Disney World Reopening Update: June Cancellations, Paid Sick Time & Mandatory Masks
It’s time for yet another Walt Disney World closure & reopening news roundup. This time we’ll cover a wide range of topics, from June reservation cancellations to specific health safety measures agreed upon by WDW and its unions to sporting events and more.
The good news is that some of this is a change of pace. It includes what’s up with the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon, the potential for future major events at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, and more. There have been a lot of rumors about the latter, and we’re finally going to discuss those since they’re fascinating and fun.
The bad news is that there’s more same old, same old. This includes Walt Disney World starting to cancel June reservations and more discussion of health safety measures. We had hoped to limit this type of roundup post to once per week, but a lot has happened in the last couple of days (and it wouldn’t surprise us if Disney does another late Friday news dump given that Disney Springs reopens next week).
Let’s starting with sports. Per the Athletic, Major League Soccer’s plan to return to play is coming together, with the league having recently distributed a proposal to plays and clubs that would entail a summer tournament in Florida involving all 26 teams. The proposal calls for players and coaches to head to the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World to begin training on June 1, with the tournament set to begin on June 22, 2020.
This is far from the first rumor about a professional sports league playing out its season at the “bubble complex” of ESPN Wide World of Sports. What seemingly started as a theoretical idea for the NBA by one sports journalist is now something being reported by Disney-owned ESPN and has been greeted with enthusiasm by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Personally, I’ve found this saga incredibly fascinating, but I’m not sure how much Walt Disney World fans care about this (if there is interest, let me know–I’ll consider covering it).
It’s clearly a popular time for sporting events at Walt Disney World, as next year’s Marathon Weekend events (set for January 6-10, 2021) sold out in record time. Pre-registration took place last week for Annual Passholders, Disney Vacation Club Members, and Golden Oak Residents and many on social media reported difficulties booking because options were gone so quickly.
This week, general public registration began for the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend and all of the events similarly sold out in under 30 minutes. Much less, in some cases. In years past, registration for runDisney events moved fast…but I don’t recall anything like this recently as prices have skyrocketed and popularity has waned.
There are a couple of possibilities here. One is a mix of pent-up demand and this hitting the sweet spot of exactly what people are daydreaming of doing. While stuck sitting at home, the prospect of participating in an outdoor recreational activities at Walt Disney World sounds delightful.
The other is that runDisney significantly capped attendance as a preliminary measure, as they’re unsure what runner-spacing requirements might be necessary in January if social distancing requirements are ongoing (which seems like a safe bet). It’s easier to cap numbers now and release more bibs later than to deal with the backlash of arbitrarily cancelling some registrations. (I’d bet on this possibility, but I’m perhaps overly bearish on the true extent of pent-up demand.)
Next, the first week of June 2020 is now officially out of the question for a reopening of Walt Disney World’s parks and resorts. Disney has removed theme park hours between now and June 6, 2020. Additionally, cancellation emails have gone out to those with vacation arrival dates between June 1 and 6, 2020.
Week by week rolling cancellations has been Walt Disney World’s standard practice (save for Disney Vacation Club reservations, in our experience). As with all email notifications from Walt Disney World, it’s entirely possible not everyone impacted received one–either check your spam folder or attempt to view the reservation directly on My Disney Experience if you didn’t get an email but should have.
This squares with Walt Disney World Delaying New Reservations Until July 1, 2020. At this point, it seems like any of the parks or resorts being operational in late June is a long shot. July is more reasonable, but potentially still overly optimistic in light of Disney’s recent comments at the Orange County Task Force meeting.
One big blow here is that Walt Disney World ended its Free Dining Summer Recovery Deal early. Many guests have already learned this while attempting to rebook, which is frustrating (to put it mildly). We speculate as to the reasons for this in our update to that post, but the bottom line is that we remain optimistic about future discounts once Disney has solidified operational plans and logistics. While there is pent-up demand, there are also lags between booking and traveling, plus economic realities. (As we’ve said before, locals aren’t booking hotel rooms in huge numbers.)
Regardless of when the parks and resorts do reopen, we should have an idea a couple weeks in advance. Supplies will need to be ordered, infrastructure adjusted, and Cast Members will be called back to work (you can’t notify tens of thousands of people of something and have it remain a closely-guarded secret).
Suffice to say, there’s a lot of groundwork that will need to be laid, it’s not like flipping a switch. On the plus side, that’s starting to happen with Walt Disney World and its unions…
Last up is the agreements between Walt Disney World and its unions, which offer a sneak peek into the health safety measures and policies that will be implemented once things start to reopen. Most of this is unsurprising given the recent comments of both Chairman Bob Iger and CEO Bob Chapek, but those were crouched with “likely” and other ambiguity.
A statement from Unite Here Central Florida (corroborated to the Orlando Sentinel by another union), offers new details and confirms what was previously floated by those executives. First, Cast Members who get sick will receive guaranteed paid time-off to quarantine. (We would expect this to be extended to non-union Cast Members, as well.)
Second, Cast Members will be trained on how to conduct self-assessments of symptoms at home–anyone with symptoms can call in sick without violating the attendance policy. Walt Disney World will provide a thermometer to any Cast Members who request one. In addition to multiple levels of health safety training before returning to work, Cast Members will be involved with monthly safety meetings to discuss the evolving situation.
Third, safeguards will include social distancing practices, installation of plastic barriers at all cash registers, touchless transactions at cash registers, high traffic areas will be cleaned more regularly, and additional hand-washing stations are being installed, and guest temperature checks.
Finally, three washable face masks will be provided to each Cast Member. These will be required for all guests and Cast Members. Most of these practices are consistent with what was previously intimated by Disney officials, and are consistent with the policies implemented by Universal for its reopening of CityWalk.
With this information leaking out to the press via unions, we would expect an official announcement directly from Walt Disney World after the close of business today. Such an announcement, if one happens, will likely only address Disney Springs at this point. However, it’s our understanding that the agreement reached with the union covers everywhere at Walt Disney World. If there’s anything new to report in terms of safety procedures at the theme parks or resorts, we’ll follow-up.
These formal agreements between Disney and unions are significant as they set standards for Cast Member safety that cannot be unilaterally undone or changed. That should put to rest the back and forth arguments among Walt Disney World fans about all of this. (Naivety or wishful thinking on my part? Perhaps!) This is going to be the temporary abnormal for some period of time while things get back to the long-term normal at Walt Disney World.
You now can vote with your wallet one way or the other, or perhaps contact Walt Disney World directly (although that is an exercise in futility at this point). Quarreling with fellow fans about this in the comments section of a Disney blog is now about as effective as shaking your fist at a cloud. If you’re inclined to do the former, please do the latter instead. (Just be sure to observe proper social distancing practices if you go outside to shake your fist!) All jokes aside, we appreciate everyone who has been reading these updates, and especially those who have shared their opinions–whatever those might be–in a respectful and courteous manner. By and large, you’ve all been great!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this news? Did you receive a June cancellation email from Walt Disney World? Successfully register for the 2021 Marathon Weekend races? Intrigued by pro leagues potentially coming to ESPN Wide World of Sports? We welcome a variety of viewpoints here, and will never delete anything on opinion alone. However, we will not tolerate insults, arguing, or politically-charged comments. Don’t ruin a 95% fine comment with an unnecessary cheap shot–that 5% will get it deleted. Please do not incessantly harp on the same point. Say your piece and move along.
Our family has a trip scheduled for June 8-16 and I keep holding out in case something awesome happens, like if they decide to open on June 7 and we might be able to go with vastly reduced crowds. I have thought about cancelling, but I keep thinking about our first Disney cruise experience last year…we were supposed to go on the 3 day Dream sailing over Labor Day weekend when the hurricane hit, so I went ahead and rescheduled the day we were supposed to fly down. Turned out that the cruise still happened but turned into a 5-day to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We totally missed out because we cancelled!
Bethany, WDW officially said all of June is canceled. They are starting rolling refunds or if you call you can reschedule. It’s done for June.
wait…are you implying a comment on this blog DOESN’T go straight to Josh D’Amaro? I’m confused….
Seriously though, it’s not a fun topic but thanks for keeping us all updated.
“wait…are you implying a comment on this blog DOESN’T go straight to Josh D’Amaro?”
If Josh D’Amaro were reading, you better believe every single post would contain my demands that Walt Disney World bring back the original Journey into Imagination, SpectroMagic, and Country Bear Christmas!
I’m as die hard a Disney fan as anyone, especially with regard to the parks, but I just can’t see myself going to the parks with masks required. I’d go even if some attractions weren’t running, just to be there. But I don’t think I could get on board with a mask, as much as it pains me to say it. Granted, if enforcement were lax and I could basically slip it off 90% of the time, that’s a different story. Hopefully there will be anecdotal evidence of the enforcement procedures.
Kyle, I was thinking the exact same thing. But this kind of information would be totally dependent on anecdotal/personal account evidence. I am even fine with wearing a mask in situations where social distancing is not possible. Providing I am able to wash or sanitize hands before putting on and taking it off. I will probably do it even if masks are a recommendation. But not 100% of the time, that might do more harm than good with constant adjusting, on/off for food and drink , etc. We are supposed not to touch our face.
Sports news at Disney World? Particularly MLS news at Disney World?!?! Puh-LEASE provide that coverage.
Plus Tom if you enjoy it, I think your passion will show through your writing, which is always fun to read. If you don’t enjoy it, theeeen maybe limit your writing on it?
#ATL #MLS4LYFE #atlantaunited #5stripes #kingsofthesouth #themeparksplussoccerequalswinning
“Plus Tom if you enjoy it, I think your passion will show through your writing, which is always fun to read. If you don’t enjoy it, theeeen maybe limit your writing on it?”
Soccer is my least favorite sport (no offense), so the passion there would definitely not shine through.
I do enjoy the NBA, and love the MLB and NFL. However, I’m a lifelong Detroit Lions fan, so my main ‘passion’ with regard to football is probably complaining about my team’s ineptitude.
Soccer? BORING!
As for running, I only do it if I run out of ammo and they’re still chasing me. But I’ve considered some of the race stuff for the photo opportunities with empty parks and some backstage areas I haven’t seen since I worked there. Tom, what do you think about value in that?
Thanks for the continuing updates! I don’t currently have a trip planned, and I am in a state which is opening very very slowly, but I find everything about the process of any and all Disney properties reopening quite fascinating.
I understand people being reluctant to wear masks in the Florida heat, and I probably would postpone if I were in that situation.
My perspective is that there are Cast Members and there are Guests. Healthy Cast Members either go to work or they make zero money. They really don’t have much choice.
Guests, on the other hand, are in a different position. “Should I stay or should I go?” (lyric insertion I could not resist) If they cancel, they will lose a vacation and possibly partial vacation payment, but not their livelihood.
Disney NEEDS Cast Members in order to be able to GET Guests. So in order to even open, they need Cast Members to feel safe enough to GO to work. Even if masks do not work, they may give Cast Members the illusion of safety.
I think Disney needs to satisfy the Cast Members first- because the parks simply can’t operate without Cast Members.
Very valid and solid point! I agree. Yes. They need to take care of cast members first – make sure they are safe and protected. Then focus on guest safety.
You all who are complaining about wearing masks to Disney in the heat….just think about all the people who lost loved ones to this virus and wish that all they had to worry about were wearing a mask in Disney World on a summer vacation with their family. I am from Jersey where we were so hard hit by this pandemic and I don’t understand your selfish logic. At least you are alive to go there if you want to.
Masks have been proven to stop the spread of germs by stopping the water droplets exhaled when breathing in or talking to another.
Similarly, condoms have been proven to stop STD’s. Traffic lights have been proven to stop intersection collisions, chlorine and sulfur have been proven to eliminate most germs in our drinking water. Do you question all science? Or just the facts you weren’t personally aware of last month?
I think Disney needs to satisfy the Cast Members first- because the parks simply can’t operate without Cast Members.
Do you own a business? Because putting your employees before your customers is about the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard from a business perspective. Such a business would have NO customers.
Auntie Gravity, Disney is not putting their cast members before their guests. They are making sure cast members will be safe while doing their job, which is to ensure guests have an enjoyable experience. They also want their guests to be safe and if that includes having guests wear masks, then so be it.
I don’t know if you own a business, but my family does, and they know that a business is only as good as its employees, so a good business owner will make sure their employees are safe and happy. I can tell you from experience, it’s not always about the customer. Some customers are downright rude.
I’ve been following many of the somewhat circular discussions (i.e., arguments) over many of the possibilities related to safety policies. One thing I haven’t seen much of though, is what exactly “touchless transactions” will entail. I understand the concept, obviously, and Disney already has that to some degree with MagicBands, but I’m curious if Tom has heard of any actual discussions on how they would do this.
Specifically, while MagicBands are “touchless,” they still require entering a PIN into a keypad, which then is no longer “touchless.” I’ve been experiencing this idea of people using “touchless” payment, but most businesses in which I’ve dealt with this have not eliminated requiring some type of touching of the payment system: entering a phone number, making menu selections such as accepting the amount and making or declining donations, etc. There are certainly touchless payment options, but there still seem to be too many ancillary aspects of the payment system that require touching the pad. Obviously some type of additional security would be prudent to avoid fraud on MagicBands, but I’m not sure if and how Disney would accomplish this otherwise.
Based on our last stay at WDW any transaction with the wrist band already has all your CC info in the system so you would just swipe your wrist band and go. It either automatically bills it to the card on file or you settle up when you leave. Room service works the same way. Your CC is on file when you check-in and any purchases(room service) are billed to that CC.
I understand that. If your credit card is on file with your room, then you can charge directly via the MagicBand. My point or question, probably presented inartfully, was whether any changes would or could be made to make the MagicBand truly touchless. Now, I suppose for purposes of what the union is requiring, they are touchless for the Cast Members, but they are not touchless for the guests. A guest is still required to use the touchpad to enter his or her PIN – and it is simply unrealistic, if not dangerous to the equipment, to find a way to sanitize the keypad after each transaction or even with any frequency.
Although they seem to have finally slowed down in frequency, it seems like every company I’ve ever had dealings with wants to email me or send me something in some format to tell me how much they care about me and their employees during this health crisis and how clean they keep everything and that they’re taking steps to protect everyone, often touting touchless payment. The message and purpose seems to be lost along the way though, since most of the “touchless” systems are only partially so, and still require me to make a multitude of selections on a touchscreen or enter a phone number, etc. Supermarkets are placing plastic over the keypads, but requiring every customer to still use the touchpad. All that means is that the plastic is now contaminated instead of the keys, and I guess they change it each night (although some of them are looking so beat up, who knows if they’re being changed with any frequency).
I guess my rambling is to make the point that the phrase “touchless” keeps getting thrown around, which sounds great, but there are rarely specifics or follow-through on what that actually requires and entails.
Any idea on how long masks will be required per that contract? I understand the need for them now, truly. But I have a vacation scheduled for the fall, and I personally will not waste my 10k on a vacation with such a limited experience. I only get to take this trip once every year or two, and I would definitely decide to wait if the parks were in such a state and masks were still required. Obviously if the pandemic is still as bad, I understand. But let’s say that Florida is in stage 4 and life is moving back to normal, any idea if this contract with the union will still mandate masks at that point?
They haven’t said anything about masks and small children and people with special needs who won’t wear one. Are these kids and people just not welcome anymore until the mask requirement is lifted?
I don’t think it would be a wise move for Disney to exclude individuals with special needs due to not being able to wear a mask. Nor do I think they would even consider that. My 6 year old son has Down syndrome. We are dvc members and annual passholders – we are vested and invested in Disney. Disney knows this is the case for many family members. If Disney requires masks will we comply? Yes. And I’ll even attempt to have my son wear a mask. But I also can already see him taking it off and throwing it down Main Street. That being said, I think my wife and I will just go and test the waters to see how all of this is playing out within the parks (without kids).
Even for kids without special needs, the ability to wear a mask for 8+ hours a day (even one hour) is extremely unrealistic. At this point no one has any idea what Disney is going to do until they release the official rules and guidelines.
I just wish Disney would let the public know what their game plan is. I am getting sick and tired of hearing “we don’t know” or “just because we have reservations open in July doesn’t mean the parks will open”.
I am trying to be patient but at this point paying $20,000+ for DVC seems like a pretty poor choice on my part! On a side note, don’t let any DVC sales rep tell you that it’s so easy to get the resort of your choice 7 months out. It’s a lie. I fell for it. That’s another story for another day.
Also trying to keep cast members in mind. I’m sure many are scared and worried about having to be around thousands of people a day. Their health is more important than my selfish desire to go on a trip.
I hope this actually all causes Disney executives to take a step back and focus on the customer again. They were getting very greedy with price increases on resort stays, ticket prices, annual passes, nighttime event parties, etc. Disney trips were slowly turning into vacations for the rich and pricing out many Disney fans.
I think it is a positive sign that they reached a deal with the union. That’s 43,000 cast members. That’s a lot of people! Just curious but what percentage of cast members are union employees?
Long tangent. Be safe everyone.
The ADA says you have to make reasonable accommodation UNLESS the EEOC has declared it a public health risk. Since the risk you are taking is not to yourself but to someone else they can deny you entry for not wearing a mask, even if you can’t wear a mask.
They are supposed to try to work with you to use the services provided without putting themselves at risk if possible, but it’s not possible for you to enjoy Disney without a mask and not potentially put CMs at risk, so in that case they do not have to let you in and they are not in violation of the ADA (please no one argue with me, just look it up. It’s a real thing. I don’t make the rules.)
They can’t force you to wear a mask but you can’t force them to be near your unmasked face. I’m waiting for more guidance on kids under 2. The CDC says they cannot wear a mask because of suffocation risks. Will Disney ban kids under 2 or permit them in without masks?
The ADA question is interesting. Maria is right, requiring them unequivocally is NOT a violation, even without an emergency declaration. As a design engineer and construction contractor on public, private, and many federal properties for the last two decades, I’ve seen a lot of different situations.
Special needs families and really any small children families, I feel for you. This situation is not ideal for anyone. Let’s just do what we can to make the best of it!
I didn’t know that. Very interesting. Not going to argue. I think you are right – Disney is going to be in a very difficult predicament. I need to clarify that we are not planning on taking our children to the parks for a while due to everything going on.
So many families with young children with and without special needs. I’m hoping we will know soon enough – at least to give families relief in knowing if they can/should visit Disney in the near future.
In the meantime I’ll continue to watch videos of people walking around the Disney parks on YouTube.
Tom,
Love your updates. Why do you think they ended the free dining offer? I have a trip in July with the free dining offer that was offered in January and I was told if I get canceled I cannot keep the offer. Mr. Disney I am sure is not very happy about this. He was all about making people happy.
I know you asked Tom but I live here. Probably because Florida restaurants opened with an absurd 25% percent capacity limit and no bar seating to start. No one can turn a profit unless they can expand outdoors. They’ve been closing downtown streets to add more tables and letting restaurants expand into the parking lot.
There isn’t going to be room for free dining and it’s not going to be profitable. Disney restaurants have extremely limited capacity to begin with. Lounges would only be able to have 2 parties of guests to keep the spacing.
Have a trip planned for late August. Not sure I can handle a mask in that heat. I am afraid they will have people passing out from wearing a mask in such hot humid conditions.
Same here, cancelled my August trip. Heat stroke and O2 deprivation aren’t my thing. Plus, the purpose of going in August was to go to Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, doesn’t seem feasible right now, there has been no mention of their schedule.
At point is it just not worth it to open? We’re local so we wouldn’t even have to wear a mask all day (and we have no problem with masks) Probably 4 hours at a time. I do have a problem with dining in restaurants so we would use quick service. We were hoping to take our little to Not So Scary in October (she’d be mask exempt as she’s under 2 unless Disney makes an age cap and only lets guest 2+ come in? Young children can’t wear masks because of the suffocation risk) I’m hoping they won’t pack the Skyliner and will let you ride with just your family (usually our experience anyway as locals during “off” times) but without characters, and let’s face it pin trading is dead because it has to be done closer than 6ft, terrified cast members trying to maintain distance, no characters, are we just going to ride the people mover and haunted mansion (how is the stretch room going to work?) for 5 hours? That doesn’t sound fun. At all.
We miss Disney so much it was our go to Sunday activity twice a month. But I think even we have our limits.
This is SO very sad to me. I understand taking precaution and safety measures. We are huge Disney fans and try to come about every other year. The fact of the matter is. Disney is MAGIC. When you make ALL cast members wear a mask I can guarantee you there will be no meet and greets because of social distancing, and who wants to see a princess in a MASK. I’m paying for the magic of Disney not to see everyone walking around In a mask. To me that takes the magic away, and Florida is HOT. I’m also not going to pay to have to walk around in 100 degree weather with something over my face all day long, especially not make my youngest daughter wear it all day. How uncomfortable and HOT. This is all very sad
I agree. I am a huge fan of Disney World. But the magic is gone when there are limited experiences and masked cast members and guests. No smiles to be seen on on anyone’s faces. I was supposed to take my niece, who lives in Europe, to Disney World this summer. She has never been and I couldn’t wait to be her guide. I cannot let her first Disney World experience be under these circumstances. We will wait. Hopefully not too long.
We have a reservation starting June 7th. So far, it is still showing up in my plans and I have not received a cancellation email. I’m crossing my fingers we can go, but not holding my breath.
Same here…our reservation is June 8-16.
June 21 through 27th here….I’m somewhat optimistic something will be open
When our vacation was cancelled, they sent an e-mail in April (20 days) before our trip date in May.
Did you not read the blog post? It says WDW canceled JUNE. We had June as well and we are done. WDW will be closed. Call and change or get a refund.
Yes, Wolverine, I did read the blog post. Did you? Reservations through June 6th have been cancelled. From the sounds of how the rolling cancellations have worked, I should know next week if it will be cancelled or not.
This has been a frustrating time. Our year-long planned trip to WDW is officially canceled. And the state we live in is irrationally shutdown everywhere and has no plans, so far, to open anything up for the foreseeable future we could potentially be stuck at home for half a year (6 months). The kids are done, we are done and we just want to go somewhere and do something. Sitting at home is not good for anyone’s mental stability. Personally having studied the data (since I have time) this SIP is a joke. This virus is bad for certain groups and yet EVERYONE is paying the price. Things need to open where they can and where it’s bad they need to remain closed. This can’t continue. It’s hurting more than it’s helping.
So, so true, Wolverine!
So true. I keep hearing people calling out “science”, but no one is really looking at the real science. I can point to dozens and of real scientific studies from here and around the world that say exactly what you said. Facts need to outweigh the fear. And although there are too many tragic deaths due to this virus, it’s not the monster they first told us it would be. With very few exceptions, this virus is inconsequential to an otherwise healthy individual.
I definitely hear your, Wolverine! I am in a relatively remote area with a small number of cases. Several large hospitals here, and they are not filled even to 30%, only 13 Covid patients at present. Very limited number of those who died – mostly elderly/nursing homes (sad, I don’t deny and pray for them). There are almost no cases of community spread (that’s when they can’t trace a case to an existing one or to travel). However, everything is closed, shuttered-down and canceled. My daughter has been home-bound for almost 3 months and all her summer camps have been canceled, even for August. Makes no sense to me, we are starting to slowly go insane. And of course, having to cancel all our summer plans, including a trip to Disney, just tops it all of.
Tom,
Thanks for all the hard work with these emails. We had a reservation for June 13 – 20 and just rescheduled to September. We get the dining plan every time and are really disappointed to see that some our favorites (O’hana for example) have no reservations available for our new trip. Albeit over Labor Day weekend Sept 4-11 – BUT, even arbitrary dates in October don’t have good dining options available. I am really kind of lost with this entire thing. We really wanted to deliver the full Disney experience for our 4 y/o and are worried that it won’t be the same. My Wife and I have gone to Disney 15 times at least so we have what amounts to probably unrealistic expectations.
What is your professional opinion? Do you think dining will free up as we get closer or am I out of luck? Am I chasing a dream here? Should we push out further or even (gulp) a year? I know a bunch of these are only decisions I can make but with 5K on the line there will be a ton of disappointment if things aren’t magical enough 🙂
Again, thanks for the phenomenal job. I owe you a beer!!!
Keep trying for the reservations you want. Last December I tried everyday for O’hana and it wasn’t until the Magical Express pulled up to the Polynesian that I finally scored reservations for the next morning.
I have seen the same information about Disney cancelling reservations and not taking them before July 1st. A weird thing to me is if I look on DVC there is tons of availability for July and August.
I looked earlier this morning and there was a ton of availability for September and October, too!
Didn’t search for long as I had to write this, but it struck me as abnormal as compared to what I saw last week.
Also would like more coverage on sports!
Regarding masks, people seem to be focusing on wearing them to the park… can you imagine needing to wear them in the pool??? But in summer people flock to pools to cool down. Where’s the line?
And don’t get me wrong. I absolutely support wearing a mask outside the house right now. I won’t go to Disney now with the mask requirement because 1. I couldn’t imagine trying to deal with a mask in that heat and humidity and 2. I still don’t feel that large gatherings (with or without a mask) are safe.
We have a trip planned in August and won’t go now bc of mask requirement. Sweat, heat, pouring afternoon rain, and a mask? I could just see masks floating in the water at splash mountain- gross!
“The other is that runDisney significantly capped attendance as a preliminary measure…”
I would bet a few dollars that’s the case.
This is tangential but in the same vein. When analyzing FP+ availability (I like this resource, https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=10123554&postcount=1) it seems like there is a significant cap on ridership.
I’m making that assertion by analyzing Tier 1 availability at HS. Pre-pandemic, when multiple newer headliners moved to Tier 1 (e.g. SDD, MFSR, Runaway Railway) it increased the availability of FPs for the newer headliners at around 60 days. It makes sense b/c the guest demand was spread across several attractions instead of everyone trying to get SDD. Now post pandemic all three attractions don’t have availability within 64/65 days.
Something changed; I don’t buy there being that many people with trips booked in mid-July.
I was able to get my Dopey registration during early registration and I clicked in about 5 minutes before the opening time. Right on the hour I was in the registration and confirmation process. I’m inclined to believe that they’re capping now and will release more later. Based on previous RunDisney registrations, there was not the lag that accompanied a system that was horribly bogged down. Or perhaps I was just lucky!
I also have a trip planned for late August. My parents are not excited about masks and my 4yo son’s ability to wear the mask the whole time is questionable. Maybe we’ll leave him with the grandparents and just go with our 7yo?
I’m not against wearing a mask and will suffer through wearing one in August. I’m just imagining masks full of grossness flying off during the curves on Expedition Everest…
Does anyone know how Disney is rolling out their future park hours? It seems like they’re going month-by-month as opposed to day-by-day as they have in the past. It looks like everything up to Oct 31st is available, but I’m hoping for hours for the beginning of December. Which, by the looks of it, might not be released until end of June? Thanks for the help, all! And keep up the amazing work, Tom!!