10 Planning Tips You’re Not Thinking of for Your Upcoming Disney Trip

Traveling to Walt Disney World soon? There may be a few planning tips you haven’t thought about yet that could make a HUGE difference in your upcoming vacation!

Let’s review ten planning tips you may not have thought about so you can be prepared for whatever Disney World throws at ya!

Face masks and social distancing are still around.

Perhaps the biggest disruption to our typical Disney World planning this year came with the introduction of the new health and safety guidelines. Face masks are still required to be worn by all guests at all times, except when actively eating/drinking and stationary. Beyond just preparing to have your masks on for most of the day, this means that face masks are a critical part of your packing list.

Speaking of packing, be sure to bring hand sanitizer, wipes, extra face masks, and other new supplies that you may not have thought of as necessary essentials before this year.

You’ll want to make sure you’re familiar with the locations of the Relaxation Stations in each of the theme parks, too. This is where you may temporarily remove your face masks and take a break from the hustle and bustle of the parks.

Some dining locations are still closed!

Several of our favorite locations have yet to reopen in Disney World, including Quick Service go-to’s like Casey’s Corner in Magic Kingdom. In fact, there are a lot of locations that have yet to reopen!

‘Ohana is a major Table Service restaurant that is still closed at this time. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is currently being utilized as a Relaxation Station, and we haven’t heard anything about the reopening of some signature restaurants like Citricos, Jiko, and Victoria & Albert’s.

Not every resort has reopened.

Just like dining, there are a few resorts that are still closed. If you haven’t booked your hotel accommodations yet, be sure to double check and make sure the resort you’re looking to stay in is available. Some resorts haven’t even announced reopening dates yet, like All-Star Music, All-Star Sports, and Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts (both French Quarter and Riverside).

Some resorts have reopening dates planned for 2021. Disney’s All Stars Movies Resort is scheduled to reopen on March 22, Disney’s Beach Club Resort has announced they will reopen on May 30, and Disney’s Wilderness Lodge will reopen on June 6. The Disney Vacation Club Villas at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort are both open at this time, but the non-DVC sections of the resorts are still closed. The Polynesian is schedule to reopen in the summer of 2021.

You still need Disney Park Pass Reservations.

Disney World rolled out its Park Pass Reservation System ahead of their grand reopening this summer. Now, in addition to valid theme park admission, you must make a Park Pass Reservation at no additional cost ahead of your visit.

Park Pass Reservation availability fluctuates from day to day, so be sure to check Disney’s website frequently if you haven’t made your reservations yet. Also, be aware of the limitations in place for each ticket type. For example, Annual Passholders may only book three reservations at a time, while Disney Resort guests may book reservations for the duration of their stays.

Park Hopping looks REALLY different. 

Park Hopping returned on January 1, 2021, but it markedly different than how you used to travel from park to park on the same day.

If you purchase a Park Hopper add-on to your ticket, you need to be aware that you CANNOT hop to your second park until 2PM each day. That’s right, no morning park hopping for the time being.

Be prepared for a new 2PM rush across all four theme parks. Also keep in mind that you still need to make a Park Pass Reservation for the first park that you visit each day, though a Park Pass is not required for the second and subsequent parks you want to visit.

Some major planning tools are still unavailable.

While Park Hopping is set to return, there are other services and planning tools that are unavailable as of this writing. The Disney Dining Plan, for example, has yet to return, and at this time we don’t know when exactly this tool will be available again. This means that you’ll have to budget for your food purchases entirely out of pocket for the time being.

FastPass+ is another popular service that has yet to return to Disney World. For now, the only option for most parties will be regular standby queues. Keep in mind that physical distancing currently make these lines look longer than they actually are, and in our experience the lines move rather quickly.

Extra Magic Hours are still on hiatus as well, and in fact the park hours have been noticeably shorter these days. 

Transportation is a little wonky

When you need to get from point A to point B in Disney World, you still have plenty of options at no extra cost. However, currently Disney’s paid Minnie Van service is unavailable, and it is unknown at this time when it will return. Other transportation modes are slightly modified; for example, the Monorail station at the Polynesian is closed while the resort undergoes refurbishments, but the Magic Kingdom Monorail loop is still in operation.

Despite some transportation being suspended or modified, there are also some NEW ways of getting around that you should be aware of! Mainly, the pedestrian walkway at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa has finally opened, meaning all three Monorail resorts now have walking access to Magic Kingdom!

Get ready to use your phone a LOT

In an effort to promote physical distancing, Disney World has introduced a ton of new features to use right on your smart device. Of course, there’s Mobile Order for Quick Service dining locations, which is more popular now than ever. Be sure to know when you want to eat lunch or dinner ahead of time — that way, you can put in your Mobile Order in the morning, select your return time, and not worry about long waits.

For Table Service dining, there’s the new Mobile Dine Check-In service which allows you to check in for your dining reservation without visiting a host’s stand. There’s also Table Service To Go, giving guests a new way to enjoy some of their favorite food from their favorite resort Table Service restaurants without actually sitting down at the restaurant. Just pick up your meal and bring it back to your room!

Most recently, Disney World rolled out a new Mobile Checkout service, which allows guests to easily add items in stores to a virtual shopping cart on their smart device, then pay for those items without needing to wait in line for a register!

Character dining and meet and greets are really different.

Character dining is another big area that has seen some major changes in 2020 that carried over into 2021. While some dining locations do offer characters, like Topolino’s Terrace, Garden Grill, and most recently Chef Mickey’s, it’s not like you remember. Characters do not approach individual tables for interactions, autographs, or photos. Instead, characters appear throughout the time you’re there, and they parade around the restaurant.

Characters may pause for socially distanced photos or selfies, but no hugging Mickey Mouse for now. Character meet and greets are still temporarily suspended as well, so the only way you’ll get to see a character is by waving “hello” from a safe distance, for now.

Entertainment is different.

Just like Disney doesn’t want close interactions between guests and their characters, they also don’t want to create a situation where thousands of guests will crowd together in tight quarters. So, there are still no fireworks or nighttime spectaculars. We saw short bursts of fireworks in between Cinderella Castle’s holiday projections, but we don’t know if these will last once the holiday season concludes.

Your main option for entertainment will be the character cavalcades, which are mini-parades that take place in each of the four theme parks. These happen several times throughout the day and feature lots of different characters, depending on which park you’re in.

Click here for eight more planning tips you might not be thinking about for your next Disney World vacation!

Are you planning to visit Disney World in 2021? Let us know in the comments!

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