All FastPass+ and dining reservations at Walt Disney World, as well as all Disney dining plans included in vacation packages, have been canceled by Disney.
This dramatic reset is part of Disney World’s plans to reopen its theme parks starting July 11, nearly four months after the coronavirus pandemic forced the resort to shut down.
In an effort to limit crowds, a reservation will be required for entry into parks. Capacity will be limited not only in the parks as a whole, but also within individual restaurants and rides to allow for physical distancing — all aimed at limiting the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
“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,” write Disney Parks editorial content director Thomas Smith on the Disney Parks Blog. “We will reopen dining and experience bookings with more limited numbers closer to when the parks reopen.”
Smith also said that dining reservations do open again, bookings will only be available 60 days in advance, not the typical 180 days.
FastPass+, Disney’s ride reservation system, won’t be in use at all when the parks reopen.
“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,” Smith wrote. “We will automatically cancel existing FastPass+ selections and share any future updates on the service at a later date.”
Disney is also suspending Extra Magic Hours, which were extra hours in select parks before official opening or closing times that were reserved for guests staying at Disney’s on-site hotels.
The reopening schedule calls for Disney Vacation Club hotels to reopen first, along with the Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, on June 22. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will be the first theme parks to reopen on July 11, followed by Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15.
While getting into one of the parks will require a reservation, Disney has yet to detail how that new system will work. Existing ticket holders and Disney World annual passholders will have the first chance to make reservations to get into the parks, according to Smith, before any new tickets are sold.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the date that Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios would reopen. Both parks are scheduled to reopen on July 15.
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