Though you probably aren’t thinking about Walt Disney World’s My Disney Experience app while all the parks and resorts are shut down, Disney’s tech team has actually been hard at work making changes and improvements to the app that will ensure that this app is ready for the new “normal” park experience that guests will encounter when the theme parks reopen next month.
1. Disney resort guests only can make dining reservations
Starting tomorrow, guests with confirmed hotel reservations can make dining reservations at several hotel restaurants that are reopening next week. These reservations can be made via phone only at 407 824-1391 and will require a valid Disney Resort hotel reservation between June 22 and July 10 2020. Guests without hotel reservations (such as those visiting Disney Springs) will not be able to make dining reservations until a later date to be announced.
2. Mobile check in to replace physical hosts at table service restaurants
Beginning next week, select table service restaurants at Disney hotels will reopen and instead of checking in with a physical host guests will use a new My Disney Experience feature that will send a push notification prompting guests to check in via the app and confirm their arrival time and party details. Once a guest’s table is ready, they will be notified to proceed to a specified location inside the restaurant. This new policy will hopefully limit contact between guests and Cast Members and help keep social distancing measures in place.
3. Annual Pass reservation system quietly debuts
Walt Disney World has confirmed that when it reopens in July, guests will need to use a new theme park reservation system to visit their parks. Every guest will need a reservation time, and entry will not be given to guests who just show up to the parks without a reservation, even if they have tickets.
Many have wondered how this new reservation system will work for annual passholders, who should be guaranteed entry to the theme parks on non-blockout days, and though we don’t have any details yet, Disney has updated its admission calendar inside the My Disney Experience app to include ‘Reservations Required’ in addition to the standard blockout dates for annual passholders.
Right now the calendar shows that all passes will require reservations from reopening through to June 2021. This of course could change in the future, but right now it looks like Disney is planning to keep this system in place for quite awhile.
As we’ve said previously, there is no way to know exactly how long theme parks will be dealing with the effects of Coronavirus, but while this situation is continuing, all travelers should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
As always, while this situation is evolving, all travelers should check out the CDC’s official site here, which has information on the virus and how to prevent its spread.
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