After taking the Disney Magical Express to our hotel, The Yacht Club, we were able to go straight to our room. No check-in process needed. A lot of things were, in my opinion, changed for the better because of the pandemic. Things were more automated and less interaction with people was more common. So we checked in on our phones, got a text when the room was ready, and our Magic Bands opened the door right on up. We ditched our bags and then our strollers were delivered. We used Orlando Stroller Rental. They deliver right to your hotel and give you a stroller rain cover and a free cooler. I know our kids are too big for strollers but we have a Dominic so we thought better safe than sorry and it is kind of nice to have a "home base" as it were for all our stuff. Water bottles, sweatshirts, ponchos, etc. Then we started the short walk over to Epcot. We all got our temperatures taken (I did check everyone at the hotel each morning just in case, because they will send the entire party away if one of you have a fever) and went through security and scanned our Magic Bands to enter. No more fingerprint scanner, just fyi, another thing I was happy to see go. There are hand sanitizers literally everywhere and I'm pretty sure we used every single one we passed. Never pass a potty or a sanny!
We started walking around the World Showcase and stopped quick for some lunch. All quick-service dining that we encountered we could order online and they would alert you when it was ready. They are very strict about masks at Disney so unless you are stationary and actively eating or drinking it has to cover your nose and mouth. So we sat down to eat in America and as we did so we saw the little passing cavalcades! Anna and Elsa and Mickey and Minnie and friends! Within an hour of entering we had seen them already! I think we saw more characters this trip than in any other trip we have taken. No hugging or autographs sure, but still!
We continued around the World, stopping in Mexico for a margarita after riding the Three Caballeros which is such a favorite of my kids! Then we did Soarin and Finding Nemo, and of course Spaceship Earth. We had dining reservations at the Trattoria at the Boardwalk so we had to leave the park anyway for that. The kids wanted to swim before dinner, which is incidentally, the only time you're able to have your mask off while on Disney property (unless you're in your room). We had a bit of a scheduling issue where dining was concerned. They didn't allow for our party size of twelve to sit together. So between that and COVID restrictions we had staggered reservation times and we were split up. Not ideal, but in no means a deal breaker. We were all so shot after dinner so we just headed back to the room to relax and go to bed early in prep for another big day tomorrow!
