While plans to reopen Disney World’s theme parks are currently in the works, Disney Springs began welcoming back guests last week.

We took you with us to see several of the third-party stores and restaurants that have already reopened, but today is the first day that Disney-owned locations have started reopening to the public.

Hours

World of Disney is now open to guests from 10AM to 10PM every day, which are the same new reduced hours for Disney Springs.

Disney Springs was noticeably way more crowded today than it has been lately. Even over Memorial Day weekend, this place was a ghost town, but now that World of Disney has reopened this place has really come to life!

You can read more about the new logistics of Disney Springs here!

Crowds

We arrived at World of Disney a little before 9AM for the anticipated 10AM opening today. When we visited last week, we noticed there were several social distancing markers already on the ground outside the store suggesting that Disney was prepared for a long line of guests.

And there were some loooooong lines when we got there this morning! By the time we arrived (more than an hour early, mind you!) the wait time to enter World of Disney was approximately three-hours long. So many people were there that they had to add more tape to the ground while Cast Members were guiding guests to stand six feet apart until more social distancing markers could be placed!

Learn more about Disney Springs’ mandatory health and safety measures here!

Keep in mind, the line we waited in this morning wasn’t to enter World of Disney right away — it was to put in your name for a callback time. 

Click here to read our FULL guide to decoding the new stickers throughout Disney Springs!

Once we made it to the front of the line, we gave a Cast Member our name and phone number. He entered our information into his tablet, and once we were on the list, we were free to roam around Disney Springs until it was time! Disney used a virtual queue to call guests wanting to enter World of Disney back when it was their turn.

You can read more about this unexpected virtual queue here.

Wait Time

For us, the three-hour wait time estimate was a little off. We were told we would be receiving a text message about 15 minutes before our World of Disney window opened up. We would then have 30 minutes to return to the store.

As it turned out, we submitted our names and phone numbers to the Cast Member at World of Disney around 9:10AM and received a text to return to around 11:28AM — so our wait was just over two hours, not three hours as originally projected.

We were instructed to go check-in with a Cast Member stationed at the World of Disney entrance near Amorette’s Patisserie. Only one entrance and one exit at World of Disney are open to guests at this time.

Shopping

Once inside, we were told there was no time limit — and no dollar-limit! We were free to spend as long as we wanted inside World of Disney.

Social Distancing Signs

We noticed several new pieces of health and safety signage had been placed throughout the store reminding guests to practice social distancing while they shopped.

Hand Sanitizer Stations

Several hand sanitizer stations had also been added to the salesfloor for guests and Cast Members to use.

Please Limit Contact Signs

Meanwhile, shoppers were encouraged not to over-handle products. We saw similar signage posted at several third-party businesses including Arribas Bros. last week.

Guest Compliance

We noticed shoppers were being mindful of each other while plenty of Cast Members were around for additional assistance.

Guests at Disney Springs must wear their face masks at all times, something we noticed both guests and Cast Members seemed to be complying with.

Read more about our shopping experience at other Disney Springs locations here!

Checkout

At checkout, Cast Members were on hand to help with managing the queue, ensuring guests were social distancing while they waited. Social distancing markers were also present in the checkout line, showing guests where they could stand before moving forward.

Similar to what we’ve seen at other Disney Springs stores and restaurants, plexiglass shields have been installed at each cash register.

Signage encouraging the use of contactless forms of payment have also been posted at each checkout counter, but cash is still being accepted.

Check out our experience with grab and go food and drink locations in Disney Springs here!

Get a FIRST LOOK at the new health and safety signage Disney World will have when the theme parks reopen here!

Overall Experience

Crowds were much higher today than they have been previously. However, things ran smoothly and there were plenty of Cast Members around to make sure that guests were complying with the new regulations. Overall, the store didn’t feel too crowded and we were able to get in and out quickly and efficiently.

Check out all of our coverage from the reopening of Disney Spring here!

What questions do YOU have about the reopening of Disney Springs or World of Disney? Let us know in the comments!