The last month has come with a flurry of updates: Deluxe resort re-openings began June 22, along with information regarding schedules for additional resort re-openings and a number of new policies and procedures for parks and resorts.

This week (July 6) begins Cast Member and Annual Passholder theme park preview days, followed by the official opening of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom on July 11, Hollywood Studios and EPCOT on July 15.

A few of the major changes to trip planning to Walt Disney World is the new Park Pass Reservation System. I covered this new system in a previous post here. Essentially, in order to attend a Disney theme park, you must link your ticket confirmation to MyDisneyExperience.com and then select an available park on your ticket dates under the Park Pass Reservation system.

Along with the Park Pass Reservation System, Disney announced temporary suspension of Park Hopping, FastPass+ and the Disney Dining Plan (generally available as part of a Disney Travel Company packages).

Dining Reservations

Those who have traveled to WDW in the past likely remember that Dining Reservations and experiences were available to book 180 days prior to arrival; however, with the re-opening Disney has made dining reservations available at the 60 day mark. If you have booked a Disney Travel Company package, you may book your dining reservations for the entire length of your stay when you are 60 days from arrival date. These reservations may be booked online at WaltDisneyWorld.com or by logging into MyDisneyExperience.com.

Seasoned WDW vacationers remember 60 days are the FastPass+ window, which is currently paused as the parks leverage FastPass+ queues for standby lines to accommodate social distancing.

Experiences and dining options are changing daily as more and more locations open up and are policies are adjusted to the safety requirements of the current climate. It is highly encouraged to review “Know Before You Go.”

Disney Travel Company vacation packages require payment in full within 7 days of arrival date (for trips through 9/30/2020) and modifications can be made up to 48 hours before departure in most cases. At this time, it’s not known if the 30 day prior window for full payment will return after 9/30.