Disney recently unveiled the broad outlines of its Walt Disney World resort reopening plan. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom will reopen on July 11 and Hollywood Studios and Epcot will reopen on July 15. Additionally, some of the Disney Vacation Club hotels will be available to members and guests as early as June 22. An overview on the Disney Parks Blog filled in a few more details, like a temporary suspension of parades and evening spectaculars and a reservation system for park entry.

While this is vastly more information than we had a few days ago, there are still many questions about how the opening will roll out and what the new Disney normal will look like. Here are some that we have (in no particular order):

1. Will there be social distancing measures implemented on the attractions? Will they look like some of our predictions?
2. If everyone is mobile ordering quick-service food, how will they streamline the pick up procedures?
3. How will mask use be enforced?
4. Will there be rules for trying on or returning theme park merchandise?
5. Since many of the international cast members returned home, how will the Epcot World Showcase pavilions be staffed?
6. Will Disney’s buffet service restaurants be reconfigured to another form of service? If so, how long will this last?
7. If character greetings are temporarily suspended (as mentioned in the Parks Blog), how will character meals be impacted? Will the pricing change for those venues?
8. Will evening activities be added to the resorts?
9. Will some resorts be temporarily closed or repurposed (stationing the NBA at Coronado Springs is one rumor), and if so, how will guests with reservations there be relocated?
10. Will all of Disney’s internal transportation methods operate? If so, how will that work?
11. Will MagicBand capabilities be altered in any way? For example, will non-resort guests be allowed to link a credit card for charging purposes?
12. Will table service restaurant ordering be altered? Will disposable or online menus be used?
13. Will there be limits to the number of guests allowed into park shops?
14. Will guests be allowed to walk and eat without wearing masks? How will this impact things like popcorn and Mickey bar sales?
15. Will the park trash cans be altered? Will guests be able to dispose of refuse without touching a trash can flap?
16. How will characters be integrated into the parks if there are initially no meet and greets?
17. How will photography work? Will guests be allowed to take off masks for photo ops?
18. Will dining hours be altered?
19. How will park reservations work?
20. Will park hopping be allowed?
21. Will paper maps and Times Guides be eliminated? What about other ephemera like stickers for kids or the welcome leis at the Polynesian?
22. Given the reduction in entertainment, will ticket prices be changed in any way?
23. Will resort pool seating be reconfigured in any way?
24. Will resort lobby seating be reconfigured in any way?
25. How will resort room cleaning practices change? Will they eliminate things like pens and the end of bed half-blankets?
26. Will the new park rules be added to the resort room TV feed? Will Stacey explain them?
27. When will things like the Biddidi Bobbidi Boutique and the Fancy Nancy makeover resume?
28. Will backstage tours be suspended for a time?
29. Will the August start date for the Epcot Food & Wine Festival be altered?
30. Will the dates for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party be altered? Will the costume rules for MNSSHP change?
31. Will the Epcot Kidcot Fun Stops be operational?
32. How prevalent will the COVID-related signage be in the parks?
33. Will the park entry security measures be altered? Will security cast members still touch guests’ bags, or will automated screening be implemented?
34. How will temperature checks work? What happens if guests do not pass the temperature check? Will ticket refunds be allowed for medical reasons?
35. Will there be any changes to Magical Express procedures? Will guests need temperature checks to board the Magical Express buses?
36. Given the scrapping of the current FastPass system, will guests who previously had FastPasses be allowed priority access to the rides?
37. Will fill-your-own candy stations in resort shops be eliminated?
38. Will the resort refillable mug program be changed? Will guests be allowed to fill their own beverage cups?
39. Will resort recreation rentals be altered?
40. How will the pattern for interactive attractions change when everyone is wearing masks? Will there be new jokes for the Jungle Cruise, Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor, or Turtle Talk with Crush?
41. If some queues move outdoors, how will guests be sheltered from the sun? Will there be umbrellas in the walkways?
42. Other than masks for sale, will there be any other merchandise that addresses the virus situation? Jokey tees? Plush toys wearing masks?
43. How will guests be instructed to social distance in resort bars and lounges?

These are just a few of the near infinite number of questions we have about the new Walt Disney World. What did we miss? What are you thinking about? Let us know in the comments.

The post 43+ Questions We Still Have About Disney World’s Reopening appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

The past few days have revealed a lot of information in light of Walt Disney World’s proposed reopening starting with Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11th followed by Disney’s Hollywood Studios and EPCOT on July 15th.

In order to promote physical distancing as part of the new safety measures upon reopening, the parks (as well as restaurants within the Resort, among other venues) will reopen with limited guest capacity. And Disney is beginning to send out communications to Annual Passholders about changes being put into place that will help implement these measures.

Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will want to be on the lookout for an e-mail communication from the Resort regarding the upcoming required theme park reservation system and other recent updates concerning future visits that were revealed just yesterday.

The message addresses that the new measures have required the cancellation of existing FastPass+ selections and Advance Dining Reservations and experiences. (You can read more about FastPass+ cancellations here, and Dining Reservations here.)

The message goes on to say that “because you have valid Theme Park admission, you will have access to the Theme Park reservation system before new tickets are sold to other Guests.” (Note that — depending on your currently booked experiences — the phrasing in your message may vary slightly, if you are a recipient.)

Recipients are also advised that there is no action they need to take at this time, and that Disney will be contacting them “soon” with details on the new reservation system.

We will be keeping you posted as this story develops and more details are revealed. And to read more about the reopening of Walt Disney World, you may visit any of the links below.

Have you received an email from Disney regarding the latest updates? Please let us know with a comment. 

We have a major question about the reopening of Disney World — and some ideas about how it might play out!

While the Disney World parks remain closed, the resort has taken its first step towards resuming operations with the phased reopening of Disney Springs on May 20th.

We can look at the reopening of Disney Springs, as well as Shanghai Disneyland, for an idea of what to expect when the Disney World parks welcome back guests. But we have one HUGE question for which Disney hasn’t yet set a precedent.

Here’s What We’ve Learned So Far

We have several models to reference for a picture of what it may look like inside the reopened parks. There are some standard procedures that we’ve seen in the reopenings of Shanghai Disneyland, Disney Springs, and Universal CityWalk. Each of these locations has implemented safety measures including temperature checks, required face coverings, limited hours and offerings, and social distancing. So, we expect to see these precautions when the Disney World parks reopen as well.

But even though we have somewhat of an idea of what the INSIDE of the parks might look like, we still have one major question about the reopening of Disney World.

Read more about the Disney Springs reopening safety measures here!

What About Transportation??

With many vacationers flying in from out of state, transportation is a huge part of the guest experience at Disney World. In fact, sometimes Disney transportation is unavoidable.

With so many guests reliant on Disney transportation, that often leads to enclosed spaces packed tight with people. As a part of their proposed reopening plan, Disney noted that we may see modifications to the way that transportation is run. According to WDWMagic.com, Disney World will be offering limited transportation services such as the monorail and Friendship ferryboats.

So, how will Disney address these limitations? Let’s take a look at the different forms of available transportation, along with potential solutions.

Buses

Disney buses are one of the primary modes of transportation around property, especially for hotel guests. And if you’ve ever been on one of these buses around park open or close, you’ve probably experienced just how many people they can pack in. So, with the importance of distance, how would the buses operate?

Well, let’s take a look at how other bus systems have adapted.

According to the BBC, the buses in London have reduced capacity to 13-15% of their normal number of passengers. The largest, double-length Disney buses can typically carry over 100 passengers, so, in theory, this would need to be reduced to about 15 passengers per bus if Disney were to follow the same reduced capacity measures.

The CDC has also recommended that bus drivers take precautions in order to ensure their safety. In addition to requiring both the passengers and driver to wear a mask, it’s also suggested that passengers enter and exit through a rear door, and that hand sanitizer be made readily available.

So, based on the precedent set by other bus operations and recommendations from the CDC, if Disney bus service is made available, they would need to greatly reduce capacity, change the loading and unloading procedure, and sanitize regularly.

Monorail

While buses might be more widely used, the Monorail is certainly an iconic form of Disney transportation. But similar to the issues with buses, the Monorail is often incredibly crowded, with little ventilation. So, what changes might we see to Monorail transportation?

We can look at the adjustments made to train and subway systems for some potential clues. In New York City, the subway service is suspended from 1 AM to 5 AM to allow for deep cleaning, and even daytime service is reduced to 25%. In 2016, Orlando Sentinal reported that the Disney World Monorail carries roughly 150,000 guests per day. If capacity were limited to 25%, that would be only 37,500 guests per day.

Luckily, sanitation could be done at night when the monorail isn’t already running, so that should not cut into the amount of guests who can be transported. Also, given the importance of distance (and the size of each Monorail compartment), Disney could place each party in their own compartment.

Skyliner

In theory, it would be easier to implement health and safety measures on the Disney Skyliner than other forms of transportation. Since each gondola can only hold up to ten guests, Cast Members could seat one party per gondola. Also, the windows on the gondola allow for airflow and ventilation.

But, if the Skyliner gondolas must be sanitized after each party, we could see the line running much slower to give Cast Members the time to wipe down the surfaces. Depending on how much slower they would need to run, this could become uncomfortable for guests suspended in the air for an extended period of time.

There’s still a major question as to how/if Disney will sanitize transportation compartments between riders on the Skyliner and Monorail.

Boats

There are also several boats that transport guests around Disney property, including the ferryboats that travel between the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom, and the Friendship boats which connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Magic Kingdom, and Disney Springs to surrounding resorts.

Most of the boats have better ventilation than the buses and Monorail — some of them are even open-air. So, while guest distancing would still need to be practiced with staggered seating (or standing, in the case of the ferryboat), in theory, the boats should provide a safer travel environment than enclosed forms of transportation.

As with the other forms of transportation, services would need to be reduced to allow for regular sanitization and cleaning, and capacity would likely be limited, resulting in possibly longer wait times.

Minnie Vans

While this isn’t a free form of Disney transportation, Minnie Vans allow guests to request a rideshare service within Disney World property or between Disney World property and the Orlando International Airport or Port Canaveral. The service is run through the Lyft app, but all Minnie Vans are driven by Disney Cast Members.

Minnie Vans don’t come cheap, but we could see more guests opt to utilize them if other transportation changes cause extended delays. This form of transportation has built-in social distancing since guests pay for a private ride.

As reported by CNBC, Uber has recently started requiring that all drivers and passengers wear masks, and it’s likely that Minnie Van drivers and passengers would need to wear masks as well. In addition, the vehicles would need to be regularly sanitized between parties.

Click here to learn more about Disney’s Minnie Van service

Walking

While many of the Disney World hotels require some form of transportation to get to the parks, there are a few that guests are able to walk directly to the parks!

There’s a path from Disney’s Contemporary Resort to the Magic Kingdom and resort guests can walk to the park in five or ten minutes. And guests at Disney’s BoardWalk Resort, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, and Disney’s Yacht Club Resort all have access to walking paths directly to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

What appears to be a walkway connecting Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa to the Magic Kingdom was under construction pre-closure. If completed, it would allow guests at the Grand Floridian and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort to be able to walk to the Magic Kingdom as well.

All of the resorts that do have access to a walking path directly to one of the parks are on the pricy side. But guests who are able to stay in one of these resorts can bypass Disney transportation all together — for certain parks at least!

Click here to see Bob Chapek’s comments about Disney World’s reopening here

Now that the first steps are being taken towards reopening theme parks, we are starting to get a picture of what operations in the park might look like. But given Disney World’s unique transportation needs, we’re waiting to see how buses, boats, the Monorail, and the Skyliner might change! And based on the precedent set by other transportation systems around the world, some of these are set up for success more than others.

Which form of Disney transportation would you feel most comfortable using? Let us know in the comments!

The times they are a-changin’ for Disney resorts, and now there’s a new potential change to be thinking about.

Gamers, listen up! The global health crisis has had widespread effects on everything from your dining menu to the way you shop around stores and now it seems that another facet of entertainment is taking a hit. Health measures and concerns have started to have an effect on the arcade game industry — and this could affect Disney World following its reopening. Let’s take a look!

What’s happening with arcade games?

According to WESH-2 in Florida, the future of arcade games is uncertain thanks to the health crisis. In fact, businesses around the country have been putting in calls to have the machines picked up by the warehouses that rent out the games. Some have expressed uncertainty about when and if these rentals will go back out.

Essentially, arcade games can get in the way of new health measures that businesses are implementing. They are high-touch surfaces so arcade staff would need to wipe down machines after each use, which may not be feasible in a highly-automated arcade setting. Many are opting to forgo the arcade concept altogether during this time.

For restaurant/arcade concepts, games can also take up valuable space that locations need to properly distance tables. So the crisis is definitely affecting the way that arcades run — but how will we see this reflected in Disney World?

Click here to read about some of the changes we’re seeing in a partially reopened Disney World!

How could this affect Disney World?

Many resorts on Disney property offer small arcades. There are 20 arcades spread out among the Disney World resorts and all of them contain potentially-rented, high-touch games. As we’ve seen with other arcades affected, the ones in Disney World might not be exempt for new guidelines.

On one hand, we probably won’t see games pulled to make room for more space. There aren’t any restaurant/arcade models in Disney World so they probably won’t be affected by distancing measures. Still, we have seen arcades used for extra space in the past during refurbishments so it isn’t completely impossible that these spaces may be used.

Even if the arcades are not used for space, Disney may keep the arcades closed initially to reduce health concerns. When and if they do open, we may see increased cleaning protocols between use for the machines.

NOTE that Disney has not confirmed that arcades will be affected by their current policies. As we wait for more information about the Disney World hotel reopenings, we’ll keep you updated!

Arcades are a great option for kids during your resort day so the option may be more limited in the future. Plus, if you were dead set on setting a new Pac-Man record during your resort day, you might want to make other plans just in case.

For more information on Disney World’s reopening click here!

Do you think the Disney arcades will change? Share your thoughts in the comments! 

In case you missed it, there were some major updates released by the Walt Disney World Resort late Thursday evening. Details in regards to theme park reservations, ticket sales, and existing dining reservations were among the announcements. You can catch up on everything HERE.

When the requirement of face coverings was first announced as part of the phased reopening of Disney Springs, the regulations stated that they would be required for “all guests ages 3 and up.” With last night’s update on the theme parks, the verbiage has been changed to state that the requirement is now for guests ages 2 and up (see photo below).

As new updates are released from Walt Disney World, you can count on us to bring the information to you.