Your Conversations Are Being Listened to on Disney Buses 4
As you travel around Walt Disney World right now, you’ll eventually wind up on buses.
Even with capacity limits on each one, you can’t but listen to some of the conversations occurring loudly.
Something about wearing a mask causes people to yell at the top of their lungs, even when a person sits right beside them.
So, here are a few topics I overheard during my most recent visit to Disney.
Image Credit: Disney
Lack of Crowds
When the parks reopened in July, early returning guests commented on the lack of crowds.
This knowledge, in combination with occasional downticks in COVID-19 cases, led some guests back to Walt Disney World.
However, many of them worried that they’d suffer a bait-and-switch when they got to the parks.
I overheard several guests discussing those misguided fears followed by the palpable relief that the parks were emptier than usual.
While park traffic rises and falls depending on the day, my trip fell during a decided downtime.
I nearly walked on Soarin’, something I couldn’t do during a VIP Tour last year!
The only delay in the line stemmed from waiting from the current ride to finish and guests to exit.
Bus riders couldn’t believe their tremendous fortune in doing everything that they’d wanted at the various Disney parks, save for one exception.
The Magic Kingdom guests were particularly enthusiastic about everything they’d done before switching parks in the afternoon or going home for the day.
Photo: Matt Stroshane
After everything society went through in 2020, some park visitors acted like they’d forgotten that good luck was possible, too!
Rise of the Resistance Hopes and Woes
Hoo boy, I heard about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance a lot while I was at Disney. It reminded me of the recent PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X rushes.
Photo: Disney
If you’re old enough, that’s like Tickle Me Elmo or Beanie Babies back in the day, toys that came in too-limited supplies, causing stampedes at stores.
There’s something about consumer behavior that makes us want something more when it’s harder to get.
At Walt Disney World, Rise of the Resistance holds the title of the toughest ticket in town. So, people want it.
I listened to all sorts of pro tips about how to book a Boarding Group. Others recounted horror stories about groups selling out in mere seconds.
Some guests even strategized about what they would say to Guest Relations. Yes, they planned their begging tactics in advance!
Free advice: Guest Relations has heard it all by now, and the cast members don’t distribute Rise of the Resistance FastPasses as a rule. So, you can forget that.
Interestingly, some others expressed concern that Rise of the Resistance seats every row now.
Photo: Steven Diaz
These guests didn’t know that plexiglass barriers protect riders from other parties.
Behavior of Other Guests
Of course, some of the concerns about Walt Disney World stemmed from guest behavior.
A few park visitors tried to pull the ol’ switcheroo by changing their face coverings once they were inside.
Bus riders humorously recounted stories of watching those people get busted and sometimes even kicked out of the park.
Some others recounted genuinely obnoxious stories involving insensitive guests.
Even at Walt Disney World, you cannot escape the antagonists who think only of themselves.
Thankfully, that percentage of park guests remains insignificant, but I did overhear several…well, “horror stories” is too much.
Let’s just say that the people who tried to push their way onto someone else’s Disney Skyliner weren’t being considerate of others.
Photo: Disney
As for the line-cutters, Disney needs to do something about that. Several passengers relayed stories of watching this.
I mean it when I say that I hadn’t noticed anyone successfully cut a line in a decade or more at Walt Disney World.
Due to staffing issues and cast member fatigue, it is happening some at the moment. And the guests who follow the rules don’t appreciate it at all!
The Busing Situation
I guess this topic’s a bit meta to overhear on a bus, but the subject did come up.
The issue’s particularly noteworthy in the mornings before the parks are open.
While we were there – and it could change at any time, so please don’t quote me on this – Disney buses arrived an hour before park opening.
The official site says 45 minutes, and I’m unclear as to the discrepancy.
Guests would plan for these early buses, knowing that if they missed one, they could wait a while for the next ride.
So, we’d find long lines 45-60 minutes before park opening. Oddly, the lines would shrink slightly after that, as Rope Drop doesn’t appear popular right now.
Passengers would comment on how long they waited for the buses, how early they’d get to the parks, and whether the vehicles were too empty/crowded.
Then, as everyone boarded buses to go back to the hotel or Park Hop, they’d discuss their fortunes in catching a bus.
Opinions varied dramatically on this one. We’ve spent 11 days at Disney since Halloween.
During those two trips, we’ve generally had good luck with transportation. Alas, some of the passengers vented about nightmarish waits.
I’ve similarly followed such conversations on social media. It really is potluck to an extent.’
Most people – and I’m in this group – feel that busing works better during the pandemic than it ever had before.
Others swear that they cannot catch a bus on the first try, which leaves them waiting 30 minutes or more at times.
I cannot speak to this, as the only time on either trip we couldn’t get a bus in that timeframe, we just skipped a Disney Springs trip and hung out at the hotel.
As always, your mileage can and will vary. Disney transportation – all commuter transportation, really – is mercurial and unpredictable.
WandaVision
This particular update may work as a time capsule in that it makes little sense after the fact.
However, at the start of 2021, Disney+ unveiled its first Marvel Cinematic Universe series, WandaVision.
I’m not exaggerating when I say that dozens of people conversed about the show.
Some folks watched episodes on the bus, which struck me as sub-optimal as a viewing experience.
Even as I mentally criticized their decision, I realized that they may have the perfect solution to pass the time on a bus.
With WandaVision playing, you’d forget the time until your arrival, which is something else I watched happen.
Others would alert riders to the fact that they’d reached their destination. They were too locked in on WandaVision to recognize it.
Cast members seemed just as excited, with bus drivers asking passengers whether they’d watched the most recent episode.
Nobody wanted to spoil it for others, which exemplifies another way that Disney is just plain better than the rest of society.
The Park Experience
Whenever I read MickeyBlog comments, I’m amused by the disparity of opinions between those who have gone to the parks vs. those who won’t.
Image Credit: Disney
Some swear that facemasks ruin the experience, so they will not visit Disney until that requirement ends.
Others worry about their health in such a public setting and don’t want to risk their lives on vacation.
(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
Then, there’s the rest of us somewhere in the middle.
We don’t mind facemasks – as someone with allergy problems, I quite like them – and feel safe at Walt Disney World.
(Caitie McCabe, photographer)
So, most of the guests interact not just within their own parties but also with strangers. People want to debate this particular topic with others.
I was amused that so many people generally felt the same on the subject.
Photo: Disney
The parks deliver about 90-95 percent of the standard experience during the pandemic, with some pros and cons each way.
The lack of crowds is such a huge positive that it overwhelms most other factors. Still, the lack of favorite resorts and restaurants is noticeable.
Photo: Disney
As such, people converse about whether they’re glad that they visited.
In my interactions with others, as well as some shameless eavesdropping, I learned that virtually everyone was happy that they came.
Many visitors fall in the same category as me, feeling safer at Walt Disney World than they do in their own towns.
(Kent Phillips, photographer)
Frankly, I expected more negativity and divisiveness on the subject than I overheard. People seem glad that they made the trip.
