Disney World is actually operating today for the first time since March! Cast Member previews began today, and that’s just one of the many updates we’ve got this week. Let’s talk about the latest!
PREVIOUS UPDATE + WDW MASTERPOST
In case you’re behind (it’s easy to fall behind these days…even for us), our last update was on July 2. If you’re brand new and would just like a thorough look at the Disney World reopening, we have a Disney World Reopening Masterpost that covers the basics and links to our deeper content.
We also have a post discussing the Cast Member previews of Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, which started today.
Disneyland Updates
Only one update here—we had to bring back our When Will Disneyland Reopen? post. Even if you read our previous editions of this post, this one is probably worth a look, as we focus a bit more on the dynamics of the California reopening, as well as on what the “false start” planned July 17 reopened taught us.
Walt Disney World Updates
There are real, live people inside the Disney World parks on rides today!
Cast Member Previews Begin Today
Cast Member previews of Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom are today and tomorrow. We’ll be following lots of people and seeing if we learn anything interesting, but if you’re interested in a look around the parks, I’ll quickly recommend the following social accounts:
Our Florida Project (instagram)
Prince Charming Devv (instagram)
Thrill Geek (twitter)
Advance Dining Reservations Reopen
Advance Dining Reservations are now available for all guests up to 60 days in advance. Previously, Disney had restricted reservations to certain groups of hotel guests, but they’ve apparently pushed through this and are now able to start the “new normal.”
I don’t yet know if advance dining reservations are just 60 days or if the old “+10” rule allowing you to book 60 days in advance of arrival plus up to 10 days of a Disney resort stay would apply.
First Availability Updates to Parks Pass
BlogMickey has more detailed coverage of this, but this week we saw Disney tweak availability for Parks Pass, the Disney World theme park reservation system. Specifically, some dates previously closed to Disney Resort Guests were reopened for bookings.
Whatever the cause, this emphasizes the shifting landscape. We’re going to see guests cancel. We’re going to see APs cancelled. We’re going to see Disney decide to shift availability from one group to another.
Unlike FastPass+ (now suspended) and Dining Reservations, there isn’t much reason to track these closely unless you’re a local annual passholder. Probably the only other reason would be if you have a trip booked but couldn’t get all four parks.
If you’re just eyeballing possible trips, you’re better off settling on dates that work for you, rather than hoping days you have in mind see new availability.
Shanghai Standby Pass Expands
We’re putting this Shanghai story in the Disney World section because it’s very relevant, as we’ll explain.
Three rides have been added to Standby Pass at Shanghai Disneyland, bringing the park’s total Standby Pass roster to eight rides and one show.
Standby Pass is a virtual queue system where instead of waiting in a physical line for a ride, guests can use the app to sign up for a Standby Pass, which has a return time. This is a lot like FastPass, except that it is instead of a physical line, while FastPass has always been in addition to a physical line.
Various sources have reported that Disney has told them directly there would be no virtual queues when Walt Disney World reopens. This isn’t shocking—Shanghai itself had no virtual queues when it reopened. Two months later, they’ve up to nine attractions with virtual queues.
There’s no guarantee that virtual queues will be added as time goes on, but Standby Pass has proven useful to Disney in Shanghai as crowds have increased. We expect to see something similar in the US.
Transportation Updates
Disney provided the following update on transportation at Walt Disney World:
Buses have already begun running
Monorail and Ferry Boats begin running July 7
Skyliner begins July 15
Minnie Van and other Watercraft TBD
The monorail and ferry boats are a change from when we last reported they were to open July 11. A few questions remain—will the monorail go to Epcot? What about the Magic Kingdom resort boats? We’ll find out these details in the coming days, I guess.
What’s On The Docket
The next nine days are going to be busy. I’m expecting to stick to a 2X weekly updates calendar for the next two weeks so that I can tackle these items in smaller groups. My next update will either be Friday or Saturday, and will include discussion of Cast Member and AP Previews (neither of which I’ll be at, so look forward to some external links).
July 7-8 — Disney World Park Cast Member Previews
July 9-10 — Disney World Park Annual Passholder Previews
July 11 — Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom Reopen
July 15 — Epcot and Hollywood Studios Reopen
Odds and Ends
Cast Member Video. Disney released a short video about Cast Members preparing for the reopening. It’s only 55 seconds, so worth a watch:
Disney World AP Payment Glitch. Disney accidentally billed annual passholders for several months of payments this week as a part of a system change. They’ve begun refunding the payments.
We are expecting annual pass refund details from Disney this week, so it’s likely this system change was in preparation for that.
Oga’s Cantina (Re)Scheduled to Reopen. After a brief time off the reopening list, Oga’s Cantina at Hollywood Studios is back on track to reopen with the park on July 15.