One of the biggest questions I get asked is “what is it like to travel to Disney right now?” And, “what is the experience like now that everything is not open?” Well, today I’m here to share a first-hand guest perspective that just returned from Walt Disney World over the weekend. Their family flew from PA to FL and spent the week at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. Here’s what they had to say…
We really had a FANTASTIC trip! Sometimes it really felt like we had the resort to ourselves, especially by the pools. It was incredible! The Grand Floridian was just stunning. The pools are incredible. And OMG Narcoossee’s… I could have eaten there every night!
As far as COVID goes, you can see how hard Disney is working. They were strict with masks and physical distancing (I’m so glad they used that phrase vs. social… so tired of hearing social distancing haha.) People were walking around the parks and the resort 24/7 wiping door handles and elevator buttons and trash cans, etc. Hand sanitizer was everywhere. The monorail was clean- we’d get a car to ourselves. The buses were clean.
There was still plenty of Disney magic with pop up characters parading around, etc. Its hard to compare exactly to last year because of obvious changes, but it was kind of the Disney experience I felt like we missed out on last year because things were so scheduled because you wanted to capture it all! This trip we had a resort pool day that we loved and we even ventured to Disney Springs. The kids enjoyed making crafts and playing games with staff at the pool. We ended up canceling planned meals at Chef Mickey’s and California Grill to enable the Disney Springs trip and extra day at Magic Kingdom since we were able to park hop and combine Hollywood and Epcot in one day.
It was amazing being able to get on some rides 3 times in a row- or to even get on almost every ride you’d want by noon. Flight of Passage was amazing. We LOVED Slinky Dog Dash and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. The kids also enjoyed Splash Mountain, the Barnstormer, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise. Again, it was so incredible to be able to just experience all the cool rides we missed last year. We didn’t use the Memory Maker much this time. They didn’t have nearly as many photographers around- plus there are only so many mask pictures worth keeping lol.
Food was great- although it felt at times options were limited if you weren’t going to other resorts etc. There was only one quick service open at the Grand Floridian- Gasparilla Grill and they’d have very limited breakfast and lunch/dinner options so you felt like you were eating the same things. You really didn’t have the options around the resort or parks to just get a nice salad- that was what I was craving a lot.
I’d have a hard time choosing between Polynesian and Grand Floridian in the future. They were both incredible. I probably just can’t fully judge GF when a lot of their offerings weren’t open- especially for dining.
Hopefully this helps give an insight on what is going on in the “World”. While it may not be exactly like we remember from years past, the magic is definitely alive and waiting for Guests to come experience it all! Our planners are ready to help create your magical adventure to the Disney Destinations! To get started, click HERE and we will be in touch real soon!
