July 11, 2020: A day that I will always remember as the day the magic returned to the Most Magical Place on Earth. Wow, what a day! I’m excited to share our experiences with you! PS. If you’d like to see videos and more pictures from the day, check out the “WDW Reopens!” highlight on my Instagram!
To read about our arrival day, click here!
To read about our dining experiences at Disney Springs, click here!
Arrival
We drove to the Magic Kingdom instead of taking the bus from our resort. This was our first time driving, and we are used to pretty long lines at the parking areas at the Disneyland Resort. It did seem like the Cast Members were cycling guests through, to avoid a huge build-up of cars, but once we were through the toll booth, it was pretty fast. Cashless transactions were encouraged, and preferred parking was available. At this time, trams were not running, so from the parking lot we had to walk to the Monorail or boat transportation. At time of publication, the trams still aren’t running.
Before getting to the Monorail & boat boarding area, we went through temperature checks, followed by security. Security no longer goes through each bag. Instead, you remove certain items from your bag (like aerosol cans and umbrellas) and carry your bag through the metal detectors. We were asked several times how old our son was (at the time of our trip he was not yet 2, so was exempt from the mask rules). After we got through the temp check & security check, we opted to take the ferry boat, as we saw it approaching and figured it would be a little quicker.
We approached the dock and were asked how many in our party. There were markers on the floor that indicated where each party would stand. When we got on the boat, each party had to stand on a physical distance marker on the floor. Again, pretty easy to follow! Everyone was following mask rules and distancing markers.
As we approached the Magic Kingdom, my heart was racing. I could see Cinderella Castle, and I was getting more and more excited to enter through those magical gates once more. We disembarked in an orderly fashion (we were instructed to wait until the party in front of us started moving) and headed towards the entry tapstiles, which had very short lines.
The Good:
-parking was fast!
-temperature check & bag check went quickly!
-most guests were doing well with physical distancing
The Bad:
-the trams weren’t running, but honestly the walk wasn’t terrible. It was just hot.
Entering the Magic Kingdom
We scanned in at the tapstiles and we were in! We were home. The music, the Cast Members, there was that energy in the air again. It felt great to be back. Cast Members lined Main Street, U.S.A. and were greeting us with “welcome home!”. We edged around the corner of the Emporium and finally saw Cinderella Castle in all her glory, new paint scheme and all: a beautiful sight to behold.
After taking a few moments to take it all in, we headed off to our first destination: Frontierland!
The Good:
-that overwhelming feeling of Disney magic. It was fantastic to be back.
-Cast Members saying “welcome home!”
The Bad:
-Main Street, U.S.A. was a little crowded. I think the problem is that everyone was heading in the same direction (towards the Hub) at the same time. Once we got to the Hub, it was wide open, as everyone was splitting off to the various lands of the Magic Kingdom.
Frontierland, Adventureland, & Lunch
Our first stop was Splash Mountain! With the recent announcement that Splash Mountain would be closing at some point in the future for a Princess & The Frog themed refurbishment, we wanted to make sure to get at least one ride in. The posted wait was 20 minutes, and that’s about how long it took! Since we had to take turns (our son is not tall enough), I was a solo rider. I was seated in the back, with a party of 2 in the very front. Afterwards, we inquired at the front of the queue entrance about rider switch. They let us know rider switch was available, and next time, to let them know in advance. Oops! We weren’t sure if it was going to be available or not, but now that we knew, we were ready to use it for the rest of our trip. Quick trip for water attractions at Walt Disney World: change masks before you board! You don’t want your main mask to be wet. Bring a bag to carry your extra masks in to protect them from getting wet.
We then walked by Pirates of the Caribbean, but the line looked a little long, so we headed over to Jungle Cruise. The queue was very spaced out, so it looked longer than it actually was. It only took about 15 minutes. The boats were maybe only about 1/3 full, with plexiglass dividers. It was getting a little warm at this point, so we decided to head on into the Enchanted Tiki Room for an air conditioning break. At the Tiki Room, certain rows are closed off, and there are areas in each row that are blocked off, so only about 3-4 guests are able to sit together at a time. Larger parties are encouraged to break up into smaller groups prior to entering the show.
Since we were close to Aladdin’s Flying Carpets, and there was no wait, we decided to take a spin on the carpets. The attraction went down for cleaning as soon as we got there, so we had to wait 5-10 minutes for the cleaning process. We observed every ride vehicle being sprayed down, all handrails were wiped, and the ride operator’s consoles were also cleaned. It was a fairly quick process. After the ride, we did a quick bathroom/diaper change stop, then on to lunch!
For lunch we had reservations at Liberty Tree Tavern, one of our go-to restaurants at the Magic Kingdom. We like eating at Liberty Tree Tavern because of its central location, and the menu has options to please everyone. Lunch usually has a mix of entrees as well as an all-you-can-eat option, but at this time it is only an all-you-can-eat option, served family style. It comes with a salad, a couple of sides, a variety of meats, rolls, and dessert. The meats and dessert were my favorite part of the meal. The dessert was Ooey Gooey Toffee Cake, and it had the consistency of cookie dough! It was so good. I’m glad I saved room for it. One thing to note about Liberty Tree Tavern right now is that it is using the neighboring Diamond Horseshoe for additional seating, since the restaurant needs to maintain 6 feet between tables. We were seated in the Diamond Horseshoe, which was totally fine by us, but if you’re dead set on dining inside the Tavern, make sure to let the host or hostess know!
The Good:
-walking on to rides! Open walkways!
-all queues had distancing markers on the ground that most people were doing a great job of following
-excellent food
The Bad:
-it does get hot, but with proper hydration and smart planning (going to shows midday, table service meals during the hot part of the day, etc.) it is manageable. Know your body and what you are capable of doing. Take breaks when you need to.
-I wish Liberty Tree Tavern had its normal standalone entrees on the menu, but this may have been a supply issue due to COVID.
Liberty Square & Fantasyland
After lunch, we headed over to Hall of Presidents. I know a lot of people don’t like this show for one reason or another, but I really enjoy this one. It’s also a great way to avoid the elements and take a midday break. Plus, the museum in the lobby has some fun things to look at if you’re a history buff like me! We saw distancing measures in place here similar to what we saw at the Enchanted Tiki Room – certain rows were closed, and for the rows that were open, certain seats were blocked off.
After Hall of Presidents, we headed into Fantasyland, the most magical land of them all! It was wide open at 1pm. We did the Carousel (which our son used to dislike, but now he likes it!), and took some pictures at the empty backside of Cinderella Castle. We then went on Winnie the Pooh, the Mad Tea Party, Dumbo, Barnstormer, and the Little Mermaid. All of these were walk-ons. It was great!
The Good:
-super empty midday
-walking on to all rides in Fantasyland was awesome
The Bad:
-our backside of castle pictures didn’t turn out so great
-I think I got a little sunburnt
Tomorrowland & Home for the Evening
Our son fell asleep in the stroller after the Little Mermaid, so we took advantage of the 5 minute wait at Space Mountain (literally 5 minutes at just after 2pm). We didn’t even use rider switch! While one of us was riding, the other waited in the gift shop at the exit. Not only is it air conditioned, it has seats, and it has outlets to plug in your USB port or standard plug. We recharged our stroller fan and phones while we took turns. Boarding here was similar to other rides. The seating configuration is 2 sets of 3 seats. I had 1 seat out of 3, and a party of 2 took up 2 of the other 3 seats. There were 3 empty seats between us.
After my husband got off the ride, he realized he had lost his sunglasses on the ride, so on our way out we would need to stop and get him some new ones. We headed towards Main Street, U.S.A., where we ran into a character cavalcade! The character cavalcades are pop-up mini parades with various characters. Disney doesn’t advertise these because they don’t want crowds forming. I personally am a big fan because it’s so fun to be walking along, then realizing the music is changing, and then you get surprised by characters coming your way. With the low crowds, the characters really take the time to wave at each individual guest, too. It feels special!
After we watched the character cavalcade, we took pictures on Main Street, U.S.A., since it was so empty and there were no lines at the PhotoPass photographers. Tip: PhotoPass photographers will not hold your phone or camera for you. If you want pictures of the whole family, consider purchasing Memory Maker, or bring a small portable tripod with you.
After we took a few pictures, we had to get my husband some new sunglasses, because there’s no way to do Orlando in the summer without some sort of eye protection! We found some at the Emporium, and wandered through the store on our way out of the park. We took the ferry back to the parking lot, returned to our car, and drove back to Saratoga Springs.
For dinner we ate at Artist’s Palette, where we were the only guests. We discussed our day and enjoyed our dinner together. We wanted to try to go swimming again, but our plans were once more foiled by a torrential downpour! Oh well, there was always the next day!
The Good:
-5 minute wait at Space Mountain in the middle of the day.. uhh, what?!
-character cavalcades are a lot of fun
-great pictures on Main Street, U.S.A.
The Bad:
-another rainstorm!
