Walt Disney World Announces Plans to Reopen in July & Face Masks Will Be Required
Disney World is planning its post-coronavirus comeback!
Walt Disney World just announced its plan to reopen on July 11.
The park’s reopening date was revealed in a presentation the company made to Orange County’s Economic Recovery Task Force this morning. County officials have approved the plans so now they just need to be approved by the Florida governor.
Walt Disney World has been closed since March 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic. A Disney Parks Blog Post has now laid out plans for a phased reopening with the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom set to open on July 11. EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios are scheduled to reopen on July 15.
As these parks reopen, attendance will be limited using a reservation system with priority given to existing ticket holders and Annual Passholders.
The first part of Disney World’s phased reopening will only include a limited number of attractions. Experiences that typically draw large groups, such as parades and nighttime spectaculars, won’t take place until a later date.
While characters will return to the parks on day one, certain “high-touch” experiences such as makeovers, playgrounds, and character meet and greets will be unavailable at first. Guests will notice many other changes on their next visit to Disney World too.
Social distancing markers will be placed throughout the park, and all cast members and guests will be required to undergo temperature checks. Face masks will also be required for guests ages three and up in the parks and common areas of resort hotels.
For more details about Walt Disney World’s plans to reopen and information on how the new reservation system and safety measures will work, head on over to the Disney Parks Blog for all the latest updates.
Recreate your favorite Disney Parks foods at home with these official recipes!
Good luck trying to find someone with money and willing to go in the current event.
Plenty of people going. They will hit capacity quickly.
@jon-0 the Shanghai Disney tickets sold out within seconds! The experience will be way more enjoyable with less people and that’s what draws people to it… plus for pass holders it isn’t costing anything extra (they just have to get reservations)
I was actually thinking now is the time to go because there will be less people, more cast members, and lower wait times. I’m not a character meet and great or parade person so it’s kind of ideal.
Face masks in July in FL heat…not my idea of fun at all!
True but I bet the place with be packed to the new max.
I imagine people wearing them….and then pulling them down. The heat combined with constant mask wearing seems like a risk. 🤪
Dr’s on our news have been talking about how it is risky to breathe in your dirty air. Also once your mask gets damp it is very harmful. I remember in the beginning how they said they didn’t work and now we have to wear them all the time?
Yes, that is true that they first said wearing them wouldn’t work. But over time with scientific study and data over time with this virus, the experts changed their minds after if finding that widespread mask use on nearly everyone drastically cuts down the rate of infection.
I think they saw the success of the mandatory country requirement in Taiwan. People are moving everywhere including crowded public transit and their numbers are all very low. Hopefully we won’t have to do it forever.
Taiwan, South Korea have all had great success inspite of their proximity to China…mask wearing and constant testing is the reason why they got over their quarantine faster than most places.
NS, it never changed — at the beginning Drs said it doesn’t protect you from catching the virus, and that is still true. Only the N95 masks do that.
Wearing a mask is to make spreading less prevalent. When asymptomatic carriers are wearing a mask it helps keep their exhaled droplets from going so far and wide from sneezing or even just talking.
Homemade mask wearers can catch viruses, but making everyone wear one slows carriers from spreading it so much.
Age 3 and up! I can’t imagine making a toddler wear a face mask all day in the FL heat! yikes
it’s going to be horrible wearing a mask in that heat. No thank you!
Exactly! For those who try going and wearing one in the heat all day and then ending up passing out from a heat stroke Disney will wish they didn’t open or didn’t require a mask to go after that possible lawsuit! If they want to require a mask they need to open during the cooler weather at least. Either way we are not going to schedule our trip until this mask craze is over.
What about the Disney employees having to wear masks in uniforms in the heat. Ouch
Agreed. I’m a nurse and it is TOUGH wearing them prolonged.. my husband has to wear full protective gear + N95 + mask over that his entire hospital shift (also a nurse).. no characters, no parades, no fireworks, etc etc etc.. = no magic to us. Our trip was sadly canceled last month with all going on but my family’s health and comfort is worth more than rescheduling anytime soon.
With that being said.. for those of you who do decide to go.. stay safe and healthy, and have fun! Bring hand sanitizer and use it EVERY time you touch something that is not yours. Remember it does NOT kill bacteria until it is completely dry. Dont touch your face and wash your hands every chance you can. ❤
i cancelled my august trip to disneyland because it feels too soon for me but also while i wear a mask every time i have to run errands i can’t imagine wearing one in the summer for 12-15 hrs a day that we spend in the park
Are they lowering the entrance fees, now that half the stuff seems to not be happening?
There’s hotel deals in place and I would expect there will be extras. There’s plenty of people canceling and plenty more who are fine with the restrictions if it means we get back to our happy place. Including myself. Disney will be there for everyone whenever they’re ready!
That’s not really answering her question…as a pass holder, I’m going to cancel until things return to normal as having so many attractions and events canceled is not a good return on my investment, nor do I want to run the gamut of not being able to get in on the days I want to attend (it’s hard enough just getting the fast passes I want as someone that doesn’t stay in a resort). And I think there’s a lot of people underestimating the misery of wearing masks in our FL heat for hours on end (I’ve had to do it for only 2 hours on occasion and boy, do I feel for the poor CMs, much less the tourists). Luckily, I live an hour away, and yes, Disney can wait.
So that means all the pools etc will probably remain closed? I’ve been to Disney twice in August and honestly the pools were the only thing that saved us.
I can’t speak for Disney property, but pools are currently open in many Orlando hotels.
I get it, I need a vacation BADLY too (I was supposed to be on the beach in Marco Island this week but had to cancel everything), but I just don’t understand why ppl are so desperate to run out there in giant crowds? The mask thing, I’m on the fence but do it because it’s the law where we are and I don’t go out too much anyhow. But I hear about all these ppl that are chompin at the bit to get to Disney and get into the crowds, hit the clubs, jump into all the pools. I do really hope that the virus is just gone and isn’t coming back ever again.
@kate- many predictions are the virus will be around 2 years…. ppl are desperate bc we’ve been caged up, don’t know if lockdowns will get worse again (and for those of us with 4 real seasons, we went from winter- which is somewhat of a lock down with road conditions/weather- here we even got snow in May!!! To virus lockdowns as we were going into spring and summer breaks when we’re ready to get out and live! So we’ve been in somewhat of a lockdown since October or November!!!) most things have been closed (and those open, close super early- eg here our 24 hour Walmart still closes at 8 (honestly I don’t like crowds and enjoyed going around 10pm- now it’s packed constantly due to limited hours)! Where I live some cities have announced all outdoor pools are not opening this summer and the indoor ones will only open for limited lap swim (which I wouldn’t go to- ppl don’t realize chlorine doesn’t kill everything- hence pools have to be cleaned and shocked with high levels of chlorine when a “baby Ruth” from a human booty shows up)… also Disney is not going to be “full” (or have giant crowds)- much the opposite- look at Shanghai- everyone that went was super happy and it didn’t appear crowded at all- sounds like a great experience! (Wayyyyy better than “normal” Disney crowds with crazy “parents” shoving their giant strollers around, running ppl over- when I went to Disney Paris, I can’t tell you how wonderful the final hours of opening were on Sunday- in Europe parents are actually reasonable and leave with their young kids at reasonable hours (we had a break for a holiday where we were living at the time in Europe and some of our friends wanted to meet up there for our long weekend))… would I go to public pools or clubs? Probably not, but Disney with small crowds- heck yeah!
Can you imagine trying to wear a mask on a roller coaster. It won’t stay on. There will be dirty masks strewn all over. But I’m sure you can buy a new Mickey one for $20 after every ride. The only ones that would stay on would be the tie on ones.
I wear a mask 12 hours a day for work. It is awful to wear a mask that long under the best of conditions. I could not imagine wearing one all day at Disney, while walking around in the heat.
Oh no! That’s too hot for masks there. I am curious to see the report another reader mentioned about the dangers of breathing in our dirty hot breath lol…but seriously, I have wondered how sanitary these masks are. Kids should not have to be subject to this. Personally, I am skipping big travel plans right now because places like Disney cost way too much to walk around miserably masked up.
One word why they are opening in July: money
In my opinion they should wait until September- less crazy busy crowds and masks won’t be so uncomfortable in September weather
Sorry, I live here and September is 90+ degrees with high humidity. We don’t have a “fall” season….until January lol
Most accurate statement ever!
Yes exactly frankly a mask will never be comfortable in Orlando weather.
Yeah, September is really no better.
Yup, actually I think September is the worst, lol!
I mean, I think they are being very cautious about reopening. With Universal opening next week and Sea World soon after, I like that they are waiting. And of course they want money, they are a business lol That’s what they do!
Besides the difficulty of wearing masks in the heat, how are you supposed to eat or drink??
It’s hot. So, wouldn’t people be taking them off all the time so they could stay properly hydrated? Or, can you not eat or drink in the park?
That’s what I was thinking too. How does one’s mask stay on during a ride and how does one’s removing the mask to eat maintain safety.?
I would think that serving food and drinks which would result in people touching their faces without a great way to really wash outdoors and touching rails etc. plus the trash that ensues would be a big way to spread covid. Saliva and respiratory droplets would contaminate everything and put both the person eating and others at risk.
Besides the mask greatly increasing the risk for heat stroke in the hot summer heat, I don’t know how guests would be able to stay properly hydrated and keep blood sugar and energy levels up as they do all that walking around the hot park if food and drinks were prohibited or limited.
Sounds miserable! Not like a vacation!
Part of the fun when I went was the meal plan and getting all the specials snacks and meals in the park.
Our amusement park is open and you have to wear a mask at the front entry but they don’t enforce the masks after that. I wear a mask all day in the Dental field and I really am not a proponent for masks for regular people unless your sick yourself. Washing hands and not touching your face is way more important!
@jo- don’t forget social distancing!! That’s way more important than a mask!
Keep drinking the kool-aid! People have lived in close proximity to one another since the beginning of time. It’s all political now.
I was actually hoping to get a “reopening deal” for Disney but won’t go with the mask requirement. Hopefully they’ll be back to normal next year.
My family had already planned a trip to Orlando to visit Disney World and Universal Studios at the beginning of August. I couldn’t imaging having to be required to wear a mask and to social distance. Will they still have shows? Will there still be character photos and autographs? Will the masks fill with sweat? How is that for your health? I checked into moving our trip out a year and American Airlines allow me to cancel and get a credit to use later with no penalty but AirBNB won’t. We have a family of 8 traveling and I am worried about how this is all going to work out.
We had plans to go June 6 to 12 and are VRBO wouldn’t let us get a refund. Never again would I use them. I can get if we just wanted to cancel for fun but when the theme park is closed and there’s a pandemic you’d think people would be more kind. We have 5 adults on the trip and since we still have a “reservation” we plan to all write bad reviews for the owner. Sorry, not really sorry that we lost over a thousand dollars on a trip we couldn’t take! Wouldn’t even let us change the date to next year when we plan to take our Disney trip.
Look at every Disney blog/vlog and see the comments about mask wearing in FL heat. FL residents are complaining saying no idea how anyone who lives outside of the lower 50 will be able to deal. Disney Spring reopened last Wednesday and was visited by bloggers/vloggers/local because it was newly opened but this weekend the place was a ghost town. If the low Disney Springs attendance is any indication of a possible WDW turn out than Disney is in for a big surprise. Universal is opening next week. Perhaps Disney is waiting to see how the turnout is over there and if needed they can push back the planned July reopening. Also, LegoLand has a “no mask required” policy. Would be nice if everywhere did a mask “preferred” policy then there’d be less complaints.
I agree with you but, unfortunately, I suspect it’s tied to County requirements. Orange and Osceola counties are requiring face coverings but neighboring Lake, Polk and Seminole counties aren’t. Legoland is in Polk County. Universal is in Orange. Disney, in some ways, has it’s own county (the Reedy Creek Improvement District) but I think for stuff like this they follow Orange County policy.
I believe I rad that the governor is requiring that theme parks have local approval of their reopening plan before it goes up the chain.
Since most people aren’t traveling right now, Disney Springs was always going to look empty. I wouldn’t imagine locals really fill that place up. They need the tourists. I sure wouldn’t go to Disney w/a mask but I most certainly would not be flying right now for non-emergency reasons. Flying w/the mask, full planes (I’ve seen the photos) and then hours in the heat? I sure don’t get it.
The masks is a deal breaker for us. We had our Orlando vacation cancelled at the end of March. We had been planning on doing Disney and LegoLand. Legoland reopening made us discuss the possibility of going in the summer or fall. But masks in Florida heat? Does not sound like fun. My kids barely keep a mask on for 5 minutes to run into the post office, can’t imagine them keeping it on for a full day. And they are over 3.
I’m NOT going to Disney to wear a face mask! The trip can wait!
So dumb! Enough with these masks. People need to build an immune system!
Yes! That’s what I told the principal at my kids school when he said I can’t distribute peanut butter snacks to the class.
Easy to say when you don’t have a kid who has almost died from a food allergy
Lol that was sarcasm in response to the person telling people to build an immune system
Good I’m glad. Don’t want everyone coming for vacation and making FL spike again. Either wear it or don’t come.
Exactly Tricia! We don’t need these people here in FL if they are going to act so selfish about wearing the mask. It’s obvious they don’t care about anyone but themselves.
Yup it’s sad. Glad to see someone else who feels the same.
Disneyland? Oh, you mean that place that had the giant measles outbreak a few years back? Oh yeah, count me in! 😂 Disneyland reopening is just itching for a comedic meme.
A 3-year-old with a mask all day at Disney! 😂😂😂😂
I live here in Orlando right next to Mickey and I cannot imagine wearing a mask for an extended period of time in this heat, humidity and daily summer rain….We are afraid of tourism for Summer changing the Covid 19 numbers aggressively. Fingers crossed for opening the country safely. Stay Safe fellow Hip2Savers!