10 Disney Reopening Changes We Love so Much that We Hope they Become Permanent!

Hip Hip HOORAY! Disney World is finally open after the historical closing of over 4 months. If you’ve been able to visit since the gates have opened, you probably couldn’t help but notice that Disney World is, well….different.

In order to begin reoperation, Disney had to implement a lot of changes. Some of these changes include new safety guidelines and protocols, dining procedures, transportation overhauls, and the addition of the new park reservation system, just to name a few.

Even though the most magical place on Earth isn’t quite the Disney we once knew-it’s not all bad. In fact, there’s a lot of changes that we absolutely love! You can find us crossing our fingers over here in hopes that Disney will decide to keep some of these changes and make them permanent even after our world starts to feel a bit more normal.

Check out the 10 Disney reopening changes that we hope become permanent!

1. Hand Sanitizer and Handwashing Stations

With the many health and safety guidelines that Disney has implemented, you’ll find quickly notice that hand sanitizer and handwashing stations can be found everywhere!

No, we’re not kidding…EVERYWHERE! You can find these:

• Entry and exit to the monorail and other Disney transportation systems
• Entry and exit points in each park
• Before and after every attraction (and some within the long queue lines)
• Within shopping areas
• Upon entry to dining areas and at the exits
• After any touchpoint, such as near doors or cash registers

We also found lots of handwashing stations (the ones that include soap and water) on nearly every corner of the parks.

In the past, we never really considered ourselves to be “germaphobes” before, but the current health crisis has certainly made us more aware of handwashing and our exposure to germs. We are loving the fact that we can grab a quick squirt of hand sanitizer after a ride or before entering a dining location. It’s a great way to have some peace of mind that even in a theme park, we can stay relatively germ-free. This is something that we’d definitely like to stay!

While this safety measure is obviously being implemented to slow the spread of the novel Coronavirus, I really think it’s a great idea to protect ourselves from all the other cooties and germs that could possibly be lurking around. Heck, I’m sure we can all agree that nobody wants to get sick while enjoying their trip at Disney, no matter the type of germ or virus.

If Disney was smart, they’d keep these around!

Pro tip: Throw some hand lotion into your park bag. All of the hand sanitizers can be a bit drying and you’ll appreciate a little moisture to soothe your hands throughout the day.

2. Removal of Trash Can Flaps

We’ve all had to do it. The attempt to throw something away while trying to avoid the gross trash can flap from touching any part of your hand. I shudder even at the thought. YUCK!

Clearly, Disney has realized that this is a major (and disgusting) touchpoint and was proactive enough to remove those babies.

You’ll notice throughout the parks that all of the trash can flaps have been removed or lifted up so that throwing your trash away has never been easier cleaner!

Please Disney, whatever you do, don’t put these back on!!

3. Character Cavalcades

Ok, so I know we all had our concerns about character interactions and what these might look like with the reopening.

Personally, what’s a trip to Disney without a hug from Mickey Mouse? I had my doubts and I’m sure you do too!

I’m happy to report though, that we are ALLLL about the character cavalcades. And we really hope they keep them comin’ even after Disney is back to business as usual.

If you don’t know, Disney has rolled out some fun new ways to see and interact with characters. The most popular of these is the character cavalcades! These are sort of like a parade, but instead of having a ton of floats making their way down Main Street, you’ll see a mini float or cavalcade with characters spontaneously pop out throughout the parks.

These are really awesome! They seem to happen at random, which makes for a fun surprise. It’s also nice to not have to schedule out a big chunk of time in the day like you normally would have to catch the afternoon parade.

At Magic Kingdom and Epcot, we’ve seen characters walking the streets, on horseback, in horse-drawn carriages, and in trolley cars. We’ve also spotted classic Disney Characters such as Mickey and friends on a float-like car surrounded by dancers and performers on stilts!

At Epcot, keep a lookout for Pooh Bear and Joy as they’ve been seen flocking around in the fields between the Imagination and Land Pavilions.

In Animal Kingdom, characters float by while dancing and waving on boats.

Hollywood Studios has several different motorcades going on; Pixar, Disney Jr., and the Classic Disney characters such as Mickey and Minnie. These cavalcades have been seen cruising by on their themed convertible cars.

Even though you can’t get a hug from your favorite characters, they have been interactive and appear to be making great efforts to create connections with Disney guests. I’ve seen them point, wave, smile, and show heart/love hand symbols to the guests who are nearby. Try and hold your camera up to snag a selfie shot with the characters in the background. They have been super responsive to this type of interaction.

We love the spontaneity and surprise element that these bring, and we hope that Disney will keep these popping up throughout the parks. We also still love the Magic Kingdom parade. Do you think it’s too much to ask for both?!

Since the parades only happen in Magic Kingdom, we think it’d be a great idea to keep the cavalcades going in the other three parks!

4. Mobile Ordering for Quick-Service Meals

Now, this is a change that just makes a lot of sense! To minimize large crowds of people ordering and waiting for food in their Quick-Service dining locations, Disney is enforcing mobile ordering. This is done through the My Disney Experience app.

Outside of every Quick Service location, there is both a Cast Member and signage prompting you to first order through the app before being allowed entrance to the restaurant.

Once you’ve placed your order, you will either be given directions from the Cast Members standing outside of the entrance or on your phone through the app.

When we ordered lunch at Pecos Bill Tall Tale Inn & Cafe, the sweet Cast Members asked to verify that we had already placed our order on the app before allowing us to enter. Once I had verified, I was given a number and a location that I was to wait inside until my order was ready for pickup. This allowed us to maintain a distance away from others and grab our lunch in a speedy fashion.

Looking into the future, we hope Disney continues this to help us all avoid those long lines and waits for our quick-service orders!

5. Increased Use of Virtual Queue’s

We’re looking at you, Rise of the Resistance! Amiright?

Currently, and before Coronavirus closures, the Rise of the Resistance attraction was the only ride offering the use of a virtual queue.

Pre-closures, however, trying to nab that highly coveted ROTR boarding pass could be a real pain. In the past, there was only one opportunity to try to get a boarding pass. You’d have to do this by arriving way before the official opening in order to be in the park for the chance to try and get a boarding pass upon park opening. Even then, you weren’t guaranteed a boarding pass with slots filling up within seconds. Talk about frustrating or even super disappointing if you’re a huge Star Wars fan or you’re visiting for a once-in-a-lifetime Disney trip.

It also goes without saying, but if you have teenagers, or really young kids who take more time to get out the door in the morning, getting to the park by 6:30AM can seem pretty impossible!

Thankfully, Disney has changed the way they offer boarding passes and there are now two times to try and get a boarding pass. These times are 10AM and 2PM. With low crowd levels, this attempt to get that boarding pass is a lot more accessible.

We love this so much more as you don’t have to wake up at 5:00AM and there’s more opportunity to try and get a pass. We really think this makes it a whole lot easier to experience this amazing attraction.

We’re kind of hoping that Disney will also extend the use of virtual queues to other attractions such as the ever-popular Flight of Passage, Slinky Dog Dash, or the new Mickey and Minnie Runaway Railway. What do you think?!

6. Lower Crowd Levels

I know I’m probably living on a prayer here, but we can’t help but dream! Since the reopening, Disney has been operating around a 25% park capacity level. This allows for Disney to maintain physical distance in all areas of the park, including the attraction line queues.

For park guests, this has been a real fairytale come true! (Also history in the making, folks!) Imagine walking down an empty Fantasyland, riding your favorite attraction over and over without a wait, or capturing a totally solo castle selfie! All of this is totally possible thanks to the super low crowd levels.

While it’s unrealistic to think that this will continue when this crazy Coronavirus nonsense is behind us, we do hope that Disney does take crowd levels into consideration and tries some sort of creative strategy to ensure crowds are a kept to a more manageable level.

With near-empty parks, we are able to do and see so much more without having to fight the crowds. It really does make it feel more magical and we hope Disney realizes this and tries to make a change regarding crowd levels moving forward.

7. Reduced Transportation Capacity

This is another change that I doubt will stick around when it’s safe to open back up to full capacity – but we’re sure going to enjoy it while it lasts!

I’m talking about the reduced capacity on all of the Disney transportation systems. With the safety protocols to maintain social distancing between parties, crowded Disney transportation has now become a thing of the past!

When loading onto the monorail, there is only a maximum of two small parties that are seated across from each other. Only single parties are allowed into each Skyliner car, and Disney buses are practically empty! Can you imagine?

We also experienced the same crowd levels when taking the Magic Kingdom Ferry boat back to the TTC in the afternoon. The Ferry boat was the most empty we’ve ever seen it and we had plenty of space to keep our distance and get those pretty Magic Kingdom sunset photos from the boat without a single stranger in our view. 🙂

Don’t get me wrong, I love striking up a conversation with fellow travelers and I love making new Disney pals. But looking forward, it would be nice to catch a late-night Disney bus and actually be ensured a seat to sit down after a long day in the parks. Can I get an Amen?

8. Upgraded Security Systems

It appears as if the security systems got a major upgrade while the parks were closed and we are loving it!

Previously, when headed through security, you would have to dump out all of your electronics, sometimes keys, umbrellas, and aerosol cans into a separate bucket before passing through the metal detectors. Disney security attendants would also check every nook and cranny of your bag. A lot of time was spent trying to accomplish this task. Not to mention the frustration of having to pack it all back up into your bag.

Now with new improved metal detectors and technology, passing through security is a total breeze! We appreciated how quickly we were able to get through security and begin our fun in the parks. The only item that we were needed to take out was our aerosol can of sunscreen. Umbrellas have to be held out in front of you when passing through the metal detectors, but everything else can stay in your bag. Easy peasy!

9. Shorter Park Hours

We’ve noticed that the Disney park operating hours have been a little different since reopening, either with reduced operating hours and staggered park opening and closing times. We have to admit that we are actually really appreciating these new hours and wouldn’t mind if these were a permanent change.

For a FOMO girl like myself, having the parks only opened from 10-6, helps me relax and bit and not take things too seriously. Typically, I’m a rope-dropper to Last-kiss-Goodnight-type, but these hours force me to slow down and enjoy my day at a slower pace.

Because we’re locals, the parks closing down early in the evening allows my family to get on the road and home before dark. If you’re staying locally, just think about all the extra time you have to enjoy your resort and pool area! SA-WEET!

10. Indoor Eating Area for EPCOT Festivals

One of the newest changes in EPCOT is one that we really hope Disney keeps around and that is the use of indoor seating areas in the World Showcase during festivals.

Everybody likes to eat and drink around the world, but it’s not always convenient to walk and eat at the same time, especially families with young children or folks who would prefer to take a break while eating. Not to mention, that Disney has updated its safety policy to include being stationary and socially distanced while eating or drinking within the parks.

With the modified 2020 Food and Wine Festival, Disney has opened up the World Showplace Market places. This is located between the United Kingdom and Canadian pavilions and includes some of the most popular food booths. Here you can find social distanced high-top tables, some cool AC, and a place to take off your make and enjoy some of the festival’s most tasty treats.

What are some Disney Reopening Changes that YOU Hope Become Permanent?

This sums up our favorite reopening changes that we hope become permanent changes at Disney. What are some things that you’ve noticed have changed and what would you like to see stick around for good? Make sure to tell me in the comments below! I’m sure I’ve missed some good ones!