Category: Walt Disney World

Last week the Walt Disney World Resort started releasing information about the Park Pass System that will be used for theme park reservations the foreseeable future, but before you use the system there are a few things you must have set up in advance.

When the Magic Kingdom park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park will begin a phased reopening on July 11—with Epcot followed by Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopening on July 15, theme park guests will need both a park reservation AND valid admission for the same park on the same date for each person in your party ages 3 and up.

Park reservations will be available through September 26, 2021, based on your Resort stay and ticket eligibility or ticket eligibility window. Annual Passholders can have up to 3 reservations at a time, and resort guests can make reservations for each night.

To make sure that your Park Pass System experience is smooth, there are 4 things you will want to do before you try to get a Park Pass reservation.

How to Prepare for the Park Pass System at Walt Disney World

Step 1: Link Your Admission to Your Disney Account

To get started, you’ll need valid park admission that’s linked to your Disney account.

• First, you’ll need a Disney account, which is where your Walt Disney World plans are stored and managed. Create an account or sign in to your existing account.
• Then, link your valid admission to your Disney account. All Guests in your party must also have valid park admission linked to their profile.
• Note: At this time, new ticket sales are temporarily paused, and sales will resume at a later date.
• If you have a Disney Resort hotel reservation, be sure to link it to your Disney account as well.

Once your admission is linked to your account, you can begin to make a park reservation.

Step 2: Create Your Party

When you begin to make a reservation, you’ll be prompted to create your party from your Family & Friends list.

• Simply select the family and friends you’d like to include, then select “Continue”.
• Don’t see someone in your travel party? Select “Add a Guest” to include them.
• Note: You may need to make more than one Disney Park Pass reservation for your party depending on your admission type. Please make sure your party consists of Annual Passholders or theme park ticket holders.
• Staying in a Disney Resort or other select hotel with a package that includes tickets? Everyone in your party must also have a hotel reservation. If this varies, you will need to make separate Disney Park Pass reservations.

Step 3: Select a Date and Park for Park Pass

Choose the date and the theme park that you’d like to visit from the available reservations. Please note that dates and theme park selections are limited and subject to availability.

After creating your party in the Disney Park Pass system, you’ll be prompted to:

• Select a Date: View a calendar and choose one of the available dates for your visit.
• Select a Theme Park: Park hours will be displayed for your convenience.
• Select a Time: This is the time that you can visit the park.

After selecting your date, park, and time you can confirm your reservation.

Step 4: Review and Confirm Your Park Pass Plans

Carefully review and confirm your selected park and date.

• If you need to make any changes, select “Back” to revise your selections. 
• Before confirming, you’ll need to agree to the Terms & Conditions, including the COVID-19 liability waiver. Then, select “Confirm” to complete your park reservation. 
• Once confirmed, your reservation will appear in My Plans.
• Want to make another park reservation? Select “Make Another Reservation” to continue planning. As a reminder, if you have a multi-day ticket, you will be required to make a park reservation for each date of your visit.
• Your new reservation(s) will appear in My Plans—both online and in the My Disney Experience app.
• If you need to cancel a reservation, view your daily itinerary in My Plans, then select “Reservation Details”.

Once you have reached this step you’re All Set and you can start the countdown to your visit to Walt Disney World!!!

You can find more information about theme park news and tips by subscribing to our YouTube Channel and following @onthegoinmco on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

We are getting closer to the reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort theme parks, starting July 11 with Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom and followed July 15 by EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and today the Disney Parks Blog shared some really helpful information about the reservation system.

The Resort’s reopening strategy includes limits on attendance and controlled guest density to align with guidance from health and government authorities on physical distancing through a reservation system.

Below is information directly from the Disney Parks Blog along with information from other official Walt Disney World websites about how the reservation system will work!

To manage attendance during this reopening period Walt Disney World is introducing the new Disney Park Pass system.

During this time, all guests with a ticket or Annual Pass will be required to make a reservation in advance for each park entry, using this new online tool on DisneyWorld.com. 

Here are a few important details to know about this new system: 

• You’ll need a My Disney Experience account, as this is where your Walt Disney World Resort plans are stored and managed.
• You’ll also need a valid theme park ticket or Annual Pass that’s linked to your My Disney Experience account. 
• If you have a Disney Resort hotel reservation, be sure to link it to your My Disney Experience account beforehand, as well. 

Once you’ve logged into your My Disney Experience account and linked your ticket, you’ll have access to a calendar of available reservation dates for each theme park.

If you have a multi-day ticket, you will be required to make a park reservation for each date of your visit.

Families and friends can link their tickets together and look to arrange theme park entries at the same time. 

Important things to note about the system:

• Park reservations are limited in number and subject to availability.
• Availability can change until the reservation is finalized.
• At this time, guests will be able to select one park per day; visiting more than one park per day will be temporarily unavailable upon the reopening of the theme parks due to attendance limitations.
• Guests with existing tickets that include the Park Hopper Option or Park Hopper Plus Option have options available to them for ticket modifications and cancellations and can visit DisneyWorld.com/Updates for more information.

While you will not have the ability to visit more than one park per day right now, Walt Disney World is going to continue to offer these add-ons for 2021 ticket purchases.

Beginning this week, Disney will reach out to existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders with more information on when they will be able to check availability to make their park reservations.

They will open the Disney Park Pass system to these guests in phases, beginning with those with future Disney Resort and other select hotel stays as follows:

• Beginning June 22, 2020, Disney Resort and other select hotel Guests with a valid theme park admission can make reservations.
• Beginning June 26, 2020, Annual Passholders without a Resort stay can make reservations.
• Beginning June 28, 2020, existing ticket holders can make a reservation

Later this summer, sales of 2020 tickets and Disney Resort hotel arrivals, based on the availability of park reservations, will resume with existing tickets and Annual Passholders.

By June 28, all guests will be able to purchase new Disney Resort hotel packages, theme park tickets, and make their park reservations for arrivals starting in 2021 as the phased reopening of Walt Disney World continues.

Guests will be able to view park reservation availability on DisneyWorld.com prior to purchasing their tickets. 

As you begin planning your upcoming visits, you will find new engaging ways for guests to use their mobile tech to experience the magic – particularly now as the use of phones and apps continues to evolve.

In 2021, the My Disney Experience app will bring features of a MagicBand to your smart devices, building on the app’s existing digital key feature.

With this new offering on the horizon, Walt Disney World will be discontinuing the complimentary MagicBand distribution to Disney Resort hotel guests for new reservations with arrivals beginning January 1, 2021.

Disney Resort hotel guests will continue to have the option to purchase new MagicBands at a discount, and we’ll be introducing even more colors and designs featuring favorite Disney characters in the future.

Guests who prefer not to purchase a discounted MagicBand will be able to use the My Disney Experience app or a Key to the World card during their visit.

However, you’ll still find MagicBands in retail locations and on shopDisney.com, and guests will be able to continue using the wearables throughout Walt Disney World Resort.

So this is where the information ends today, but we will continue to bring you all the information about the reopening as it becomes available!

You can find more information about theme park news and tips by subscribing to our YouTube Channel and following @onthegoinmco on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

The Disney Parks Blog just posted an announcement regarding Walt Disney World Reservations for hotels, dining, experiences, and FastPass+ that you will want to check out if you have existing reservations.

To ensure there is no deviance from official information, I am reposting the Disney Parks Blog post here verbatim!

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, 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.

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.

During the Orange County Economic Recovery Task Force meeting on May 27th, Jim McPhee, Senior Vice President of Walt Disney World presented their reopening plan for the Walt Disney World Resort.

I am excited to share everything you need to know from that proposal!

The Walt Disney World Resort will begin by opening the Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom on July 11th, with EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopening on July 15th.

The most significant change to visiting the Walt Disney World resort will be the implementation of an online reservation system to gain access to any of the parks. Although we do not have any specifics yet, I am interested to see how this will be implemented.

Prior to entering any of the Walt Disney World theme parks, new health and safety protocols, similar to what has been implemented at Disney Springs, will be in place in each park including:

• Temperature Checks prior to entering the park, no one admitted with a temperature over 100.4
• Face coverings will be required for all guests
• Social Distancing guidelines to ensure parties remain 6 feet from other guests

In order to facilitate the new health and safety policies, Walt Disney World has increased the guest-facing communication to include:

• New content in the Disney World App
• New signs throughout the parks
• Floor markings indicating where to stand when in queues to facilitate social distancing policies
• A “Physical Distancing Squad” made up of cast members available to answer guest questions and encourage safety.

Once inside the parks, guests will also find additional safety protocols including:

• Enhanced cleaning and sanitation including disinfection of common guest and cast member touchpoints throughout the park
• Additional handwashing and sanitizer stations in ride queues, restaurants, and merchandise locations
• No-Contact ordering and payment wherever possible
• Managed capacity in rides, shows, and restaurants

In addition to existing safety enhancements, all Parades and Fireworks shows as well as character meet and greets will be suspended until further notice.

Although no specifics were given as to the reopening plans for the hotels, the Disney Parks Blog shared in a post:

Disney Vacation Club resorts at Walt Disney World will reopen to members and guests and Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will begin to reopen on June 22. Disney Vacation Club resorts in Vero Beach, Florida, and Hilton Head, South Carolina, will also open to members and guests starting on June 15.”

We will be updating you once the proposal has been approved and more details are announced.

You can find more information about theme park news and tips by subscribing to our YouTube Channel and following @onthegoinmco on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!