Walt Disney World is gearing up to reopen starting Jul. 11 with the Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom followed by Jul.15 when EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopen. In order to limit attendance to align with social distancing requirements, the theme park 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.
Guests 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, you will have to link it to your My Disney Experience account beforehand.
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.
Please note, 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. We hope to bring back the ability to visit more than one park per day soon and will 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. The Disney Park Pass system will be opened to these guests in phases, beginning with those with future Disney Resort and other select hotel stays. Later this summer, the theme park will resume sales of 2020 tickets and Disney Resort hotel arrivals, based on availability of park reservations, while continuing to provide guests with existing tickets and Annual Passholders the opportunity to make park reservations for 2020 dates.
By Jun. 28, all guests will be able to purchase new Disney Resort hotel packages and theme park tickets and make their park reservations for arrivals starting in 2021 as our phased reopening continues. Guests will be able to view park reservation availability on DisneyWorld.com prior to purchasing their tickets.
Disney is also exploring options 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, they plan to unveil an innovative new offering as part of the My Disney Experience app that 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, they will be retiring their complimentary MagicBand distribution to Disney Resort hotel guests for new reservations with arrivals beginning Jan. 1, 2021. Disney Resort hotel guests will continue to have the option to purchase new MagicBands at a discount, and they’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.
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Featured photo: Thomas Kelley on Unsplash
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