Walt Disney World made significant adjustments in 2020, as did most of the world. If you haven’t been to Walt Disney World in a few years, it might surprise you that some Disney Resort perks haven’t returned almost three years later.
Although these missing perks don’t significantly impact our overall vacation experience, they are still essential to be aware of ahead of time. Knowing about them can allow Guests to make the adjustments they need to have a successful vacation even without these Resort perks.
Less Free Soap
We are starting with one that isn’t a huge deal, but many Guests have noticed. Walt Disney World has switched out their individual. H20+ beauty products throughout the Resorts for permanent bottles attached to the shower wall.
Guests are no longer given individual shampoo, conditioner, and body wash; instead, they will find these three items in larger bottles in their shower. We know many Guests enjoyed collecting a few of these smaller bottles to take home.
Unfortunately, this is only an option if you bring your bottle to fill up. You can find boxed facial soap; otherwise, you will no longer need to leave room for those individual H20 beauty products in your suitcase.
Package Delivery
A big perk of staying at a Walt Disney World Resort was having your purchases throughout the Parks sent to your Resort. This was huge for Guests who didn’t want to carry their purchases all day in the Parks. Guests would fill out information about where they were staying and then could pick up their packages at their Walt Disney World Resort later in the evening.
If you took advantage of this perk in the past, you will want to be aware that you will now have to carry your purchases around the Parks. This might mean adjusting when you shop during your vacation.
Guests also used to be able to send their purchases to the front of the Parks to be picked up later. If you purchased something back in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, you could have it sent to Guests Relations, where you could pick it up on your way out of the Park. Instead, you will carry your lightsaber or BB-8 around the Park.
For most Guests, this might not be a big deal, but for those that took advantage of it in the past, adjustments might need to be made moving forward regarding shopping and purchases throughout the Disney Parks.
Airline Check-in
This is one of the Disney Resort perks we miss the most at Walt Disney World. This service allowed Guests to print their boarding passes and check-in luggage for their flight right at their Walt Disney World Resort hotel.
For us, this was a massive part of the magic. We could check our bags in the morning and head to the Park for a few hours before heading to the airport. Once at the airport, we didn’t have to worry about the stressful check-in area but instead went right to TSA. Then after our flight, our luggage magically appeared at our home airport.
With this perk, Guests can take an extra step to process how they will handle their luggage on their final day. If they have time to head to the Parks, they can drop items off at bell service to collect later. No matter what, Guests must check in their luggage at the airport from now on.
No Room Service
Room service was suspended following Covid-19 at the Walt Disney World Resorts. If you used to enjoy having food brought to your room after a day in the Park, this is no longer an option. Guests can continue using mobile orders to go to many of the Resorts. This allows you to place an order at the quick-service location and then return to your room to have a meal in the comfort of your PJs.
What we haven’t seen return is the delivery of room service directly to Walt Disney World Resort rooms. Some Guests have been able to do room service, especially at Disney’s Grand Florida Resort & Spa. This gives us hope that this offering might return in the future. If you want to take advantage of this, consider asking the front desk to see your options.
As we know, things are constantly changing at Walt Disney World, and this service could be quickly returned in the future.
Special Experiences
We are thrilled that most experiences are again open at Walt Disney World. What many Guests might not know is that there are still some experiences that haven’t returned to the Walt Disney World Resorts.
Over at Disney’s Grand Flordia Resort & Spa, a handful of extraordinary experiences haven’t returned. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique is open in the Magic Kingdom; however, we are still waiting for this location to reopen for Guests. As Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa continues to go through a significant refurbishment, we have seen essential updates. As these updates continue, we still wait for both 1900 Park Fare as well as the Garden View Tea Room to reopen.
We have seen significant updates to both Citricos and Narcoossee, and we hope that we will be able to see similar updates in the future to these areas in the Grand Floridian Resort that remain closed.
We love staying at the Walt Disney World Resorts. There are many perks to staying at one of Disney’s Resorts; we take advantage of those when visiting. If you haven’t seen it in a while, you might be surprised to learn about some of these perks that haven’t yet returned to Disney Resorts. Be aware of them and plan your trip accordingly in the future.
Related: Which Disney Resort is Right For You
