Disney World has reopened and while many things are available, because of new safety procedures there’s a few things that have yet to come back.
When the time is right and it is safe to do so, here’s 7 things we hope return to Walt Disney World.
In this article (click for table of contents)
Fireworks & other nighttime entertainment
We love a good fireworks show and Happily Ever After is a must-do every trip. Right now it isn’t safe to have crowds of people congregating together and that means no nighttime shows of any kind, at least for the time being.
You can watch a taped version of Happily Ever After on your TV in your Disney World resort room every night, but it clearly isn’t the same thing.
And, to make matters worse, we found out that Rivers of Light at Animal Kingdom won’t be returning at all.
Epcot is scheduled to have a new nighttime show that was supposed to debut this year, but we have no idea when we’ll get to see it now.
The nighttime entertainment has always been a highlight for many families and we’ll be celebrating alongside everyone when it is safe enough for it to come back.
Resort Airline Check-In
One of our favorite perks when staying onsite is Resort Airline Check-in.
Available to anyone staying on property, Resort Airline Check-in lets you check your bags (for select airlines) at your resort instead of having to haul them to the airport yourself.
This is a huge time saver and even more importantly, this free service cuts some of that day-of-travel hassle stuff out.
On our first trips back we really missed having this handy service but we’re hopeful that we will see it return sometime in the future.
Read more about Resort Airline Check-In.
Easier transportation
Transportation right now isn’t bad but there are a few things that are less than ideal.
For starters, if you prefer to drive you’ll quickly learn that there aren’t any parking lot trams operating right now. Thankfully the parking lots don’t get too full so the walks to the front of the parks aren’t terrible, but we definitely hope those trams return someday.
In our “New Things We Hope Stay” post, we mentioned that we hope the reduced capacity on the buses remains because frankly, we don’t enjoy being packed into the buses like sardines.
We were careful to point out that we don’t want the capacity to be reduced as drastically as it currently is, though.
The reduced capacity on all forms of transportation means that while oftentimes the lines in the parks are shorter, the lines for the buses, monorail, and Skyliner are often longer.
Plus, Minnie Vans are also not an option right now, and when available those are a fantastic way to travel, especially if you’re trying to go from resort to resort.
There’s a happy medium where the buses and monorails and gondolas are full (but not overly packed) that we’d love to see when it comes to Disney transportation.
Magical Express handling your bags
Magical Express is still running so that is one huge onsite perk that remains.
But, one reason so many people (ourselves included) loved Magical Express was because they take care of your bags for you.
You could literally step off the plane and head directly to a bus that would take you to Walt Disney World without having to wait for your suitcases to be unloaded from the plane.
And then a few hours later your bags would be (magically) delivered to you at your resort.
But right now, while you can still take Magical Express, you are responsible for also collecting your luggage at the airport.
It isn’t a huge deal but if you’re traveling with multiple kids and lots of luggage not having to navigate the airport with your luggage in tow was a very nice perk.
And with Resort Airline Check-In also not available, travel days just got a little less convenient.
Room service/food delivery
We’ve started to see some room service options returning, but it definitely isn’t everywhere yet.
In the past some resorts had the option for pizza delivery while others had room service options for menu items from the restaurants located inside of the resort.
But, right now nearly all of that has been suspended.
Not having to go out and forage for food is a nice perk and one we would take advantage of after long days in the park.
We’ll definitely look forward to (hopefully) seeing the options spread to the other resorts in the months ahead.
Longer park hours
If you’re looking to visit Walt Disney World anytime soon you’ll quickly notice that the park hours have been significantly reduced.
Epcot doesn’t even open until 11:00 am! That is such a strange concept to frequent park visitors like ourselves.
Of course, the reduced capacity means that you can still get a lot done but not having all the parks open into the evening means that you don’t get time to enjoy the cooler temps or the cool scenery, like Pandora at night.
We truly understand why the park hours have been limited, but we hope that by next summer the evening hours will be extended to allow guests the opportunity to tour all the parks outside of the heat of the middle of the day.
Cast Members
Last but definitely not least we hope to see all the fantastic Cast Members return.
From our international friends that staffed the pavilions of the World Showcase to the Cast Members in the Disney College Program to all the other CMs that work so hard to make magic for guests each and every day, we look forward to seeing all their faces back at their posts.
What about things we hope stay?
Find out all the things we hope remain now that Disney World has reopened.
