News Walt Disney World's COVID-19 reopening plans announced - July 11

[mickeymiss]

They say they will “require medical clearance“ before letting you in, but I don’t know exactly what that means. Maybe they ask you to go and get a Covid test and show you are negative before letting you in....or you just pop a few Advil and come back in a half hour.

Thanks for the input. We are driving and would likely arrive at our hotel late. If we had to have a temp check even with online check in at midnight and possibly be sent away, that's pretty nutty. Not to mention, what about people who arrive at a park via bus and fail a fever check? They would need transportation to go back to the hotel. If transportation is arranged, do they make you pack up and go home? Lol.
Covid testing is an interesting thought but I doubt they would be able to implement that. I'd seriously rather take a test than temp checks. It's more reliable.

It seems like the sole perk of having a hotel booking right now is getting priority tickets. That's awesome but shouldn't be considered a perk lol. Nobody would go to a disney hotel without guaranteed park tickets. I hope they do something to enhance the incentives to stay at the hotels. It's a lot of money for a lot of hoop jumping.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Good grief. I am booked July 6-16 with free dining. I was convinced we'd be able to go. Then came the presentation and I realized I wouldn't. Then came news of the 35% discount, and I was happy again, because I could start at least early stage planning for December! Never been at Christmas and if they allowed me to use it then, what a consolation prize.
Then today I got the email that my package would be adjusted to 35% off the room. So now I don't know what to think. Will I be able to cancel altogether and rebook with the discount? Will they send me a confirmation with check in starting the 11th? Will I spend the 6-10th watching TV in my room at Pop Century? Each answer has 15 more questions tagging along behind it. A caravan of confusion.

Why would you want to spend all that time in your room? You do know there is a ton of things to do besides the parks, right?

 

[donald8193]

If you are an Annual Passholder on the monthly payment plan:
On April 5, 2020, we automatically stopped and will waive monthly payments due while the theme parks are closed. We will also retroactively refund payments made between March 14 through April 4, 2020. Payments will resume on the Passholder’s regularly scheduled payment dates once the parks reopen. Please note, pass expiration dates will not be extended and passes will expire upon their originally scheduled expiration dates.

As an alternative, Guests who are paying for Walt Disney World Annual Passes using our monthly payment program may choose to have their monthly payments postponed starting with payments due April 5, 2020 through the park closure period, and then resumed on the Passholder’s regularly scheduled payment date once the parks reopen. Postponed payments will be collected in the months following the end of the Passholder’s currently scheduled payment term. The pass will be extended the number of days the parks are closed. The new expiration date will be reflected on the Annual Passholder’s account prior to the reopening of the theme parks. To request this alternative option, we ask that you contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. We do anticipate heavy call volume and appreciate your patience as we answer all inquiries.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/annual-passes/

 

[DisneyCane]

I'm not sure. They may keep some larger buffets closed with just limited capacity allowed. More food would be wasted then normal, unless the menu is smaller for the time being.

Buffet+communicable disease= not a great thing

 

[AugieMorosco]

Why would you want to spend all that time in your room? You do know there is a ton of things to do besides the parks, right?

I do. But we go for the parks and it was just a sarcastic comment on potentially having 5 days of room and no parks. I can't imagine Disney would really make that a thing unless we were given several options and chose to do it that way.

 

[easyrowrdw]

I agree it can, but it was directed at me and I'm not opting to take it that way. I'm assuming good intention and that it was said with a helpful, kind tone.

Yeah. Upon reflection, I deleted it. I guess it's just a pet peeve of mine.

 

[AugieMorosco]

Yeah. Upon reflection, I deleted it. I guess it's just a pet peeve of mine.

I deleted my response. It's been expunged from the record! I appreciate the sentiment, though. Thanks.

 

[GoofGoof]

I don’t believe that has been confirmed. If it’s just your opinion, you may want to mention that.

There’s a chance some characters could make a brief appearance at a restaurant. They did confirm that meet and greets were suspended so the characters won’t go table to table. It’s possible they appear on a temporary stage or just walk in, wave and walk out. It would have to be organized so kids couldn’t get close to them.

 

[GoofGoof]

Any updates on shows and 3D theaters?

No official word. I think it’s possible to do a 3D theater with social distancing. They would need a CM to seat the audience. Since the theaters are designed to enter on one side exit on the other they could seat 1 row at a time leaving every other row empty and forcing a 2 to 3 seat gap between family groups. We all know the big problem is people who enter first stop halfway down the row and don’t go to the end. That would have to be strongly enforced. That’s part of the reason I think they could load one row at a time. The line to get in would also have to be redone. With some organization and much less capacity it’s possible.

What’s more problematic is a show like Tiki Birds. Hard to do that since the seating is more random. It’s doable with more organization. Large shows like Fantasmic, Indy, Rivers of Light would be very hard to pull off.

 

[Getachew]

There’s a chance some characters could make a brief appearance at a restaurant. They did confirm that meet and greets were suspended so the characters won’t go table to table. It’s possible they appear on a temporary stage or just walk in, wave and walk out. It would have to be organized so kids couldn’t get close to them.

While that may happen, the way Disney worded it indicates that won't happen in the beginning of re-opening.

 

[Gravydeen]

Good grief. I am booked July 6-16 with free dining. I was convinced we'd be able to go. Then came the presentation and I realized I wouldn't. Then came news of the 35% discount, and I was happy again, because I could start at least early stage planning for December! Never been at Christmas and if they allowed me to use it then, what a consolation prize.
Then today I got the email that my package would be adjusted to 35% off the room. So now I don't know what to think. Will I be able to cancel altogether and rebook with the discount? Will they send me a confirmation with check in starting the 11th? Will I spend the 6-10th watching TV in my room at Pop Century? Each answer has 15 more questions tagging along behind it. A caravan of confusion.

Well we booked a package at Pop as well for the 10th-18th with the free dining too. Haven’t received an email. I have the same questions but ours would just be for the night of the 10th. Yours is the first person I have heard that got the email confirming your reservation that started before the 11th. I wonder if they will allow us to cancel the nights leading up to the 11th if we want?

 

[TJJohn12]

We will be modifying your package to remove the dining plan. As an accommodation, the price of the package will be adjusted to reflect a 35% savings on the room portion. This modified package and price will be provided in a new confirmation. You will receive a refund of the difference in the package price if you have already paid in full or a reduction in amount due if you have not yet made final payment.​

I’m just not quite understanding this move on Disney’s part. It seems like it will encourage point-of-sale interactions.

Wouldn’t instead demoting all dining packages to counter service - eliminating table service credits entirely - help dissuade cash payment and help facilitate ordering in the app? I only ordered in the app on the last trip if I was using a dining credit. If they had converted the plans, wouldn’t it have helped drive guests toward app order, fewer human interactions, and counter service options?

 

[AugieMorosco]

Well we booked a package at Pop as well for the 10th-18th with the free dining too. Haven’t received an email. I have the same questions but ours would just be for the night of the 10th. Yours is the first person I have heard that got the email confirming your reservation that started before the 11th. I wonder if they will allow us to cancel the nights leading up to the 11th if we want?

I'm hopeful they let me rebook for the holidays with the 35% discount. That's become my preferred option. If not, my second option would be to take the 35% and stay the 11-16 or maybe even move it out a few days. Maybe the 13-18. Something like that. The email mentions a confirmation should follow sometime relatively soon, so hopefully I'll know more then.

 

[Gravydeen]

I do. But we go for the parks and it was just a sarcastic comment on potentially having 5 days of room and no parks. I can't imagine Disney would really make that a thing unless we were given several options and chose to do it that way.

Have we heard yet when the Disney hotels will be opening? Is it possible some may be open before the 11th? If not then the only people able to go to the parks on the 11th would be people close enough to get to Orlando Saturday morning or who stayed in non Disney hotels the night before right?

 

[Jules08]

Our park tickets have been extended until September 2021. Yea! However, will we be required to pay the difference in ticket price if we go when the ticket prices are higher (i.e. Thanksgiving or Christmas)?

 

[gilyash]

Well we booked a package at Pop as well for the 10th-18th with the free dining too. Haven’t received an email. I have the same questions but ours would just be for the night of the 10th. Yours is the first person I have heard that got the email confirming your reservation that started before the 11th. I wonder if they will allow us to cancel the nights leading up to the 11th if we want?

I have reservations june 26- july 7 @All Star music. Got the same email. Waiting to see what they send me, so i can modify/ reschedule. Don't want to cancel as I would like to hopefully utilize the 35% for a stay in late October/ early November. But if I can't apply it to a different stay then i'll cancel.

 

[mhaftman7]

I’ll try calling later today to modify my existing plans.

 

[disneygeek90]

If you are an Annual Passholder on the monthly payment plan:
On April 5, 2020, we automatically stopped and will waive monthly payments due while the theme parks are closed. We will also retroactively refund payments made between March 14 through April 4, 2020. Payments will resume on the Passholder’s regularly scheduled payment dates once the parks reopen. Please note, pass expiration dates will not be extended and passes will expire upon their originally scheduled expiration dates.

As an alternative, Guests who are paying for Walt Disney World Annual Passes using our monthly payment program may choose to have their monthly payments postponed starting with payments due April 5, 2020 through the park closure period, and then resumed on the Passholder’s regularly scheduled payment date once the parks reopen. Postponed payments will be collected in the months following the end of the Passholder’s currently scheduled payment term. The pass will be extended the number of days the parks are closed. The new expiration date will be reflected on the Annual Passholder’s account prior to the reopening of the theme parks. To request this alternative option, we ask that you contact V.I.PASSHOLDER Support at (407) 939-7277. We do anticipate heavy call volume and appreciate your patience as we answer all inquiries.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/experience-updates/annual-passes/

Yes, just make sure you call if you want the bolded option, otherwise it will default to the first.

 

[sjhym333]

I’ll try calling later today to modify my existing plans.View attachment 473613

Didn't Disney say they are not modifying any reservations at this time? Only cancellations.

 

[WondersOfLife]

Didn't Disney say they are not modifying any reservations at this time? Only cancellations.

Perhaps. But it doesn't hurt to try. They could just be saying that to keep guests from making their system crash TBH.