Disney World Tips 2020
A Walt Disney World vacation in 2020 will look much different than previous Disney World trips! Disney World reopened in July after an unprecedented closure. Disney was required to make many modifications to reopen their Disney parks safely.
In 2020, Disney World is not using their coveted Fastpass system, Disney park hours are reduced, and Disney World is facing many other changes too.
Additionally, Disney World is requiring guests to take safety precautions not mandated by the state of Florida so you will need to make sure to bring masks and socially distance while on Disney World property.
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Disney World 2020 is much different than normal so check out these Disney World tips for 2020 will help you navigate the new Disney normal.
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1. Disney World Packing
We aren’t used to packing face masks, extra hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes, and other safety materials with us on our Disney vacations. Like I mentioned earlier, the state of Florida is not requiring face mask or social distancing BUT Disney is not following the same guidance.
On Disney property, face mask wearing and socially distancing are being strongly enforced. I would definitely recommend bring plenty of face masks, ideally at least one for every day. In the Florida sun, we sweat more than normal so you’ll want to change out your masks regularly.
These are my favorite face masks. I’ve ordered several packs of them! They are very breathable, soft on your face, and have a wire to help hold the mask up!
I would also make sure to pack lots of hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes. Disney has done a great job of putting hand sanitizer stations everywhere but it’s nice to have your own. 2020 is a strange year so these Disney World 2020 tips will help you have a safe vacation!
2. Disney Reservations
For the first time in 2020, Disney World is controlling park access by using their new Disney Park Reservation System. With Disney’s old system, you could pretty much show up to any Disney Park without prior reservation.
With the Disney reservation system, you need to access the My Disney Experience app or website and get a reservation for whichever park you want to visit that day. For those that loved park hopping, you cannot park hop with the current Disney reservation system.
This Disney reservation system is allowing Disney to manage park capacity and the keep park crowds down. One of our top Disney World tips for 2020 is to learn all about the Disney Park reservation system!
3. My Disney Experience
The world is turning to technology more and more especially during 2020. A few years ago, Disney implemented the My Disney Experience Website and App to help with things like Disney Dining Reservations, Disney Fastpasses, Disney Park maps and much more.
Since the Disney World reopening, Disney has encouraged guests to use the My Disney Experience more and more for social distancing and safety reasons. The My Disney Experience will also help limit touch points as many things can be done with your phone.
Disney World is now encouraging guests to use the My Disney Experience app to mobile order at Disney restaurants, open their Disney resort hotel room, check in at Disney World restaurants, and make purchases at Disney shops.
Your phone is becoming so important to having a great Disney World vacation so make sure to bring portable battery chargers and phone charging cables. Your phone and the My Disney Experience app will be the key to being efficient at Disney and staying safe.
Another Disney tip for 2020 is become comfortable with the My Disney Experience App and bring several portable phone chargers and charging cables.
4. Lines and Crowd Levels
During the post-COVID Disney reopening, there have been bouts of low crowds and really long ride lines. Disney World crowd levels and lines are certainly not normal right now.
Disney doesn’t publicly announce their park capacity but it seems like they have slowly been increasing crowd levels as the pandemic has gone on. Despite the fact that Disney may have slowly increased crowd capacity, Disney park crowds have still remained relatively low.
I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos on social media of the packed theme parks. Disney World in 2020 has had a few days with larger crowds but this hasn’t been the norm. Disney crowd levels since the 2020 reopening have remained pretty low.
While the Disney crowds have been relatively low, the Disney ride lines have occasionally been really long. This may scare some people but the lines really aren’t that long.
If your considering visiting the Disney parks soon, consider holding all your park stuff in this bag. Its handy to pack stuff to keep your kids busy in line. My family loves this backpack, we have it in blue and orange!
All the Disney ride lines are socially distanced so the lines are extending much longer than they normally do. Don’t let the social media photos scare you, the Disney park crowds have remained pretty low and the illusion of long lines is just an illusion.
5. No Fastpass System
For many years, the notorious secret to navigating Disney World was the Fastpass System. Due to lower park capacity in 2020, Disney is currently not using the Fastpass System.
It’s unclear why Disney decided to pause usage of the Fastpass system. But no Fastpasses has definitely changed the dynamic of lines at Disney World in 2020. There are currently longer stand-by lines but the lines go by really quickly.
Disney World has had a lot of success with the Fastpass System in the past so I would assume it will be coming back when the world normalizes after the COVID-19 pandemic.
6. Shorter Park Hours
To keep the Disney Parks clean, all the Disney World parks have much shorter park hours for the remainder of 2020. Disney has also cancelled all nighttime shows for social distancing purposes and the shorter Disney park hours may also be a result of limited nighttime park activities.
This is sad for those of us that love being in the Disney parks are nighttime but for the foreseeable future, the Disney Parks will be closing earlier than normal.
If you plan to visit Disney World in 2020 or during Christmas, make sure to check the park hours before you go.
7. Limited Disney Resort Availability
When the Disney World resort closed in early 2020, all the Disney World resorts closed too. While the Disney Parks reopened in 2020, many of the Walt Disney World resorts still aren’t open.
Most of the Disney resorts have announced reopening dates scattered through the remainder of 2020 but these dates are fluid. Disney most likely has kept many of the resorts closed due to reduced park capacity and the significant reduction in travel.
If you plan to visit Disney World in 2020, check out this Disney resort reopening calendar on Disney World’s webpage.
Since the pandemic started in early 2020, the travel industry has changed dramatically. If you’re planning to visit Disney in 2020, make sure to check out these changes and be prepared for your next Disney vacation!
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This is a great post, especially for those of us who haven’t been to Disney since COVID hit. Things are really different there right now! It’s good to know what to look forward to and not have to be surprised on our trip!