If you’ve been having trouble making a park reservation for your upcoming trip to Walt Disney World, now is the time to try again!

In line with recent comments made by Bob Chapek, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, during the Q2 earnings call, Walt Disney World has started to open more availability in the Disney Park Pass Reservation System.

Late Friday evening, availability was appearing for all ticket categories and all theme parks throughout the Summer and early Fall, with the exception of some holidays and Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.

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Obviously, the availability is changing by the second, so if you’re looking for park days for your upcoming vacation, hurry over to your My Disney Experience account!

During yesterday’s quarterly earnings call, Disney CEO Bob Chapek hinted that park capacity at Disney World would increase very soon. These remarks came in response to the CDC’s newest guidance which states that fully vaccinated individuals can now “resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart.”

While we have yet to hear updates from Disney World regarding their face mask policies, we’re starting to see the first tangible signs that park capacity at Disney World is on the rise at this very moment!

One of the indicators that show how much “room” Disney World has at a particular park is by looking at their Park Pass Reservation availability calendar. As recently as this morning, Park Pass availability for next week and beyond was looking pretty slim. Here’s what park capacity looked like as of Wednesday, May 12th for guests staying at Select Resort Hotels…

…and here’s what availability looks like as of this writing! As you can see, availability has been added for every single date in the month of May from the 17th onward. Several of these dates were completely filled across all four theme parks! The Park Pass Reservation calendar is currently identical for guests with Theme Park Tickets.

Park Pass Reservation availability does not seem to be added, however, for Annual Passholders. Here is what Park Pass availability looked like for Annual Passholders as of Wednesday, May 12th…

…and here’s what availability looks like for Annual Passholders in the month of May as of this evening.

Annual Passholders now have plenty of Park Pass Reservations, however, for the month of June.

We’ll be sure to bring you the latest updates and crowd reports in the coming days and weeks as Disney World prepares to increase park capacity. We’ll also be on the lookout for news regarding Disney World’s face mask policies, which as of this writing remain in effect.

Click here to read more about Bob Chapek’s reaction to the newest CDC guidelines.

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Will you visit Disney World soon? Let us know in the comments!

The post Park Pass Availability Goes Way Up as Disney World Increases Park Capacity first appeared on the disney food blog.

Recently, we’ve seen quite a few updates when it comes to health and safety rules in Disney World and other theme parks.

Disney has already announced that they will be phasing out temperature checks and gradually reducing social distancing. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided updated mask guidance for those who are fully vaccinated. And yesterday Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek made a number of comments about the CDC’s updated guidance and how it could impact the parks. Will Disney World change their mask policies soon? Here’s what we’re seeing.

Let’s start with the updated CDC guidance. According to the most recent updates from the CDC, fully vaccinated people may resume many indoor and outdoor activities without a mask. There are some exceptions, however, when it comes to trains, planes, and other locations, particularly those where masks continue to be mandated by local or federal law, or by a business’ rules.

Keep in mind that the CDC defines “fully vaccinated” to be 2 weeks after a person’s last required COVID-19 vaccination dose (a.k.a. the 2nd dose in a 2-dose series, or the 1st dose in a 1-dose series).

The CDC continues to also state that unvaccinated people should wear a mask in many situations, including when attending a crowded, outdoor event like a live performance, parade, or sports event.

Click here to see more about the CDC’s updated guidelines.

So, what has Disney said in response?

During the recent earnings call for the second quarter of fiscal year 2021, one individual asked for “Any color you can provide on how we should think or how you’re thinking about when it’s OK to start raising capacity, attendance capacity, particularly at Disney World.”

Chapek responded by saying “Obviously, today’s guidance that we got from the CDC in terms of those that were vaccinated do not necessarily need to wear masks anymore, both outdoors and indoors, is very big news for us, particularly if anybody’s been in Florida in the middle of summer with a mask on. That could be quite daunting.”

Chapek went on to say “So we think that’s going to make for an even more pleasant experience. And we believe that as we’re now bringing back a lot of people back to work, that it’s going to be an even bigger catalyst for growth in attendance.”

In an interview with CNBC’s Fast Money, Chapek was asked about how the CDC’s updated guidelines will change the rules in the parks. Chapek responded by stating, “there’s gonna be a lot more comfortable people this summer in Orlando. You can only imagine what it’d be like in 95 degrees and 95% humidity wearing a mask so we’re thrilled to be able to do that.”

In both of those statements discussed above, Chapek doesn’t expressly state that mask guidelines in Disney World will be changing soon. But, his statements do seem to imply that a change in mask policy might be a possibility or something potentially under consideration.

By stating that it will be a more “pleasant experience” or that there will be “more comfortable people” in Orlando this summer, it seems Chapek is indicating that a change in mask policy might cause these things. It also seems like this change might be coming soon as the official start of summer is around the corner. Summer is officially set to begin in June of this year.

It’s possible, however, that Chapek is simply indicating that people will feel more comfortable in general as they’ll be able to remove their masks in other places, or they may feel more comfortable traveling in general as more individuals become vaccinated. Overall, it seems like Chapek’s statements are pointing at a potential change in Disney World’s mask policy but nothing official has been shared yet.

Another Disney spokesperson has issued a statement about the updated guidance from the CDC. That statement reads, “Today’s guidance from the CDC allowing fully vaccinated individuals to remove masks and the removal of physical distancing requirements is extremely positive news and as soon as is practical we will implement updated guidelines across our businesses.”

This statement from the Disney representative does seem to include more firm language in terms of updated guidelines coming to Disney World related to face masks, but again we’ll just have to wait and see.

If Disney does adjust its mask regulations, potentially just for vaccinated individuals, it could cause a number of complications in terms of enforcement. It could also be a bit of an awkward situation if vaccinated adults and older children (who are now eligible to receive the vaccine) can be in the park without their masks, but younger children in the same party (who are not yet eligible for the vaccine) are required to wear masks. Might be hard to get your 5 year old to wear their mask if you don’t have to wear yours!

Could other theme parks’ actions give us an idea of what Disney might do next? It’s possible. Today, Universal Orlando announced that masks will no longer be required to be worn by any guests outdoors (except in certain situations). Masks will continue to be required in all indoor locations, however.

Hershey Theme Park has also removed face mask requirements for select guests. Just because these other parks have changed their rules doesn’t mean Disney will, but it could give us an idea of the possibilities Disney is exploring.

At the moment, Disney has not changed their face mask policies yet. All guests ages 2 and up are required to wear face masks at all times while on property except when specifically allowed to be removed (such as when at a mask-free relaxation station). Masks continue to be required in Disney World even for guests who have been fully vaccinated.

We’ll keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we see.

Click here to see the White House’s comments on who can stop wearing masks.

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The post A Closer Look at What Disney’s CEO Has Said About the CDC’s Updated Mask Rules first appeared on the disney food blog.

Disney Cruise Line has been aiming to resume operations this fall, with its newest ship, the Disney Wish, scheduled to begin sailings next summer. However, it looks like those itineraries aren’t ready to set sail just yet.

We previously shared that all Disney Cruise Line sailing were canceled through June; now, it looks like that cancelation window is being extended further into the summer.

Disney Cruise Line’s website now states that “Given the ongoing nature of these discussions and the time needed to staff and prepare our ships, we are cancelling all Disney Wonder sailings through July 12, 2021, as well as Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy sailings through July 31, 2021.”

With U.S. departures canceled through July, keep in mind that sailings aboard the Disney Magic in Europe have already been canceled for departures through September 18th, 2021. 

Guests who are impacted by these latest cancelations should receive an email from Disney outlining details and next steps. Those with further questions should contact their travel agent or Disney Cruise line directly, at (866) 325-6685 or (407) 566-7797.

Guests who have already paid in full will be able to choose between a cruise credit or a full refund. Those who haven’t yet paid in full will receive a refund of what they’ve paid thus far. If you haven’t been affected by these cancelations but wish to cancel or rebook to a later date, the Disney Cruise Line has extended their temporary cancellation and payment policies through September 30th, 2021.

We’ll continue to keep an eye out for the latest updates from Disney Cruise Line!

Click here to read all about what is coming to the Disney Wish!

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Have you ever been on a Disney Cruise? Let us know in the comments!

The post NEWS! Disney Cruise Line Has Canceled U.S. Sailings Through July first appeared on the disney food blog.