The Walt Disney World News We've Been Waiting For is Finally Here!
Over the past few weeks, Disney has been sharing with us that a theme park reservation system would be announced to help manage attendance at the Walt Disney World Resort. Today, I have exciting information to share!
My Disney Experience & Park Pass System
On June 16th I shared that you will need a My Disney Experience account as we move forward. This is where your Walt Disney World Resort plans are stored and managed. You’ll also need a valid theme park ticket or Annual Pass that’s linked to your My Disney Experience account.
If you have a Disney Resort hotel reservation, be sure to link it to this My Disney Experience account beforehand, as well.
Once you’ve logged into your My Disney Experience account and linked your ticket, you’ll have access to a calendar of available reservation dates for each theme park. If you have a multi-day ticket, you will be required to make a park reservation for each date of your visit.
Families and friends can link their tickets together and look to arrange theme park entries at the same time. Use the Family and Friends section of My Disney Experience to link to each other there.
Please note, park reservations are limited in number and subject to availability. Availability can change until the reservation is finalized. At this time, guests will be able to select one park per day; visiting more than one park per day will be temporarily unavailable upon the reopening of the theme parks due to attendance limitations.
Guests with existing tickets that include the Park Hopper Option or Park Hopper Plus Option have options available to them for ticket modifications and cancellations. Disney says it hopes to bring back the ability to visit more than one park per day soon and will continue to offer these add-ons for 2021 ticket purchases.
Walt Disney World Park Pass System - Key Dates
Here’s a great video that explains more:
Planning a Trip for 2021
Planning a New Trip for Next Year: By June 28, all guests will be able to purchase new Disney Resort hotel packages and theme park tickets and make their park reservations for arrivals starting in 2021 as Disney’s phased reopening continues. Guests will be able to view park reservation availability on DisneyWorld.com prior to purchasing their tickets.
For those of you who already contacted me about booking or modifying your existing Walt Disney World reservation for 2021, I will be in touch very soon!
Magic Bands update
The technology for Magic Bands was almost obsolete the very day they were introduced as Smartphone technology really took off. We saw Disney doing a lot of testing with digital key entry into hotels rooms at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, where guests could use their phone to unlock the door. As the use of phones and apps continues to evolve. In 2021, Disney will unveil an innovative new offering as part of the My Disney Experience app that will bring features of a MagicBand to your smart devices, building on the app’s existing digital key feature.
With this new offering on the horizon, Disney will be retiring complimentary MagicBand distribution to Disney Resort hotel guests for new reservations with arrivals beginning Jan. 1, 2021.
Disney Resort hotel guests will continue to have the option to purchase new MagicBands at a discount, and we'll be introducing even more colors and designs featuring favorite Disney characters in the future. Guests who prefer not to purchase a discounted MagicBand will be able to use the My Disney Experience app or a Key to the World card during their visit.
Disney will still offer MagicBands in retail locations and on shopDisney.com, and guests will be able to continue using the wearables throughout Walt Disney World Resort.