Quoted from stoptap:

Disneyworld was great but is now a rip off (especially when travelling from Europe).
Epcot is essentially a building site at the moment.

Quoted from PanzerFreak:

My wife and I are going to Dinsey World later this month. Will be checking out Hollywood Studios this time and of course the new Star Wars area there.
Oh, for anyone going to Epcot I highly recommend having dinner at the Biergarten Restaurant in Germany. It's one heck of an awesome buffet, make reservations in advance.

Quoted from mkecasey:

My wife and I are going to Disney World in May. The last time I went was in 2nd grade - about 26 years ago! I'm definitely looking forward to it because I know so much has changed and the memories I have of that trip 26 years ago are few and far between.
If anybody has any tips to make the trip great, let me know. We've read a lot already so we are probably familiar with a lot of the more obvious ones like going early/stay late and go back to the hotel mid-day, book fast pass on the app 60 days out, etc. But anything that is less obvious, I'd love to hear it.

Quoted from Wolfmarsh:

You've nailed the real big ones, like making sure to have fast passes set up and a plan of attack.
One big thing that we've recently enjoyed is mobile ordering for the counter service restaurants. You can put in an order on your phone and then just go up to the window to pick it up when it notifies you it's ready.
My only other tip would be to roll with whatever comes and find your enjoyment there no matter what. We've been in rain, crowds, heat, etc.. and it's always a conscious decision to still have the best time. Ride all the rides, eat all the food, and don't stress if you don't get to everything or if something changes in your day. You can always come back. Disney makes it easy to enjoy yourself in every kind of situation. Don't hesitate to ask a cask member if you have a question or want a suggestion, they are always super cool especially if you are nice to them.

Quoted from statsdoc:

Wear your Fitbit or smart watch to the parks and blow out your previous records for steps and miles.

Quoted from golfingdad1:Trader Sam's is an Incredible Tiki bar , get there early seating is extremely limited.
Has any one ever used ridemax.com to put together their daily plan. Absolutely amazing program for scheduling your vacation time in the park literally down to the minute.
Also make sure to make dinner reservations otherwise you will be eating sitting on the sidewalk from a take out window. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance, maybe even 90 days.
It's so nice to walk in past all the people hoping to get a table and get seated and relax after smashing it all day . Trust me on this .

Quoted from TheLaw:

Learn how to use those fast passes and how many you get, as it's not always clear (you get more than 3 a day).
When a ride is saying there are no fast passes soon just keep refreshing it and usually one can pop up.
Make sure to use those fast passes for princess meet & greets & Fairyland Hall, the line may look short but we got stuck in one for a long time.
EDIT: LOTS of time meeting princesses and characters with a almost 3 year old. Which reminds me, take your kid before they hit 3 because they're free.
Meet Disney characters @ Big Top at Pete’s Silly Sideshow. You can show up usually 10 minutes before it opens and get within the first 3 people.
We were first once and Daisy, my daughter's fav, opened the door and led her by the hand all the way in....she still talks aboot it!

Quoted from TheLaw:

Shit man we were there in May and there weren't any short lines for anything!
But yeah she was too young for a lot of the rides, height and scars, so I was keeping spaces open for you I guess

Quoted from TheLaw:

I still like epcot but it's a lower key thing for sure.you hit a couple rides then walk around the ring which time a good way to spend a day, grab some food in Morocco etc.
Come to think of it, it was getting dark by the time we were coming to the end and it looked like the party was l getting going.

Quoted from TheLaw:

I found MGM, er, Hollywood def needed some improvement, but if course they hadn't opened star wars when I was there. Although you wouldn't know it by the marching storm troopers every 2 goddamn minutes.i do always enjoy some muppets though.

Quoted from Electrocute:

Went to an Epcot employee after hours party many years ago and it rocked. Wasn’t a Disney sponsored event. Police broke it up around 4am. Loved meeting people from all over the world. Especially Lerna. Will never forget it!

Quoted from yaksplat:

If you like to say in the deluxe resorts it's worth it. We bought into the polynesian in resale for $140/point. I think the retail is now $235/point. After 8 trips, you'll break even and then it's just the dues. For our family of 5, it's completely worth it. I wish we'd have done it sooner since we go every year.

Quoted from ralphs007:

John’s hand fell off during our show,” anonymous user ColtsMcgree wrote alongside a photo of the animatronic — named "John" — missing his right hand during the 1900s portion of the rotating theater attraction. [quoted image]

Quoted from yaksplat:

Personally I'm hating all of the paid events that they keep adding that cut hours out of park time. Halloween parties starting in the third week of august. It stinks when you book a trip and then you find that 3 nights of the trip have magic kingdom closing at 6.
I miss the days of extra morning hours every day for people staying at the resorts.

Quoted from sbmania:

WDW is no longer (if it ever was) a place to just go and play it by ear. If you want to hit every major attraction on your visit and minimize waiting in line, you have to use every advantage in the book to help. Make FP+ reservations MONTHS in advance, use their on-line My Disney app so you can make last minute additions, make dinner reservations (at the better restaurants) weeks in advance and months for the best places. Also, know the park layouts and use something like Touring Plans to understand how to move through the parks and which rides to hit first, second, third, etc. And most of all, don't sleep in. Be at the park 30 minutes to 1 hr before opening to enjoy the coveted rope drop short lines, which last for about 45 minutes - not much more, and only if you are at the front of the pack by being there early!
Some feel this takes all the fun out of the trip, and to a certain extent it does. But if you have made the decision to enjoy WDW and are spending the small fortune to go, why not experience your full money's worth? I personally love WDW and would go twice a year if I could afford it and stay on the monorail route. As it is, we try to go every few years. Friends of mine that live near Orlando have annual passes and stop by many times a year when crowds are small, so the need to do everything in a couple of days is not an issue for them.
I hope WDW doesn't change the FP system and require more event type entrances. That would suck and might possibly be the final straw to stop me from going. Its already expensive enough!

Quoted from Fizz:

I love going to Disney world and have gotten really, really good at riding everything and never waiting in line more than 15 minutes for anything, ever. My methods are much different than the "normal" advice you will hear. But the great thing about Disney world is how it has such broad appeal and so many ways to approach it.
Last trip, my kids actually begged me to wait in a long line for seven dwarfs mine train because they had never had a chance to experience the games in the queue.
Disneyland in California has a whole different system but it's also good as long as you know how to use it. We were there over a crowded weekend, didn't wait in lines. Once you learn how to do it, it's a beautiful thing.

Quoted from DaveH:

Getting rid of fastpass like that would not help profits. Right now, I have a chance at 3 fastpasses (plus in the app). If I have to pay $10,000 for two people to have them for a day, I won’t do it. So the only thing I could do is stand in the long line for every ride. I wouldn’t want to even go at that point. So yes, it would cut down on the lines, but all the money I would spend there would also be gone.
Unfortunately the price hikes are not cutting down the number of people going, so really there is no solution for them. Insanely popular, and insanely expensive (I always stay in a Disney hotel, and take the magic express, which means every dime I spend on the vacation goes to them).

Quoted from taylor34:

This will never happen. The only thing that could slow Disney down would be something like the virus in China. The people that want to go that are driving the decision (aka mostly Mom's) will do ANYTHING to go. It doesn't matter if the lines are 10 hours, costs $10k, etc, it's irrelevant...there is no logic that will change the mind of a mom that has nostalgia for it.
The appeal of Disney is like 99% nostalgia and like 1% actual performance, which is why nothing ever effects it. There could be a hurricane, every ride broken, and every restaurant closed and the park would still be full of families.

Quoted from Trekkie1978:

I totally agree that Disney let's the fast pass crunch the standby line. When I was there a few weeks ago, I saw it firsthand on Aerosmith roller coaster. For every 45 fast pass guests, they let in 15 guests on the standby line. The wait for the ride at the time, was around 60 minutes. Without fast pass, that becomes a 15 minute wait. Tower of Terror was the same thing, 60 minute wait that would be a 20 minute wait without fast pass.
Just look at what has happened to the standby line at Flight of Avatar (I think I messed up the name), it's constantly long due to all of the fast passes handed out. I got to ride in in November, on my 3rd trip in 2019 to Disney...I got lucky too, wait got down to 45 minutes and I quickly ran over there to hop on it.
I won't wait hours in line to go on a ride...no ride is worth it. My fear with Rise of Resistance, is that they will make it, where unless you have a fast pass, it'll take hours to get on the ride.
Here's what I would do to help fix the parks:
Magic Kingdom: Bring back Snow White ride and Mr. Toad's wild ride. With Stitch being closed, come up with something to go there. The Monsters laugh-in should be changed to something else...I miss the old time traveler show they had there. Still needs another completely brand new ride...just don't know where to put it.
Epcot: Fix Imagination.
Mary Poppins & ratoutille (spelling) will help with the crowds in the park.
MGM: Need 2 more rides in Star Wars land. Build an Indiana Jones land off of Sunset Blvd. Add 1 more ride to Toy Story Land.
Animal Kingdom: Add another land to the park. Build 1 more ride in Avatar.
A couple additions to the parks, will definitely help out with the lines. I can't wait to see what the lines look like at MGM after Mickey's Train opens up. Hopefully it shortens everything else up a bit.

Quoted from Fizz:

Oh I forgot to mention, the suggestion to avoid rope drop only applies to wdw in Florida.
In Disneyland, rope drop is a must, due to the first come first serve fast pass system.
But the plus side in Disneyland is that they generally have late hours and you can do both early morning and late hours by taking a little nap in the afternoon since all the hotels are so nearby.
Also, no need to stay onsite at Disneyland.

Quoted from Fizz:

Mainly I don't recommend rope drop at wdw because the vast majority of people will not do both rope drop and late night. And frankly, late night is simply better.
Plus at rope drop, people wait in line to get into the park before it opens. I'd rather show up a bit later and not have to do that, although there sometimes can still be a backup at security.
Also, this is my own thing, but when you go at rope drop, there are short lines which slowly get longer and longer as the day goes on. At night, the lines get shorter and shorter as the night goes on, and I just like that a lot better.
At Disneyland it's different because you can easily do rope drop and late night both in the same day. Plus it just has generally longer hours on the whole.

Quoted from davisjl1979:

Disney is to much work now. It doesn't feel like vacation.

Quoted from flynnibus:

When someone tells you it doesn't really matter when you go...
Remember this...
[quoted image]
That's the 2+ hour sign... to get INTO A STORE
Taken today..
Oh and this...
[quoted image]

Quoted from JustLikeMe:

Couldn't agree more, and I'm a huge WDW fan. I think it's going to be very interesting to see how Universal's current offerings impact WDW 20-30 years down the line. Many, many people who visit WDW now do so due to memories of their visits when they were young. It's the sentimental effect of wanting to share that 'magic' they felt with their own children... and lots of kids these days are forming more of those memories at Universal. Anecdotally, I've helped countless people plan Orlando trips from the UK, and I'd say that 90% come back saying they enjoyed Universal more than Disney due to how much easier / more relaxing it is and how much less time they spent waiting in lines.

Quoted from Trekkie1978:

I have my future trips lined up.
First week of March, doing Universal Studios and 1 day at Epcot. Family trip...I don't have to pay...thank god!!! Epcot dinner is La Hacienda de San Angel.
Mid-April, doing Disney for 5 days for the Star Wars races (all 3). Doing Hoop Dee Doo Revue, Restaurant Marrakesh, Shula Steakhouse (I may get dinner at garden and flower festival booths), Boma and Flying Fish. I saved Flying Fish for last, so I can grab some snacks at the Boardwalk Bakery for my flight that night. Staying at Caribbean Beach...first time there.
First weekend in November, doing Disney for 5 days for Wine & Dine races (all 3). For this trip, I don't plan on making any dinner reservations...just going to eat around the world every night for dinner. Staying at Port Orleans - Riverside...first time there, but I have stayed at French Quarter twice.
2nd weekend in January, doing Disney for 8 days for the Dopey Challenge (all 4 races). I will have dinner reservations for every night there. Staying at Gran Destino Tower @ Coronado Springs...I stayed there this past November.
Haven't booked April '21 for the Star Wars races, I haven't found those dates yet.
For the Universal Trip, my sister-in-law went through a travel agent. The travel agent said, she is finding that people who are going to Universal and staying on property, are starting to switch all their future Disney trips into Universal trips. Complaints she is hearing is that it takes too long to get from place to place, the lines are too long, picking fast passes 60 days out is a hassle, and 180 day window for restaurant reservations is a pain in the ass.
I totally agree with the travel agent said. Yesterday, I hit my window for fast passes for April. I fly in Thursday, doing Magic Kingdom. Everything except Seven Dwarfs mine train was available. Friday, doing MGM. I'm hoping they keep a 9am opening, if they make it 8am and I have at least the B corral, I'll be able to get there and get a boarding pass for Resistance. Slinky Dog coaster, Millennium Falcon, and Mickey's rain were all booked. Saturday, doing Epcot, Frozen was booked up. Sunday, doing Animal Kingdom. Everything was available, first fast pass is 3pm. I did that on purpose, this way I have enough time after the race to get my picture taken in front of the castle, Gruman theater, and Millennium Falcon, as well as grab lunch at 50's prime time cafe. Monday, doing MGM. Everything was available. I picked up Mickey's train, first available pass was 1:25pm. I plan on getting a boarding pass for Resistance. My Magical Express leaves at 7:15pm, so I hope I don't pushed back too late.
I think Disney might be a little short sighted right now. Once Universal gets that 3rd park up and running, that definitely will eat into the crowds at Disney. Between people upset that they are spending top much and not getting enough for it with Disney, and with Universal having the latest and greatest, I think you're gonna start to see Disney take it on the chin a little.
IMO the worst thing Eisner did was introduce fast pass. The whole reason why they introduced it, is people were complaining about the crowds and long runs, which hurt their attendance. The problem is, none of the rides are designed to handle an overcrowded park. Look at Haunted Mansion...that's the perfect theme park ride, it is constantly moving. If memory serves me correct, I believe it's designed to handle around 3,000 people per hour. When the park is overcrowded, there isn't enough time for every guest to ride it.
I know I said it before, but I'm so in favor of just killing the fast pass system. Tron coaster will help with the crowds in Magic Kingdom. If you're not at rope drop, I wouldn't even try to get on it without a fast pass. Same thing with Guardians in Epcot. For Resistance, I don't know how they'll ever be able to get away from the boarding pass. It can't stay operational.
*Little note, last time I did Hoop Dee Doo Revue was around 35 years ago when I was around 7.

Quoted from ralphwiggum:

When are you going in September? We are taking the kids for their one and only Disney trip at the end of September.
Growing up next door to Disney, I don’t really care about going, as I despise heat and humidity, but it will be a great trip for everyone else, which I am excited about.
Current plans are 4 day park hopper, Legoland, Possibly Universal, and a couple of family visits.

Quoted from yaksplat:

Which DVC did you buy into? We bought 200 points at the polynesian last year and now it's our annual 9 night August trip. We stayed at Riverside a few years ago. I loved the theming and thought everything was beautiful, but it's just too big. We ended up in one of the furthest houses and it was a half mile round trip walk to get our mugs at the main building. It's an enjoyable walk, just not with 5 full mugs. The same when i'd just want to bring breakfast back to the room. Our last couple stays at the Polynesian have been great. I like how it's more compact with easy access to the TTC and boat/monorail to MK. It'll be really nice once they finish the path from MK to the floridian so you can walk all the way back from MK.

Quoted from Trekkie1978:

How did you take the monorail from Shades of Green?

Quoted from wamoc:

Articles are saying that Iger is stepping down, and Chapek (head of parks) is now the CEO. Should be interesting

Quoted from ccbiggsoo7:

ill never book there again, have to walk a half mile from room to car. Horrible setup for such a nice place.

Quoted from Tubes:

Actually the Disneyland resorts are only staying open until the 16th, to give guests a chance to plan alternate travel and escape.
Also, every time I go there are no pinballs, and to get from my resorts to ones that have pinballs requires careful bus planning and multiple hops. They're always at resorts with no secondary transportation like Animal Kingdom Lodge.
Anyone ever watch any backstage footage? A local has made the news lately by repeatedly infiltrating Disney (climbing Big Thunder Mountain, touching Everest's yeti and escaping on dirtbike, putting out to Discovery Island, River Country, etc.) This is the only possible upside I can see to Disney World itself closing.

Quoted from Tubes:

He's got a great tale of his two prosecutions by Disney up there, but it's likely to be updated with an additional claim from Universal now that he raged Volcano Bay. The second time he was spoken to by a senior security official, a straight shooter, who told him that he couldn't care less for such hijinx and considers it a minor nuisance. He did allude to an elite team of three people online who have to scramble to make sure this doesn't affect the park's reputation, on call 24 hours a day.
The non-legal response that he revealed lately seems a lot worse for PR, as Disney attempted to stop his activities by going after those close to him and applying threats and pressure to them instead. The only thing they can do is add single minor charges one at a time to him, and only with a heap of eyewitness testimony.
In the time since I posted initially, he's already made bold his vague plans to take advantage of this downtime, as well as solicit any media others might garner. I suspect if he really wanted to capitalize on things he'd solicit political donations to break into the Hall of Presidents and administer a devastating wedgie to shock the nation.

Quoted from frolic:

We need a wide deployment of rapid covid-19 tests. No one is going to want to go to Disney world or anywhere else if they think they're putting themselves and others at risk.

Quoted from flynnibus:

Your mind sWould be blown reading the disney forums... ppl just want to go.
The levels of change being discussed is monumental in terms of what the company is considering in an attempt to open. I still think they’ll lag normal businesses etc. its just too much to try to unwind all their crowd/density aspects.
Touringplans is feeding the mentality that everyone wil flock back too with their crowd estimates. I think they are completely underestimating how far reaching the unemployment and business slowdowns will be.

Quoted from Max_Badazz:

ooohhhh..... which resort did you get points from?
My family bought back in 1993 (we've bought more over the years as more resorts opened up)

Quoted from Electrocute:

How could anyone enjoy Disney World wearing a face mask for the entire duration. Especially in the middle of a muggy summer? I can’t stand wearing one longer than it takes to go grocery shopping.

Quoted from Mike_J:

My wife and I are taking our daughters and our 4 nieces and nephews to Grand Floridian at Disney World in mid July. As long as they’re open, we’ll be going.
It’s good to have something to look forward to, masks or no masks.

Quoted from taylor34:

Regardless of what political side you're on, the math does not lie. .14% of the entire state of New York has passed away (and still climbing). So unless you think the entire state has had it, that's pretty concerning from a death rate perspective. If the entire US got infected in the same manor as New York, that's 460,000 people.
I don't think it's north of 1% or anything overall for the general public. But it spreads rapidly and puts a large number in the hospital. Enough that care should be taken not to spread it if it all possible.

Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

People in Central Florida Appreciate the Visitors, and the Economic Help.
Right now, Disney is behind the scenes, a bit of a disaster.
I wont go into details, but family is upper HR.

Quoted from CrazyLevi:

That’s good. Using “song of the south” has been incredibly problematic for them for years. Good move.
Disney doesn’t need this bullshit they have enough problems. Why waste time and resources defending the theme of a splash ride?

Quoted from yaksplat:

I just dumped all of my Disney stock. I don't see good things happening there in quite a while. Some of the threads that I've been following are painting some pretty terrible pictures for the future if things done clear up.

Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

There is a lot of excess career management with nice salaries on the block next...They already thinned the park workers.
The economic impact on a city that depends on Tourism, and Tourism tax in its budget has issues.
However, its the Disney Bubble here in Orlando, so it isnt talked about.

Quoted from yaksplat:

I'm actually hoping that this process gives the company a swift kick in the ass. I think they've been going down the wrong path for a while now. Cost cutting in areas that need money and spreading themselves too thin.

Quoted from seenev:

Iger's house of cards is collapsing before our eyes. Even before all this covid stuff started, look where star wars was... It's a huge mess. Iger's obsession with China is backfiring in a massive way. Hong Kong looks more and more like a liability each day. The company wasn't necessarily in great position before the shutdowns considering how leveraged they were, and now there can't be any way forward without massive layoffs and significant restructuring.
But hey... At least they have money to retheme splash mountain. Really shows where their priorities are.

Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

Minimal Cost.....People have been complaining about it for years....since it opened.

Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

Rides change all the time, along with consumers.....Do you see the same rides as it opened?
20,000 leagues was a decision about cost and long lines. many disagreed.
Mr. Toad. The Emporium, Mars, Segway, and on...Not all are political, or SJW.
Many are to believe they are driving new traffic.
Universal does the same. Back to the Future Gone, Jimmy Neutron, Jaws, Ghostbusters, Twister, Alfred Hitchcock,
all changed for reasons NOT related to Politics.....

Quoted from DadofTwins:

We went to WDW for 2 weeks in 2009, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018 with our sons. Every year seemed to get more and more crowded and less and less fun. When I started going to WDW with my wife (then gf) in the mid 90's, we paid around $200 each for annual passes. They start at what, about $1,000 now? I realize it's been 20+ years but dang thats a big jump. My kids still love WDW and we will keep going for them, but it has gotten miserable with long lines for everything. Rides, food ,shows, park admission. I don't know what the solution is, but i almost need a vacation from my vacation when we return home from WDW lol.

Quoted from Pedleboy:

Right now we are still booked to arrive November 7th. There is no way we are going though. Does anyone know the runs for canceling? We can get the hotel money back but what about tickets? We booked this year and November specifically to try and not go during crowded times. There is no way were going next year. With the 50th anniversary and hopefully COVID being over, it's going to be nutz.
D.

Quoted from OLDPINGUY:

My apologies for my ignorance, because I live there.
Condos, and Houses are renting for $60-$100 a night, within 20 minutes of Disney Front Gate.
What is the Advantage of Disney Club/Points/Monthly fees?
No disrespect meant, I honestly dont know the short answer to this.

Quoted from Trekkie1978:

I recently looked into DVC. Seemed the time to have done it was 20 years ago.
Cheaper for me to stay at a moderate resort 3 times a years with my annual pass than doing DVC.

Quoted from epthegeek:

We’ve rented houses three times in a development near the edge of animal kingdom and it was just fine. Even had our own pool.

Quoted from sbmania:

I don't know anything about DVC so I can't add anything to the conversation. But I know a fair amount about WDW vacations, having been there multiple times over the past 10 years or so. Biggest rule in my book - stay on WDW property, preferable on the monorail route. It makes getting to and from Magic Kingdom and Epcot simple and quick. With the prices you will be paying, you want (at least I do) to maximize your time in the parks, seeing attractions, doing rides, etc. You don't want to spend any more time than necessary on buses or travelling to and from parks.
Second rule - never sleep in! Get to the park at least 45 minutes before it opens. That way you can hit the big attractions several times before the sleepy heads show up. And finally, make all of your fast pass and dining reservations as soon as you can - to the minute! Literally minutes after the 2 or 3 month window opens, fast passes for the biggest attractions are already getting booked.
Note - with all of the Covid crap going on, WDW is doing things differently now and Fastpasses aren't being used according to what I have read. So none of the above advice may be valid any longer. I personally won't go back until everything is open and operating normally and the face mask requirement has been lifted. That's just the way I look at it, but it isn't a "magical time" if I have to wear a mask the whole day. Hopefully things get back to normal by next year!

Quoted from seenev:

"In a press conference today California Governor Gavin Newsom said that the state continues to engage in 'negotiations' with theme parks in determining a reopening date."
It's starting to feel like these negotiations are hostile. Disney, Universal, Legoland, sea world, and six flags are all clearly frustrated and have been publicly signaling that they want to open ASAP.

Quoted from Shredso:

I was told Animal Kingdom was closed when I tried to book.

Quoted from V_piscopo:

We have been going a lot lately, the rides have been walk on wait times. I do think Disney is taking a huge hit right now and its sad but as an anual pass holder who lives super close its been amazing for me and my family. We are moving soon so we are going as much as we can our last MO here.

Quoted from mkecasey:

Small world! I was at Hollywood Studios on Monday as well!
My wife and I just got back from a week-ish long trip. We went to all four parks the first four days, then we went to Universal/IOA for the following two days, and then back to Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios for the final two days.
I know people say wearing a mask at the parks is bad, but it is worth it for these short wait times. I know it isn't fun and takes away from the experience in a way, but we rode everything we wanted multiple times. Wait times were frequently less than the posted time, many were walk-ons. It was a park experience that we'll probably never get again and I'm glad we went. Disney and Universal are both doing very good jobs of keeping people spaced out, encourage hand sanitizing before and after rides, and enforcing the masks.

Quoted from Max_Badazz:

Spice Road Table we hit for the first time a few years ago when we went with my parents. My Dad said it was his favorite meal ever at Disney (we have gone since 1979 when I was little and they still go 2-3 times per year with friends or my family ...except now with Covid) and we have gone to just about every restaurant. Outdoor venue with a roof, overlooking the lake and the food and service was amazing. Even my kids loved it and they can be a little picky with non traditional American foods. Second is Edison, a steampunk kind of place but really good food and a great place for a lighter lunch or dinner (dinner had entertainment). The third was recommended to me by a bunch of my in-laws who swore by it (one couple named it their favorite). Art Smith walked around to see everyone too. I had to be rolled out so careful how much you eat LOL
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/epcot/spice-road-table/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/disney-springs/edison/
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/disney-springs/chef-art-smiths-homecomin/

Quoted from Max_Badazz:

I agree on all of those (the scotch eggs at Rose & Crown are to die for)
Whispering Canyon can get too loud with all the kids. I have been told they toned it down but last couple times I went it was almost Chef Mickey's loud

Quoted from paynemic:

Any confirmed case is supposed to undergo contact tracing to see where they’ve been and who they contacted. If Disney was in their recent history you can be SURE it would come up and be corroborated by others. But you’re right, I don’t believe Disney is doing any direct contact tracing themselves.

Quoted from yaksplat:

You should care as a fan of WDW. What do you think is driving all of the layoffs that are affecting every Disney park?? If Disneyland can't open, then WDW suffers even more.

Quoted from toddsolus:

This is still a pandemic ... I think the Governor is following the medical science, as opposed to most places, where the Doctors are being marginalized by the voices of commerce and capitalism.

Quoted from toddsolus:

Ya...ok. Everything is politics. Nobody could be doing what they think is right or what makes the most sense for a community as big as most countries. The cynicism is just so tiring .....
I sure miss Disneyland though
Looking forward to a Corona lite 2021

Quoted from yaksplat:

Run separately, but all units in the same division. Ever work for a global conglomerate? Unit B lost money, so we have layoffs. Happens all the time.

Quoted from Stal8080:

We are a Disney family and can't wait to get back to the parks. Has anyone made a reservation staying at any resort in late 2021?? The website says there is no availability but I'm not sure they are even taking reservation that far out or they are legitimately booked that far out? Wife and I turn the big 40 next year so we wanted to head down around Nov. of 2021.
edit: Referring to WDW in Florida.

Quoted from zr11990:Deleted post

Quoted from Fizz:

With each passing day I feel more and more like disney is doing everything possible to kill WDW.
Today they announced that they are ending magical express at the end of 2021. And extra magic hours are a thing of the past, replaced with 30 minute early entry for resort guests.
I'm glad I was able to enjoy WDW in the past, as it looks more and more like it'll never be great again.

Quoted from Max_Badazz:

I won't miss the "Not so Magical Express" as it was a nightmare and took forever. Plus that long walk on the baggage claim level to get there was not great when traveling with little kids or old parents. However the convenience of not worrying about how to get to the park resort was what made it worth it. No extra magic hours flat out sucks. I dont want to go to the park at 7:30am, I want to stay til 1 or 2am

Quoted from toddsolus:

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/virgin-trains-plans-to-open-orlando-airport-and-walt-disney-world-stations-at-the-same-time/
I will wait and take the train.....It is about time they put in a train line!

Quoted from toddsolus:

I have taken trains all over the world including in China. Trains can be crowded. That seems to be the norm in most of the world ....
Car rental in Orlando is pretty cheap too.
I guess I'm just not that detoured by these things .....the definition of first World problems

Quoted from cpr9999:

Good case:
Florida Disney - open with restrictions in place and limiting attendance.
Cali Disney - closed
Infection rates in Cali 2x Florida.
Population Cali 2x Florida.
So what conclusion do I make??

Quoted from cpr9999:

Universal is even more restrictive right now.

Quoted from lancestorm:

Show us some pics of the crowds!

Quoted from Parkshow30:

The only reason Disney World is so crowded right now is that they increased capacity and have been filling to or getting close to their new capacity because of the holiday travelers. Disneyland could absolutely open and keep people apart if they kept capacity down. We went to Disney World in July and it was far safer than even going to a grocery store.[quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image][quoted image]

Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

I was implying that the crowds seemed unsafe regardless of Florida's covid numbers.
The park is filled with everyone flying in from everywhere.
Its my personal opinion. I want to go to Florida and visit the parks. But, those crowds scare me for now. Ill wait till 2022 when at least 25% of usa has shots.

Quoted from Fizz:

Does anyone know if there have been any major outbreaks tied specifically to theme/amusement parks? I haven't heard of any, but that doesn't mean there haven't been any. Plus it's probably a pretty hard thing to actually pin down.
Overall, I'm thinking that theme parks should inherently be pretty safe with respect to covid, and here's my thinking:
On the one hand, there is definitely exposure to a lot of people from who knows where at a theme park. And all of these people are touching things (handrails, ride restraints, etc). So, that is all certainly not good.
But, on the other hand, most theme parks are either completely or mostly outdoors. And, although you will come into contact with many people at a theme park, you are very rarely in contact with any one person for more than, say, thirty seconds. The exception here would be waiting in an attraction line, so hopefully those lines are socially distanced adequately.
As far as spreading the virus through touching things, that's a problem, but it's easily mitigated through use of hand sanitizer. Although it doesn't completely eliminate that threat.
My understanding (and I'm no doctor) of the virus is that it spreads mostly through close contact, indoors, for an extended period (like 15 minutes) with an infected person. And at a theme park, we really don't have that. So, overall, I'm feeling like theme parks should be pretty safe, at least in comparison to many other entertainment venues. Still not as safe as staying in your house though.

Quoted from Ericpinballfan:

Easy answer....because despite all safety protocols i get the emails every Friday of the weeks covid results....in the 2 parks. WDW and Dland.
You be surprised how many employees are getting covid. Honestly I think its employees getting lax in there home and social environments, not on the job. But no one knows for sure.
Without giving out to much info because Disney isnt sharing this with the media they have to share it with the unions as part of the MOU agreements and contracts.
Last week there were 6 cases at Disneyland. Hotel, merch, maintenance, 2 in food service.
Over the past 2 weeks in Florida there has been 18.
We talk and share info between parks and our sister unions.
We need these damn shot programs to expand quicker than they are. I was by the Disneyland shot center in the old employee parking lot last week. Its going good, but damn slow. This should get quicker over the weeks ahead once we get past the 65 and older benchmarks.
The problem mostly is it still is a pandemic. Everyone one is getting a little to complacent and not seeing the big picture.
Sure, you can take a chance and go to Disneyworld, but do you need to go?
I mean, will life to be the same with your freedom if you dont go? Its just an amusement park.
There is a horizon here, get past this winter surge, get into spring numbers dropping, get into summer shot programs. And if were lucky by the fall get ready to open the park.

Quoted from beelzeboob:

Can't wait to get back to DW when the Tron ride opens. Now...when's that gonna be, you think?