One Travel Agent goes during the pandemic to experience what it’s like without Disney fastpasses.
The number one email I was getting during this pandemic when clients would inquire about visiting Walt Disney World was without a doubt “Let me know when Disney Fast Passes come back!” My response? “I will! I definitely wouldn’t want to travel there without them!”
Then I decided to take a trip to Walt Disney World during the Pandemic. I had to eat my words…
A typical day at Magic Kingdom (pre-covid) for us was Disney FastPasses at 9am, 10am, and 11am, lunch, then book more Disney FastPasses (maybe stop and sit for the afternoon parade) and ride until we couldn’t get any more. This usually meant we would ride some of the same rides multiple times, and get in about 9-10 attractions. And lunch on the go (we rarely sit down and eat a meal in the park, too much to do!).
Fast forward to Disney now during this pandemic.
Despite how photos may look, the parks were not empty. I could see how instagrammers would find a street that isn’t crowded and make it look super empty. But notice- there are never any 360 photos. Often right behind the photograph there may be a line spreading halfway across the park. All that is to say, we rode 14 (!) attractions between 10am-6pm at Magic Kingdom. We never rode the same ride twice. And we had a leisurely sit down lunch and snack. I saw every single Cavalcade that went through Magic Kingdom and enjoyed a coffee on the sidewalk with no one within 6 feet of me. If that right there isn’t magical, I don’t know what is!
I would not let the lack of Disney Fast Passes deter you from enjoying Walt Disney World during this time.
If you don’t want to wear a mask or you enjoy the firework shows every night, then I would definitely put off your trip until 2022. But if you enjoy the rides, tasty treats, don’t mind the mask requirement, and know that the magic of Disney is always there, you will have a blast!
Ever heard the saying, “I need a vacation after my vacation” when guests return home from Walt Disney World? This is the first time our family did not experience this. It felt laid back, needed minimal pre-planning (besides dining!), and the cast members were amazing. We were pixie dusted many times- one time we had to visit guest services about our tickets. We were literally there 10 minutes while they fixed it, and then gave us a voucher that paid for our families dinner that evening! And the ticket issue was our fault, not theirs!
I do believe that Disney Fast Passes (or some sort of system) will be needed in the future as the capacity of guests increases. But right now, there is absolutely no reason why you should consider putting off your vacation because of the pause in the FastPass system. And let me let you in on a little secret- those ride times are never as long asis posted. We timed every single ride we rode for the entire week- and only one ride even matched the posted wait time. That ride was Splash Mountain, and only because we hit it during a full cleaning cycle.
Whether you take the trip or decide to wait, I recommend getting something on your calendar, because the promotions are great!! And support small business, use a travel agent!
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