Walt Disney World Announces Reopening Plans – May 31, 2020

DISCLAIMER: This post was written in May 31, 2020 when we first received the news for Disney World's reopening plans. In order to remember and preserve this unique time in history, we have decided NOT to update this blog post with the latest information. Please read our latest posts for all the most up-to-date information about Disney World's reopening - Thank you!

Disney Announces Plans for Walt Disney World Reopening

After the reopening of Disney Springs at the Walt Disney World resort on May 20, we were eagerly awaiting the news of when the resort of the Walt Disney World resort would open. On Wednesday, May 27, 2020 Disney announced their reopening plans during the Orange County task force. Like many, we watched the task force meeting live online, anxiously awaiting the news of when Disney parks would reopen. During the meeting, Disney announced plans for Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom to open on July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. Some guests (Annual Passholders, etc.) may be able to access the parks a few days before that. Disney’s plans were technically proposals until government authorities approved them on May 29.

How Will Disney Safely Reopen?

Of course, Disney can’t just reopen the parks and immediately go back to a pre-coronavirus world. Disney will be making many changes to the park experience to keep guests and Cast Members safe. Along with the increased cleaning efforts, there will be a significant number of changes coming to Walt Disney World. While many people are disappointed with the changes, Disney feels these are the necessary steps they must take to reopen. These steps are what will allow them to keep everyone safe as they reopen the Walt Disney World parks. The changes they are implementing are in accordance with guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and appropriate government agencies. All of the measures Disney is taking promote cleanliness, physical distancing and reduced contact. Keep reading to learn all about the changes:

Face Coverings and Temperature Screenings

New guidelines are in place for face masks and temperature screenings at the Walt Disney World Resort. Face coverings are required for all guests ages 2+ (along with Cast Members). Guests will need to bring their own face coverings and wear them at all times, except when swimming or dining. According to Disney, all face coverings should:

Fully cover an individual’s nose and mouth and allow the Guest to remain hands-free
Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face
Be secured with ties or ear loops
Be made of breathable material, either disposable or reusable

Additionally, upon arrival at Disney Springs or the Walt Disney World parks, a temperature screening with a no-touch thermometer will be performed. Those with temperatures 100.4 F or above and their party will not be allowed entry. It’s also recommend that you check the temperatures of everyone in your party prior to leaving home.

Physical Distancing & Limited Contact

A key component of the plan for safely reopening Walt Disney World is to enforce physical distancing in the parks. Reduced contact between guests and Cast Members, as well as between guests, is key in reducing the spread of COVID-19. Some of the ways Disney is implementing this include:

Signage and ground markings have been installed throughout the parks. These will advise guests on how to navigate common areas while practicing physical distancing.
Physical barriers have been added in places where physical distancing is not possible. This includes places such as at a cash register or at Guest Relations. These barriers will be similar to those that have been installed in stores across the country.
Cashless transactions will also be strongly recommended to reduce the passing of currency between guests and Cast Members. Alternative payment options such as credit, debit, gift cards, mobile wallets and MagicBands will be available instead.

My Disney Experience App and Use of Technology

The My Disney Experience app is already an integral part of the guest experience in the parks. Now there will be even more emphasis and additional uses for the app as well as other forms of technology. While more information will be coming about these new features, at this time Disney has provided the following examples:

Mobile Order for dining has been a huge timesaver for guests who take advantage of it. Click here to read our post all about this service, how it works and why we love it. This service is expanding to even more restaurants.
Scannable codes for select restaurant menus will be a new option coming to select table service restaurants. Guests can scan a code to access the digital menu via their device, eliminating the need to touch a menu.
Online Check-In at resorts is another pre-existing feature that will be expanding and become even more common. This service allows guests to bypass the front desk by checking in to their hotel in their My Disney Experience account. When your room is ready, you will be notified through the app and can head straight to your room. You can even open the door with the app!

New Park Reservation System

In addition to a park ticket, guests will also require a park reservation to be able to enter the parks. This will allow Disney to reduce capacity and limit the number of guests visiting each park on a given day. We should be receiving more information about how this reservation system will work in the coming week.

While this new reservation system is being implemented, for the time being Disney is suspending all new ticket sales. Existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders will be able to make park reservations in the new system in phases before they resume selling new tickets. Similarly, they have paused new reservations at Disney resort hotels so they can focus on guests with existing reservations. At this time, you also cannot make any modifications to existing reservations (however reservations can still be cancelled). Disney has not yet announced when the park reservation system will open up. They also have not yet announced when reservations and ticket sales will resume.

Parades and Fireworks

In order to maintain physical distancing, Disney will be modifying or suspending select experiences. Upon reopening, Disney will not be offering parades or nighttime spectaculars because of their tendency to draw heavy crowds. We have no details on how soon these quintessential elements of the Disney experience will return to the parks.

Restaurants and Dining

Dining Reservations

Along with the reduced capacity in the parks, Disney will also be managing capacity and maintaining physical distancing in restaurants. In order to do this, they have made the decision to cancel all dining reservations at this time. After the park reservation system has been implemented, they will reopen the system so guests can make new dining reservations for available restaurants. At this time, we do not know which restaurants (or how many restaurants) will be open. For the restaurants that do open, we speculate that we’ll see changes such as removal of self-service buffets and significant changes to character dining experiences.

Going forward, reservations for dining and for other in-park experiences is changing from 180 days to 60 days. For many, this is a welcome change (even outside of COVID-19) since many people plan trips less than 6 months out. It can also be hard to decide where to eat that far in advance!

Dining Plans

On a related note, Disney has decided to discontinue the Disney Dining Plans at this time. We expect that this is due to the lack of restaurants that will be available. Currently, we do not know if or when the dining plans will be reinstated. Unfortunately this means they need to modify every Disney resort package containing a dining plan! Any resort package that includes a dining plan will have it removed from your reservation automatically in the coming days. Disney will be removing the cost of the dining plan from the package total. If the reservation is paid in full (or the new total is less than the amount paid), Disney will automatically issue a refund back to the original form of payment.

Free Dining

Furthermore, guests who have a Free Dining promotion will also be issued a 35% discount on their reservation. This applies to both the regular Free Dining promotion as well as the Summer Recovery Offer that was offered to guests impacted by the COVID-19 closures in March, April and May. The 35% room discount is valid for the current dates of travel, so qualifying guests cannot move their trip dates. Those with Free Dining reservations in June or July will not be eligible for the new offer.

The original announcement included different information (that guests could use the 35% discount for a future date) but that was changed shortly thereafter. Any guests who received a Free Dining Plan but upgraded it to a higher level of Dining Plan will not be eligible for the 35% room offer. Instead, these guests will just be issued a refund for the amount they paid to upgrade the dining plan. Guests will only be eligible for the 35% offer if they truly had a ‘free’ dining plan and will not be getting a refund at all when their dining plan is removed.

FastPass+ and Extra Magic Hours

Like dining reservations, all current FastPass+ reservations are being cancelled at this time. When the parks reopen, there will be no FastPass+ service. Disney will use the additional line space to help maintain physical distancing between guests in the queue. Disney had also previously announced that they were exploring the use of virtual queues which could explain the decision to suspend the FastPass+ system. Additionally, Extra Magic Hours will not be available when the parks reopen, either. There is not currently any information on when FastPass+ or Extra Magic Hours will resume.

Character Interactions

In order to maintain physical distance, character meet and greets will not be available when the park reopens. However, Disney stated in their plans that “characters will still be in our parks to entertain and delight our guests”. Without character meet and greets or parades, we’re not sure how this will work. But, we are excited to see what Disney has planned!

Reopening Walt Disney World Resorts

Disney Vacation Club Resorts

Disney Vacation Club (DVC) Resorts, also known as Disney Deluxe Villa Resorts, will open on June 22. Unlike regular resort reservations, Disney Vacation Club members can also continue to make new resort reservations during this time.

Disney Resort Hotels

Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground will open on June 22 along with the DVC resorts. A notation on Disney’s website indicated that the resorts would be opening on July 11 along with the parks. However, that notation has since been modified. This had led to some confusion about whether or not the resorts would be opening. Current information suggests that, like the parks, the resorts will also open in phases.

Since the parks will have significantly reduced capacity, Disney would not need to open every resort. Guests who are booked at a resort that is not open for their travel dates would be moved to another resort of equal or greater value. For example, if guests had a reservation at a moderate resort and it was not open for their stay, it’s possible that the guests could relocate to a different moderate-level resort or upgraded to a deluxe or deluxe villa resort. The guests would not get a choice in which resort they would be relocated to. When Disney decides to reopen all the resorts will likely depend on demand and the park capacity.

Magical Express

Disney’s Magical Express service will resume on June 22 when the first resorts open.

Overall Thoughts on Walt Disney World Reopening Plans

Many people were extremely excited to hear the news that Walt Disney World now had an opening date. However, many people were also disappointed when they heard the plans. A visit to Walt Disney World without character meet and greets, parades and fireworks will be a very different Walt Disney World than the one that closed in March. However, the world has changed a lot since then and Disney parks have to change with it. Hopefully, with the implementation of these measures, there will be a smooth and safe Walt Disney World reopening.

As time goes on, many of these requirements will be loosened. However, some of these measures may be part of the ‘new normal’ and might be here for the long term. Disney vacations may look different now, but Disney remains focused on delivering a wonderful experience for everyone who visits. Like many of you, we can’t wait to get back to the Magic, too!

More Updated Information About the Phased Reopening

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