Most Disney World Fans Won’t Return Until Next Year

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Traveling to the Disney Parks has been on many fans’ minds for quite some time since Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020. For some Florida-based residents, Walt Disney World Resort could be just a 20-minute drive and a quick visit to the parks (that is if they were lucky enough to score a Disney Park Pass) but for many, thinking of a Disney World trip includes extensive planning.

We at Inside the Magic decided to ask Disney fans on Instagram just how they feel about visiting Walt Disney World, and we received a lot of feedback!

WDW
All Images Credit Disney

After a 24-hour poll and many questions regarding if Disney fans would visit Walt Disney World during a pandemic, we received mixed reviews, some responses of pure excitement, and some responses of fear and hesitation.

After reviewing the polls, it became clear that many Disney Guests don’t plan on visiting the Walt Disney World resort anytime soon. We asked in our Instagram stories if fans have visited Disney World since the parks reopened last summer and if they have postponed their 2021 trip and plan to go next year. We found that only 38% of people polled have visited Walt Disney World since the parks reopened last summer, and 62% stayed behind. After around 4,800 views, 60% of our fans said that they postponed their Disney World trip for 2022 compared to 40% who are still planning to visit the parks in 2021.

 Instagram Story Inside the Magic
Credit: Inside the Magic
 Instagram Story Inside the Magic
Credit: Inside the Magic

With those numbers in mind, it was very interesting to review Guest reactions to booking a Disney World trip in the future. We found that 61% of our fans voted that they have not rebooked a trip for the future, with only 39% saying they rebooked a trip and are counting down until their next visit.

Keeping the pandemic in mind, we gave our viewers a chance to choose between four answers as to why visitors have not yet booked a Florida vacation to the Disney Parks. The votes were pretty split: some people are waiting for a vaccine, some are waiting for more shows and amenities to return to Disney World, and some are waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted. But above all, most people who have not yet booked a trip to Walt Disney World say that they are waiting for face masks and other pandemic-era rules to be eliminated.

These were the following responses:

  • I am waiting for a vaccine: 274 votes
  • I am waiting for more shows and amenities to return: 269 votes
  • I’m waiting for masks and other rules to be eliminated: 412 votes
  • I’m waiting for travel restrictions to be lifted: 300 votes
poll
Credit: Inside the Magic
poll
Credit: Inside the Magic

We were eager to hear everyone’s thoughts on traveling to Disney World, and various responses, thoughts, and opinions were provided. Many of our audience’s thoughts on traveling to Walt Disney World Resort ranged from waiting for the restrictions to be lifted, hopes of receiving vaccinations, and waiting for cases to go down before travel.

It was good to hear that many of our viewers have actually enjoyed visiting Walt Disney World this year and arranging plans for their next trip. Many Guests have raved that Disney World has done a stupendous job keeping visitors safe with mandatory masks in place, and limited capacity.

cast members
Credit: Disney

But still, we noticed other Guests expressed their reasons for not yet booking a trip.

Our U.K. and Canadian fans alerted us that some of them are excited for future summer vacations to Walt Disney World while others could not enter the U.S. Many explained that they have rescheduled their trips to the Disney Parks, and they are waiting for borders to open again so they can travel to Florida and visit the Most Magical Place on Earth.

There are some major concerns about when FastPasses will be available again. Some of our readers are waiting for upcoming rides like Magic Kingdom’s TRON Lightcycle Power / Run coaster and the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster coming to EPCOT before booking a trip to Walt Disney World.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Ride Vehicles
Credit: Disney

If plans of visiting the Disney World Resort are currently in your plans for this year, or if you’re planning a trip for 2022, we suggest you get in touch with our friends at Academy Travel, who can help plan your most magical vacation. Note that the Walt Disney World 50th anniversary celebrations will last for 18 months beginning October 1, so no matter when you visit, you have a lot to look forward to.

We thank all of our viewers for taking the time to respond to our recent polls and sharing their thoughts regarding traveling to Disney World. Even though it appears that the majority don’t have an interest in returning to the parks this year, we hope that more information about vaccinations and a decrease in COVID-19 cases will lead to positive travel trends and help Disney fans feel more comfortable heading back to their happy place.

Tree of Life Animal Kingdom
Credit: Disney

Were you a fellow Inside the Magic viewer who commented in our polls? Do you want to share your thoughts on traveling to Disney World right now? Let us know in the comments below! 

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