My Thoughts on “I Hope Disney Never Returns to Normal”

See our Advertiser Disclosure here.

Yesterday, I read an opinion piece on wdwinfo.com titled “I Hope Disney Never Returns to Normal” by Pete Pirone. If you’re a fan of Disney World, Pete has an interesting take on how some of the changes due to Covid should stick around.

While I haven’t visited Disney World yet during the pandemic, I’ve been there over 20 times and I definitely have an opinion on some of the changes.

Buffets

In his post, Pete wishes that buffets would permanently disappear from Disney World and be replaced with family-style dining. I completely agree.

I’ve never been a huge fan of buffets (see Bye Bye, Buffets post.) At the parks, the buffets are especially challenging because you have to be at your table when the roaming characters visit.

I find the family-style meals (like breakfast at ‘Ohana) to be much more relaxing. And of course, even in a post-Covid world, buffets are still ripe with germs.

Parades and Fireworks

While the author would like for parades and fireworks to return, he doesn’t miss the crowds and time spent staking out a spot. I could not agree more. My family has never taken time out of our day to watch the parades. If anything, we will watch a parade for a few minutes from afar. But mostly, we are focused on the rides.

I do really hope the fireworks shows return though. Who doesn’t love fireworks? Hopefully, Disney can figure out a way to spread out the crowds and make it less essential to view the show from Main Street U.S.A. There is just something magical about ending the night with a fireworks show.

Cleaning and Sanitizing

Pete hopes that Disney will keep up with its cleaning and sanitizing procedures once Covid goes away. Yes! At Disney World, my kids always touch the ropes and queue barriers as they walk through the lines. I’m constantly telling them not to touch everything because I think of all the germs from all the other kids touching the same areas.

FastPass+

Currently, Disney World is not using its FastPass+ system. The author believes that FastPass+ should be reimagined and be more like MaxPass at Disneyland. Here is where I completely disagree. I’ve been to Disneyland twice in the past few years, and I really don’t like MaxPass.

First of all, MaxPass is expensive for large families. It costs my family an extra $100 a day. And secondly, I just don’t find the MaxPass/old FastPass system at Disneyland terribly efficient. We got on fewer rides in a day than we did on Disney World’s FastPass+ system.

I hope that FastPass+ is back up and running by the time I visit Disney World next year. I’m all about pre-booking rides.

What do you think of the temporary changes at Disney World during the pandemic? Do you wish some of the changes would stick around?

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES

Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.