In case you missed it, this week we shared some big news about Walt Disney World Resort, including plans to welcome guests back to the theme parks as part of a phased reopening beginning July 11, pending state approval.
We know many of you are excited to return to the magic and make new memories with your family, friends and loved ones. As we previously shared, as we take these next steps forward, we are introducing enhanced health and safety measures reflecting guidance from health authorities and appropriate government agencies.
When our theme parks reopen, we will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system on DisneyWorld.com that will require all guests to make a reservation in advance for theme park entry. Over the coming weeks, we will be making some necessary updates to prepare for the launch of this park reservation system. Here’s some important information to help you plan ahead:
- New Ticket Sales and Hotel Reservations: At this time, we are temporarily pausing new ticket sales and Disney Resort hotel reservations so we can focus on guests with existing tickets and reservations. Existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders will be able to make a theme park reservation before new tickets are sold; we will be reaching out to these guests soon to provide additional details. We will resume new sales of tickets and Disney Resort hotel reservations after that period of time. Theme park reservations will be limited due to attendance limitations and will be subject to availability.
- Dining and Experiences: In order to foster physical distancing during this time, upon reopening, our offerings, restaurants and other experiences such as behind-the-scenes tours will be limited in capacity, and other experiences may remain closed. As a result of limited capacity, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all existing dining reservations and experience bookings, including Disney dining plans included in packages. We will reopen dining and experience bookings with more limited numbers closer to when the parks reopen. We will also shift from a 180-day booking window to a 60-day booking window for dining and experience bookings going forward to allow Guests to make their plans closer to their visits.
- FastPass+ and Extra Magic Hours: As a result of the COVID-19 impact, the FastPass+ service will be suspended for the time being as we plan to use additional queue space to manage capacity at our attractions and maintain physical distancing. We will automatically cancel existing FastPass+ selections and share any future updates on the service at a later date. Also, please note that upon reopening, Extra Magic Hours will be temporarily suspended.
We are reaching out to guests affected by these updates with additional information and details on options, including refunds. We understand how much excitement, thought and time goes into planning a Disney vacation and realize some of these changes may be disappointing. Please know we will be here to help you, as we remain focused on delivering a wonderful experience for everyone who visits.
You can visit a new “Know Before You Go” hub at DisneyWorld.com/Updates, where you can find the latest updates on our operations and offerings, including details on how to modify your plans. If you booked through a third-party, we recommend you reach out directly to your travel professional or ticket seller.
We appreciate your ongoing patience and understanding as we continue to keep the well-being of guests and cast members in mind. Stay tuned for more information over the next few weeks on how to use the theme park reservation system and other tips to be aware of prior to your visit.
Comments
We have a reservation booked for just before Christmas at a DVC resort and are not able to get park tickets. How is possible that some one is able to make a reservation, get park tickets and make reservations? See July 1st post..
i am worried that I have to buy my tickets first and then make park reservations afterwards. What happens is there are no more reservations for the dates going, can I get a refund on my tickets and lodging?
Thanks Disney for being organized during this difficult time. We had 1/2 month booked for July with 39 meal reservations, H20 and Halloween Party. We moved dates to August, as we are Canadian and quarantine extended. Now had to cancel completely. Rebooked for next August ( knowing things will hopefully get better and restrictions lifted). Also, I just booked 6 nights at Christmas, super easy. Got resort, tickets and patk reservations easily and confirmed immediately. It all makes sense and I did it all online. Disney refunded all our event tickets and cancelled dining – but I shall just make new ones when my date comes up. I have booked 17 trips and find it very easy. Cannot wait for Christmas. Thanks for making things easy during this challenging time.
hi, I have a DVC reservation for Feb 2021 but no tickets. Can I buy my AP today or do I need to wait until June 28th? Thanks
Have hotel reservations but no tickets. We need tickets, please.
We have a December rescheduled air fare from Hawaii to Florida we cannot reschedule for another time.
We have hotel reservations because we could not use or borrowed points to make reservations at DVC property. Our Annual Pass, platinum and gold expired 6/2. We were going to renew but got extended to 9/27 so as I understand it I can’t renew till 7/27. We have my son’s girlfriend who decided to come as well and My daughter (they are on hotel reservation)has no ticket. We hotel reservations but no way to make park reservations with out our AP or girlfriend needs ticket.
Doesn’t seem fair we aren’t given opportunity to buy tickets on a schedule like everyone else.
Disney you are leaving many DVC members in limbo not knowing if we can purchase new Annual passes. Please don’t leave it to late for us to get tickets, I’m worried we will not be able to get any park reservations for the rest of the year. I have two vacations booked for this year and no tickets. Will my family be stay at the pool for weeks each time?
Your information is incredibly difficult to find. I found one note that says annual plan people can book each day for the length of their stay and another that said the limit is 3. It is impossible to get questions answered, there is no FAQ that I could find. I have been on your site and trying to call for 11 hours now and no help to be found. Its extremely frustrating.
Our family understand that these are uncharted times but, giving us this information in tidbits and not being upfront is unacceptable. I can find no info on the website to answer my questions, I am told Disney will reach out to us because we have a reservation in August but they never have. I was unable to get my Disney Springs reservation back because I naively waited for that promised Disney email letting me know I could make a reservation. We like others are out money spent for travel from California, we are out tickets purchased and worse, my husband and I are AP holders that only purchased them to make 3 trips out in 12 months and now we are unable to do that. Disney also is limiting how many days we can reserve in the park to 3. No park hopping with the pass. The park hopper pass we bought cannot be downgraded to a regular 1 park pass. It just seems like we have given Disney a lot of money and we can’t get any kind of credit for these tickets or answers about our upcoming trip so we can even decide if we want to go at this point.
For dates you are allowed to make a reservation read the article titled: Disney Park Pass Reservation System: How it Works
I was able to modify my early-July reservations last week and here are some questions I can answer.
1) DAS will still be available for those who need it. My daughter is autistic so I asked this directly to 2 separate cast members 2 different times and both told me it was staying in place.
2) If you change your dates of your trip and have to change hotels because your original hotel is not open, you WILL have to pay the difference in cost. We originally were booked at the All-Star Music Resort from July 6th – July 10th (before the parks open) so of course we needed to change the dates of our stay. We are now booked for July 20th – July 24th but had to book at a Disney Vacation Club (DVC) hotel because those are the ONLY OPEN resorts at WDW during this time and no dates have been given for when other resorts may open (told by cast member). We were switched to The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort which were the cheaper option available for our dates, which increased our cost by $894.00. If this was not such an important vacation for our family, we would probably cancel.
3) Still no answers on the park hopper option. I was told by the cast member, who helped me modify my resort and dates, the reason they cannot give us an answer or make any changes is because the ticketing system is down/offline. They have not received any information confirming hoppers will be discontinued from their bosses either. He did make a note of it in the call records (they are having to take notes on all calls) that I wanted the hoppers removed and the funds to go toward my resort “upgrade” balance.
4) They are working on getting the reservation system online and anyone with a resort reservation or previously bought tickets should be getting an email within the next week or 2 (cast member’s best estimate). He could not provide me with a specific date but said it had to be soon with the parks opening in a month.
5) The cast member indicated Disney is waiving cancellation fees up to 7 days before any trip right now. This means you can cancel your trip 7 days before your check in date and you will get a full refund. They are doing this because things are so influx right now and the reservation system is not up and going yet. However, I do not know how far out in the year this cancellation policy extends.
I hope this helps some of you. I know I felt a little bit better after talking to the cast member I spoke with when modifying our vacation as he had the most answers of any cast members I have spoken with over the past months. Plus, he was very honest about not having answers as well and explaining why he did not have them.
Thank you for requiring masks! It’s really selfish and careless to not wear a mask or practice social distancing, especially whiny adults who think they are somehow immune from susceptible viruses. As a medical first responder, I applaud you whole-heartedly. Thank you for taking action towards preventive measures!
I read in multiple news sources today that the NBA teams are staying at Gran Destino Tower at Coronado Springs, Grand Floridian and Yacht Club. Games start on 7/31. I called WDW this morning to ask how that would affect me as I arrive at Yacht Club on 8/1 where 6 teams will be staying. Will regular guests still be staying there or will we be moved elsewhere. I was told to continue to check the WDW website for further information as they had not heard where the teams were staying. Although information is coming out to everyone, it is piecemeal, at best.
Who is Disney reaching out to?! My trip is July 11th…..and no one has ever reached out to me. Still not sure if we can get into the parks the days we planned on and who knows what we will be eating…..let alone stressing about doing this along with every other person at the same time. Our tickets say valid 7/20/2020….the day we leave. I have called to tried and have it fixed, but they tell me they cannot do anything. I just wish there was some sort of communication….other than, “Keep checking the site!”.
I think everyone has to get used to the fact that any future Disney experiences will never be the same as they once were. This virus has undone so many things it’s incomprehensible at times. I applaud Disney for trying to deal with this situation the best way they know how.
I too had a vacation scheduled to start July 12,2020. I have been a dvc member since 1998 and in recent years something has happened with the magical experience. I agree with other members as the lack of forthcoming specific information is being held in a very guarded manner. Since any announcement about the opening of the parks was delayed , I felt that it was best to rebook and not wait. I rebooked for December 2020. When rebooking a vacation stay, you have to be very careful about where your points came from. Since there wasn’t any announcement yet of the opening , some of my points came from the 2019 use year ( my use year begins August 1) and they were not allowed to be used for the next vacation. MY banking window had passed. NO Kidding!!!!The first week of my previous stay was July 12. I think that first week is going to be so very confusing for all. Where do you eat??? This is not what we signed up for. Can’t buy park passes for other family members. I have talked to 4 different cast members and the line in the sand has been drawn. I sent 3 emails and no response to those. They were probably deleted. All sorts of concessions have been made for those prior to my week that Disney is being too hardened to this. I was told that it was a firm directive from the Vice President of DVC Terri Schultz and that this was it and no exceptions are to be made.Massachusetts has not even opened up nonessential air travel til Jul 20. This is so disheartening and I am disappointed with this non response. So where is the magic pixie dust??? Gone . All I’m told is put them into RCI. In my estimation that is not a good solution. Well I’m sure that there re many more of you out there that have had this same experience. We have all invested a lot of money in purchasing an ownership interest. Basically without our investment dollars where would DVC ,be as we are the repeat visitors pouring $$$$ into Disney every year. My suggestion that the phase in period should have been for Florida residents as it really is a trial of how things will work – no response. WELL, the “Magical Experience ” needs a revision from the powers above in their corporate offices. From a very disheartened member.
If your a dvc member and guest can u buy military tickets and get into the park if you have hotel reservations. How does it work taking temps in july and august heat? Everyone is going to be hot and register a higher than normal temperature
I love going and staying at the resort, I like being able to resort hop and go to Disney Springs. I only go to the parks for a short time, especially at this time of year in Florida. Iam just excited to be able to go for a nice relaxing stay on Disney property.
Will DVC Members be able to renew or buy new Annual passes? Why do Guests with hotel reservations still need to make park reservations? There is not really any point going on vacation to Disney World if we can’t get into the parks.
I have my wedding booked for the very beginning of October at Disney World and I am currently only 4 months out from the date and I am still waiting to hear back if things need to be postponed. I do not have a reception planned as we planned on going to food and wine right after the ceremony and Ohana’s for our wedding dinner and now my dinner reservation for 42 people has been canceled for my wedding dinner. Disney please start to give more information out. I’m also an annual passholder and I want to know if I can park hop or not because that impacts my honeymoon. Right now Disney has many frustrated brides because they will not give us more info.
Just got off the phone with a cast member. We have reservations for 10/15/2020. I understand the not knowing what will happen that far out. The hotel we picked is not scheduled to open at this time. We can upgrade for a cost. Or we can wait to see if it will open. Our dining plan was refunded yesterday. I asked how the park would handle seating for quick service, since in the past it can be unbearable and who wants to stand to eat. The answer was unknown, but you can go to Disney Springs. Really, if I am in the park I am going to go Disney Springs for meals. I don’t think so. I asked about I registering to get into the park, the answer was they are still working on the system (must be IT issues). I have been to Disney every year for the past 18 years and some times a couple times in each of those years. I am sad how this Covid-19 has taken over our world as we knew it and not just at Disney but everyday life. Just not sure we will make it this year with no fireworks or parade. 🙁
My suggestion is to let the passholder decide when the remaining time on his or her pass should restart. When a passholder is comfortable with the conditions of use, then he or she can just use the pass at the gate or notify passholder services. That way, time is not running while a passholder feels the conditions (masks, reservations, etc.) are unacceptable.
I think it is time for further and more detailed updates.
It seems we have lots of questions and light on answers.
There’s a lot at stake for our vacations, many cannot be rebooked again.
We are unwavering fans but this is getting difficult without advice and dates and answers regarding entry to a park, or how to go about getting the reservation.
Please, it really is imperative to get more data and information out to us.
Thanks.
I’m reading all these comments and realized that we are all pretty much in the same boat. We too purchased a vacation to Orlando to celebrate my son’s graduation from high school since he could not be given a normal celebration. Our trip is at the end of July and we were hoping to visit on Aug 3rd and 4th. Our family and 3 other seniors will be traveling with us too. An added gift for my son and those kids. One big family trip and fun with friends for him before college and the Reserves. It might be more of a gift for mom (me) to have my son with us before he starts life in the real world. I’m crossing my fingers that we will be able to land tickets and at least enjoy some of the attractions.
I believe that Disney is doing what it can given the situation. Like most everyone, we are in the same boat regarding previous reservations in May that were changed to late August and now hearing about all the restrictions and changes that will take place. We could probably just wait until next year however, we have prepurchased military tickets and to date, Disney has been silent on whether they will allow for an extension on the expiration date which is currently 12/18/2020. Most of the other types of tickets have been addressed but still nothing on military salute tickets. It is beginning to sound like we might be out of a lot of funds if we cannot go and there is no extension to the expiration. Saying a little prayer as well that they will allow us to use the tickets next year if we need to cancel.
Responding to Paula on June 3 post:
We are in a similar boat. Three of the four travelers are Annual Pass members, but the 4th is not, so we bought her a ticket for the original trip date: August 10. Then we moved the trip up a week so my son could go, and so far, Disney will not let me move her ticket up along with the changed date because Disney considers that a “new ticket”.
Will she be able to get into the parks with us or because her existing ticket doesn’t line up to our new date will she be sitting at the resort pool? We are DVC members and staying at Bay Lake, arriving on August 2nd – under 60 days and no answer. Oh boy!
Does anyone know what the situation with Disney transport to and from hotels and parks is going to be? Are they running? Will it be a reduced service etc
Appears most have the same questions – how do ‘new’ park reservations work and impact on Hopper, limited dining reservations but when can we reserve, and most importantly, WHEN will everyone receive information so that they can make plans to cancel, modify, etc….Is it really going to be worth it to vacation in this new environment. Most will need to cancel just due to unknowns and lack of information.
I went the first week Disney springs opened and had the BEST time. I recently lost some purchased items from Disney parks so now I’m definitely having the need to come back to a Disney Resort and Have some fun listening to DJs and flowing with music along my way. I love Disney parks. Much love to the Disney Executives!
I have 2 trips to DisneyWorld booked: one November 2020 and one November 2021. I was asked to make a decision by the company I booked with by this Monday, for a GO/No GO. According to them it’s one park per day, NO HOPPING, booked in advance and this is through 2020. This is presumably why they need to know, so they can reserve those days in the park, according to your choice. No fireworks, no parades, no Meet and Greets: nothing that draws a crowd. Dining Plan off and refunded. Water parks shut. Fast Pass suspended.
I love Disney: I’ve been 15+ times and for me it’s a huge financial, emotional and logistical commitment as I live in England. I look forward to those 2 weeks all year. With my Mother already 92 and in a wheelchair, we just don’t know if she will still be up for it next year. But we have, most reluctantly cancelled this year, as what we would get isn’t the full Disney experience. I look set to lose $500 deposit too. I understand Disney are doing their best, but trying to stay 2m away from others: how is that going to work on Main St in Starbucks? the queue is biblical at the best of times!! Masks? Kids will be pulling them off. What about the full to bursting buses? Mummy will go through heaven knows how many bottles of sanitizers a day. No popping from one park to another because Mummy wants to get on the Skyliner again!!! I hope by next year it is all back to normal, everyone has had the vaccine and Walt Disney World returns to being the happiest place on earth.
I hate not having details on when the reservation system will be opening, not even an ETA? I expected more information to be available by now.
Does anyone know how to make the Park Entrance reservations?
I have not seen anything about that yet or if it is even adjustable.
I have done numerous chats with Disney cast members. There is no answer regarding park hopper. There is no answer regarding leaving a park for a while and bring able to return to the same park later in the day. There is no answer regarding a reduced price for meals that are normally character meals when there are no characters. Always the same answer. More info coming later. I did learn through another source that many food prices are going up -some substantially. Probably why the DDP has been taken away.
Going August 1 and will probably regret it.
Do any of these questions actually receive a response? I see a lot of valid questions.
1. Will the cost of the vacation package be reduced to offset the drop in experience ?
2. I have park hopper tickets, does that mean I might be sitting at the pool all day because I was unable to make a reservation to get into a park?
3. Will I still be able to eat 325 Mickey Ice Cream bars or will that be a problem as well?
Well I booked this trip for My 17-year-old who just graduated high school and didn’t get a chance to really hang out with classmates as usual Or attend her 2020 year prom 😔and everything but given she did get to drive to enjoy a well organized drive through graduation🎊🎉 which was awesome 👏 so I wanted to surprise her. I hope the tickets are available for any park so that She at least get to enjoy something as she begin her College journey this year🤓
Responding to Kelly’s comment. Kelly I agree. The Disney Experience just doesn’t seem to be present. I completely understand the limitations placed on Disney due to COVID. No doubt they are in a difficult position. However, having visited the parks around 100 times in my life, being a passionate Disney Vacation club member, etc…….I am losing steam. We had a trip scheduled in May for my son’s college graduation, both a cruise and time at the parks. We have rescheduled twice and now, luckily (???) booked for mid-July when the parks are scheduled to open. What should have been an exciting time for my son is now quickly turning into him questioning why he may want to go. Questions unanswered (approx. 30 days out from our trip): Are we guaranteed reservations to the parks? What dining is going to be available? In lieu of no parades, fireworks, extra magic hours, etc., what will we have as far as a “Magical” experience? Can we exit and reenter the park given the mask requirement and the potential for overheating? I could go on and on…. I absolutely LOVE Disney and probably have 10 families that are now DVC members due to my recommendation, and even I am concerned. Good luck everyone! Go Mickey!
We have a resort reservation scheduled for arrival on August 2nd with departure on August 8th. We had all of our scheduled dining reservations and resort completed. However, I was waiting to purchase theme park tickets immediately before our 60 day Fast Pass date on June 2nd. Unfortunately, with the system not locked and ticket sale unavailable, I am worried that my family will be unable to purchase theme park tickets when we arrive at our resort. Our dining and special experiences were all cancelled and I received cancellation numbers. Will I be provided with an option to purchase a theme park ticket, given we had resort reservations, dining and experiences scheduled before the system was shut down? I am just concerned because our trip is now less than 60 days away and I wouldn’t want to plan on traveling to disney resort and not be able to attend the theme park, since we are from out of town.
I don’t know if any of you are getting answers to your questions they are not posted. We planned a Disney World Vacation for us our whole family. Unfortunately booked airline tickets before the Covid thing happened that has taken so much away from us. Now this. I am OK with social distance and temperature checks, but to be forced to wear a mask the entire day is just a big NOT no parades, fireworks, no meet and greets the experience is gone. Currently I am trying to remain hopeful for this to change. A little prayer here and there as well. If this doesn’t change we are out over $3,000.00 in airline tickets as they will not refund us based that the Disney experience is not there anymore. Even though the tickets were bought before Corona Virus. I look forward to updates regarding the reopening and the Disney experience returning to norma. Our trip is in November, so crossing fingers and hoping things turn around.
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