Disney World clarifies new reservations system and resort hotel reopening date

On Wednesday, Walt Disney World presented plans to reopen on July 11 and July 15 to an Orange County task force. The task force and Orange County Major Jerry Demings approved the plan and Disney now continues to await approval from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

One key feature that Disney has implemented is a reservations system, which requires all guests to make a reservation to attend the park prior to attendance. This system better allows Disney to manage the parks’ attendance and minimize overcrowding. 

On Thursday, however, Disney announced that no new park reservations could be made. Existing ticket holders and annual passholders are Disney’s current priority, and only after they make their reservation requests will new tickets be sold. The offerings were modified to maintain customer loyalty for those who already had purchased tickets.

Additionally, Disney did not outline any plans to reopen Disney Resort Hotels on Wednesday, but Disney Vacation Club properties at Walt Disney World and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground will begin reopening on June 22. At this time, “new reservations at Disney Resort hotels are temporarily paused,” so that Disney can focus on guests with existing reservations. Disney also did not mention anything regarding dining reservations in their May 27 presentation, but any existing dining spots and Disney dining plans are to be canceled due to capacity reductions. Experiences such as behind-the-scenes tours, FastPass+ selections and Extra Magic Hours are also temporarily suspended.

Even with specific reopening dates specified on Disney’s website, “upon reopening, theme parks, Disney Resort Hotels, restaurants and other offerings may be modified, limited in capacity and subject to availability or closure.”

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This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2020.