coinciding with my Senior’s Band trip, so we can see them play! Once in a lifetime opportunity right there; however, we are monitoring the situation. Our other kiddo is in competitive dance, so we need to make sure she stays as healthy as possible. If it looks like it’s getting too bad down there and no other safety measures are being reimplemented, we’ll re-evaluate closer to the trip dates. She won’t even know about the trip until November, so we won’t have to worry about her being disappointed if it changes. 🙂
We postponed our trip from 2021 to 2022 & all systems are a go. We did, however, cancel our hotel resort reservations after Disney took away so many of the perks. Felt like they were really price gouging their customers in too many ways. And we had four rooms reserved! Covid isn’t affecting our decision for 2022 at this point in time.
We have a family trip planned for Thanksgiving week of 2021. Our kids are all adults now so we have all been vaccinated and we are so excited for this upcoming trip. Nothing is going to stop us unless they close the parks down.
We are going next week! We are staying at Fort Wilderness. So excited! And we are planning to visit next November! Staying off site on that trip but still going to Disney that week right after Thanksgiving 2022!
We are set to go Nov 13-20, 2021. We haven’t been since 2014 and are itching to be back!
We really want to go and our hesitancy isn’t as much with COVID concerns other than having to wear a mask ALL THE TIME, but whether or not it’ll be worth spending all the money and nothing being open. I have 2 teenagers who are itching to be there either way. ❤️ We have until about mid-October to decide whether or not we’ll go this year. So needless to say, we’re on the fence. Anyone wanna make the decision for us? 😜
The results of your survey were interesting. This very day my son and I were going to leave for a 5 day trip to all five WDW parks. (I grew up about 20 minutes from Disneyland, and go there whenever I go home for a visit.). He was taking me as a 72nd birthday present, I never having been before. He had the reservations, rooms and all, but it seemed the minute he got that done, the Delta COVID variant hit, cases and hospitalizations spiked, and he grew increasingly nervous until 2 weeks ago he canceled. He asked if I minded putting it off til next year and made new reservations. I have congestive heart failure, and he was just terrified to bring me to Florida. I am vaccinated, but I just couldn’t bring myself to put him through such anxiety. If the state had gotten behind vaccinations and masks, things might’ve gone differently, but oh well. Hoping for next year.
My fiancé and I have our Disneymoon booked for February 2022 and it’s really hard to know what to do.
We’re in the UK and both double vaccinated but it’s not the same situation over here as it is in Florida…..I guess only time will tell!
We canceled our September Trip. Rebooked it for late January. Just sicken how Florida governor handling the pandemic.
Plus now we can enjoy the 50th party!
We are planning a trip the first week of December 2022,4 adults and two children. However with Disney’s recent rash of nickel and diming its customers with Genie, advance boarding passes, paid fast passes, limitations on park hopping, no free dining plans, elimination of Magic Express etc. We are definitely reconsidering. Walt would turn over in his freezers.
We have a trip planned for Christmas 2021, but might move it to Christmas 2022 if the COVID cases don’t decrease in Florida.
We went in July and will be returning with the full family in December. If the fear mongering continues, we may have the parks to ourselves! That should make for an awesome trip!
We had a trip planned in mid September and were soooo excited but made the hard decision to postpone until next year because of the high number of cases. Hopefully things will get better soon! 🥺
As of right now our family is still planning on going ahead with our plans this November to visit Walt Disney World. We are keeping an eye on the ever changing protocols and COVID-19 cases daily. As for now our plans are a go.
I am still going next week. In a lot of ways, Disney is safer than where I live now. People will be required to wear face masks indoors and Disney will enforce that requirement. Right now, it is less than 50% in the state I live in, even though it is mandated by the state. I am fully vaccinated but I still wear masks everywhere.
I postponed my trip from 2020 and the changes Disney has made are comforting to me. Add to the fact that attendance is down and it will not be near as crowded as it was last year at this time and I am definitely ready to head out. Since this will be my first trip to the park in over a decade and the things I want to do most are open, I am really looking forward to spending my birthday at WDW.
Yes, we are going this month. This will be our third visit this year. Especially want to take advantage of the moving lines for rides, that will all end when the awful Genie+ launches.
We just cancelled our October trip. There are just too many hoops to jump through coming from and back into Canada. We typically drive and with the land borders closed on the US side, there are just too many risks around flying, testing etc. We usually go every year and due to some family circumstances and the pandemic , we have not been since 2018. So disappointed that the US has kept their land borders closed.
Currently 7 of us are signed up for Disney Marathon/Dopey Challenge in early January. At this time, no plans to change our plans. Looking forward to a great time running through the parks.
Yes we will still go in November 2021. But will be wearing our masks indoors and outdoors if near other people. We will NOT be using the ridiculous extra expense of Lightning Lanes. What a crock! We, all Disney fans, deserve some perks. Do better Disney..c’mon, seriously!
Yes we canceled our October vacation to Disney World. There were eleven of us going. We’ve been going to Disney World since 1975. Hope to go next year or the following year.
Barr B
How about running a poll on whether the price increases and reductions in entertainment and other benefits are impacting decisions to go? We had a trip planned for 2020 which we cancelled due to Covid and now I can’t afford the same trip because the prices have increased.
I feel the value and more importantly the magic is really reducing. I know it’s a business but I feel we are losing something.
How about a poll to make Disney aware of how we might feel? If we don’t project the magic from the shareholders you can’t get that back.
Changing to Universal
If not for our own milestone celebration we’d probably cancel (more so because of everything not being offered as well as high Covid numbers leading to indoor mask mandate) but we’ve already postponed twice. Don’t know if or when we’d be able to make it back. Perhaps for our next milestone and if we’re still breathing. By then I would think everything will be back to normal for reals and it will take that long to save even more nickels and dimes in order to afford all the new expenses that Disney is adding to the vacation budget.
Like me, I feel that maybe a Disney vacation is not in the cards every year, maybe every other year, or every 3 or five years. It is just getting too expensive for what you are getting these days.
Canelled last years and this year have rebooked for 2022 but waiting for Biden to let us in and hope it will all be open for july
Nope, just canceled our trip for November. Very disappointed, but until Florida gets its act together regarding Covid, we’re not putting ourselves at risk.
Got back two weeks ago. I’m vaccinated but my son isn’t (too young) and we did not get sick. Also visited Seaworld and Universal. It was low crowds everywhere, we had a blast. 2022 we shall see. With all the negative changes at Disney it may just be Universal.
We went in May and still had fun but not as much as our past trips. We have booked a trip for Feb. of 2022 but have decided if Genie+ is a definite permanent thing and the exclusive extra magic hours also remain exclusive, we will not return.
We just went this Labor Day Weekend. In the mornings, both EPCOT and Magic Kingdom were very sparsely populated in the morning. At EPCOT, it got crowded between 1:00pm and 2:00pm.
If you are scared of the propaganda “case rates” then please stay home. This clears out the parks for the rest of us who are local and go often.
If you are not local and hate the indoor mask rule thus far, it’s up to you how much hassle you want to endure. On a few occasions, CMs have inculcated their standard ride “briefings” with “Keep your masks above your nose” dogma. It’s annoying, but a lot of the CMs are pretty cool. The whole mask madness has made going inside of any building something to be avoided and dreaded when you can’t avoid it (ride queues and restaurants.) However in restaurants, no one seemed to really care if you wore a mask once you were seated.
Many people we spoke with while on ride queues agreed that there is zero logic behind the masking rules, as they defy science, medical realities, physics, and the “regular person” test.
So if you are still thinking that you will never get C19, and are scared of manipulated non-stats, then please do stay home and watch ride videos on YouTube. We won’t miss you.
I cancelled my August trip but was not part of the poll when and where was this poll? I have a trip scheduled for early 2022 I hope things are under control by then
We cancelled our Sept. 2021 trip due to COVID surge but still have plans for Jan 2022, fingers crossed that things settle down. Bought a DVC resale timeshare last summer and are looking forward to getting there sometime. Disappointed with the many increased costs though including large increases for annual passes and paid fastpass substitutes, all while providing less in the way of services/entertainment. Really hope Disney ups their game soon!
I will arrive next Monday September 13th. Taking the train instead of flying. Reserved private sleeping accommodations on the train instead of travel in coach. Taking every precaution to stay safe and are fully vaccinated. Looking forward to lower than usual crowds!
Yes as right now we are still going in November.
We had a vacation booked for September 25th for a week. We cancelled back in February. We felt Orlando wasn’t safe. We’ve rebooked for January hoping we’ll go. We’ve ruled out Universal for their not mandating masks. We feel Disney will be safer. However if the cases and deaths continue to rise, we will cancel.
Interesting. We canelled our summer 2022 trip and are doing Universal instead. Just feel like Disney needs some time to get its act together.
Due to the massive price increases we have decided to look at properties off site. We found a very nice house close to the park properties. The house sleeps 18, with 13 in attendance. It has a private screened in pool and an outdoor kitchen. The cost was the same as one value resort room for the week. With king beds and many baths it is worth the trip to the park. We considered parking and transport to and from the parks. It was still substantially less.
We went last week in july, we pretty much go every year and this year felt like the magic has faded, being hot was no big deal, it was long lines, overpriced average food, rude CMs and long lines and wait times, being run over by strollers and electric scooters and then getting the stink eye from moms, dads and old people, WDW charges too much money for magic and free perks have disappeared, thanks bob iger and bob chapek, you ruined Disney, will we go again, probably, but not right away and after school starts, smaller crowds for sure
Things are different; but just go with the flow and have a good time. Try a new restaurant. Go on a ride you never went on before. Walk around the construction, and don’t let it dampen your spirits. Just enjoy being in Disney. Yes, I am going in September 2021, December 2021 and August 2022.
We went in August and plan to go in December. We have weekday select annual passes and plan to get the newer ones. I am not a fan of park reservation system as we like to be spontaneous to go where and when we want. We are appalled,though, at the outrageous prices for the new system replacing fast pass system. Unless you want your day planned- we don’t- you have to pay for a faster lane- don’t we pay enough to get into the parks?!! This is not what Walt Disney envisioned- a park for the wealthier guests.
I visited in August 2020 and again just last month. I was amazed at the difference in the two trips. The attitude and atmosphere this year was much more relaxed and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I’ve been going to Disney Parks for well over 60 years and, like everyone else, have been known to complain about the crowds. This year one of the high points of the trip was to be surrounded by several thousand of my new closest friends. It was one step closer to normal. BTW, just finished making my reservations for March of ’22!
Yes, we (my daughter and I)are going in December. We wear our masks, always have even when they lifted the mandate. So, our favorite place on earth will not bother us to wear masks and carry hand sanitizer. Sprinkle me with Pixie Dust when I get there!
John D, completely agree. We went last Nov and it was just sad. We are going again in Oct mostly because we are DVC members and need to use points or lose them. As many have said who are familiar with Disney, much of the “magic” is gone.
It appears that with the cancellations of f.p and Magic express,no more magic bands..just to name a few..the magic is disappearing as well.I understand with covid,that Disney has taken a huge hit,like everywhere else.So disappointed, I love Disney,and have made Disney our 2nd home,but I believe this is just the beginning of more cuts to come,and higher prices.
Every time i reschedule, my country cancels my flight between 1 and 2 weeks before departing, im on my 5fh cancellation and my Tickets are due this month. Im gonna beg Disney for an extension. I Cant lose that much money.
My mother and I are going to DW right after Thanksgiving this year. I’m less concerned about being at Disney than I am about being on the airplane. They’ve already cancelled one of the 2 non stop flights, so now it’s crowded. Oh well, we are fully vaxed, wearing masks, and relying on God’s mercy to protect us. Thank you for keeping us informed, y’all do an amazing job!
will not of back until indoor and ride mask mandates are removed. and second to that park reservations need to be rescinded .
I am definitely going this year and the year after and the year after, etc
We were going to Disney this November but changed to Universal Studios solely because they dont require masks.
We’re snowbirds and actually own a winter home in Kissimmee about 10 minutes from the parks. We have a trip planned for January/February 2022 but are now discussing whether we should go or not. With Covid running wild in Florida we’re very hesitant to visit, even though we’re fully vaccinated. We’re in a “wait and see” mode right now.
No longer a fun vacation, but a regulated chore.