We took a one day trip to Disney World last year in October with some free tickets that we had gotten, and booked a bounceback offer while we were there through Melissa and we were able to get the free dining. We planned the trip for labor day week this year, as this is usually the time of year when we go. We never expected this pandemic to happen or anything else that goes along with it. We stayed steadfast in wanting to go even as Disney announced the mask requirements, no fireworks, no characters, etc. We were a party of 6 people, and We wanted to go, and as much as it hurt losing that free dining, we were able to get 35% off of our room. We originally were going to stay at pop century, but we decided to change to 2 room villa at boulder ridge at the Wilderness Lodge. That 35% really came in handy, and we had the absolute best time ever at any resort while we were staying there. The hotel was clean, all of the staff was wearing masks, they had partitions set up at the front desk, and mobile check in was a breeze! We dropped our bags off at the front and hopped a bus to Epcot!
The buses load very differently now, as they have numbered sections, and seat you according to your party size. The capacity is now lower, but they make sure that you are spaced apart from other guests and safe. We made sure we arrived at the bus stop plenty early so that we could be on the first bus to the parks each morning. In the parks, there are hand sanitizer stations everywhere, physical distancing markers on the ground on all the rides and to get into most of the stores. The cast members do an excellent job of managing the flow of the line, politely reminding you to wear your mask properly, and monitoring the amount of people in each store. The mobile order does take a bit of getting used to, but runs very very smoothly. Finding a table is a different story, but that's always how it goes right? We were a little disappointed in Disney reducing the park hours, and had some dinner reservations made in the parks after they were going to be closed, but we got to keep those, and let me tell you, leaving the parks an hour or more after they close was wonderful! We got to walk around the World Showcase and to the front of Epcot and there was not another soul in sight. It was so awesome!! Also, they had a line of buses in the parking waiting to take the remaining guests to their resorts, and we were the only ones on our bus. We felt like VIP's! We also had the same thing happen at Hollywood Studios! The kids loved the extra time relaxing in the pool and the room since the resorts closed earlier. We are usually a rope drop to fireworks family, but this trip was completely different. The crowds were low enough that we did everything we wanted to do at the parks and were able to go back to the hotel and relax, go to Disney Springs, and just enjoy our vacation, and not be stressed out about having to run from one ride to the next because of a fast pass or to beat the crowds or anything like that.
Overall, I can say that this was probably the best Disney trip that I have taken in my life. I felt safer in the parks and on property than I do even going to the grocery store. Disney made everything as wonderful as they could with the world the way it is now, and I couldn't have asked for more! I think we even found a new "home" resort in the Wilderness Lodge because my wife, and mom have said they no longer want to stay anywhere else! If you are on the fence about going, take the plunge! You won't regret it, and Melissa made everything easy for us, took care of all the changes that we made throughout the time prior to going, and even corrected an error Disney made with our Memory Maker. We didn't have to worry about a thing, and had a great time!
