6 Things That Quietly Returned to Normal in Disney World

It’s been an interesting year for Disney World.

Recently, Disney World has made several major steps back toward “normal”, or how the parks were prior to the closure last year. More dining is returning and fireworks are back, but there are some changes that are less high-profile. Here are six things that quietly returned to normal in Disney World!

1. Pre-Shows

First up, pre-shows returned without very much fanfare — and they definitely deserve a little fanfare. We were so excited when we spotted the pre-shows at Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Dinosaur, and more!

It certainly feels a lot more normal to see pre-shows again as opposed to strolling through the rooms as a part of the queue, with only our memories to remind us what we’re missing. After all, what is Haunted Mansion without the stretching room?

Click here to learn more about the return of pre-shows!

2. Single Rider Lines

Single Rider Lines have also quietly returned to select attractions in Disney World. This, of course, comes as a result of social distancing being rolled back in ride vehicles. Folks can be seated with other parties again.

You can sometimes end up with a much shorter line if you hop in that Single Rider Line, so this is a big bonus for parties that don’t mind splitting up or solo park-goers. Fair warning though: If you use the Single Rider Line on Millennium Falcom: Smugglers Run, you’ll probably end up being the engineer.

Want to learn more about the return of single rider lines? Click here!

3. Crowds

This one hasn’t been super quiet, but crowds have certainly returned to Disney World. Did you see how many people were in the parks on the 4th of July?

Disney executives did announce that they would be increasing capacity in the theme parks into the summer, but they didn’t share exact figures. Now, some days in the theme park feel just like they did back in 2019.

To see 4th of July crowds in Disney World, click here!

4. Social Distancing

Social distancing has also been reduced in many cases! In general, guests are paying less attention to social distancing and the minimum distance has been lowered to three feet.

Lines feel more like they used to and you might find yourself very close to another party. Disney has announced these changes, but they still have cropped up suddenly and surprisingly in the parks.

Click here to see more of the social distancing changes.

5. Transportation

Speaking of social distancing, there have been some changes with transportation too. At the time of writing, transportation is the only location that still requires face masks in Disney World but that doesn’t mean other aspects aren’t more normal.

Dividers have disappeared and more parties are being loaded into transportation like the monorail, boats, and buses.

Want to see some of the changes to the monorail? Click here!

6. Cancellation Policy

And finally, another quiet change was the return to the standard cancellation policy instead of the flexible policy that was instated during the global health crisis. You’re going to need to plan ahead or expect fees when cancelling now!

The returned cancellation policy has fees that apply to modifications made within certain timeframes. Those who cancel 30 days or more before their vacation receive the most refunds (aside from non-refundable costs), those who cancel 2 to 29 days prior face a $200 cancelation fee, and cancellations made 1 day or less prior are not able to be refunded.

To see more about the end of this policy, click here.

These changes have certainly popped up quietly, but they’re pretty big steps back toward normal. As always, stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney World updates!

Click here to see more steps toward normal!

What do you think of these changes? Tell us in the comments! 

Comments (2)