Walt Disney World announced on Wednesday that its theme parks would begin a phased reopening on July 11, 2020. Well, there are many more changes on the way as FastPasses, Dining Plans, and Park Hoppers are all temporarily going away.
Due to the situation regarding the coronavirus pandemic, Walt Disney World is making major changes going forward. It has been announced that they are temporarily suspending park hoppers, FastPasses, and the Disney Dining Plan (all levels).
FastPasses and Extra Magic Hours
Due to the capacity limits being set in the parks and on WDW property, FastPasses are being temporarily suspended. There will be no availability for booking of FastPasses for any of the parks.
Any and all FastPass+ selections which are currently booked will be auto-canceled by Disney.
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.
Disney Dining Plan and Dining Reservations
As character dining is not going to be taking place for an unknown amount of time, all Disney Dining Plans are being temporarily suspended. Guests who have already purchased one as part of their WDW reservation will be refunded the amount they have paid.
All levels of the Disney Dining Plan will not be available for an unknown amount of time.
Due to the situation in place with limited capacity, all Advanced Dining Reservations (ADRs) currently booked will be auto-canceled. Guests will have the chance to make their reservations again with a 60-day window instead of a 180-day window.
The exact details of how character dining will be handled once it begins again are not yet known. As of this time, it is also not known which in-park and in-resort dining locations will be open and when.
Reservations such as Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique are also going to be auto-canceled. There has been no word on when BBB reservations will become available again.
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, through the end of the year. 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.
New Ticket Sales
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.
Because theme park capacity will be significantly limited as we welcome guests back to the magic, we will manage attendance through a new theme park reservation system that will require all guests to obtain a reservation for park entry in advance. 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 (Disney Vacation Club members can still make new reservations). Existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders will be able to make reservation requests in phases before new tickets are sold; we’ll be reaching out to these guests soon to provide additional details. We will resume new ticket sales and hotel reservations after that period of time. Theme park reservations will be limited due to attendance limitations and will be subject to availability. More details about this new reservation system will be available soon.
Disney is reaching out to guests affected by these updates with additional information and details on options, including refunds. Disney understands how much excitement, thought and time goes into planning a Disney vacation and realize some of these changes may be disappointing.
You can visit a new “Know Before You Go” hub at DisneyWorld.com/Updates, where you can find the latest updates on Disney operations and offerings, including details on how to modify your plans.
Please note that these changes are going to be in place “until further notice,” and likely through the end of the year.
Make sure to get in touch with My Mickey Vacation Travel so they can give you even more details and take all the stress out of planning to create the magic for you.
They will make sure to connect all the dots and get everything in order for your next Disney Cruise Line, Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or any Disney Destination vacation while saving you time, stress, and money.
Join the “I’m So Disney…” group on Facebook to discuss this and many other Disney things with anyone and everyone. Be sure to follow Doctor Disney on Twitter and Instagram as well.
