The Magic Returns as Walt Disney World Parks and Resorts Reopen

 (Matt Stroshane, photographer)

What you Need to Know and Do 

Wear Face Coverings

Face coverings are required for all Cast and Guests (ages 2 and up), so always make sure to bring a mask and wear it, except when eating, drinking, or swimming.

Check Your Temperature

Check your temperature and symptoms before you leave home. Do not visit if you have COVID-19 symptoms and expect to have your temperature checked with a no-touch thermometer upon arrival. Anyone with temperatures 100.4 F or above will not be allowed entry; those in their party will not be allowed entry either.

Make Park Reservations

To align with guidance on physical distancing, Park capacity will be significantly limited. Attendance will be managed through a new, online Park Pass reservation system. All Guests (including Annual Passholders) need to make a reservation to enter the theme parks. Advanced park reservations will be required for the foreseeable future. They are currently required through the next year – until September 26, 2021. 

• Annual Passholders may only make theme park reservations for up to 3 days at a time, unless they are staying at select Disney Resort or other select hotels and have valid Theme Park admission, in which case they are eligible to make park reservations for their entire resort length of stay.
• Park reservations will only be available for one park per day. Park hopping is not available during this time. Fastpass+ is also unavailable for now.
• To make a park reservation, you must have valid park admission linked to your My Disney Experience account. Visit Disney’s Park Reservations page to learn more about the park reservation system and to make your reservations.
• Annual Pass blockout dates still apply. Be sure your pass type is valid for park entry prior to making a park reservation. V.I.PASSHOLDER Support is available at (407) 939-7277 for assistance and questions.

Need tickets? If you or someone in your party does not already have tickets, you won’t be able to visit just yet. At this time, new ticket sales and new annual pass sales are temporarily paused. Current Annual Passholders may still renew their pass. Visit Disney’s Parks update page more information on Theme Parks and tickets. 

Update Your My Disney Experience App

The My Disney Experience app will be essential for your visit. App updates are coming through very frequently nowadays with all the new procedures, so make sure you have the latest version before you head out the door. Turn on location services and enable notifications to make the most of your visit.

While enjoying the park, you will use the app to order ahead and save time at select dining locations with Disney’s Mobile Order service. And while at a table-service restaurant, it will be needed to scan a code to access the digital menu.

Prepare for Cashless or Contactless Payments

Disney recommends all Guests use cashless payment options, including debit cards, credit cards and Disney Gift Cards. Contactless payment options such as mobile wallets are an option, too. Use of the My Disney Experience app combined with contactless payments will help to limit contact between Casts and Guests.

Make sure your phone is fully charged and consider bringing an external battery pack with you since your phone will be more important to your visit than ever before!

What to Expect

Though visits may look a little different than in the past, there will be plenty of magic for everyone to enjoy.

Attractions and Entertainment

• Most rides and attractions will be in operation, but without virtual queues, single rider lines or Fastpass+.
• Parades, fireworks and nighttime spectaculars, character greetings, and playground use will be suspended.
• Some indoor shows, shops and dining locations may also be unavailable. 
• For a list of available shows, entertainment and dining options that will be available at each park, visit https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/parks/

Although character meetings are unavailable, you will still be able to see your favorite Disney friends, just in new and different ways. Characters will appear in unscheduled events each day, including:

• Spontaneous cavalcades through Magic Kingdom
• Sailing the waterways of Disney’s Animal Kingdom
• In processions along World Showcase promenade at EPCOT
• In motorcades on Hollywood Boulevard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Disney’s PhotoPass Service will still be available, but with some adjustments.

• Disney PhotoPass photographers will not handle Guests’ personal devices such as cellphones and cameras at this time.
• Props will be cleaned between guests, or you may be asked to stand near props but not touch them.
• Make sure your MagicBand or card is ready for a quick scan after your photo. 

Dining and Reservations

For the time being, a valid Disney Resort hotel reservation will be required to make dining reservations. Online reservations are only available at select Disney Springs dining locations currently. Disney says online reservations for other dining experiences will reopen at a later date.

When reservations resume, Guests will be able to make dining and experience reservations up to 60 days in advance. Formerly, dining reservations were available 180 days in advance.

Some menus may be scaled back with reduced offerings and some dining experiences will be modified. For all the details about dining, visit Disney’s dining update page.

In-Park Dining

At this time, dining reservations are not available for in-park dining experiences. Reservations will resume at a later date. When in-park dining initially becomes available, you’ll need valid park admission, a reservation for park entry and a dining reservation to dine at an in-park, table-service restaurant. Dining reservations do not guarantee admission to the park.

A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival

The EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is a long-running staple of the fall season at the Walt Disney World Resort. But this year Disney is getting creative with a modified festival experience called “A Taste of EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival!”

Debuting on July 15, the same day Epcot reopens, this new take on Food & Wine Festival will have 20 global marketplaces, Remy’s Ratatouille Hide and Squeak scavenger hunt, new merchandise and more.

Cancelled Events

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary-Halloween Party nights are cancelled for the entire season, as are Disney H2O Glow Nights. Also cancelled are the Eat to the Beat concerts normally held during Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.Decisions have not been made yet for other holiday events, such as Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, which includes Candlelight Processional.

During this initial reopening period, recreation activities, tours, dining events, dessert parties, nature experiences, spas, salons, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and more are temporarily unavailable. Walt Disney World Golf and FootGolf are available though. Visit this page for details on availability of recreation, tours and more.

Staycations

Hoping to Plan a local staycation at a Disney resort? This is tricky right now because new resort hotel reservations for 2020 are not available at this time.

For those who already have resort reservations, some hotels are already open, some are scheduled to open soon, and given the current situation, there are some Disney Resort hotels that are not being scheduled for reopening yet. Details on hotel availability can be found on Disney’s resort update page.

By June 28, new hotel packages and park tickets/reservations for arrivals in 2021 will be available. It is not yet known if or when new 2020 hotel reservations will be available at Walt Disney World. Visitors will be able to see park reservation availability before buying tickets or booking stays on the park availability calendar. 

Pack Your Patience - Just Keep Swimming!

As lovers of Walt Disney World, many Horizon Westers cannot wait to get back into the parks and resorts. Similarly, our Cast Member neighbors are anxiously awaiting their return to magic-making. Let us all keep in mind that although things will feel different, the new procedures are designed to offer a magical Disney experience in a responsible way.

Things are most certainly going to continue to change as everyone involved learns to adapt to the new ways of operating. It is a fluid situation right now and it will likely be so for a long time. 



Take the advice of Crush the sea turtle from “Finding Nemo” and ‘go with the flow, dudes.’