So much has changed in Disney World since the phased reopening of the parks began. Following the COVID-19 pandemic closures, health and safety guidelines were implemented to keep visitors and Cast Members safe and they caused us to relearn how to “do Disney World.”

Now that it’s been three years since the parks began opening their doors again, there are still remnants of those safety guidelines throughout Disney World. And so, we thought we’d take you on a journey with us to see how different Disney World was after the historic reopening of the parks!

Walt Disney World began a phased reopening of its theme parks in July 2020, it all started with Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on July 11th, and Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on followed July 15th. But, we had to do some serious adjusting to the new way of life in Disney World, and that meant a ton of new health and safety guidelines to navigate.

We were live from Magic Kingdom when it reopened, so we saw firsthand just how different things were — and boy, do we mean different.

Park Changes

Before even heading into the park, Disney began social distancing by spacing cars apart in parking lots.

There were also temperature checks for guests to go through prior to security.

The process for entering the Magic Kingdom looked just a little different than usual. There were social distancing markers on the ground, designating where guests should stand — six feet apart.

Disney had also paused the use of finger scanners to avoid unnecessary touchpoints. This is also when Park Pass Reservations were introduced. Instead of being able to freely visit any theme park you had a ticket for, folks now had to make a reservation. This was Disney’s way of controlling how many guests were in the parks at one time — and it’s a change that has remained through today (though more changes are on the way!)

Of course, health and safety guidelines meant that Disney was enforcing face masks in the parks — even outside. The only caveat to the face mask rule was when guests were actively eating and drinking, and at one point, Disney updated the rules to say that folks had to be stationary to eat or drink — no noshing on a corn dog while walking down Main Street, U.S.A.

Folks were encouraged to keep their distance from those not in their travel party, and no parades, fireworks, or character meet and greets were available for at the time.

In addition to the face masks, Disney also implemented increased social distancing protocols, enhanced cleaning and sanitation, and required temperature screenings for both guests and Cast Members.

Ride and Transportation Changes

Rides changed too — since enhanced cleaning and sanitation protocols were enforced, that meant Cast Members would have to stop rides every two hours to fully clean and sanitize the ride vehicles between guests. This often led to wait time delays.

And, depending on which ride you were on — you might have had an entire vehicle to yourself.

The same was true for the monorail and Disney Skyliner for a certain time — Cast Members were only allowing a certain amount of people per monorail car or Skyliner gondola.

There were even markers on the floor of the ferry boats indicating where people should stand…

…and certain seats on the buses had been marked out so guests could be separated.

Each party was assigned a zone and told to remain there until the bus driver began unloading the bus.

Dining Changes

When dining locations began reopening, there were significant updates to the process. Guests were encouraged to use the Mobile Order system in My Disney Experience, and were only allowed into certain restaurants once their food was ready to be picked up.

In addition, social distancing was enforced pretty hardcore, with nearly every other table being marked unavailable. Inside Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn and Cafe on reopening day, there were signs on select tables indicating that they were intentionally left empty for social distancing.

Table service restaurants took advantage of the Mobile Check-in system, which allows guests to bypass the host check-in at participating table service restaurants around the Resort for which they already have an Advance Dining Reservation.

This was to limit unnecessary contact between Cast Members and guests. A similar service was implemented for checking out at retail stores.

Hotel Changes

When Disney World first began reopening, several major changes were made to the Disney World Resort hotel experience. Disney strongly encouraged guests to use online check-in, either on Disney’s website or using the My Disney Experience app. But, regular check-in was still available. Guests were also automatically checked out.

Some classic parts of the Disney hotel experience were NOT available upon reopening. Arcades, campfires, character experiences, dog parks, the Electrical Water Pageant, Marina rentals, Pin trading, Playgrounds, Spas, salons, and Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique did not operate initially.

Further changes to hotel amenities included:

• Bell Services could still deliver luggage to rooms, but could not escort guests to their rooms
• Club-level service was temporarily unavailable
• Deliveries were only made to occupied rooms
• In-room celebrations were not available
• Dry-cleaning and valet laundry services were temporarily unavailable; self-service laundry was available
• Shipping services were temporarily unavailable
• Resort airline check-in service was temporarily unavailable

In addition, housekeeping faced some serious updates. Disney gave rooms a “thorough cleaning” before arrival. They shared that they paid special attention to high-touch areas like TV remotes and door handles, and steam-cleaned and vacuumed floors between guests. Furthermore, housekeeping tools were cleaned between rooms.

Rooms got a light cleaning service every other day of your stay, which included: Removal of trash and used towels, replenishment of towels and amenities throughout the room and bathroom, wiping and cleaning of the vanity and counter surfaces, and vacuuming if needed. However, guests were able to decline every-other-day service.

One of the biggest changes was that Disney was requiring guests to have a confirmed Disney hotel reservation or a confirmed dining reservation (if not staying overnight) to visit the resort hotels. There was no more visiting the hotels just for fun, which many folks were upset about.

We know this for sure — you can always count on Disney World to change. No two days are alike, and with more new restaurants and rides on the way, chances are your next trip is going to look different! We’ll be keeping up with all the updates, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more.

11 Major Changes Coming To Disney World Soon

 

Were you at Disney World when it looked like this? Tell us in the comments.