WDW COVID-19 Operational Changes- Reservation System-Rope Drop Procedures

[KristinU]

I saw that a thread on this subject was closed, with the reason cited as many other planning threads with this discussion. I am having a difficult time finding this information or discussion mixed with everything else. There is so much information to dissect, I believe it would be helpful for those of us in tNY, NJ, CT and La to have a separate thread.

I went searching after seeing that closed thread as well, the extension issued on 6/5 does not give me the warm and fuzzies. There's an open thread on the Transportation forum: https://www.disboards.com/threads/b...ll-be-placed-under-14-day-quarantine.3797554/

 

[Sandisw]

Good morning! I keep reading about only being allowed to reserve parks for four days... is this in writing somewhere or is it a rumor?

I think people are just using it as an example. If they have a 7 day pass and can only reserve 4 days of a trip, what happens to the other days.

Nothing has been said you would be limited, other than if it gets full or an AP holder...assuming one not with a resort reservation.

 

[Moliphino]

Here is my question: what happens to your ticket value if you can get reservations for only some of your park days? Example, you have a 6-night Disney resort reservation with a 7-day ticket. Normally, you get a 10-day window in which to use those 7 days. But for this trip, when reservations open, you are able to secure park reservations for 4 days. Does Disney then recognize you have a 3-day ticket that can be used on another trip by September 2021 or can apply the value of a 3-day ticket to another date-based 3-day ticket if you don't travel back to WDW before expiration? I'm willing to be flexible on which parks I visit during the trip, and I'll make due with a resort day or two if I can't get reservations on some of my days. But I don't want to lose out on the value of my tickets because Disney won't let me into a park. I paid for 7 days, and I expect to have 7 days in Disney parks.

My ticket says:
9-Day Ticket with Park Hopper Option
Age: 10+
Valid: Sat, Mar 21, 2020 – Sun, Sep 26, 2021
Theme Park Admission: Any 9 of the Valid Dates

I take that to mean I can use my 9 days anytime until 9/26/2021.

 

[abja09]

I went searching after seeing that closed thread as well, the extension issued on 6/5 does not give me the warm and fuzzies. There's an open thread on the Transportation forum: https://www.disboards.com/threads/b...ll-be-placed-under-14-day-quarantine.3797554/

I’m coming from NJ so hope Florida lifts the quarantine order before September 1st!

 

[mcmry5]

Using the FP+ system as a guide, since I think that will be the technology that they are modifying for the new system (I work in IT Finance systems development, and understand the complexities of bringing up a new or modified system). Purely speculation, but my chips are obviously on resort guests getting access to the reservation system first, starting Day 1 of check in for length of stay (up to 7 days, similar to the FP+ system) with the added wrinkle of #days on ticket. So for instance, we have a 7 day DVC reservation but only 5 day park tickets, so I would expect to only be able to register for a park on 5 days. My guess is AP holders will be phased in early as well and allowed to hold 4 park reservations at a time BUT if they have a resort stay booked, then they would fall into the category above. This is very similar the FP+ rules, and I just don't think they have the time or IT resources to do something drastically different. They are most likely taking what they have and doing a copy and then modifying since a lot of the base coding is already there. I do think they will allow park hopping (maybe not immediately but shortly thereafter at least for AP holders), but it will be a standby type of thing, as people leave more can go in.

THIS!! This is exactly what I was imagining they would do with the reservation system-- you verbalized it so well. Now we just wait and see!

 

[georgina]

My ticket says:
9-Day Ticket with Park Hopper Option
Age: 10+
Valid: Sat, Mar 21, 2020 – Sun, Sep 26, 2021
Theme Park Admission: Any 9 of the Valid Dates

I take that to mean I can use my 9 days anytime until 9/26/2021.

If that is the case, that is a great deal for people who will be returning. Kind of like the old non-expiring tickets, with a shorter window.

 

[GirlDreamer]

Good morning! I keep reading about only being allowed to reserve parks for four days... is this in writing somewhere or is it a rumor?

I'd like to see them try as in the UK they only sell 7, 14 and 21 day tickets. I'm going for three weeks and got a 21 day ticket myself.

 

[bernina]

I'd like to see them try as in the UK they only sell 7, 14 and 21 day tickets. I'm going for three weeks and got a 21 day ticket myself.

I'm curious, on 21 day tickets, how many days of FP+ could you hold at once?

 

[MomOTwins]

Our plan for our 5-day August trip is that if we can't get Disney park reservations every day, we'll make it a pool/disney springs day or take an uber and go check out Universal Studios/Volcano Bay. Given how limited the capacity is, I do not think it is realistic to expect that guests with longer trips will be able to get reservations every single day. It may be that they will allow you to shorten a hotel stay if you have a longer trip planned and can't get tickets on most days.

The problem here is that it is a zero sum game with these kinds of severe capacity limits: if a person with a 21 day ticket can make reservations for all 21 days, that's the equivalent of seven people getting to book the parks for 3 days each. That's why they are capping reservations for APs--they don't want it to be the case that a smaller group of people get to enjoy an empty theme park over and over while others who saved and planned for a Disney vacation can't get in at all this year.

We usually aren't able to stay for more than 2-4 days, so I chuckle a bit to see the attitude that a 4-day limit would be the end of the world. This trip should be even more fun, because since there is no more fastpass, we might actually be able to get on some of the headliner rides (with shorter trips, the FPs were always gone by our 60 day mark).

 

[pmaurer74]

I wish I knew if having a split stay will hurt me with the new reservation system vs. having a full stay at the same resort?

 

[TISHLOVESDISNEY]

​

My ticket says:
9-Day Ticket with Park Hopper Option
Age: 10+
Valid: Sat, Mar 21, 2020 – Sun, Sep 26, 2021
Theme Park Admission: Any 9 of the Valid Dates

I take that to mean I can use my 9 days anytime until 9/26/2021.

If that is the case, that is a great deal for people who will be returning. Kind of like the old non-expiring tickets, with a shorter window.

Yeah, that's what I am thinking. Maybe incase people can't get parks reserved for all days.
I was wondering a few days ago if they extended it because maybe we would have to buy new tickets for reserved days. This makes a lot more sense.

 

[IluvMGM]

I wish I knew if having a split stay will hurt me with the new reservation system vs. having a fulls tay at the same resort?

I am so stressing as well. Could only get 7 nights with free dining, so did that with the 10 day ticket package and then 3 nights without. I was hoping since dining is gone I could somehow merge them, but they said no.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

I have a few questions for anyone that may know the answer. First some background. I’m a DVC member and an annual pass holder and have/had 3 trips this year. 2 have been canceled due to the virus. The next trip is in August. I live in upstate NY and the governor has stated that no one from the tri-state area Is allowed in Florida. I’ve been cooped up at home for the past 3 months with little to no contact with anyone.

The points that I have used are borrowed from 2021. So the first question is if I’m forced to,cancel yet another trip, can those points be put back into 2021? Another question is Disney is extending the annual passes for the time the parks have been closed (which is great), however, if I’m not allowed to go because of some edict, is Disney going to extend my annual pass for the time that I’m forbidden to visit? I will also post this in the DVC area. This is very frustrating since I’ve got all these airline credits also.

 

[yulilin3]

I have a few questions for anyone that may know the answer. First some background. I’m a DVC member and an annual pass holder and have/had 3 trips this year. 2 have been canceled due to the virus. The next trip is in August. I live in upstate NY and the governor has stated that no one from the tri-state area Is allowed in Florida. I’ve been cooped up at home for the past 3 months with little to no contact with anyone.

The points that I have used are borrowed from 2021. So the first question is if I’m forced to,cancel yet another trip, can those points be put back into 2021? Another question is Disney is extending the annual passes for the time the parks have been closed (which is great), however, if I’m not allowed to go because of some edict, is Disney going to extend my annual pass for the time that I’m forbidden to visit? I will also post this in the DVC area. This is very frustrating since I’ve got all these airline credits also.

first of all that's not true. You can come to Florida you just have to self isolate for 14 days while here, so obviously if you are not staying for more than 14 days you will need to stay inside your room. This executive order is set to expire the first week of July and then we'll see if he extends it or not
As for the ap portion of your question Disney has not given any information yet
As for DVC I will let someone that knows answer, I am not fluent in DVC talk

 

[pmaurer74]

I have a few questions for anyone that may know the answer. First some background. I’m a DVC member and an annual pass holder and have/had 3 trips this year. 2 have been canceled due to the virus. The next trip is in August. I live in upstate NY and the governor has stated that no one from the tri-state area Is allowed in Florida. I’ve been cooped up at home for the past 3 months with little to no contact with anyone.

The points that I have used are borrowed from 2021. So the first question is if I’m forced to,cancel yet another trip, can those points be put back into 2021? Another question is Disney is extending the annual passes for the time the parks have been closed (which is great), however, if I’m not allowed to go because of some edict, is Disney going to extend my annual pass for the time that I’m forbidden to visit? I will also post this in the DVC area. This is very frustrating since I’ve got all these airline credits also.

I am in a similar position. I cancelled a June WDW trip and Aulani for July and used the Aulani points for July trip awhile opening. Luckily right now we are not under a quarantine but we just renewed our APs. I feel your frustration. I have so many airline credits for the the cancelled Aulani and WDW trips that I am flying free the rest of this year and all of next year. As far as the borrowed points, they will likely go back to the use year borrowed from but according to the new rules you can only borrow 50% of them for 2021. So they become unborrowed.

 

[Sandisw]

I have a few questions for anyone that may know the answer. First some background. I’m a DVC member and an annual pass holder and have/had 3 trips this year. 2 have been canceled due to the virus. The next trip is in August. I live in upstate NY and the governor has stated that no one from the tri-state area Is allowed in Florida. I’ve been cooped up at home for the past 3 months with little to no contact with anyone.

The points that I have used are borrowed from 2021. So the first question is if I’m forced to,cancel yet another trip, can those points be put back into 2021? Another question is Disney is extending the annual passes for the time the parks have been closed (which is great), however, if I’m not allowed to go because of some edict, is Disney going to extend my annual pass for the time that I’m forbidden to visit? I will also post this in the DVC area. This is very frustrating since I’ve got all these airline credits also.

I answered you there

 

[yorkieteacher]

I think people are just using it as an example. If they have a 7 day pass and can only reserve 4 days of a trip, what happens to the other days.

Nothing has been said you would be limited, other than if it gets full or an AP holder...assuming one not with a resort reservation.

They go to Universal and Sea World which isn’t as difficult to arrange! I am being a smart aleck here, but I think Disney is a bit into overkill here-

 

[puffkin]

They go to Universal and Sea World which isn’t as difficult to arrange! I am being a smart aleck here, but I think Disney is a bit into overkill here-

We switched our DL vacation to a split WDW/Universal trip first week of August and I agree. I know Disney is a bigger beast, but my Universal part of the trip is all set but the Disney part is getting so frustrating with all the unknowns. We are DVC and have tickets so should “hopefully” have no issues, but if we can’t go to the parks each day, I’ll be pretty ticked.

 

[lanejudy]

I was wondering a few days ago if they extended it because maybe we would have to buy new tickets for reserved days.

I had that same thought but have resisted voicing it...

 

[MomOTwins]

I had that same thought but have resisted voicing it...

I was kind of wondering this too. Note also, today's Union announcement that MK food handlers have been called back starting 6/21. We know people with stays in that pre-July11 period are having their packages modified by Disney to remove tickets. But the MK food handler situation suggest soft openings during that time. Which suggests to me they are expecting people to have to buy new tickets to get in (unless they are planning on making soft openings free for on-site guests, which would be a VERY nice perk...but given all the cost-cutting I doubt it).