4. Most guests will still be making a stop at the Transportation & Ticket Center (with no trams)

We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again—The Transportation & Ticket Center may be the least magical-feeling place at the Most Magical Place on Earth. Unfortunately, it also continues to be an unavoidable stop for the majority of Magic Kingdom guests.

The Transportation & Ticket Center is, essentially, the Magic Kingdom parking lot—located about a mile away from the park on the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon. It’s also the designated drop-off point for all rideshare services and all non-Disney busses. As of 2020, this includes busses from the Swan and Dolphin resorts, as well as Disney Good Neighbor hotels. While the Magic Kingdom Resort Monorail and Disney busses are able to drop guests off right in front of the park, everyone else passes through the TTC. The process can take add anywhere from about 30-60 minutes on before you reach the park, depending on crowds.

As of our visit, Disney was still distancing vehicles parked at the TTC, meaning guests can expect a bit of a hike to get to security. While Disney is, supposedly, in the process of phasing out car-distancing, we haven’t seen any signs yet of parking lot trams returning.

We don’t normally recommend paying extra for Preferred Parking at Disney parks, but if a long walk through the parking lot is something you want to avoid (and you’ll be arriving late), it may be worth considering Preferred Parking when visiting Magic Kingdom during this season. Once trams are back up and running, it won’t matter as much, but for now, expect a potential hike if you’ll be passing through the TTC.

5. More attraction re-openings and construction progress

In biggest news, the PeopleMover is back! This beloved Tomorrowland attraction was closed for over a year, but it appears Disney worked out whatever kinks were delaying its reopening. We quite enjoyed our return ride, even if it did include a lengthy breakdown—maybe they haven’t ironed out all the kinks yet.

Tom Sawyer Island also is looking especially shiny these days. On our last visit, several elements throughout the island were either closed or malfunctioning, including Harper’s Mill and the Barrel Bridge.

This time, we were delighted to see that Disney has completed refurbishments on the island which now has some fresh paint, working cogs in the mill, and a brand new barrel bridge. Heck, even Injun Joe’s cave felt a little brighter than usual.

Waits to get to and from the island are still on the longer side in the early-afternoon due to social distancing, but as these policies are rolled back, those waits might go down.

As for other construction, progress continues on TRON Lightcycle/Run over in Tomorrowland, with focus on the attraction’s exterior canopy and track. You can get a good glimpse  from the PeopleMover, the Tomorrowland Speedway, or near the queue for the Barnstormer in Fantasyland.

6. Dining is still limited (but options are improving)

Dining reservations continue to be a challenge to come by at Disney parks—lower restaurant capacity and continued closures of some locations have been the primary root of the problem. Virtual walk-up lists have provided one means of getting into high-demand restaurants on short notice, but these fill up very quickly. The day we visited, for example, the Walk-Up List for Jungle Navigation Skipper Canteen filled up within 5-10 minutes of the restaurant opening.

At this stage, Disney has not made any announcements about rolling back distancing at restaurants, though it’s possible that change could be coming soon. A number of locations throughout Magic Kingdom like Columbia Harbour House continue to remain closed but could reopen at any time, as we have seen more locations returning across Walt Disney World (like our late-night favorite, Picabu Market, over at the Dolphin!).

With dining options remaining limited, if you don’t have a reservation in place, we recommend planning backup options during your visit to Magic Kingdom. While you may be able to score a last-minute cancelled reservation or catch a spot on a Walk-Up List, counter-service locations may end up being your best option.

In conclusion, it’s going to be much easier to visit Walt Disney World starting in these coming weeks. While this is good news for many, it does mean we can also expect to start seeing increases in wait times, attendance, and crowds.

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