Dear Friends,
We’ve been going through a lot over the past several weeks. Needless to say our lives will be forever impacted by COVID-19. However, bright spots are beginning to emerge as we hear stories of recovery and resilience.
One of those brights spots is the announced phased re-opening of the Walt Disney World Resort. While this is a great sign, we should not expect a Disney Parks experience to be the same as it was before COVID-19 for quit some time. Below is the latest information we have from Disney Destinations. This is “hot off the press”, so many questions still remain and this transition will be a learning for all– Disney Cast Members, Travel Professionals, and most importantly you, our clients and guests.
As we know more and learn from our own experience we will be sure to share that with you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to any member of our team with whatever questions you might have. We are here to work together through whatever comes our way!
Yours in Travel,
Jenn Whitney and the entire Whitney World Travel team
From the Disney Parks Blog
In case you missed it, this week we shared some big news about Walt Disney World, 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, 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.
- 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.
