Adventure is out there. . . and social distancing markers. . . and face masks. . .
It’s been a preview bonanza at Walt Disney World for the last few days. Cast Member previews for Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom started earlier this week, and Passholder previews started taking place yesterday. We were able to attend Disney’s Animal Kingdom on July 8. Here’s our park experience, along with a few tips for future visits. Let’s get this safari started.
(We’ve since updated some information, discovered during a July 9 passholder preview)
Arrival at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
We arrived right at 8AM when the park was scheduled to open. (We later heard the parking lot opened no earlier than 7:45AM.) There was a backup of cars waiting to park. To upkeep proper social distancing practices, small groups of cars are pulsed through rows of parking to avoid crowds forming at the temperature screening, bag check and park entrance area. Cars are also carefully parked in every other spot. Overall, this leads to a longer wait for parking. We clocked 25 minutes from the Animal Kingdom toll plaza to our designated parking spot.
When we visited, the parking trams were not running. If you’ve visited Animal Kingdom before, then you know how much walking is involved. Just be prepared to start your visit with a healthy hike from the parking lot to the park entrance for temperature checks and security screening.
Once we made it past our quick and easy temperature scan (remember, guests with a temperature of 100.4 F or higher will be denied entry!), the first touchless hand sanitizer was found. I was pleasantly surprised to see these throughout the park. There were many more than I had expected to see.
The new security screening area is a much better fit for the park’s entrance. There’s plenty of space! In addition to the new area, there’s also a new method for bag checks: touchless screening. It’s a major improvement.
This new security screening method asks you to keep all of your items inside your bag or pocket as you walk through a set of scanners. You will then carry your bag through the screening point. In the event you or your bag sets off the sensor, you will be asked to undergo a touchless bag search; you’ll empty the contents of your pockets or bag into a plastic tray for a security Cast Member to inspect. If you’re given the ok, you’re good to pack up your stuff and head out.
Heading deeper into the park, from the Oasis to the Tree of Life…
Along the way, smaller animal exhibits include social distancing reminders, where a cast member may not be present to monitor.
Our first glimpse of the majestic Tree of Life! Note the social distance markers near the Wilderness Explorers HQ.
The Wilderness Explorers program is available throughout the park. On our visit, posted hours were 10AM-5PM.
Trash cans have received mini makeovers for the time being. Most now double as a posted sign for health and safety reminders.
All trash can flaps are now propped open to avoid touching. Here’s one of the many hand-washing stations found around the park, too:
In terms of shops, it’s a mix of open and closed selections. The Riverside Depot gift shop is open, but across the way, Island Mercantile remains closed.
Heading closer to the park’s icon, the Tree of Life, there are prime photo opportunities with so few guests around!
We decided to hit Pandora first to see what Flight of Passage’s queue was looking like, as this mega-popular ride typically hits a 2-3 hour wait on any given day.
Along the way, we noticed the smaller “side pocket” exhibits have one-way entry and exit points, with posted signs and arrows on the ground.
Coming up to Pandora, friendly waving cast members occupy the area near Pizzafari, which is now an outdoor and indoor (air-conditioned!) relaxation station. This is one of the few places in the park where you are able to take a breather, and remove your mask for a bit while keeping your distance from other guests.
Pandora
Entering Pandora, we noticed social distance markers early on the bridge. These ultimately trailed along the left and right sides of the land’s main entrance, to prepare for guests queuing up for Na’vi River Journey (left) and Flight of Passage (right).
The touch-interactive Flaska Reclinata is closed off.
With no entertainment at Animal Kingdom right now, the Pandora drummers are not present. The guest drumming area has plenty of “Please Do Not Touch” stickers
Na’vi River Journey was posted at 5 minutes, or “walk on.” This was our first ride of the day.
The queue had social distance markers every 6 feet, as well as plexiglass barriers if guests would be within tighter spaces. None of these were necessary today, as the queue was a walk-through before boarding our boat. Though, this could change once the park opens to the public (with reservations) on Saturday.
Parties are seated in their own boat. The attraction itself was in tip-top shape… ma eywa, ma eywa, ma eywaaaa.
Now to pop over to Flight of Passage. The posted time was 5 minutes. I’d be crazy to pass this opportunity up!
Walking through Flight of Passage’s standby queue takes up the 5-minute “wait”. We hadn’t experienced that emptiness since Pandora’s passholder preview days!
Good/bad news? You do pass through the “and uh, fly” preshow, heading straight to Dr. Ogden’s presentation and ride vehicle instructions. One to three parties are instructed to stand within designated spots on the ground, properly spaced from others.
Guests are seated with at least two empty link chairs between each party. This attraction was also in great shape. The picture was crystal-clear and scents were working, though the water effects have been turned off for the time being.
Something that surprised me at both Pandora attractions: the ride vehicles were not being disinfected between guests. We know they are disinfecting vehicles every two hours, and there are plenty of hand sanitizer stations before you enter the queue, before boarding the vehicle and upon exiting the attraction. But I feel like Flight of Passage’s ride vehicle is a bit more… involved… than River Journey’s boat, and should be disinfected between riders since more of your body comes into contact with the vehicle and you really have to hold on tight.
Wearing a mask on the attractions was comfortable, as both are cool and breezy – especially Flight of Passage.
Upon exiting Flight of Passage, you are no longer required to exit through the gift shop. Once you round the corner from the exit ramp, there is a gate propped open heading back into Pandora.
Speaking of, if the smaller gift shops do hit their limited capacity, virtual waitlists can be implemented. If a virtual waitlist is implemented, you simply leave your cell number and you’ll receive a text message when its your turn to enter the shop.
Leaving Pandora and heading to Africa, we can see LOTS of social distance markers along the way. These line the path all the way down to the restrooms near Festival of the Lion King, before finally looping back. Again, these must be in preparation for longer Flight of Passage waits.
Africa
Without Festival of the Lion King, Africa’s only other attraction is Kilimanjaro Safaris – the park’s “mane” attraction.
The African wood-carvers have been re-located to a more spacious area near the land’s entrance:
Kilimanjaro Safaris was yet another walk-on opportunity! Yes. Please.
The queue is empty now but is well-equipped with social distance markers throughout if needed.
Cast members were seen in all attraction queues, cleaning high-touch areas.
Approaching the safari truck loading area, we immediately noticed the new plexiglass barriers. Just before you board the truck, this can feel very claustrophobic.
They are boarding every row, with no spaces between. However, clear vinyl barriers have been installed separating parties once on board. These barriers do still have a small opening along the bottom, allowing a place to hold onto when the roads get rough.
Important Update: You may have heard that masks are allowed to be removed on Kilimanjaro Safaris… on our first safari, once we left the loading zone our driver let us know we could remove them, before approaching the disembark area we would briefly stop for everyone to put their masks back on. However, upon our 2nd safari just a few hours later, they were not allowing guests to take their masks off. We verified this with one of the attraction’s managers afterward. Disney is still working through what works best for guest safety; policies and procedures are actively changing. You can learn more about Disney’s health and safety measures HERE.
The animals seemed excited to have guests back. They were very active in the morning and afternoon, post rain shower.
Well, except for the lions…
Upon disembarking, a team of 2-3 cast members quickly board to sanitize the truck for the next group of guests. This is the only attraction at Animal Kingdom we saw this level of cleaning done on ride vehicles. (Seeing the truck cleaned after both of our safaris may have been coincidental, as we’ve been told all attraction vehicles are sanitized on a rolling 2-hour basis.)
Walking over to Asia from Africa, the Harambe Market is closed – a ghost town.
Asia
On our way to Asia, we had a great view of the Discovery River where we saw our first character boat! These can be difficult to catch since they move pretty quickly, floating around the park’s waterways approximately every 40 minutes.
Since we can’t see our beloved friends up close, this is a nice little dose of magic. It’s also great to see the Discovery River utilized once again.
We did see boats individually hosting Pocahontas, Goofy and rhythm drummers throughout the day. But how can you beat Mickey, Minnie and Pluto with the Tree of Life?
“Welcome to the Himalayas!” You can’t go to Animal Kingdom and ignore the call of the wild at Expedition Everest. . . at least I can’t!
Oh look, another 5-minute wait! I’m dying to know what wait times will be like come Saturday…
Again, there were very few guests in the queue and everyone was maintaining proper distancing. Once in the loading bay, more plexiglass barriers separate rows for boarding.
However, they are loading parties with at least one empty row in between.
One small note: No “disco Yeti”? We’re not sure if this will stick, but the Yeti was completely dark and silent in the coaster’s final scene. We rode several times throughout the day, no difference.
With the high-touch midway games area, Primeval Whirl is closed and operating on a “seasonal schedule”; Chester & Hester’s Dino-Rama is another ghost town.
Well, besides TriceraTop Spin:
Donald’s Dino-Bash props and signs are still posted, though this character experience and dance party is on hold. Pumped up music can still be heard here. You can potentially see Donald, Chip and Dale dressed in their dino attire aboard a float along the Discovery River.
Approaching DINOSAUR, the posted 20-minute standby was the longest wait we saw that day. This was due to loading one party per time rover.
Surprisingly, they are not skipping the preshow here. (I’m not complaining. It wouldn’t be DINOSAUR without Dr. Seeker.) Guests are instructed to stand on designated spots (properly spaced out) with their party.
Time rovers with one, two or four people is the new norm. Guests within the same party can sit wherever they’d like in the vehicle.
7/9 AP PREVIEW UPDATE: Some DINOSAUR updates occurred, literally overnight. Plexiglass barriers have been added to time rovers, to accommodate more guests per vehicle with separate parties, so you can not sit wherever you like any longer. The preshow area has also received new floor decals, and you are no longer required to watch the entire preshow.
Exiting through the gift shop, plexiglass barriers and social distance markers are the most common things you’ll see all day.
Masks are available in most gift shops:
Starting at around 8:30am, we could have finished our day by 12PM, but with a leisurely lunch and re-riding some attractions – we stretched it out to 4PM.
Thoughts & Tips
Should you decide to visit the parks, here are some important tips for making the most of your visit:
Drink lots of water. I know this is obviously repetitive, but it’s easy to forget when wearing a mask, walking from ride to ride. Animal Kingdom wasn’t too bad, as a lot of the areas are shaded, but the heat was still a challenge. Bring a bottle and refill often.
Be prepared. I highly, highly recommend bringing an extra mask or two. With the loveliness that is Florida’s muggy heat, your mask will be soiled halfway through the day. After taking a nice air-conditioned break, you don’t want to put that old mask back on. (And just in case, Disney does have their own stocked at the shops if you need to buy another.)
You can bring your own hand sanitizer if you’d like. But I found myself using my own only one time. I honestly could have gone without bringing it at all, as there are touchless sanitizer AND handwashing stations everywhere.
Be aware. Going to the parks right now is a very personal decision. If you decide to venture out, be aware of yourself, your actions and your surroundings. Always wear your mask, maintain a safe distance between your party and others, and don’t be afraid to [kindly] remind other parties to maintain their distance if they infringe.
Take breaks. Without the typical park entertainment and few attractions, there’s a lot less to fill your park time. That being said… take. your. time.
Be sure to take advantage of the relaxation stations and enjoy a leisurely sit-down lunch somewhere.
We had a wonderful mid-day break at Tiffin’s, waiting about 10 minutes for a table. The food and service was excellent, especially given there were such few guests in the restaurant. We took our sweet time before venturing back out.
Concluding Thoughts
At first, I felt unsure about visiting the parks. But I feel a sense of duty to report what’s going on in the parks so you, our readers, will know what’s going on. I ultimately decided to go and leave if I ever felt unsafe or uncomfortable. Honestly, throughout the entire time, I felt very safe —much more so than when going to my local grocery store or Target.
Yes, it’s hot out. But it wasn’t that bad wearing the mask all day. I only removed it when eating or drinking, and that first safari ride (but the second safari was just as comfortable and breezy when we had to wear them again, and honestly felt safer.).
Everyone was very respectful of each other. I never saw a mask not being worn besides at a restaurant, or outside Creature Comforts/Starbucks while actively drinking beverages.
From what we experienced, social distancing was adhered to, besides one instance: a family was trailing 1-2 feet behind us in the Kilimanjaro Safaris queue. I looked back to throw a *hint hint*, they caught onto themselves before I turned around again to say something.
That being said, cast members are actively reminding people as needed. Enforcement is definitely being practiced!
I am interested to see how the passholder previews and reopening weekend plays out with more “regular” guests and adjusted park capacity. We are not privy to what the cast member preview numbers exactly were, nor what the attendance cap is projected to be once the park opens on July 11, but it’s safe to assume Disney will keep it low at first and slowly grow the number as the days go on.
To me, the walk-on wait times seem to balance out the lack of entertainment, shows and fireworks, at least for the time being. It reminded me of the good ol’ days of Extra Magic Hours… 3AM back-to-back Thunder Mountain walk-on rides… but you know, this is the middle of the day in July. It’s definitely strange, but these are strange times we’re living in.
Echoing Bill’s thoughts from our Magic Kingdom experience, set your expectations correctly. This isn’t your typical park visit. If you go expecting a familiar experience, you are likely to be disappointed.
Though different, the park was still beautiful, the animals inspiring, and the magic still very much here.
Now is the Time
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Let’s Hear From You
We know this seems like a wild time for Disney to be reopening. It is. But open they have. We are doing our best to keep you in the loop on how the parks are operating so you and your family can make informed decisions.
Would you be willing to visit a theme park at this time? Would a park without much entertainment still interest you? Does the lack of frequent vehicle cleaning on rides like Flight of Passage concern you? Would very low wait times and tiny crowds help make it all worth your while? let us know in the comments below. We appreciate you reading and your thoughtful comments.
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