Hello everyone! Long time reader and some time comment leaver here. I live in Southwest Florida, about 3 hours from the World, single female and 54 years young. I wanted to give a quick verbal update (I didn't really take many photos) to let you know my experiences in Walt Disney World last week. I stayed at POP for 4 nights with 4 days of park passes. I came solo for 3 days and my niece joined me for the last park day. This trip was originally booked for February, but rebooked 4 times until I gave in and went. I'm so glad I did, but the current experience may not be what everyone is looking for.
My first park was Animal Kingdom on 7/15 and I felt like I had the park to myself! I took the bus from POP (only person on the bus that was pulling up as I was walking up) and got there an hour after opening. I left almost an hour before closing, doing all experiences once, and several of them multiple times. If you have ever waited on the bridge from FoTLK to FoP, I was the only person on that bridge several times. Just me and some wonderful CM's that made the walk very entertaining. If you are someone who goes to Disney World for the extra entertainment, you should probably wait to return. I love coming to the parks solo as I am able to wander around and just look. The music is always playing in the background, but you will definitely miss the "extras" of the live entertainment. There are also less carts open so if you are looking for snacks, you may have a hard time locating them. Most of the food is mobile ordering, including at POP. That got a little irritating if you are getting back from a park and want to eat right away, as there were wait times of about 20 minutes after park closing. Absolutely 100% enforcement of mask wearing, and I did not see anyone trying to get away with not wearing one. It was actually quite refreshing to be out in public where everyone wants to play by the rules! The characters would float by randomly with music playing and them dancing. Watched several fun interactions between the characters and kids, including a few myself! I walked out with a great big smile on my face, thankful for the quiet walk around Animal Kingdom and still able to feel all the the Disney magic.
My first park was Animal Kingdom on 7/15 and I felt like I had the park to myself! I took the bus from POP (only person on the bus that was pulling up as I was walking up) and got there an hour after opening. I left almost an hour before closing, doing all experiences once, and several of them multiple times. If you have ever waited on the bridge from FoTLK to FoP, I was the only person on that bridge several times. Just me and some wonderful CM's that made the walk very entertaining. If you are someone who goes to Disney World for the extra entertainment, you should probably wait to return. I love coming to the parks solo as I am able to wander around and just look. The music is always playing in the background, but you will definitely miss the "extras" of the live entertainment. There are also less carts open so if you are looking for snacks, you may have a hard time locating them. Most of the food is mobile ordering, including at POP. That got a little irritating if you are getting back from a park and want to eat right away, as there were wait times of about 20 minutes after park closing. Absolutely 100% enforcement of mask wearing, and I did not see anyone trying to get away with not wearing one. It was actually quite refreshing to be out in public where everyone wants to play by the rules! The characters would float by randomly with music playing and them dancing. Watched several fun interactions between the characters and kids, including a few myself! I walked out with a great big smile on my face, thankful for the quiet walk around Animal Kingdom and still able to feel all the the Disney magic.
My niece was going to be paying for dinner and there was no way I was going to let her spend that kind of money for what I think is generally mid grade food, so I asked them if we could cancel and they did it for us. No charge since we were unaware of the dining option though. I asked a manager type if there was any way we could peek our heads in and she called over a CM who gave us a full tour, including helping us find several hidden Mickeys! The Beast came out right when we were standing by his door, so my niece got a photo of him and was absolutely thrilled with our pixie dust!
We left with really big smiles on our faces and one of our best adventures together in the books.
CMs that I was around were attentive and let anyone that had let their mask down know to put it back. I loved the mini parades and character interactions! With fewer people, eye contact is easier to make and they make you feel really special. Having the special pop ups like the Step Sisters was so entertaining! Cast members were so excited to chat!! Most had been moved around from other areas, but took the time to really listen and make the experience better. I said it before and I'll say it again: SKYLINER! It made life so much more enjoyable to not have to walk to the front and wait for a bus, there were always really friendly CM's and I loved looking at the wraps on the cars - so cute! But my favorite thing overall was the ability to stroll at my own pace, stop in the middle of a walkway to look up without being bumped into, and truly take in the details of the queues and surroundings. It's such a special place and most people don't get the advantage of taking their time to see it all.
