Welcome back to the most magical place on earth, the Walt Disney World Resort!
Both kingdom parks reopened today to all Guests with tickets and a Park Pass Reservation.
One of our Florida correspondents, Jeremiah Good, took a trip to the flagship park, Magic Kingdom, to experience the first official say open after Cast Member and Annual Passholder previews.
Cashless payment options are encouraged at the toll plaza.
To prevent Guests from getting within 6-feet of each other while parking, the Heroes and Villains parking lot skips every-other-space.
Guests go through a temperature screening and touchless security check at the Transportation & Ticket Center before choosing their mode of transportation across or around the Seven Seas Lagoon.
Guests traveling by monorail will board their own car, with groupings at the base of the ramp to prevent overcrowding at the top. Ferry Boat transportation is available as well.
But if you want the fastest transportation to the Magic Kingdom, a Disney Transportation bus will beat the Monorail and Ferry Boat anyday.
Social distancing queues start on the other side of the lake at the main entrance.
Biometric pads have been covered up for now so Guests don’t have to touch a high-touch surface.
Entering Magic Kingdom park is like an escape from reality, although Guests are reminded of the risk of being exposed to the virus through signage and Cast Members enforcing the park’s policies, which include wearing face masks that meet Disney’s safety standards, staying 6-feet apart from other Guests, and washing hands frequently.
Cast Members line Main Street USA to welcome Guests back, with Cast Members in yellow shirts with smiling character fans helping to enforce mask policies. If a Guest has a mask that doesn’t cover their nose and mouth, they will intervene to enforce the policy.
With reduced capacity, it’s possible to get some pretty incredible photos of the park nearly empty.
Since characters aren’t available for meet & greets, Guests can visit Pete’s Silly Sideshow for a Relaxation Station, a place where Guests can take a break from wearing a mask in a social distancing setting.
With the reduced capacity, the longest wait in the park was 30-minutes for the newest family coaster, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Fantasyland was unquestionably the busiest area in the park and an extended queue was in use for it’s a small world, which was still just a 20 minute wait.
Movie theaters are still closed in Florida, but Mickey’s Philharmagic offers a 4D cinematic experience. The pre-show area features group markers for parties to stand on and the theater blocks off every-other-row and groups of seats to keep parties separated.
Cast Members frequently sanitize high touch surfaces and clean dining tables after every use.
Disney shared some photos of Cast Members and Guests enjoying the park to celebrate their reopening day.
It was another safe and magical visit to Magic Kingdom. Until next time, see ya real soon!