Disney in 2020 is a different animal. I realize that every family has different comfort levels about traveling right now and you need to make the decision that is best for your family. The information contained in this post is to let you know what I experienced during our trip, as well as what Disney has in place to keep guests safe. We talked about Disney 2020 on RDR 227.
Flights To Disney: 
This was our first flight since March, so obviously there were some big differences in play. All four airports we traveled through required masks and had signs reminding you they were required. We flew out of OMA (Omaha) and had connecting flights through MDW (Chicago Midway) on the way down and STL (St. Louis) on the way back. We flew into MCO (Orlando). The airports felt empty and there was lots of additional space available to social distance, even in Chicago where seats are hard to come by on a regular basis.
We wore KN95 masks covered with a cloth mask because my husband (he is a dentist) wanted us to take that extra step. KN95 masks are not required, and a cloth mask is just fine. We flew on Southwest Airlines, and they had middle seats blocked, which allowed less overall people on the plane. (Southwest has middle seats blocked through November 30th right now and Delta has middle seats blocked through 12/31/20.) There is limited service on board for food/drink. Southwest is generally giving out a bag of snacks and glass of water. No alcohol or other drink was allowed to be purchased onboard.
Car Rental for Disney in 2020:
We decided to rent a car this trip instead of taking the Magical Express. We wanted to be able to drive to the theme parks as well get to our resort faster. We rented through Alamo and completed all the paperwork online, thus bypassing the long lines at the rental car desk at the Orlando airport. We were able to go straight to the parking garage and get in the car and head to our resort.
While we didn’t use Disney’s Magical Express for this trip, I did want to update you on their procedures right now. The biggest change for Magical Express is that you need to pick up your own checked bags from the baggage claim area at Orlando International Airport and then proceed to Magical Express. The bus driver will seat guests from the back to the front and also make sure social distancing is happening between guests. Airline check in at the resorts is not available at this time so you will need to keep your bags within you for boarding the Magical Express bus (bell services will still hold your bags if you plan to visit the theme parks on your check out day).
Disney Resorts in 2020: 
We stayed at Disney’s Pop Century Resort for all 4 nights of our trip. Disney has enhanced their online check in and encourages all guests to complete check in through their My Disney Experience account to speed up the arrival process, as well as limit face to face interaction with cast members. We were texted our room number around 4pm on our arrival day and we were able to go straight to our room because we had already received our Magic Bands in the mail. In the future, Disney is allowing you to open your room through your phone as they are no longer providing free magic bands for 2021 packages.
Disney has introduced new cleaning procedures where you will find things in the room “sealed” after they are cleaned like the remote or the shampoo/conditioner in the shower. High touch areas like door handles and light switches will be cleaned intensely, as well as floors, which will be steam cleaned or vacuumed between guests. You’ll find individually wrapped cups, and the glass mugs won’t be available. Mousekeeping (housekeeping) will be providing light cleaning every other day, or you can decline the cleaning if you don’t need it. We declined the routine cleaning, but we called for towels every other day. Just don’t forget to tip Mousekeeping at the end of your stay!
The food courts are all mobile order based, so if you need to grab a pre-park coffee, make sure to order ahead to allow plenty of time to pick it up before boarding a bus/skyliner/monorail. This is true for all resorts in the new Disney 2020.
Transportation around Disney:
The skyliner is available to take you to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, however, you’ll find that it doesn’t start running very early. If you want to be at Hollywood Studios to attempt to get a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance, you need to be in line EARLY! I would suggest lining up about 1.5 hours before it starts running, because you also have to transfer to a different line at Caribbean Beach, which is the “hub” for the skyliner. If you are heading to Epcot, I would suggest lining up about 1 hour before opening, as you can still get to Caribbean Beach with the Hollywood Studios guests and then wait over there at Caribbean Beach. You will likely see a VERY LONG line when you line up for the skyliner, however, you need to note that it is a spaced out line due to social distancing and it moves continuously. Each skyliner will only have one family in it, due to social distancing. It’s a very enjoyable ride right now because you have lots of space during the commute. For the other two theme parks, if you don’t have your own car, you’ll need to take a bus (or Uber or Lyft). The bus lines are also very intimidating, however, they move fast and Disney is providing lots of buses, so if you line up early you’ll most likely see many buses. The buses are set up for social distancing as well, and therefore can’t transport their average load on each bus. It might be a good time to grab your breakfast and eat it in line while waiting for a bus.
Disney Theme Parks in 2020:
We had great experiences in the theme parks. At each theme park, Disney has contracted with AdventHealth for temperature checks. This is touchless and moves very quickly. If you receive a high temperature reading (100.4 or higher), Disney will have you cool down and try again, so don’t worry if you feel like you were super hot from walking to the theme parks.
Every day started off on a good note because there is an improved security process. There are now new “metal detectors” that you can leave all of your items in your pockets/bags and just walk through. Sometimes the alarm will go off and if it does, it’s a very simple process. A security guard will take you off to the side and ask you to place your bag on the table and they will check it quickly. It’s a very smooth process and you won’t see huge backups at security anymore, unless it’s a very busy time.
The parks are not holding you until the published opening times, so most likely you will enter the parks early. I love this “trickle” effect where there is no huge rush to get down Main Street USA to get to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or to Pandora to ride Flight of Passage. It’s more of a leisurely stroll, and if you aren’t the first people on the ride, you’ll still see a very quick walk through the queue because there are no fast passes to have to let through.
You will see social distancing markers directing you where to stand in lines to keep you spread out from other guests. You will see lots of hand sanitizer all over the parks. I took a lot of small travel sized Bath & Body Works hand sanitizers and while I still prefer these over the hand sanitizer in the parks, I used Disney’s hand sanitizers a lot as well. You will see plexiglass all over in the ride queues and on some attractions to keep you separated from other guests. On some attractions you’ll even see Disney Cast Members skipping rows to keep guests separated as well (Frozen Ever After and Pirates of the Caribbean are two examples). Every few hours Disney does a deep cleaning of ride vehicles while you are in line while these cleanings happen, but It still seems to go by quickly. 
While the traditional character meet and greets are not available right now, Disney has done a great job with adding character cavalcades throughout the day. These normally start mid-morning and continue intermittently throughout the day. You’ll see the Disney Princesses, Mickey & friends, and Winnie the Pooh, as well as special character appearances during the Halloween and Christmas seasons.
Park hours for all the parks are reduced overall, so you’ll want to get to the parks right at park opening or a little earlier in order to maximize your time in the parks. You will encounter lines for rides, but remember the social distancing markers are spreading out the lines and making it look scarier than it is.
Disney Quick Service Restaurants:
All quick service meals are now started by mobile ordering your food. This is done in your My Disney Experience account. Cast Members will ask you to wait outside the restaurant until you have confirmation your order is ready. During high peak times, I would order your food early to get the time slot you really want. If the restaurants usually had self serve drinks in the past, this has been replaced by a cast member filling your drinks for you. The tables inside the restaurants are social distanced and some tables are unavailable to be used. We had a great experience with mobile ordering. And you can still ask for free ice water when you pick up your food. This could be more then just a new Disney 2020 thing, who knows this could be here to stay.
Disney Table Service Restaurants:
We ate at three different table service meals on this trip (50s Prime Time, Spice Road Table, and Kona Cafe). Disney wants you to check in for your meal in your My Disney Experience about 15-20 minutes before your reserved time. You’ll get a text message when your table is ready and you can then report to the hostess stand. If you are eating outside of the theme parks, the hostess will take your temperature before you are allowed to enter the restaurant. Social distancing is in effect for table service restaurants as well, so many tables are blocked off and marked as unavailable. The reusable paper menus are unavailable right now, so Disney places a QR code on the table for you to scan with your camera or app and the current menu pulls up. Be advised that some regular favorites aren’t available right now, as Disney is limiting the menu offerings to save time and money.
Disney’s 2020 Taste of Epcot: Food & Wine:
We took one day and made our way around the World Showcase to check out the Test of Epcot. We were very happy with our time snacking and drinking our way around the “World”. We found many open tables to eat at and while the lines appeared crazy long due to social distancing markers on the ground, they actually moved very fast. There was plenty of room for everyone to social distance. You’ll also see a couple different character cavalcades while walking around. We saw Mickey & Minnie and friends, as well as a separate one with Anna & Elsa. You’ll know they are coming because the music will change. A few of the highlights for me for dishes: Duck Confit (France); Kalua Pork Slider (Hawaii), Ribeye Taco (Mexico), Empanada (Caribbean), and the Frozen Rose drink (Alps). Be aware there is usually a line to get into the Mexico Pavilion, but it moves fast. Drinks at La Cava (inside the Mexico pavilion) is “to go” only.
Face Masks at Disney 2020:
Face masks are required to enter the theme parks, and need to be on before you leave your room/car. You are allowed to remove your mask to eat/drink as long as you are stationary and social distanced from others. Gaiters and bandanas are NOT allowed. Face masks are not required for children UNDER age 2. You will wear the face masks on all attractions as well.
The September/October weather in Florida as you know is very hot. While it was hot with the face masks, it was not unbearable. As the weather gets cooler in November/December/January/February, I think the face masks will actually be a pleasant experience. If you don’t wear a mask at your job or at school right now, I think the best way to prepare for your trip is to start wearing face masks at home now and work up to longer stretches of wearing them (ex: watch a movie at home with a face mask on). You will need multiple masks for your days in the park. We sweat through a couple of masks each day and if it rains, you’ll need to change your face mask if it gets damp. The face masks that worked best for us in the heat were:
- Adidas
- Under Armour
- Norwex
- Athleta
- Surgical (will need to change a few times during the day due to sweat/rain)
I also wore “cute” masks that matched my Mickey Ears each day. Here are a few of my favorite sites to get those:
Matching Ears/Masks:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/805235116/disney-face-mask-with-matching-ears?ref=user_profile&pro=1&frs=1
Etsy Masks:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PixieDustedTreasure
Masks (not on Etsy) – local non-profit for Orlando (follow on twitter for sales and new fabrics)
https://shop.machadofarmfoundation.org/collections/disney-face-masks
Hope this help you know what to expect for a Disney trip in 2020!
-Michelle McKnight michelle.mcknight@mei-travel.com
