Trip Recap - November 2021
988 days.
That is the amount of time that passed between trips to Walt Disney World in February of 2019 and the most recent trip this November. That, of course, had not been the plan. While it was true that there had not been a confirmed return date at the end of the 2019 trip, a return date sometime in 2020 would have been likely. Unfortunately, the world had other plans.
As long as the stretch between WDW visits was, it hadn’t been completely without satiety. Luckily, a trip to CA for work in March of 2020 allowed for a 3-day escape to Disneyworld while in the area. Interestingly, that particular trip ended just a couple days before Disneyland shut down indefinitely due to a pandemic and the seemingly endless stopwatch began its countdown of the nearly two-year Disney drought.
Knowing all that, to say there was excitement for this trip would be an understatement. In fact, it was the kind of excited where it turns to anxiety and becomes stress that something would happen to make the trip no longer possible. (Please tell me I’m not the only one that does this…)
Upon arrival at MCO, the plan had been to take the Disney Magical Express from the airport to the resort. Since the service is being retired permanently as of January 2022 (though it is being replaced by a for-fee version operated by Mears transportation), one last ride seemed appropriate. As someone that has always arrived at into MCO late at night, experience with the Magical Express had always been insanely easy. You show up, scan your MagicBand, hop on a bus and shortly thereafter arrive at your resort, all the while entertained by classic cartoons. That was NOT the case on arrival for this trip, and the line to access the Magical Express extended back further than the eye could see. Needless to say, Leisure Mouse’s last encounter with Disney’s Magical Express was apparently February of 2019.
For this stay, the basecamp resort was Animal Kingdom – Jambo House. (Stay tuned for a resort review soon.) After checking into the room, the “h-anger” was on the rise, so opted for a quick bite at the Mara (AKL Jambo’s quick service restaurant) before making any additional plans. It was a bit after 2pm, so the menu options were limited (this place only really does breakfast and dinner menus from the line) and the food wasn’t great, but sometimes you do what you have to do. From the patio of the Mara, plans for the seven night Disney-fest were finalized.
The Food
Food is always a focus, and this trip was no different. The main difference this time was restaurant availability. Disney is still staffing up since pandemic austerity has slowly started ramping back up, but it is clear that not all places are up and running. This meant it was a challenge to get a spot at many of the popular restaurants, and some restaurants weren’t open at all. In addition to reservation options being slim, many spots are not yet at pre-pandemic operating hours. In spite of those challenges, this trip’s food adventures included:
Sat: The Mara (Lunch) and Boma (Dinner)
Sun: Food & Wine (Lunch) and Trattoria al Forno (Dinner) [Special bonus, Abracadabar for drinks]
Mon: Jungle Navigation Co LTD Skipper Canteen (Lunch) and Whispering Canyon Café (Dinner)
Tues: Nomad Lounge (Lunch) and La Hacienda de San Angel (Dinner)
Wed: Nomad Lounge (Lunch) and Sanaa (Dinner)
Thu: Baseline Tap House (Lunch) and Toledo (Dinner)
Fri: Food & Wine (Lunch) and Tiffins (Dinner)
All in all, the food experience was a solid B. With the exception of a mediocre spread at the Mara on day one and an epic wait beyond our reservation time at Trattoria al Forno, each stop lived up to (and in some cases exceeded…looking at you, Toledo) expectations. The main piece of advice here is MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS as early as possible. If you find yourself without one, though, don’t worry. Most places reserve a few spots for walk-in or day of reservations, and you can often be added to the walk up list right from your My Disney Experience app!
As for the festival, this my the first time visiting the Food & Wine Festival at Epcot. There were tons of opportunities to eat new and delicious food, but there is no way to get everything you want to try in one go, so don’t try. We opted for two “lunches” at the festival, and would recommend at least that in the future. That said, non-festival food at Epcot is generally good and also can’t be knocked out with one trip, so it the recommendation applies during all times of year. Since this was a Leisure Mouse first, there was nothing with which to compare the experience. That said, in all honesty, Food & Wine was good, but if you live in a city that has international food options, it may not be worth making the trip just for the festival. (We are pretty spoiled here in Boston.) However, if your locale doesn’t have those offerings, you are in for a treat!
The Parks
With 7 nights, this trip included a 5 day Park Hopper ticket, with the intent of doing a non-park day in the middle of the week. [NOTE: For those looking to maximize a longer stay without spending money for park tickets every single day, this is a good option! Most resorts have awesome pools and restaurants to keep you busy, plus Disney Springs is always nearby if you need additional options for entertainment (I’m pretty sure Disney Springs has everything… legitimately nearly every possible option).] With a “Resort Hop” arrival day, the 5 day ticket was a perfect selection. Our park schedule end up being:
Sat: Arrival (Resort Hop)
Sun: Epcot (full day)
Mon: Magic Kingdom + Enchanted After Fireworks Dessert Party
Tues: Animal Kingdom & hop to Epcot
Wed: Pool day
Thu: Hollywood Studios + Very Merriest After Hours at Magic Kingdom
Fri: Epcot & hop to Animal Kingdom
With great weather, the rolling return of attractions and park hours, and the draw of the 50th Anniversary Celebration, crowds are officially back. In addition, as you can see, the chosen schedule put us in some of the busiest parks on their (traditionally) busiest days; namely Epcot (Sun), Magic Kingdom (Mon) and Epcot again (Fri). The crowds were a surprise, but not altogether unruly. It just felt more pre-pandemicy and made for dodging lines on the most popular attractions more difficult. However, when these situations arise at Disney, the best bet is to use all the tools you have to maximize your time. Early Entry for resort guests, park hopping, special events, Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes are all “tools” available at some cost and can come in handy, though they are certainly NOT needed at all parks. That said, they can come in handy at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
Resort Hopping?
If you find yourself with time or are just looking to mix things up, you don’t need tickets to visit other resorts! Just hop on the bus, Skyliner or boat and check out all the amazing properties Disney has on property. This trip, we used our arrival day to hit a few. We took a bus from AKL over to Hollywood Studios and from there we hopped on the Skyliner and visited Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera Resort, Art of Animation, Pop Century and then headed back to Hollywood Studios and jumped on a bus to Coronado Springs for a drink on the balcony of the Gran Destino Tower’s Dahlia Lounge…and all before dinner!
What’s the vibe?
Mid-pandemic Disney is a little different. While many of the restaurants, shows and attractions are slowly coming back online, you can’t deny that there is change in the air. The Dumbo in the room is, of course, the indoor mask requirement, but most of us are accustomed to that in some respect so it might not be the thing that sticks out.
One of the most notable changes was just the availability of things. Restaurants and parks aren’t always open as late or early as they used to be. For instance, the Mara at AKL Jambo doesn’t currently open until 7am and closes at 10pm. Pre-pandemic, I’m almost positive that you could get coffee and breakfast long before you had to catch a bus for rope drop, and you for sure used to be able to grab a snack at the Mara at midnight.
Another noticeable absence was that of the International Cast Members at Epcot’s World Showcase. It didn’t effect service or quality, per se, but it was noticeable.
All this is to say, they aren’t the Disney Parks of 2019, but they are much more than the Disney Parks of late 2020. It is likely the oddities felt now will slowly be adjusted as time, staffing and health regulations permit. So, if you are looking for a 2019 experience, you may be disappointed. That said, if you’re looking to be surrounded by the sights, smells and sounds of Disney and feel back home amongst the magic, there is plenty there to put a smile on your face and warm your heart.
