Disney World open again, with crowds starkly different from what most imagined
Walt Disney World has again reopened to the public after nearly four months of being closed due to the novel coronavirus. While Disney was the most anticipated park to reopen, it was the last to finally let in guests.
When an internationally renowned theme park reopens to the public, many assumed it would be swamped with guests not adhering to social distancing or mask policies, but social media posts and pictures tell a story closer to what other Florida theme parks have been experiencing.
On Saturday, Disney World reopened Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, which is the first phase of their reopening plan. On Wednesday, Epcot and Hollywood Studios will reopen.
Universal Orlando Resort reopened its two parks in early June, along with SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. But all Florida theme parks, including Disney, reopened with strict safety guidelines like mandatory masks, temperature checks and floor markings and signage for social distancing.
Searching “Disney World” on any social media platform will bring constant posts about people having to be “goofy to go to Disney World right now” or shocked and confused as to how it could reopen in the first place.
But posts from people who actually went to the park’s reopening show a quiet, barely crowded atmosphere especially for a Saturday in the beginning of summer, the theme parks’ peak time for guests.
If you’ve ever been to Magic Kingdom, you know how shockingly low these crowds are for 3:15pm on a Saturday afternoon in July. pic.twitter.com/TZ8z4QNnR9
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) July 11, 2020
Tweets from BlogMickey.com and WDW News Today, two Disney blogs that actively cover the parks, documented what a trip to Disney World’s Magic Kingdom looked like on its first day back.
A common theme these days features ride waiting lines stretching outside the queue due to guests following floor markers on the ground that space them six feet apart. This could be seen at nearly every open ride, like the Haunted Mansion, Carousel of Progress and Jungle Cruise.
While lines looked long, the My Disney Experience app showed that wait times were surprisingly low, ranging from 5 to 25 minutes even for popular attractions like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Haunted Mansion queue wraps down by the Rivers of America this morning, all socially distanced #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/5aL3x3sbKU
— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) July 11, 2020
The line for the Jungle Cruise at the Magic Kingdom may look long but don’t let it fool you, the wait time is only 25 minutes. pic.twitter.com/Ww4L8Vn3Tr
— WDW News Today (@WDWNT) July 11, 2020
WDW News Today tweeted that the most crowded places at Magic Kingdom were indoor spots and shops like The Emporium. Walkways and plaza centers remained “relatively empty,” BlogMickey said. Pictures show people off to the sides and distanced from each other.
Capacity for the day seems to be "enough to fill the (socially distanced) attraction queues, but still leave the walkways relatively empty".
No exact capacity limits have been announced by Disney or government mandate#WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/Q1zrpo5omM— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) July 11, 2020
Animal Kingdom’s crowds and atmosphere were quiet similar. Walkways were almost empty, and most wait times for rides didn’t exceed five minutes.
WDW New Today livestreamed parts of Animal Kingdom, and the park resembled a ghost town with sparse guests.
