Disney Day Trip (Part two)

By Jennifer Quinlan

DISNEY DAY TRIP – WHY WE DID IT, AND WHY IT WORKED FOR US. (PART 2)
On Wednesday, September 23rd, my daughter and I took a Day trip to Disney – specifically to Magic Kingdom!  Our American Airlines flight departed at 7:30am from Philadelphia International Airport.  After parking our car, the shuttle dropped us at the terminal around 6am.  Once inside, it struck me how quiet the airport was.  When we go to Disney during ‘normal times’, an early morning flight is typically the time we fly, so we know what to expect as far as crowds at the PHL Airport.  It was kind of eerie, but we felt more at ease because there were so few people.  We were happy to see that everyone in the airport, and on both of our flights were wearing their masks. 
​​Once we arrived at the Orlando Airport, which was equally as quiet as Philadelphia, we ordered a Lyft at around 10:25am, which we requested to drop us off at the Contemporary Resort.  Why the Contemporary Resort and not Magic Kingdom? Because there is a walking path from the resort directly to Magic Kingdom, which is only a short 7-minute walk to the park.  If we had requested to be dropped off at Magic Kingdom, the Lyft driver would’ve dropped us at the Transportation & Ticket Center.  We would then have had to take a monorail or ferry ride to get to the park.  **Full disclaimer, our Lyft driver told us that she has been recently turned away from Contemporary Resort when trying to drop off other guests.  It seems this may not always work, but it did for us that day.
We arrived at the Contemporary at 10:57am, walked to the park, went through a temperature screening, and security check, which were both super quick thanks to new protocols, and entered the park a little after 11am!  Mainstreet was a sight for sore eyes, and we finally got a glimpse of the repainted castle, which we thought looked great, although definitely different from what we were used to.  We managed to squeeze in a 7-hour park day, and accomplished quite a lot.  We rode rides (Big Thunder, Splash Mountain, and many more), snacked (Dole Whips), saw entertainers (Cadaver Dans for Halloween), enjoyed the Character Cavalcades (Pluto!!), had lunch (at Cosmic Ray’s quick service) and dinner (at Skipper Canteen sit down reservation), and managed to squeeze in some shopping on Main Street before our day was over. 

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At 21,089 steps, it was a full and fantastic day from beginning to end.  We felt safe the entire day on the shuttles, in the airports, driving with Lyft, and throughout our park time.  The crowds were definitely low, which was what we had expected from information we were hearing online. The crowds did noticeably rise around 2pm, and the park felt a little more full until closing.  Disney has gone above and beyond with the safety measures they’ve taken.  
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Here is what we saw: 

•        Hand sanitizing stations before and after all rides/experiences, as well as located strategically throughout the park. 
•         Magic Kingdom had 6-foot markers in place wherever guests might need to stand in line for rides or food.  
•        While in line for rides, there were plexiglass dividers set up in the corrals to protect guests who had to stand closer than 6 feet apart.
•        On rides, rows of seating were skipped between guests to ensure safe spacing. 
•        Limits on how many people could enter a store at one time.

​As far as we saw, the people in the parks and at the airports were following all CDC recommended guidelines.  I don’t think we saw anyone without a mask anywhere that day.  There was one person on our flight home, who had her mask below her nose, and was asked to wear her mask properly, which she did.  It was nice to see so many people being safe and considerate of one another.
Would we do a day trip again??? If airfare and crowds stay as low as they have been, most definitely yes.