Disney: this summer or next spring?

[wendibird22]

We are planning a return to WDW. This would be our 3 time going. Last trip was Xmas 2018.

Because DH is a teacher we have limited windows of opportunity to go...only during school breaks.

We are considering going either right when school lets out at the end of this June or waiting until April break next year.

Cost seems to be cheaper if we go in June.

Safety and Covid protocols are top of mind. We’ve been SUPER conservative with our own actions this entire pandemic. DH and I are fully vaccinated. Kids are not high risk. We are just now starting to venture out of our bubble...DD1 did school sports, DD2 is doing club soccer and a theater camp this week. We will visit with my parents and ILs for Easter Dinner for the first time indoors (they are all vaccinated).

I almost feel like Disney would be safer now with Covid protocols in place than a year from now when all that might be gone and they predicting crazy 2022 crowd levels.

I’m not worried about the heat in June/July.

I am intrigued by the lower crowd levels since we’ve only ever gone at Xmas time when the parks close to capacity. I don’t know what it’s like to do WDW without it being wall to wall people.

Oh and next April my kids’ spring break is not the same week as DHs spring break so we’d have to plan a weird vacation where the kids and I go down first, DH joins mid trip, then kids miss a few days of school.

Any reason we should not go this summer??


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[Dayzy]

We actually cancelled our trip for this summer. We're pretty big WDW fans and there were a lot of factors in making our choice. First, even though the summer heat in FL doesn't normally sway us, none of us are too keen on wearing a mask all day. We're from NY and don't think we can hack both the heat and mask. Second, hours were changed and some parks have late openings. Like Epcot opening at 11. We like going to parks early and we usually take a midday break after lunch. Another, no fastpass.
none of these may be deal breakers for you, but they were for us and so we are postponing until next year.

[KpbS]

I would go this year if I were you. I think the Covid protocols will be better adhered to now (and still be in place) versus next spring. Also your travel arrangements make more sense this year instead of traveling separately.

[SnuggleBuggles]

I would go this year but be sure and book your park reservations soon. And read a bunch of trip reports. These are some of the challenges people have encountered:
-not being able to find tables at quick serve places to eat. Book table meals, eat at really off times, or research the hidden spots where people are finding seats
-crazy long lines for buses if you are staying onsite. If you aren't onsite, no problem. But, consider driving if you are. Or stay at a hotel serviced by something other than just buses. Uber and Lyft have been very hard to get and rates have been surging all the time.
-reservations have been selling out
-people aren't social distancing well so if that bothers you, even if vaccinated, keep that in mind.
-lines during spring break look to be around an hour per ride and no fast passes

Personally I would go to Universal and stay at one of their premier hotels with Express Passes if I needed a theme park fix. No transportation issues and Express Passes are like Fast Passes but better (and available ). It's just a less stressful outing for me but I know it isn't Disney.

[AnnieW625]

I would go now due to the potential lower crowd levels and not having to plan a wacky sling break trip next year. Have fun! I can’t wait until we can make a Disneyland reservation for ourselves (we haven’t been since 2017!).


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[georgiegirl]

From looking at pics, it still seems very crowded. I’ve heard there aren’t fast passes anymore, so lines are very long. And hot, humid weather with a mask sounds horrendous. I’d wait longer.

I agree with Annie that universal with the express pass seems like the best choice. We did that once, and it was awesome. Lines were generally 10-25 min for everything during spring week.


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[hwin708]

I would go next year. I know people who have gone recently, and they say the lower crowds are a moot point. With fewer employees, social distancing on the ride seating, no indoor live shows, and no fast passes, the lines were the worst they've experienced.

[carolinacool]

Wearing mask all day in Florida in the summer would be a dealbreaker for us, but totally understand you’re OK with it.

As for the rest of it, I think it’s a bit of a wild card. If things keep going well (knock wood), I think it’s entirely possible that Disney could revamp some of its current Covid guidelines and policies by June. I think the mask mandate will remain in place, but it could re-open some of the indoor venues, expand dining, etc. But it’s just hard to know that now. I think if it was my family, we would probably just wait until next year. It’s so much money to not have a fuller experience.

[SASM]

If you could possibly go around Christmas, like you have in the past, I’d recommend that. They still might have the limited numbers per park.

We went for a quick weekend at the end of January. It was warm and it was tough constantly wearing masks. If we were not physically putting something in our mouths, we were asked to put our masks back up. No eating or drinking in lines, on the main walkways, etc. The great thing was that people were being called out if they were incorrectly wearing masks and leaving it down for an occasional bite or sip.

Bussing to/from parks wasn’t an issue despite the limited number or people per bus. We didn’t have issues getting an Uber from the Polynesian to our hotel after a dinner reservation...they were very fast.

[jgenie]

I would wait. I would feel like I wasn’t getting my money’s worth since so much is limited due to COVID and it would drive me nuts.


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