We visited Disney World shortly after the parks reopened in 2020. This post is a look at what the parks were like with low crowds and new safety protocols.

The heart of the Disney parks in Florida must be Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom. This vantage really shows the crowd levels in the reopened parks.

Please wear a face covering at all times. They are serious about this. A couple ahead of me in line tried wearing gaitors into the park. The Cast Member politely let them know that was not an acceptable style. She did not let them pass, instead directing them back to their vehicle for masks or into the nearby gift store for the appropriate face covering.

There are no parades, character meets or fireworks. Still, some favorites can seen in “pop up surprises” such as these princesses waving to the crowd from the safety of the train station balcony.

Walking in just before lunch, I caught the tail end of a marching band.

And then, further up Main Street towards the Castle, there was another pop up character surprise. Watching this a few weeks after my visit, one thing that really stands out is just how few people were there to watch this. There is lots of social distancing going on here.

The complete lack of guests in queues to wait for rides let me grab some video of Buzz Lightyear welcoming guests to his ride. I’ve tried to record this before but never quit managed to get it without other guests talking or walking around & jostling me.

I also really enjoyed the empty ride experience Under the Sea. It was great to watch and listen to the AA performance and only the AA performance.

A couple of days later, my husband and daughter decided the parks looked safe enough to risk a trip to the Animal Kingdom. This safari video gives a good view of animals and some of the new safety protocols. Note the lightly loaded safari vehicle, face masks and plastic dividers between the rows.

The pop up surprises in Animal Kingdom seemed to mostly come by the waterways. We always enjoy the music.

Anyone who has ever waited hours – and I do mean HOURS – in line for another chance at Flight of Passage will appreciate what these empty queues mean! We rode this 3 times in 20 minutes. I’ve never seen waits like that for this ride before.

The empty Flight of Passage queue continues inside.

And then there’s the lab. This may be my favorite part of this queue.

We also enjoyed the river ride in Pandora several times. No one was here, so Cast Members let us hop back over and re-ride, which was really nice.

The parks were great fun. However, enjoying the empty lazy river at our new vacation home near Disney World might have been the absolute best part of the trip!

So there you have it – that’s what the parks were like a few days after reopening in July 2020!