Reopening Dates for Disney World Area Hotels
In this post, we’ll take a look at dates when different on-site and off-site hotels are slated to reopen around Walt Disney World. The good news here is that there are a ton of nearby third party accommodations available for booking prior to when Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom reopen on July 11, 2020.
When it comes to official Walt Disney World properties, the Deluxe Villa Resorts reopen on June 22, 2020. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to book new reservations right now via Disney unless you’re a DVC member–meaning these are not viable options for many tourists.
After that, there’s a lot of uncertainty about when the remaining resorts at Walt Disney World will reopen. Our updated hotel reopening post speculates that these could begin to open on July 5, 2020. However, that’s with some significant caveats and directly contradicts what Disney reps are telling guests…
With regard to the potential July 5, 2020 opening date, the key here is some hotels. Coronado Springs Will Likely Host Resort for NBA at Disney World Starting in July, which means that resort and Gran Destino Tower likely won’t reopen until October at the earliest. Other hotels less likely to open are Animal Kingdom Lodge — Jambo House, the Port Orleans Resorts, and the All Star Resorts.
Most likely to reopen sooner rather than later would be any resort connected to a DVC property that’s opening, any resort with non-bus transportation (Skyliner, monorail, boats), and resorts that don’t typically host special events. Past precedent also plays a role–Port Orleans French Quarter closed entirely for ~6 months after 9/11, and Port Orleans Riverside operated a small fraction of its rooms.
However, our speculation here directly contradicts what phone reps for Walt Disney World have been advising many guests who have called to inquire about bookings at other hotels.
A number of people have reported being told: “At this time, there are not plans to reopen other Walt Disney World resort hotels this year” (or similar variants of that quote). While that is startling, the operative language there is at this time.
Disney is incredibly adept at equivocation, and employs it constantly to issue ambiguous statements. Disney’s go-to weasel words are “at this time…no plans.” When you see or hear those words used by Disney, it’s safe to ignore whatever’s being said as the surrounding language renders it meaningless. Beyond that, frontline Cast Members are not privy to inside information–they know what you know, which is that no reopening date for the other Disney-owned hotels has been announced.
With that said, we do have reopening dates for several hotels that are on-site at Walt Disney World but not owned by Disney. Here’s what we know thus far…
The Swan and Dolphin, located within walking distance of Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the Crescent Lake Resort Area, announced they will begin reopening to guests as of July 29, 2020. Subsequent to that, it was revealed that Major League Soccer is Coming to Walt Disney World in July, and Swan & Dolphin will host players and staff.
The MLS is Back Tournament Final will be held on August 11, 2020. Not so coincidentally, the first date for staying in the Swan Resort is August 12, 2020. (The Dolphin only is available beginning July 29, 2020.)
Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek and Waldorf Astoria Orlando have both announced a reopening date of July 1, 2020. The sister resorts are currently taking reservations for that date, but have not yet released any special offers beyond their standard Florida Resident, Teacher Appreciation, Long Weekender, government/military, AAA/AARP, and travel agent discounts.
Any new reservation made by August 31, 2020 can be cancelled or changed free of charge, up to 24 hours before your scheduled arrival day.
In searching random dates between now and December 2020, we found base rates under $150/night for the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. For the Waldorf Astoria, our searches found rates starting at $222 per night. These rates are before the $45/night resort fee charged at each.
Both of these resorts are quite nice. The Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek is Deluxe Resort-caliber, and the Waldorf Astoria offers luxurious and opulent accommodations above any Disney-owned hotel. (See our Waldorf Astoria Orlando Review.)
Also in the Bonnet Creek Resort Area is the Club Wyndham. While this timeshare has not officially announced a reopening date, reservations through June 30, 2020 were previously cancelled and bookings are now available beginning July 1, 2020.
Moreover, the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek has already reopened as of the beginning of June. The Wyndham is already offering a range of special offers, including the “Ultimate Staycation Package” with waived resort fees, late check-out, and more.
Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, located near Saratoga Springs Resort and Disney Springs, is now accepting room reservations for stays from June 24th, 2020 and beyond.
We are huge fans of this resort and Hyatt generally, which is borne out in our Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Review and also the hotel’s #1 ranking in our Top 10 Off-Site Hotels Near Walt Disney World List.
Four Seasons Resort Orlando, nestled between Fort Wilderness Campground and Golden Oak, is now accepting reservations beginning July 1, 2020.
Some of the Four Seasons Orlando restaurants have begun to reopen, but it’s unclear whether all will be operational when the resort begins welcoming guests. (In general, we’ve had a difficult time ascertaining when resort restaurants will reopen.)
In the Disney Springs Resort Area, several hotels have temporarily suspended operations and are not accepting reservations at this time. This includes Best Western Lake Buena Vista, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton, Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista, and Holiday Inn Orlando.
It appears that Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista and B Resort & Spa are both presently open, with other hotels on the list above reopening as of July 1, 2020. Judging by online booking options–which are not always accurate–other Disney Springs hotels are planning to reopen in the coming weeks/months. We’ll await official confirmation of that from the hotels and update accordingly.
With FastPass+, Advance Dining Reservations, Extra Magic Hours, and the Disney Dining Plan all cancelled, there are fewer justifications than ever to stay on-site (and that was already eroding even before this–see Is Walt Disney World’s On-Site Advantage Disappearing?). That makes these hotels–which range in price from under $100 to over $300 per night–more competitive with Disney’s own resorts.
Moreover, Walt Disney World is currently not allowing new hotel reservations, and even when they were, discounts were pretty tepid. We still believe that Walt Disney World will offer aggressive resort discounts later this year, but there will likely be lag in that.
For the most part, these hotels are Moderate or Deluxe-caliber, with some surpassing Walt Disney World’s best resorts (except with regard to theme and location). All of them easily beat Disney in terms of pricing and value for money, and that’s factoring in potential resort and parking fees.
Ultimately, there’s no shortage of solid hotel options available for booking at or near Walt Disney World for travel dates between now and July 1, 2020. If you’re thinking about a late summer or early fall vacation to Florida, we’d strongly recommend one of these third party options. Each have their own advantages, so consider what’s important to you (lazy river, world-class dining, walking distance to Disney Springs or Epcot, etc.) and book accordingly!
If you have questions about the closure, including policy changes and what we know thus far, please consult our Walt Disney World Reopening FAQ & Info, which should answer most inquiries. See our other WDW Closure & Reopening Updates for the latest news. If you’re planning a Walt Disney World trip, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know.
YOUR THOUGHTS
Do you have a favorite third-party hotel at or near Walt Disney World? Would you stay off-site or at a non-Disney property given the erosion of on-site advantages? Does the disparity in value for money make a difference to you? Do you have plans to visit Walt Disney World this summer or fall? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Other thoughts or concerns? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Any news on when Shades of Green resort will reopen?
I had POP booked for 10/28-11/5 and it disappeared from MDE yesterday … no email or notice from WDW … and I have an Annual Pass.
We have reservations at POP for Sept. 7. Are these still on? I don’t hear POP being mentioned.
Friends had mid-Sept at POp … it was canceled last week.
Being an AP holder with a res at POP for late October into early December. Having received no notice of cancelation, I checked MDE yesterday I found my res had disappeared. NOT happy as I’ve gotten several emails as an AP saying we will be given first opportunity for bookings, etc. yet no notice of cancellation?
We have tentative plans to go the week before Thanksgiving so have made flight reservations and also reservations at the Disney Springs Hilton that is NOT the Buena Vista Palace–the one that’s right across the pedestrian bridge from the Springs. E made sure of very flexible cancellation policies since it all depends on the virus numbers. We are in the Hilton Honors program so will get points plus we love Disney Springs for dinner after a day in the parks and on arrival day. We are APs so hoping that we will get priority for park reservations….
Any info on Club Level lounge access for guests with existing reservations? Thanks!
Made a bet that the hotels will open this year (at least by November) and bought plane tickets this weekend.
I have a hard time seeing them keeping all non-dvc resorts that aren’t hosting pro athletes closed for another 6-7 months.
I hope you’re right!
If you have a hotel on property that also has DVC properties, you will be fine. They will not close all properties for the rest of the year. They can’t do it fiscally. They are recouping some money in hosting the NBA and Soccer with those contracts and hotels. My source says that by mid to late July, you will be able to start booking at the resorts again. They just need time to test protocols. My source also visited Unversal and gave me the run down of the parks there. The standby cues are working wonderfully. They did not wait in line and in fact sent me video of being inside the rides. Smooth sailing and limited people. The rest of the state of Florida should really follow the parks leads on this.
This is from Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace’s site:
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this hotel has temporarily suspended operations. We anticipate reopening on August 1, and are taking reservations for stays beginning August 1. We look forward to welcoming you.
We have reservations there in September.
I’ve heard that several NBA players don’t want the season to start and they say they won’t play. If they can’t get the players to show up, they won’t need the hotel space. And I’ve heard similar things about the US Soccer league.
Even if the NBA deal falls through, I wouldn’t expect Coronado Springs to open anytime soon.
Yes, saw an article just this morning –seems the devil is in the details with the NBA deal! One stumbling block is that some players did not like that the Disney employees working with them would not be remaining in the bubble the whole time. There is also concern about whether older coaches will get to sit on the bench.
I have a reservation for the Hilton LBV Disney springs for July 12-15. I think they open back up July 9.
We stayed at Hyatt grand cypress it is absolutely amazing. Their Sunday brunch was also amazing and Hemingway’s our favorite. The grounds are scattered with bronzes and the pool has cascading waterfalls. At the time you had to a car to get to the parks even close to when you wanted to.
Joyce, does the Hyatt Grand Cypress have a Lazy River Pool? If so, do you know if it is open. We are currently booked at the Yacht Club, Club Level for Sept 21 through the 25th. But if Club Level is not open, if Storm A Long Bay is not open, why pay the high price if there is another nice hotel with a Lazy River open. You do have to get an Uber or have a car Rental to get to the Parks? If so, how long does iusually take to get to the parks from the Hyatt. Will we be able to get Park Reservations if we are not staying on property. Way too many ifs. Thanks!
Hyatt does not have a lazy river. It takes 10 minutes to Disney springs. At the time we stayed we needed a rental car to get to the parks, theirs ran occasionally. The prices are crazy right now really cheap
So with Disney requiring park reservations, what is the guarantee that off-site guests will have access to the parks? WDW could limit park reservations to their guests and Florida pass holders only. What is the likelihood that WDW’s guest threshold could be reached with just resort guests and Florida pass holders? I suppose annual pass holders staying at an off-site property would likely be accommodated, but how about day visitors or length of stay (oof-site) visitors? Have they announced attendance limits for the parks? Thank you.
They haven’t announced anything with regard to the park entry reservation system. I’m personally skeptical the parks will hit capacity with any degree of frequency–we should know more very soon.
Do you not have to stay on property to access the parks with the new system? With capacity cut so drastically, reps suggested not even all the on-property reservation packages that include tickets could be ensured guaranteed access to parks with the tickets. Would def rather stay off now, but thought only chance to visit parks was to reserve WDW hotels.
Our Disney World vacation was scheduled for this week at Poly.
It’s quite alright for you to cry on my shoulder Susan. My wife and kid have done the same as we were supposed to go just last week AND we had a good deal for a club level room at Fort Wilderness Lodge! My shoulder is already soaked so some more tears are fine.
Mark, when you do get back to WDW, make sure you know the difference between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge. Two different resorts in two different places.
The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress is gorgeous. My daughter is a gymnast, and we have stayed there for USAIGC Worlds. The pool is amazing. We have CBR booked in late August and are still holding out hope! I’m glad to know that due to the skyliner, CBR may open sooner than later. Fingers crossed….Thanks for all your insight, Tom!
Is it possible for you to find out when Splittsville will be reopening
We have all stars booked for November. Will they move us to another resort if it doesnt open?
Wondering ourselves. We have all star music early sept. Any thoughts Tom?
We have All Stars mid September. Also curious if they’ll open or move us without an increase in price.
I have the same question.