PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT Area Resorts 3/17/20 (Crowds and Activities Around the Resort Before Closure Due to COVID-19)

Annie Wilson

PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT Area Resorts 3/17/20 (Crowds and Activities Around the Resort Before Closure Due to COVID-19)

The Walt Disney World Resort has been slowly shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. First, the parks closed. Then, Disney Springs. Now, there are just a few days left for guests staying at the resorts to make arrangements to get back home. This isn’t an ideal situation for anyone, but many guests are choosing to make the most of their last few hours on property. The options might be limited, but guests were still enjoying the few activities the resorts had to offer.

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The lobby of the Yacht Club was silent.

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Outside, the bus stops were empty and everything was eerily quiet.

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Let’s just take this times guide and pretend the parks are still open.

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Outside, we find this sign for updates during your stay.

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Outside, we found many people swimming in the pool as well as renting boats. The weather was beautiful.

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Beaches & Cream was packed with guests having lunch, and of course, ice cream. Unfortunately, no real signs of social distancing were seen either in the seating layout or the guests themselves

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This is my kind of social distancing.

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The gates to International Gateway are closed now that EPCOT is also closed.

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There were fewer surrey bikes available to rent today, but we saw quite a lot of people riding around.

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The lobbies are quiet, but outside, we find guests taking in the sunshine.

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Two Cast Members were scrubbing down the tables and chairs on the boardwalk, and this was one of the first signs of deep cleaning we spotted.

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We found a lot of activity at the Swan, but not so much at the Dolphin. The Dolphin was very quiet. Even the water in the fountain was turned off. We later found out that all resort operations had shifted over to the Swan for the duration of the closure.

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The gift shops were closed, too.

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Some of the hallways were dark, even though there were a few guests in the lobby.

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Chill at the Swan will be closed until the end of the month.

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Java will have modified hours, but there are plenty of things to snack on here.

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We stopped into Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and found a few guests in the lobby with luggage, but for the most part, it was quiet. The pool here was also full of guests due to such a hot day.

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The Riviera Resort was quiet, as well as the Disney Skyliner station.

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It looks a lot different without the gondolas on the line.

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The Walt Disney World resorts will be closing on March 20 through the end of the month. As always, thanks for joining us today, and be sure to keep following WDWNT for all the latest news and updates. We’ll see ya real soon!