Get Excited: Downtown Disney Has Now Reopened Superthread!

[wingednike]

@WonkaKid, did you happen to notice what sizes of face masks they had at WOD? Initially online they only offered small, medium, and large. But recently they added extra large online. Just wondering if the XL masks are making their way to WOD or other stores yet.

I didn't notice the sizes, but there were a few masks available at Marceline's, too.

 

[midnight star]

@WonkaKid, did you happen to notice what sizes of face masks they had at WOD? Initially online they only offered small, medium, and large. But recently they added extra large online. Just wondering if the XL masks are making their way to WOD or other stores yet.

While there yesterday I didn’t see any XL masks. Not sure if that is standard or if they were sold out. Masks were also available at the Dress Shop

 

[mouschievous]

Thanks for all the photos, @WonkaKid ! I love this one, but it also made my heart ache.

It's fun to see all the 65th merchandise. Makes me want to come down there! I need to see if our Disney store is open. If it is, I can go shop and then get Salt & Straw and it will be almost like I'm there

 

[TikiTikiFan]

I do feel like some guests aren't respecting distance while browsing. I played a bit of dodgeball trying to avoid crossing paths

What is it with people when they're shopping? Run into this all the time at the store and it makes me nutty haha. I wonder how comfortable we'll be with Downtown Disney, the walkways are so narrow I feel like it'd be hard to walk through (when it's more crowded, like it will probably be when parks reopen) it without feeling crowded. Be curious to see how they monitor capacity then.

 

[WonkaKid]

@WonkaKid, did you happen to notice what sizes of face masks they had at WOD? Initially online they only offered small, medium, and large. But recently they added extra large online. Just wondering if the XL masks are making their way to WOD or other stores yet.

Actually, I did notice. I only saw small medium and large. A CM approached and explained that small and medium were mainly for kids and large masks were for adults.

 

[WonkaKid]

I need to see if our Disney store is open. If it is, I can go shop and then get Salt & Straw and it will be almost like I'm there

Not sure where you are but FWIW, someone I know on the East Coast visited her local Disney store this week.

 

[WonkaKid]

A few last pics.

$15.99.






There are plenty of umbrellas throughout DTD to provide shade.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Yup - it’s open. Grabbed a few pics for you.

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Thanks so much for checking and taking pictures! I love so many of them!

 

[wingednike]

What is it with people when they're shopping? Run into this all the time at the store and it makes me nutty haha. I wonder how comfortable we'll be with Downtown Disney, the walkways are so narrow I feel like it'd be hard to walk through (when it's more crowded, like it will probably be when parks reopen) it without feeling crowded. Be curious to see how they monitor capacity then.

Lol, I don't know. I think people get tunnel vision. They don't necessarily mean to be inconsiderate; it just doesn't ping or cross their minds.

 

[midnight star]

A few last pics.

$15.99.
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There are plenty of umbrellas throughout DTD to provide shade.
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Those umbrellas are new. I don't think they were there yesterday. Glad they are adding some shade.

 

[WonkaKid]

Folks, although I've been to DTD twice since it reopened, I haven't yet used the Simba lot and I have a few questions.

1. Is there a charge to park there (I'm sure there is).
2. The reason for question 1 is that my AP seems to have expired (it no longer displays in the app, although I expect this is merely an oversight and will be corrected or accounted for when I next try to use it). Will my (seemingly) expired AP allow me to park for free (presuming there is a charge)?

 

[closetmickey]

There was no charge when I went last Saturday

 

[dina444444]

Folks, although I've been to DTD twice since it reopened, I haven't yet used the Simba lot and I have a few questions.

1. Is there a charge to park there (I'm sure there is).
2. The reason for question 1 is that my AP seems to have expired (it no longer displays in the app, although I expect this is merely an oversight and will be corrected or accounted for when I next try to use it). Will my (seemingly) expired AP allow me to park for free (presuming there is a charge)?

They are currently providing parking for free.

 

[LilyJC]

Yep, no charge today! The verbiage makes it clear it’s temporary (perhaps for when the parks actually reopen ).

 

[dina444444]

Yep, no charge today! The verbiage makes it clear it’s temporary (perhaps for when the parks actually reopen ).

That’s my guess. It’s the same at city walk right now.

 

[WonkaKid]

Awesome. Thanks everyone.

 

[DLgal]

No charge right now. It's super easy to park. However, AP doesn't EVER get you free parking for DtD. Just for future reference. You get 3 free hours only with a $20 purchase from a single DtD merchant. 5 hours validated with a table service meal at DtD (not the hotels).

 

[LilyJC]

Quick Midweek Downtown Disney Trip Report:

My youngest and I arrived to the Simba lot around 10:10 (intentionally to avoid any opening crowding). Family groups were instructed to stay together for temperature readings as we walked toward security. They had us place our bags down by our legs as we walked by the dogs and their handlers. Bags were then handed under the plexiglass to be checked and then we set them down/picked them up ourselves after walking through the metal detector. Grabbed hand sanitizer immediately after walking through!

We headed straight to World of Disney expecting to check in for a return time, but instead we were instructed to get in line. The line moved quickly, and we walked in to grab the First Order shirt my youngest had been begging for each time we were in the parks in February and early March. So thankful they had it as it never showed up on ShopDisney. We then moved on to the 65th anniversary merch, and I happily found my mug and puzzle! They had a plethora of spirit jerseys, mugs, puzzles, tees, ornaments, etc., but I didn’t notice the loungefly. I asked about the wishable, but those aren’t stocked in the store. Hopefully they’ll show up at some point. We each picked a mask and a couple other items. I have a pretty small face, and I had to pop the seam of the ear loop on my size large mask to get it to fit comfortably. Hopefully the yuck smell will wash out as well. We checked out, and had no problems using my AP discount. I will say my least favorite part at WoD was the lack of respecting social distancing throughout the store. The CMs were amazing everywhere, but the Disney merch fever seemed to result in crazy tunnel vision with no regard for others. Not. A. Fan.

We headed over to Marceline’s and thankfully walked right in. We ordered a couple different caramel apples and grabbed a bag of goodies for my parents. Salt and Straw also had no line, so we walked in to order. We sat in the shade to eat our ice cream and were shocked by the line that had formed at Marceline’s! It appears that lines will be hit or miss throughout the day. We headed out quickly as more people were pouring in for lunch. The parking lot was definitely more full than when we’d arrived, and we were thankful for our strategic planning and the plentiful hand sanitizer throughout DTD!

**Disclaimer: While we really enjoyed our time today, I don’t feel like I can 100% recommend the experience. The CMs were amazing, and my youngest frequently mentioned how friendly they all were. That said, we still felt unsettled. Visitors not respecting social distancing and the unnecessary risk still have me feeling uneasy tonight. I’m 100% canceling my December WDW DVC reservation as it’s not worth the effort to feel like this IMO. We’ll continue to play it by ear with DLR since it’s so close to home, but I just thought I’d share this side note for anyone who might be conflicted about visiting DTD!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...
**Disclaimer: While we really enjoyed our time today, I don’t feel like I can 100% recommend the experience. The CMs were amazing, and my youngest frequently mentioned how friendly they all were. That said, we still felt unsettled. Visitors not respecting social distancing and the unnecessary risk still have me feeling uneasy tonight. I’m 100% canceling my December WDW DVC reservation as it’s not worth the effort to feel like this IMO. We’ll continue to play it by ear with DLR since it’s so close to home, but I just thought I’d share this side note for anyone who might be conflicted about visiting DTD!

Thank you for your honest report. We have an upcoming reservation at Naples, and DH is really uneasy about going back to DTD. On the one hand, we really miss it and want to go back to our date night spot. But just like you said, is it "worth the effort to feel like this"? So we'll see whether DH wants to keep the reservation and, if so, what happens.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Another report from DTD today (7/15/20):

I went to Downtown Disney today and it was really enjoyable! We arrived around 12:15 and the parking lot was SO empty! It was seriously less than 1/5 full, if even that. We walked right through security and only waited about 5 minutes to get into WOD. The Wonderground Gallery and the Home store were empty, so we stopped there first. The line for WoD looked long but it moved fast. They were not doing any virtual lines today. Our longest wait was about 10 minutes for Marcelines, where we didn't find anything appealing. I thought there was a lot of cute new merch at WOD but mostly long sleeved stuff and hoodies, which I will wait on. I bought my husband 3 new star wars shirts, though. W also picked up 2 face masks (Mickey and Goofy faces). My son and I wore our Disney masks and they were VERY comfortable for 3 hours. They are actually quite cool and breathable.

Crowds weren't really an issue, BUT there were numerous people who just did NOT get the concept of social distancing and would literally walk so close to us that they brushed brushed our arms as they passed (this happened while we were waiting in lines for stores and couldn't really move out of the way, while they had like 15 feet of pathway to use). This happened more than a few times. It was really starting to annoy me by the time we left. The walkways are SO wide and yet people just walked right next to us repeatedly. I am not super paranoid, especially outdoors, and everyone did have on masks, but still. Don't come so close you basically touch me as you pass by. We grabbed a wetzel pretzel and jamba for one kid and my other son and I ate at EOS. EOS was surprisingly a slow process. I waited about 15 minutes in line at 2pm then another 10 for 2 sandwiches. Seemed excessive but maybe they have low staff levels right now. Who knows? I was impressed by how thoroughly the staff here cleaned the tables AND CHAIRS after every party left a table.

Also, we loved the portable sinks for handwashing in DtD. Very cool and we were able to wash our hands before eating lunch (the restroom near EoS was closed for a deep clean so we would have had to settle for sanitizers if not for the sinks).